The Science & Research Breakfast Seminar Series showcases excellence in research and development which is generating economic, environmental, social and technological benefits for New South Wales. The series will again feature some of the state’s best and brightest, and highlight its tremendous research strength across a diverse range of disciplines.
For more information, please call the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer on (02) 9228 5762.
To receive invitations to the Science and Research Breakfast Seminar Series, please register using the form below.
2024 Science & Research Breakfast Seminar Series
Wednesday 1 May 2024
Professor Gerry Swiegers
Chief Technical Officer, Hysata Pty Ltd
A New Approach to Industrial Production of Green Hydrogen:
Bubble-Free Capillary Water Electrolysis
Renewable, or green, hydrogen will play a critical role in the future decarbonisation of our economy, particularly of the so-called ‘hard-to-abate’ sectors like heavy transport, steel and chemicals.
The challenge is to deliver renewable hydrogen that is cost-competitive with fossil fuels. In this seminar, Professor Gerry Swiegers, Chief Technical Officer of hydrogen production company Hysata, will describe a new technology that employs a ‘capillary’ electrolyser cell to convert water directly into hydrogen without the formation of gas bubbles.
‘Bubble-free’ water electrolysers of this type demonstrate system efficiencies of 95%, equating to an energy consumption of 41.5 kWh for every kilogram of hydrogen produced (state-of-the-art commercial electrolysers consume in excess of 50 kWh/kg). This figure exceeds the efficiency target of the International Renewable Energy Agency for the year 2050.
The demand for cost-competitive green hydrogen is such that the Hysata already has an order book of more than $5 billion, and Gerry will discuss how the company is approaching the commercialisation of its innovative technology.
About the Speaker
Professor Gerhard (Gerry) F. Swiegers
Chief Technical Officer, Hysata Pty Ltd and the University of Wollongong
Gerry is an Australian Research Council Industry Laureate Fellow at the University of Wollongong.
After being awarded his PhD at the University of Connecticut, USA, in 1991, Gerry has held roles at the Australian National University, CSIRO and the University of Wollongong.
Gerry specialises in the commercialisation of fundamental research and bridging the academia-to-industry gap. He has founded seven spin-off companies including Hysata, which is a two-time grant recipient in the Physical Sciences Fund. He has licensed/sold three new technologies in the last 20 years.
Gerry’s commercialisation activities have attracted an estimated $150 million in private investment to date and numerous accolades, including two DuPont Innovation awards.
He has published two scholarly books, 147 peer-reviewed scientific papers/chapters, and 60 patent families, comprising 366 individual patent applications. Gerry has participated in $24.5 million of competitive grant funding. His inventions have found use in the pharmaceutical, apparel, casino chip, agricultural, automobile and energy industries.
Wednesday 6 March 2024
2023 NSW Scientist of the Year, Emeritus Professor Trevor McDougall
UNSW Sydney
What the Ocean tells us about Climate Change
2023 Science & Research Breakfast Seminar Series
Wednesday 22 November 2023
Professor David Reilly
The University of Sydney and Microsoft
A Digital Electronics Revolution to Support a Quantum Future
Wednesday 11 October 2023
Associate Professor Amy Cain
Macquarie University
Mini-machines: How Microbial Genes Can Improve the World
Wednesday 16 August 2023
Professor Richard McDermid
Macquarie University
Exploring Our Complex Cosmos with Next-Generation Telescopes in the Age of Data-Intensive Astronomy
Wednesday 14 June 2023
Ros Harvey
CEO, The Yield
Is Agriculture Ready for Artificial Intelligence?
Wednesday 10 May 2023
Professor Garry Myers
University of Technology Sydney
Synthetic RNAs for NSW and Australian Needs
Wednesday 1 March 2023
2022 NSW Scientist of the Year
Professor Glenda Halliday
The University of Sydney
Neurodegenerative Disease: Causes and Cures
2022 Science & Research Breakfast Seminar Series
Wednesday 7 December 2022
Distinguished Professor Michelle Leishman
Macquarie University
Towards Nature - Smart Liveable Cities for the Future
Wednesday 19 October 2022
Chris Beal
Chief Executive Officer, NextOre Pty Ltd
Australian Technology’s Role in Addressing the Environmental Impacts of Mining
Wednesday 17 August 2022
Dr Carl Seubert
Chief Research Officer, SmartSat CRC
Guiding the Trajectory of Australia's Space Technology
Wednesday 29 June 2022
Professor Judith Dawes
Macquarie University
Photonics: Making Light Work
Wednesday 11 May 2022
2021 NSW Scientist of the Year Professor Jim Patrick AO
Cochlear and Macquarie University
The Cochlear Implant as a Treatment of Severe to Profound Hearing Loss
* Due to technical difficulties with the Parliament of NSW AV system, this video does not contain footage of the speaker, but rather the presentation slides and Professor Patrick's accompanying narration. We apologise for any inconvenience.