Professor Graham Nathan

Professor G.J. 'Gus' Nathan is Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and of the Combustion Institute, an ARC Discovery Outstanding Researcher Awardee (Fellowship) and founding director of The University of Adelaide’s Centre for Energy Technology, who is listed in the top 2% of scientists world-wide both by Elsevier and Stanford University. Gus was bid leader for, and is now Research Director of, the $215m Heavy Industry, Low-carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre, Node Leader in Added Value program addressing solar fuels in the $82m Australian Solar Thermal Research Initiative and led the $14m ARENA funded program in partnership with Alcoa and Hatch to develop technology that targeted 45% reduction in CO2 emissions from the Bayer Alumina process with solar thermal hybrids. He is also a founding chair of the High Temperature Minerals Processing, HiTeMP Forum, co-founder of Hydrogen Production Technologies, HyPT, Forum and joint founder of the International Workshop on the measurement and computation of reacting flows with carbon nanoparticles, the ISF Workshop.

Gus was also principal leader of the Chief Design Team for the award winning fuel and combustion system for the Sydney Olympic Relay Torch and was co-inventor of the patented combustor that was subsequently also used in the torch and Stadium flame for the Athens Games. He has also jointly led the development of low NOx “Gyrotherm” burner in ongoing commercial use by partner FCT Combustion in cement, lime, alumina and iron-pellet kilns and currently works in a series of low-carbon technologies in partnership with companies including Alcoa, Calix and Hatch.

Professor Nathan applies leading research methods spanning laser diagnostics to pilot-scale investigations to support the development of novel clean energy technologies, with a focus on net-zero heavy industrial processes with hydrogen as a key enabler. He specialises in high temperature processes and reactors involving combustion, concentrated solar thermal and electrification, together with their hybrids. He has published some 300 publications in leading international journals 200 papers in peer-review conferences, 17 patents and 50 commissioned reports to companies including Rio Tinto, LKAB, Adelaide Brighton and BHP. He has given more than 80 invited presentations on clean energy technology.