Innovation Series - Dr Adrian Paterson

Dr Adrian (Adi) Paterson is the Chief Executive of the Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation (ANSTO). Previously he was general manager, Business Development and Operations, at the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Company in South Africa. He has a BSc in Chemistry and a PhD in Engineering from the University of Cape Town. From 2001 to 2006, Dr Paterson worked at the Department of Science and Technology in various science policy roles including the development of national innovation instruments and Research and Development strategy. From 1984 to 2001, he worked at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa, rising through a number of assignments to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Dr Paterson is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Materials Science has reinvented itself a number of times since it became a discipline immediately after the Second World War. Prior to that time most practical materials were developed in industrial settings and research activities tended to be discipline based (physics, chemistry, civil engineering, etc). There have been a series of overlapping “materials revolutions” that have transformed work, health and leisure for large numbers of people.

Nuclear science and technology plays a key role in understanding novel materials and the development of nuclear applications also leading to specific challenges and the development of entirely new materials with challenging performance criteria. A number of examples of materials applications from ANSTO and our current research techniques will be used to illustrate the opportunities for the next generation of materials scientists.