Join us to explore the future of batteries and energy storage in Australia and Southeast Asia. Learn how regional collaboration drives innovation, sustainable energy solutions, and economic growth. Discover transformative potential battery technologies, emerging storage solutions, and their impact on renewable energy, transportation, and industry.
ATSE President, Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO FTSE FAICD, and AAET President, Ir. Dato’ Professor Dr Ewe Hong Tat, will be joined by expert Fellows. The webinar will last around 120 minutes, featuring two presentations, a panel discussion, and a Q&A session with the panellists.
Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO FTSE FAICD
President, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO FTSE is one of Australia’s most influential people in innovation. She is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has been a Fellow of ATSE since 2015. In 2017, she received an Order of Australia for her ongoing service to research and technology innovation in Australia.
She has been a professional director for over 20 years including as Chair of Natural Hazards Research Australia, the Antarctic Science Foundation and the HEARing Cooperative Research Centre. She has been a Director of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Bioplatforms Australia (NCRIS), the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Vast Solar, and listed companies Sirtex and Anteotech. She previously chaired the National Climate Science Advisory Committee and currently chairs the Government’s “Vision 2040” committee reviewing the strategy for investment in medical research for the next two decades.
Ir. Dato’ Professor Dr Ewe Hong Tat
President, ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology
Professor Ewe Hong Tat obtained his Bachelor of Engineering (1st Class Hons) degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Malaya, Malaysia, Masters of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from M.I.T., USA and PhD degree from Multimedia University, Malaysia.
He had worked in Motorola Penang, Intel Penang, MIT’s Research Laboratory for Electronics, University of Malaya and Multimedia University (MMU) where he was Vice President (Academic). He was a Senior Professor of Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science and the Vice President (Internationalization and Academic Development) of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). He is a Fellow and President of ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET). He was also the recipient of a number of awards including The Young Scientist Award of URSI (International Union of Radio Science) in 1996, The Outstanding Young Malaysian Award 2005 for Academic Leadership and Accomplishment, and The Toray Science and Technology Award by Malaysian Toray Science Foundation in 2011. He is currently an Educational Counsellor and Regional Chair (Malaysia) of MIT Educational Council, Fellow of Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), former Council Member of Malaysia Qualifications Agency (MQA, 2013-2018), Advisory Judge of Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards and also Vice President of MIT Club of Malaysia.
In publication, he has published in books, international journals and conferences and newspaper column articles. His research interest includes microwave remote sensing, satellite image processing, wireless sensor network and intelligent computing. He is also active in consultancy and technopreneur development works and has been a consultant/advisor for several listed and startup companies in Malaysia.
Professor Douglas MacFarlane FTSE FAA
Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor, School of Chemistry, Monash University
Professor Douglas MacFarlane FAA FTSE is a world leader in the discovery and application of new organic materials used in a range of advanced applications. He has contributed significantly to the development of novel materials and processes for sustainable energy solutions.
Doug is head of the Energy Program in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science. He is currently researching materials that will enable new pathways to generate energy and fuel from sustainable resources and materials that are currently waste or pollutants.
He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2007 and to the Fellowship of ATSE in 2009. In 2018 Doug was awarded the Australian Academy of Science Craig Medal and the Victoria Prize for Science and Innovation.
Ir. Prof. Dr. Lim Yun Seng
Chairperson, Centre for Power Systems and Electricity, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
Dr Lim has expertise encompassing energy systems, power electronics, and sustainable technologies. In 2001 he completed his PHD in power systems at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). He spent several years working in industry in both the UK and Malaysia before beginning his academic career at UTAR in 2005.
Dr Lim has secured numerous external research grants from The Ministry of Green Technology, Water and Communication, The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation as well as The Ministry of Higher Education for projects on smart grids and renewable energy.
Dr Lim has won 16 national and international awards such as KASS Best Invention of the year 2012, and the Gold Medal at the 2013 International Invention & Innovation Exhibition.
Professor Maria Forsyth AM FTSE
Chair in Electrochemicals and Corrosion Science, Deakin University
Professor Maria Forsyth has been at the forefront of global research and collaboration in energy storage for decades. Her work on battery technology has consistently achieved breakthrough results.
Recognising Australia’s critical need to increase energy storage capacity, Maria championed the establishment of BatTRI-Hub, a centre for battery design and development. She also leads StorEnergy, a research centre uniting 11 organisations across government and industry with five Australian universities.
Professor Forsyth was elected to the ATSE Fellowship in 2022 and appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2023 for “significant service to chemistry education, research and scholarship.”
Professor Yang Hui Ying FAAET
Professor of Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD)
Professor Yang’s research is driven by the design and fabrication of low dimensional nanomaterials for energy and environmental applications. Her work is pushing forward the boundaries of knowledge in a wide variety of fundamental materials and structure-property relationships.
She is a pioneer in chemical doping, work function engineering and defect states analysis in one dimensional and two-dimensional nanomaterials for a variety of applications in highly efficient optoelectronics devices, electrochemical energy storage and water purification.
Professor Yang’s accolades include the SNIC-AsCA2019 Distinguished Woman Chemist Award and a fellowship in the Royal Society of Chemistry. Her extensive publications and awards highlight her significant impact on engineering and technology.
Emeritus Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos AM FTSE
Emeritus Professor, University of New South Wales - School of Engineering
Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos AM FTSE is a highly acclaimed researcher in the field of electrical energy engineering. Her pioneering work on novel membrane technology has led to the development of new types of batteries suitable for storing renewable energy at scale.
Professor Skylass-Kazacos is the inventor of the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery, an innovation that has had a profound impact on the electricity sector and renewable energy industry globally. A Chemical Engineer by training, Professor Skylass-Kazacos has had a remarkable career.
She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1999 for her service to Science & Technology and elected to the ATSE Fellowship in 2013.
Professor Ir. Dr. Chong Wen Tong
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Malaya
Professor Ir. Dr. Chong Wen Tong is the Head of the Universiti Malaya Centre for Energy Sciences. He has diverse expertise in fields such as renewable energy technologies, wind energy conversion, industrial design, and air conditioning and refrigeration.
Professor Chong is a prolific contributor to academic publishing as both a researcher and editor. He is an Editorial Board Member of the International Journal of Energy Research, International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing, and the International Journal of Green Energy.
Prof. Chong was awarded the 2018 WSSET Innovation Award (Renewable Energy Systems) and recognised in 2019 as one of Malaysia’s top research scientists by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. In 2022 he was recognised as being among the world’s top 2% of scientists by Standford University.