Robin John Batterham AO

FREng Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) is an award and Scholarship, fellowship for engineers who are recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering as being the best and brightest engineers, inventors and technologists in the UK a ...

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

FTSE (born 3 April 1941) is an Australian scientist specialising in

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

. He was the Chief Scientist of Australia from 1999 to 2006. Born in the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

suburb of Brighton, Batterham graduated from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

in 1965 with a degree in chemical engineering, and received a PhD from the same institution in 1969. He received a scholarship from the

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research. CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world. From its headquarters in Canberra, CSIRO ...

(CSIRO) to undertake postgraduate studies at the central research laboratories of ICI in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

.Dr Robin Batterham

. Batterham returned to Australia in 1970, and took up the position of chief scientist of the CSIRO's Division of Mineral Engineering, and was later promoted to division chief.Batterham, Robin John (1941 – )
''Bright Sparcs'' (

), 13 December 2006. In 1999, he was appointed Chief Scientist of Australia, a role which he undertook simultaneously to acting as chief technologist for the multinational mining company

Rio Tinto Rio Tinto, meaning "red river", may refer to: Businesses * Rio Tinto (corporation), an Anglo-Australian multinational mining and resources corporation ** Rio Tinto Alcan, based in Canada ** Rio Tinto Borax in America *** Rio Tinto Borax Mine, ...

. Supporters of renewable energy technologies claimed that Batterham's employment by a mining company made his advice to the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

and

geosequestration A carbon sink is anything, natural or otherwise, that accumulates and stores some carbon-containing chemical compound for an indefinite period and thereby removes carbon dioxide () from the atmosphere. Globally, the two most important carbon si ...

questionable, although Batterham assured his critics that his advice and work as Chief Scientist was neutral and not affected by his Rio Tinto position.Fowler, Andrew
Questions raised over chief scientist's Rio Tinto role
'' The 7.30 Report'' (

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

), 8 December 2003. In 2004, concern was expressed over Dr. Batterham's dual roles, and a Senate committee found that there was a conflict of interest between the two, recommending that the Chief Scientist position be made full-time.Guerrera, Orietta
Chief scientist's dual roles 'damaging'
''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'', 6 August 2004. In May 2005, Batterham stepped down as Chief Scientist and took on a full-time position at Rio Tinto.Barlow, Karen
Australia's Chief Scientist gives up Govt position for mining giant
''AM'' (ABC Radio), 17 May 2005. From May 2004 to May 2005, Batterham was President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.''The Chemical Engineer'', June 2004, p 21 "High Flier has landed" (interview) Batterham was elected a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...

in 2004 for the modeling of iron ore systems and team leadership in the development of innovative industrial metallurgical processes. He was appointed an International

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2004. He was also appointed a Fellow (FTSE) of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) in 1988, and served as its President 2007–2012.Robin Batterham appointed ATSE President
Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, 2007. in 2014 the Batterham Medal was established in his honour by ATSE as an early career award in the field of engineering. Batterham is the assistant organist at

Scots' Church, Melbourne The Scots' Church is a Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was the first Presbyterian church to be built in the Port Phillip District (now the state of Victoria) and is located on Collins Street. It is a congregation of the ...

. He has given numerous organ recitals, and has released several CDs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batterham, Robin 1941 births Living people People educated at Brighton Grammar School University of Melbourne alumni Chief Scientists of Australia Australian chemical engineers Australian mining engineers Imperial Chemical Industries people Officers of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Centenary Medal Australian classical organists Male classical organists Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Foreign members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering 21st-century Australian public servants 21st-century Australian engineers 20th-century Australian engineers 21st-century organists 21st-century Australian male musicians 21st-century Australian musicians People from Brighton, Victoria Scientists from Melbourne