Professor Hal Gurgenci - Director,
Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence
Phone: +61 7 3365 3607
Email: h.gurgenci@uq.edu.au

Hal Gurgenci, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has many years of industry and academic experience in solar energy, manufacturing and mining. His current research interests include energy systems analysis, flow and heat transfer through porous media and thermal power systems.

Professor Victor Rudolph
Phone: +61 7 3365 4171
Email: v.rudolph@uq.edu.au
Website: http://www.entri.cheque.uq.edu.au 

Victor Rudolph, Professor of Chemical Engineering, pursues a broad range of research, concentrating in recent years on technologies associated with energy and environment. The work encompasses lowering the environmental impact of fossil energy sources, geosequestration of carbon dioxide, the development and incorporation of renewable energy supplies, and associated technologies.

Professor Max Lu
Phone: +61 7 3346 7500
Email: maxlu@uq.edu.au

Professor Max Lu, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research Linkages) is ARC Federation Fellow and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials. His research interests and expertise lie in the areas of innovative materials for sustainable energy generation and use – including hydrogen and fuel cells technologies, and enhanced energy efficiency using nanofluid and nanocoatings (www.arccfn.org.au)

Professor Tapan Kumar Saha is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Queensland. He has been actively involved in power engineering research specialising in condition monitoring of electrical plants and power system transmission and distribution issues. He is currently the leader of the Power & Energy Systems research group within the School of Information Technology & Electrical Engineering. 

Dr Peter Jacobs
Ph: +61 7 3365 4068
Email: p.jacobs@uq.edu.au

 Dr Peter Jacobs is leading the QGECE Research Program on Power Conversion.  He brings to the programs years of experience in computational fluid dynamics and thermal and fluid system development.  Most of this experience has been acquired as part of UQ Hypersonics group designing scramjets.  He is very well-regarded in the fluid research community across the world and we are lucky that we have him in this role.

Dr Zhiqiang Guan
Ph: +61 7 3365 5627
E-mail: guan@uq.edu.au

Dr Zhiqiang Guan is a senior researcher and group leader of CRCMining.  He has many years of industry experience in mining equipment and structure design, dynamic modelling, condition monitoring and reliability analysis.  His current research interests include cooling systems design and analysis, mechanical hard rock mining systems development and system modelling. 

Kamel Hooman is a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at The University of Queensland.  Being involved in such versatile research areas as Convection in Porous Media, Bio-Fluid Mechanics, Mine Ventilation, MEMS, and CFD, he has recently shifted his attention to Geothermal Energy.

Dr Mehdi Eghbal
Ph: +61 7 3346 9913
Email: m.eghbal@uq.edu.au

 Dr Mehdi Eghbal is an Electrical Engineer with experience in power system planning and energy management.  His interests include power system planning and operation, smart grids and renewable energies.  

Dr Paul Petrie-Repar
Ph: +61 7 3346 9913
Email: p.petrierepar@uq.edu.au 

 Dr Paul Petrie-Repar is an experienced engineer who has been working as a consultant for a number of years in the area of flutter analysis of gas turbines, steam turbines and aircraft engines.  His past clients include some of the premium manufacturers of the world. Paul is working only part-time for the Centre because of the demand of his own business interests.

Dr Andrew Rowlands
Ph: +61 7 3346 9913
Email: a.rowlands@uq.edu.au  

Andrew Rowlands has a Chemical Engineering PhD and well-developed skills and knowledge in real-time software development and electronics. He joined the Centre as a full-time research fellow in June 2009 and he is working in the area of electricity generation using turbines as well as direct thermo-electrical converters.

Dr Emilie Sauret
Ph: +61 7 3346 9913
Email: e.sauret@uq.edu.au  
Since her PhD in 2004 from University Paris, Dr Saurat has been working as a consultant in analysing and mitigating aerodynamic- and flow-induced vibrations for process equipment. She joined the Centre as a full-time research fellow in September this year.

Dr Tonguc Uysal is a Geoscientist with research interests and background in fossil and active hydrothermal/geothermal systems and thermal and fluid flow histories of sedimentary basins.  His research is using a combined application of alteration mineralogy, isotope/trace element geochemistry and geochronology to define fluid origins and reconstruct the evolution of hydrothermal systems.

Mostafa Odabee received his BSc in Mechanical Engineering in 2005.  He then worked as a research engineer in Iran for three years where he was involved in a number of research projects on fuel cells.  He ended up that period with a patent on a Device for Preparation of Input Gas of PEM Fuel Cells and moved to Australia to start his MPhil at The University of Queensland.  His current research focuses on improving the performance of air-cooled condensers of geothermal power plants by applying metal foam heat exchangers. 

Carlos Ventura is an international PhD Candidate from Portugal.  He has conducted research in areas related to hydrogen production (methane steam reforming) as well as heat transfer in porous media and H2/CO combustion.  Currently, his main research interest is in the Geothermal Energy area, more particularly, the study of turbo-machines in geothermal applications.