Associate professor, Australian National University I am an applied mathematician and physical chemist. Currently I am working on the origin of life in the primordial soup! Another current interest is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scientific and engineering heritage. As an experienced thermodynamicist I am concerned about the widespread misunderstanding of thermodynamics, particularly of the second law and the concept of entropy, among people who are otherwise scientifically literate. If you do not have good working knowledge of the fundamentals of thermodynamics – specifically the Maxwell relations and their Legendre transforms – then it is better not to mention entropy or the second law in your articles, because you will most likely get it hopelessly, even ridiculously, wrong. Currently in my research I am working collaboratively on new high efficiency systems for separating carbon from fuels and flue gases. A spinoff is that I have elucidated the oscillatory thermal instability that led to the Bhopal disaster and initiates explosion of peroxide bombs used by terrorists. My research expertise in reactive thermal runaway and thermal explosions is also motivated by process safety. Serious and fatal thermal runaway incidents are quite common in chemical plants in Asia and in developing nations, although they are rarely reported in the Western press. (E.g, see http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-19/hyderabad/29904559_1_kalpana-explosion-ketone.) Most such incidents are preventable, but crucial knowledge that was made good use of by chemical engineers from the 1950s through the 1970s evidently never was learned in some relevant quarters. Ignorance is dangerous. Recently I came across two papers in the refereed literature claiming to determine thermal runaway criteria for processes used to manufacture two types of explosives, which I read with horror and disbelief. The authors prescribed operating criteria that they claimed are "safe" from thermal runaway, without carrying out ANY stability analysis. But there is a vicious oscillatory thermal instability in these systems, as an elementary stability analysis shows. Plant operators using their guidelines would be in for a nasty surprise - that is, if they survived. Due to their ignorance these authors' thermal 'safety' criteria are incorrect and dangerous. This does not reflect well on the journals that published these two papers. Why were the serious shortcomings not picked up by referees? In general science as fatally (literally) flawed as that in these two papers should not be left unchallenged but where real safety is involved and it puts human lives at risk one is morally obliged to correct it in the refereed literature. Our paper on this may be downloaded at http://arxiv.org/abs/1202.5550, it is published as: Ball, R., Gray, B.F., Thermal instability and runaway criteria: The dangers of disregarding dynamics. Process Safety and Environmental Protection (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.10/j.psep.2012.05.008. On another front, I am researching the role of fire in sequestering CO2.
Professor, School of Computing, Engineering, & Maths, Western Sydney University Ray Norris is a British/Australian astronomer in the School of Computing, Engineering, & Maths at Western Sydney University, and with CSIRO Astronomy & Space Science. He researches how galaxies formed and evolved after the Big Bang, and the process of astronomical discovery with large data volumes. He also researches the astronomy of Australian Aboriginal people. Ray was educated at Cambridge University, UK, and moved to Australia in 1983 to join CSIRO, where he became Head of Astrophysics in 1994, and then Australia Telescope Deputy Director before returning in 2005 to active research. He currently leads an international project - the Evolutionary Map of the Universe - to image the faintest radio galaxies in the Universe, using the new ASKAP radiotelescope being built in Western Australia. He also leads the WTF project which is exploring machine learning techniques He frequently appears on radio and TV, and has published a novel, Graven Images.
Asst Professor, University of Western Australia Richard is an Assistant Professor at the University of Western Australia Business School. His research interests include social media marketing, market research, supply chain-enabling information technology, and sustainable supply chain management. Richard obtained several awards for his research and teaching. His work has been published in leading international journals such as the International Journal of Operations and Production Management, and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Richard is also a regular contributor to executive teaching programs. Prior to his academic career, Richard was a marketing manager for one of Europe's leading media companies--Hubert Burda Media. He also has consulting experience with clients from the U.K., Australia, Germany, and Italy.
Lecturer in Psychology, University of the Sunshine Coast Dr Rachael Sharman is a lecturer and researcher in psychology, specialising in child/adolescent development. Rachael's research is focused on the optimal and healthy development of the paediatric brain, and has covered the neuro/psychological impacts of: dietary practices of parents and their children; physical activity; obesity; sport participation; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; genetic disorders; concussion and childhood trauma. Rachael has a long history in working in child-related fields including child protection, juvenile justice, disability, advocacy and genetic research. Rachael remains committed to research that ensures children have the best possible chance to meet their full potential. Her current interests include: children’s play opportunities and the built environment; resilience-building features of risky play; child protection issues including sexual abuse and trafficking; adolescent arson and self-harming; transitions from education to the workplace.
Senior Lecturer (Law), University of Birmingham Rosa Freedman joined Birmingham Law School in 2011 having previously taught Law at Queen Mary, University of London. Rosa has written articles on legal matters for national media and online blogs, and has provided research and expertise to a number of NGOs. Her first book, The United Nations Human Rights Council: an early assessment was published in March 2013 and her second book Failing to Protect: The UN and Politicisation of Human Rights was published in May 2014. Rosa researches and writes on the United Nations and international human rights law. She is interested in the extent to which UN human rights bodies discharge their mandates and the intersection of international law and international. Rosa has a broader interest in the impact of politics, international relations, the media, and civil society both on the work and proceedings of international institutions and on states’ compliance with international human rights norms.
Researcher, Western Sydney University Dr Robert Carr is a Researcher at Western Sydney University. He has published scholarship on history and politics and lectured at various Australian and international universities.
