Person

Batterham, Robin John (1941 - )

AO FAA FTSE FREng FNAE FAusIMM FIChemE FISS FAIM FAICD HonFIEAust

Born
3 April 1941
Brighton, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Chemical engineer, Chief Scientist and Mining engineer

Summary

Robin Batterham was appointed Chief Scientist of the Commonwealth of Australia in May 1999. He was re-appointed to the position in 2002, after the initial tenure expired. He has also been Managing Director of Research and Technology Support, Comalco and Chief Technologists, Rio Tinto Limited since 1999 (December). Batterham is a director of many boards and associations and has lectured widely throughout Australia and overseas. After completing his PhD at Melbourne University, Batterham took up a postdoctoral position with ICI Central Research Laboratories in England. He returned to Australia and was employed as a research scientist by CSIRO (Division of Mineral and Process Engineering. By 1985 he had become Chief of that Division. Three years later he left CSIRO to join CRA, then Rio Tinto in 1995. He was Chief Scientist of Australia from 1999 to 2005.

Details

Chronology

1965
Education - Bachelor of Engineernig (BE), University of Melbourne
1968 - 1970
Career position - CSIRO Postdoctoral Fellow at ICI Central Research Laboratories, UK
1969
Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Melbourne
1970 - 1981
Career position - Research Scientist, CSIRO Division of Chemical (later Mineral) Engineering
1973 -
Career position - Fellow, Institute of Instrumentation and Control, Australia
1981 - 1985
Career position - Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Division of Mineral Engineering
1982 -
Career position - Fellow, Iron and Steel Society of America
1985 - 1988
Career position - Chief of Division, CSIRO Division of Mineral (later Mineral and Processing) Engineering
1988
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE)
1988 - 1993
Career position - Member of Council, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
1988 - 1995
Career position - Vice-President of the Resource & Processing Developments of CRA
1988 - 1995
Career position - Director, CRC for Robust and Adaptive Control Systems
1989 -
Career position - Fellow, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
1989 - 2010
Career position - President of the International Mineral Processing Congress
1992
Award - Esso Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering
1993
Award - President's Medal, Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
1993 - 1997
Career position - Chairman, G. K. Williams CRC for Extractive Metallurgy
1994 - 1997
Career position - Managing Director of Research and Technology, Rio Tinto of Australia
1995 - 1999
Career position - Managing Director of Research and Technology, Rio Tinto Ltd. (formerly CRA Ltd.)
1996
Award - Kernot Memorial Medal, for distinguished engineering achievement in Australia. Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne
1997 - 2000
Career position - Managing Director of Research and Technology, Rio Tinto Ltd
1997 - 2001
Career position - Board member, Australian Mineral Development Laboratories (AMDEL)
1997 - 2006
Career position - Member of the Cooperative Research Centres Main Committee
1998 -
Career event - Fellow (FIChemE), Institute of Chemical Engineers, United Kingdom
1998 - 2009
Career position - Chairman, International Network for Acid Prevention
1999
Career event - Fellow (FIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
1999 - 2001
Career position - Director, Australian Mineral Industry Research Association
1999 - 2005
Career position - Chief Scientist of Australia
1999 - 2005
Career position - Member, Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Committee
2000
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
2000 - 2009
Career position - Group Chief Scientist, Rio Tinto Ltd
2001
Award - Centenary Medal - for a distinguished career in research and technology, both in the public and private sectors
2001 - 2004
Career position - Director, Mineral Industry Research Organisation, United Kingdom
2002 -
Career position - Corresponding Member, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences
2003
Career position - Vice-President, Institution of Chemical Engineers
2003
Award - Chemeca Medal, Australian and New Zealand Federation of Chemical Engineers
2004 -
Career position - Foreign Member, Royal Academy of Engineering
2004 -
Career position - Foreign Associate, National Academy of Engineering, U.S.A.
2004
Award - Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa, University of Melbourne
2004
Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) - for service to science, engineering and technology through promoting collaboration, excellence and innovation to enable Australian industry to remain internationally competitive and innovative
2004 - 2005
Career position - President, Institution of Chemical Engineers
2004 - 2006
Career position - Member, Advisory Committee, National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS)
2005 - 2009
Career position - Chairman, International Network for Acid Prevention
2006
Award - Doctor of Science (DSc), honoris causa, University of Sydney
2007 - 2012
Career position - President, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
2010 -
Career position - Kernot Professor of Engineering, University of Melbourne
2011
Award - Doctor of Engineering (DEng), honoris causa, University of Queensland
2015
Award - Sir Willis Connolly Memorial Medal, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
2017
Award - Honorary Bragg Member, Royal Institution of Australia
2020
Award - Honorary Fellow (HonFIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

Related Awards

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Reports

  • Institution of Engineers Australia, Engineers Australia Annual Report 2003-4 (2004), 77 pp. 'Chemeca Medal 2003' awarded to Dr. Robin Batterham, Part 2, p.29. Details

Resources

Resource Sections

See also

Ailie Smith and Helen Cohn

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