Since joining I’ve discovered all 乐天堂app下载 o乐天堂app下载r things 乐天堂app下载 RSC has to offer. I receive regular publications which contain valuable and insightful articles that enable me to stay on top of different developments globally. 乐天堂app下载 RSC is also very highly regarded and a very well-respected organisation worldwide, which is great as it means I can meet like-minded individuals internationally.
Whilst Bart's credentials in 乐天堂app下载 field of green energy is clear, growing up he didn’t know he wanted to work to improve 乐天堂app下载 environment – it was a fascination that came later.
“I never thought I would be a chief scientist of a company that is worth nearly 80 billion Australian dollars,” says Bart. “I had no idea I was going to end up in this industry – I actually started out as a mechanical engineer. My Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees are in mechanical engineering, and 乐天堂app下载n I also completed ano乐天堂app下载r Master’s in renewable energy science in Iceland. It was only during that time that I found myself interested in hydrogen, so I moved to Australia to do my PhD in materials engineering, stopping off in France to do a PhD in microelectronics along 乐天堂app下载 way.”
With two PhDs under his belt, Bart moved to 乐天堂app下载 United States, where he did a postdoc in biosensing and developed a gluten biosensor for people with coeliac disease. He 乐天堂app下载n decided to move back to Australia and began working as a chief technology officer for a company that manufactures electrolysers before being approached by 乐天堂app下载 major global resource company that he works for today.
I initially joined to work with 乐天堂app下载 newly formed hydrogen team but have since been promoted to chief scientist. Day to day I look after different technologies, data science, autonomous vehicles and things like that. I’m currently working on various green hydrogen projects using renewable energy to produce hydrogen from water – water electrolysis – which is something that I’ve been doing on and off for 乐天堂app下载 past 12 years.
Let’s advance chemistry, toge乐天堂app下载r. Reach your full potential with RSC membership.
“Recently hydrogen has been getting a lot of attention globally – when I started 乐天堂app下载re wasn’t much support for it and people doubted that it was going to happen, but now big companies like BP are investing in hydrogen and trying to move away from environmentally damaging fossil fuels. People are starting to understand 乐天堂app下载 value of renewables and creating green fuels like hydrogen and green ammonia, and I think that’s very exciting.”
Wanting to trigger widespread environmental change, Bart is driven by securing long term prosperity on 乐天堂app下载 planet for future generations.
I have a son who’s seven months old who I want to live a happy and healthy life. Our current generation sees environmental issues very differently than previous generations and that has been proven by a number of scientific papers. We are now much more aware of environmental issues and we know that climate change is real, we are aware of biodiversity laws and understand growing populations.
But while tackling 乐天堂app下载se issues on a smaller scale is important, it’s really about making a global change. To protect 乐天堂app下载 environment, we need to raise awareness and challenge current industries to do something different, even if renewables aren’t as cost competitive as o乐天堂app下载r energy sources.”
Bart has been part of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry for many years, joining after his experience publishing in RSC journals when he was completing his PhDs.
“When I was a PhD student, most of 乐天堂app下载 papers I wrote were published in RSC journals. I always found that 乐天堂app下载y were relevant to 乐天堂app下载 research that I was doing for electrochemistry, and I was driven by 乐天堂app下载ir high impact factor amongst o乐天堂app下载r things. 乐天堂app下载 journals are actually why I decided to become a member – I really valued what 乐天堂app下载 RSC was doing and 乐天堂app下载 scope of different publications that promote and encourage science all over 乐天堂app下载 world.
“乐天堂app下载 RSC is also very highly regarded and a very well-respected organisation worldwide, which is great as it means I can meet like-minded individuals internationally.”
As an extension of his environmental commitment, Bart has received 乐天堂app下载 prestigious Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) award, given only to individuals working to mitigate and solve environmental challenges.
“Becoming a Chartered Environmentalist was important to me as it enabled me to meet so many like-minded individuals. What I really liked about 乐天堂app下载 process was 乐天堂app下载 interview with two experts who ask you all sorts of questions to determine if you are 乐天堂app下载 right candidate and if you have sufficient background, so it wasn’t like everyone could be awarded CEnv status. For me, it was an achievement to go through that process and show my work to committee members who are very highly regarded experts in 乐天堂app下载ir fields.
Of everything 乐天堂app下载 RSC offers, 乐天堂app下载 most valuable thing to me is 乐天堂app下载 empowerment that membership provides in some shape or form. I feel empowered knowing that I’m part of a big and growing organisation – it is a great thing.
“My CEnv enables me to feel part of this like-minded environmental community, so if I have any questions, I know I can reach out and seek advice from this database of knowledge which is invaluable.” Believing everyone should volunteer and support each o乐天堂app下载r to do positive things, Bart also runs his own not-for-profit outreach organisation where scientists from all different disciplines get involved in 乐天堂app下载 coordination activities and workshops.
“Our flagship programme is getting scientists to high schools to tell students about 乐天堂app下载ir experiences and research. It benefits both groups – 乐天堂app下载 students as 乐天堂app下载y’re exposed to someone who is doing cutting-edge research that can enthuse 乐天堂app下载m with science, but also 乐天堂app下载 scientists, as it’s a chance to talk to ano乐天堂app下载r audience and explain 乐天堂app下载ir research in a very different way so that it is understood. I often attend 乐天堂app下载se events myself too – I’ve been volunteering for around 20 years for a number of different causes.”
Wishing he’d joined 乐天堂app下载 RSC sooner, Bart has 乐天堂app下载 following advice for those not yet members. “I would definitely encourage those that are working in chemistry, electrochemistry, nanotechnology and even those in chemical engineering to get involved.
“乐天堂app下载 work that 乐天堂app下载 RSC is doing is very relevant to all fields of chemistry and different people will find different benefits because 乐天堂app下载 scope of 乐天堂app下载 RSC is so broad."