Team

Mark Taylor  BE(Hons), PhD, MIChemE, C.Eng

Centre Director

Mark graduated from Auckland University in 1984 with a PhD in Chemical and Materials Engineering.

His career with the Comalco organisation spanned 18 years in a variety of research, technical and operational roles.

He commenced at the Comalco Research Centre in Melbourne, moving into plant management at New Zealand Aluminium Smelters, Tiwai, Invercargill. During this time, Dr. Taylor was the Implementation Manager for the $450m smelter upgrade and then Potroom Manager. Following this he managed the smelter for a six month period before transferring to Brisbane.

As General Manager Technical, Dr Taylor directed Comalco's reduction research and development and provided technical support to Comalco's three operational smelters. Mark was appointed General Manager Operations in 2000 to Comalco's largest smelting operation, Boyne Smelters Ltd in Central Queensland.

Mark returned to the University of Auckland in January 2003 as the Director, Light Metals Research Centre and is engaged in light metals research and consulting globally. He has over 40 publications.

Professor Barry J Welch  PhD DSc FIChemE FRSNZ C Eng

Associate Director

Barry Welch has worked in both the aluminium smelting industry and universities directing research for more than 40 years. He has published widely and is know internationally as co-author with Kai Grjotheim of the book entitled "Aluminium Smelting Technology - a Pure and Applied Approach". This book was translated into Chinese by Professor Qui Zhuxian.

He has extensive experience in both the performance of materials, the operation of cells and cell dynamics. In recent years he has been a consultant and advisor to several aluminium smelters around the world, helping improve their operating performance and also their cell designs and materials of construction.

Barry was made a Distinguished Honorary Professor at the Northeast University of Technology in 1986.

Associate Professor Jim Metson  BSc(Hons), PhD, FNZIC, MRSNZ, MTMS

Associate Professor Metson completed his PhD at Victoria University of Wellington in 1980. After a period as a staff Scientist at Surface Science Western, the University of Western Ontario, Canada, he moved to The University of Auckland late in 1985. In addition to his appointment in the Department of Chemistry he has since held positions as Director of the Research Centre for Surface and Materials Science, Acting Director of the Light Metals Research Centre during its formation. In addition he held the position of Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) for the University between 2000 and 2002.

His research work, largely based in surface and materials science, has involved extensive contact with the aluminium industry, including involvement in the development of a new dry-scrubbing technology and studies of cell emissions, electrolyte chemistry and electrode reactivity. He has presented many papers at the TMS Light Metals Conference and was a Light Metals award winner in 1994. He was also winner of the New Zealand 1995 Shell Prize for Industrial Chemistry.

He has presented more than 20 plenary or keynote lectures, has over 100 research publications and sixty technical reports, many dealing with applications in the aluminium industry.