GEEC Lunchtime Seminar 25th October 2024: Catalysing the Decarbonisation of New Zealand’s Energy Sector

 

 

You are invited to a lunchtime seminar hosted by the GEEC Faculty Research Centre (GEEC).

Light refreshments will be available afterwards. Please share this invite with your colleagues and come along if you are available.

Date:                   Friday 25^th October 2024

Time:                 12 – 1pm

Location:         405.222, 20 Symonds Street

Title:                   Catalysing the Decarbonisation of New Zealand’s Energy Sector

Decarbonising the global energy sector is the greatest single challenge facing mankind in the 21^st century. The growth of a green hydrogen economy has long been viewed as the logical successor to current fossil fuel-based energy infrastructures. In this seminar, I will overview some of my group’s recent research aimed at catalyst design for zinc-air batteries, water electrolysers, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and the manufacture of green biofuels, technologies critical to the realisation of a green hydrogen economy. Particular emphasis will be place on metal single atom catalysts (SACS), an exciting new class of catalyst which bridge the traditional domains of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis.

Speaker:          Professor Geoffrey Waterhouse, School of Chemical Sciences

Geoffrey’s research focuses on the application of nanotechnology in catalysis, environmental monitoring and therapeutics. He is internationally-renowned for his contributions to the design of nanocatalysts for the energy sector. Geoffrey is a key researcher/leader in many New Zealand Government-funded programmes linked to the emerging Green Hydrogen Economy, and one of New Zealand’s most cited (44000 cites, Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher 2019-2023) and productive scientists (>500 articles, h-index 105). His numerous accolades include the International Partnership Award for Young Scientists of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2016), the Maurice Wilkins Centre Prize for Excellence in Chemical Research (2020), University of Auckland Research Excellence Medal (2021), James Cook Research Fellowship (2021), Shorland Medal from the New Zealand Association of Scientists (2022), and the MacDiarmid Medal from the Royal Society Te Apārangi (2023). Geoffrey is an elected Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry (FNZIC) and Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), and the New Zealand delegate to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).