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PhD (University of Queensland)
Peter Talbot is a Professorial Fellow at QUT, a Director of ScienceWorks Consultants and co-founder of the Very Small Particle Company Ltd. (VSPC), a nano-materials manufacturing company based in Brisbane. Peter has an honours degree in geology from James Cook University and a PhD in materials science from The University of Queensland. After obtaining his PhD, Peter became Program Manager for ACD, Uniquest Pty Ltd., at The University of Queensland. In that role, he managed a team of over 20 scientists and engineers that developed a range of advanced chemical processes and materials. The team was responsible for completing milestones for a $5M research project for the Energy Research and Development Council (ERDC) and for international projects with Enya Systems in Japan, BCC cables in Wales and Nordic Superconductors in Denmark. The team also completed commercial projects with Australian companies such as MMCables and Minesite Remediation Services Pty Ltd. Peter and his colleagues at VSPC developed and patented a generic process for producing complex nanoscale metal oxides. This process proved to be a platform technology for manufacture of nano-scale metal oxides with near-atomic scale features resulting in enhanced physical, electrical, magnetic, optical and mechanical properties. These nano-scale oxides are used in a range of modern-day technologies including fuel cells, batteries, electronics, catalysts, cosmetics and pigments. Dr Talbot has extensive experience with corporate and industry-based R&D. He has an international reputation in materials science particularly in the field of nano-materials manufacture and High Temperature Superconductors. He also holds numerous patents in the field of solid-state chemistry, automated chemical manufacture and nano-materials. Over the past five years, Professor Talbot’s research has advanced beyond controlling not only the particle size of nano-scale materials but also to controlling morphological properties of materials, such as porosity and crystal architecture. These developments have resulted in the control of physical properties for new industrial catalysts as well as electronic and battery materials for international companies such as BASF, Engelhard, Valence Technologies, Sud Chemie, Toyo Ink, Phostech Lithium, Lishen Battery Co. and RioTinto Alcan. Professor Talbot is now extending this work to high performance materials such as light and strong borides, carbides and nitrides that also demonstrate unique electrical, magnetic and optical properties. Grants and Investment Funding Professor Talbot has jointly raised over $30million in investment funds for new technology companies, including over $10million in competitive R&D grants. He is currently Project Leader of the $4M AA2020CRC project to develop advanced battery materials for electric vehicles.Projects
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Professor Talbot’s experience in innovative technology research and development spans both the academic and commercial sectors at national and international levels. It includes the management of skilled teams of scientists and engineers in collaboration with the private sector. It also includes experience as a founder, Director and CEO of several successful high technology start-up companies. As Program Manager, Advanced Ceramics Development (ACD), UniQuest Pty Ltd, The University of Queensland, Peter was responsible for contract R&D for Australian and International companies in the chemicals, power engineering, environmental remediation and waste treatment industries. These commercial projects averaged $3million per year in revenue and required project management of teams containing up to 20 scientists and engineers per project. As Director and Founder, Very Small Particle Company Pty Ltd and ScienceWorks Consultants Pty Ltd, Professor Talbot was responsible for joint national and international projects undertaken through VSPC including development, scale-up and product delivery of a novel process to produce nano-scale oxide materials. Products developed using this process include industrial catalysts for the reduction of greenhouse gases in exhaust flues, developed jointly with Engelhard Corp., USA and BASF, Germany. Other projects include the development of transparent conducting oxides with Degussa, Germany, Lithium-ion batteries with A123, USA, Phostech Lithium, Canada, SudChemie, Germany and Lishen, China and the development of wet oxidation catalysts with Rio Tinto Alcan. Overall, Peter has been involved in joint product development with more than 50 international companies over a ten-year period. To prosecute these commercial and technology transfer projects he has raised more than $30million in venture capital and competitive grants over a period of 10 years. Other professional activities include serving as an Industrial Research Fellow, AIBN, University of Queensland, a Foundation Member of the Queensland Nanotechnology Alliance, Member of Academic Advisory Board, The University of the Sunshine Coast, finalist in the Future Materials new technology awards and a long term member of the Society of Automotive Engineers International (SAE) International.