About Us

We imagine. We collaborate. We innovate.

The Solar Technologies team is the core solar science and engineering capability for Australia’s National Science Agency, and the CSIRO Solar Group.

The team works across a portfolio of Research, Development and Demonstration (R&D+D) projects with significant client activities within the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) including leadership of the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute (ASTRI). We are the largest solar research effort within CSIRO, with over 50 group members of full-time engineers, scientists, visiting scientists, students and affiliates, who bring together a multi-disciplinary research team of mechanical and software engineers, optical and device physicists, material and physical chemists, chemical process and electrical engineers.

We are building strong collaborative relationships, solving the greatest scientific challenges, and delivering on long-term objectives for Australia, through innovative science, engineering and solar technologies.

 

Leadership Team

Dr Noel Duffy

Research Group Leader, Principal Research Scientist, Photoelectrochemical Materials and Systems

Prof. Gregory Wilson

Science Leader, Principal Research Scientist | Advanced Photovoltaics

Wes Stein

Chief Technologist, ASTRI, Chief Scientist, Solar Thermal Technologies

Kenrick Anderson

Experimental Scientist | Next Generation Photovoltaics

Dr Andrew Beath

Team Leader, Solar Materials, Principal Research Engineer, Technoecomics of Thermal Systems

Dr Ben Duck

Senior Research Scientist, Photovoltaics Measurement

Wil Gardner

Senior Engineer, Thermal Processes and Systems

Michael Rae

Engineer, Solar Field Control Systems Design

Current Team Members

Dr Mehdi Aghaeimeybodi

Research Scientist | Solar Thermal Technoeconomics

Geoff Buckmaster

Chief Operating Officer, ASTRI

Ange Chen

Technical Officer, SEM and XRD systems

Mike Collins

Engineer, Heliostat and Mechatronic Systems

Andre Cook

Postgraduate Student (PhD, enrolled), Surface Chemistry of Perovskite Materials

Dr Chris Fell

Science Leader, Photovoltaics, Principal Research Scientist, PV Performance Laboratory

Dr Sahan Kuruneru

Research Scientist, Falling Particle Receiver Development

Dr Tim Jones

Senior Research Scientist, Perovskite Thin-film Devices

Dr Jin-Soo Kim

Team Leader, Solar Collection and Storage, Principal Research Engineer, Solar Receivers

Scott Morgan

Senior Engineer, NSEC Facility Manager

Min Ostini

ASTRI Program Administrator

Dr Daniel Potter

Research Scientist, Thermal System Simulation and Optimisation

Dr Yen Soo-Too

Senior Research Engineer, Thermal Energy Storage Technologies

Ryan Stiff

Engineer, Mechatronic Systems

Dominic Zaal

Director, ASTRI

 

Previous Team Members

Dr Alfonso Ballestas-Barrientos

Postgraduate Student (PhD, Conferred)

Sian Baynham

Vacation Scholar

Dr Alicia Bayon-Sandoval

Postdoctoral Fellow, thermal catalytic processes

Lillian Boerst

Vacation Scholar

Dr Clotilde Corsi

Postgraduate Student (PhD, Conferred), Optical System Optimisation

Adrian Dawson

Engineer, Thermo-Mechanical Systems

Dr Alberto de la Calle Alonso

Postdoctoral Fellow, Solar Chemical Processes

Dr Larissa Fedunik-Hofman

Postgraduate Student (PhD, Submitted)

Dr Yingchun He

Postgraduate Student (PhD, enrolled), Electrochromic Materials and Devices

Kai-Chieh Hsu

Visiting Scientist (PhD student), 2D--perovskite Materials

Dr Liangyou Lin

Postgraduate Student (PhD, Conferred)

Camilla Lian

Postgraduate Student (PhD, enrolled), Perovskite Thin-film Devices

Dr Blagovest Mihaylov

Postdoctoral Fellow, Tandem Device Measurement

Helena Mavroudis

Vacation Scholar

Louise McLaren

Postgraduate Student (Honours, Graduated)

Rob McNaughton

Team Leader, Solar Thermal Processes, Principal Engineer, Solar Fuels and Processes

Dr Rene Olivares

Senior Research Scientist, Metallurgical Studies of Thermal Systems

Sohan Phadke

Postgraduate Student (Masters, Submitted)

Jack Stewart

Research Technician, SEM and XRD Analysis

Dr Yanping Sun

Senior Research Scientist, Solar Catalytic Materials and Processes

Dr Dietmar Tourbier

Team Leader, ASTRI Management, Director, ASTRI

Dr Jacob Wang

Postdoctoral Fellow, Perovskite Tandem Devices

Russ Webber

Research Projects Engineer, Solar Collection Systems

Dr Terry Yang

Postdoctoral Fellow, Perovskite Tandem Devices