CITATION
Award of Doctor of Engineering honoris causa
Professor Robin Batterham AO
Chancellor,
Professor Robin Batterham AO is a long-term friend of UQ's through his high-level interaction with past as well as the present Vice-Chancellor, other senior executive and Executive Deans.
He has been a frequent visitor, delivering a number of invited presentations, including as the guest of honour during annual Research Week events. He also continues to work closely with the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre in the Sustainable Research Institute in a technical advisory capacity.
In his position as Group Chief Scientist at Rio Tinto, Professor Batterham focused on major step change technologies through in-house and external R&D. Collaborations between Rio Tinto and UQ were strengthened with input from him and these collaborations continue to flourish.
In his current position as Kernot Professor of Engineering at Melbourne University, Professor Batterham is responsible for strategic leadership of major projects in energy as well as a joint initiative between industry and the universities of Queensland and Melbourne on energy reduction in the comminution – the process by which solid materials are reduced in size by crushing, grinding and other means.
During his term as Australia's Chief Scientist, from 1999 to 2005, his Queensland focus was on the Review of Marine Science, Smart State initiatives and a Northern Research Alliance. His recommendations from a review of science and technology resulted in more than $4.8 billion in further R&D investment. He is a Fellow by election of five academies, six professional bodies, and an Officer of the Order of Australia.
An inventor at heart, Professor Batterham has retained a deep interest in applied science targeting industry, evidenced by his leadership and inventions in mineral and metal-production processes. He is inventor on 20 patents.
His other great love is music and following in the footsteps of his mother Margery and a grandfather who was a composer, organist and librarian for the ABC, Professor Batterham holds an Associate Diploma Music (Organ) Australia and serves as organist for both the Scots Church Melbourne and the Australian Chamber Choir, regularly performing at concerts and for broadcast.
Chancellor, in recognition of his distinguished career, service to Queensland and to Australia, I present to you Professor Robin Batterham AO, Bachelor of Engineering and PhD from the University of Melbourne, for the award of Doctor of Engineering honoris causa bestowed by the Senate of The University of Queensland.
