Congratulations to Professor Lachlan Blackhall FTSE who has been appointed the next Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) at The Australian National University.
Professor Blackhall is regarded as one of Australia’s leading innovators and thought leaders in energy engineering. He is also recognised for his support for young engineers through teaching, mentoring and advocacy over many years.
Professor Blackhall was the youngest ever member of the Academy when he was elected in 2017 at the age of 33. He was also the recipient of the inaugural Batterham Medal in 2015, ATSE’s award for early career engineers who have achieved substantial peer and industry recognition for their work. He was awarded for pioneering the use of distributed control schemes to manage, control and optimise the performance of distributed energy storage systems. Such technology is crucial for the integration of battery storage into the energy grid, and the further growth of distributed renewable energy across the country.
Professor Blackhall is currently Head of the ANU Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program. His research and development activities focus on supporting and accelerating the global energy transition to address the challenges of climate change. He co-founded the technology company Reposit Power, which is working around Australia to control the trading of stored energy with utilities and the broader electricity market.
As an ATSE Fellow, he has been an active member of several committees including the Membership Committee and Reconciliation Action Plan Committee. He continues to contribute his expertise in many ways through his activities with the Academy.
Read some of his contributions:
Lachlan Blackhall
Deputy-Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation), The Australian National University