David Lewis

Biography

I am an experienced Chartered Chemical Engineer with a strong background in leadership and proficient at motivating teams. My industry and academic careers have provided me the opportunity to work in the petroleum, mining, automation, hospitality and defence industries. I am proficient at managing risk and have wide industry knowledge. From 2012 to 2016 I was on leave without pay from the University of Adelaide managing a technology start-up company developing new commercial opportunities focused on production of sustainable oils from hydrothermal liquefaction using renewable feedstocks such as biomass and organic wastes. I continue to consult to the petroleum industry. As an academic I teach Chemical Engineering undergraduate students and supervise postgraduate students on projects involving bioprocess technology R&D with a focusses on commercialisation, and have international recognition in the biomass processing industry. My academic focus is on leadership, education and mentoring, efficiency, quality and safety, and I am experienced in developing business opportunities for project executions. I currently serve as the Director of Research in the School of Chemical Engineering.

Research Interest

I manage the Manufacturing Technology Research Laboratory and the theme of our research is low carbon solutions at the energy-water-environment nexus. Currently my research team is focussing on flow chemistry for hydrothermal liquefaction, in particular developing commercially relevant fully integrated sub-critical water technologies to provide sustainable solutions for managing waste streams and by-products that have significant organic content. This work encompasses fundamental and applied aspects of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, and process control. The research aligns with the Petroleum and Municipal Waste Water industries both nationally and internationally.