July 26, 2021

Exciting new opportunities for our Steel Hub I Research Fellows

Alberto Escribano

Alberto moved from Australia to Spain a couple of years ago developing his own engineering and steel frame building company called AFCA Teccon with a few local partners. Alberto is a managing partner which includes general management and business development.

During his time at AFCA Teccon, he has developed a factory in Barcelona and a few buildings with Light Gauge Steel Framing (LGSF) system. The company is involved in a large new project in Madrid and more recently building up the current factory in Barcelona.

Alberto was involved supply chain research for the Cold Formed Steel-intensive Mid-Rise Apartment Building project.

Andrew Kostryzhev

After 20 years in academia, Andrew left the University of Wollongong in late 2019 and joined the ALS Industrial in Brisbane. ALS is a global leader in materials characterisation, testing, and failure analysis consultancy. Following a half year service for Oil & Gas, Mining, and Power generation industries, Andrew concentrated on growing his own entity “K&M Engineering Consultancy”. Currently he is working with steel manufacturers and 3D printing companies overseas, and developing a collaboration with the University of Queensland. Over 2020-2021, Andrew published and submitted 6 journal papers on steel alloy design and technology development, surface treatment, and additive manufacturing of NiCu alloys. Currently he is serving as a guest editor in 2 special journal issues: “Novel Steel Compositions and Processing Technologies” in Metals and “Advances in Wear and Corrosion Resistance of Composite Materials” in Materials (both are open access journals published by MDPI). In 2021 he joined the Queensland branch committee of Materials Australia. 

Andrew was involved in two Hub I projects, Improved Abrasion Resistant Quench and Tempered Plate Steels, and Development of a Very High Strength Steel Strip Product.

Huibin Li

Huibin is expected to start a new position as a Cost Analyst in CRU International in Sydney in August.  In this role, he will focus on iron ore supply and cost modelling, coal and steel costs, and provide clear demonstrations of the capability of the cost service to clients in support of their sales effort.

Huibin completed his PhD in Hub I on melt characteristics of different ferrous ores in sintering, before turning his attention to the potential removal of zinc from steelmaking filter cake via the sintering process.

Emma Heffernan

Emma is now a Senior Lecturer in Architectural Engineering in the School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wollongong, Australia. She developed and, from 2020, delivers an exciting new major in Architectural Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences.

Emma was heavily involved in the largest Hub I project, developing steel-intensive, mid-rise residential building systems for Australian conditions.

Aziz Ahmed

Aziz is now a Lecturer in Structural Engineering in the School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wollongong, Australia. His role involves teaching, research, supervision, and leadership and governance.  In addition to the new Steel Innovation Hub, he is also involved in several multidisciplinary research.

Aziz played an important role in the largest Hub I project, developing new cold formed steel products and systems for steel-intensive, mid-rise residential buildings.

Matt Penna

Matt has recently taken up a position as Trainee Patent Attorney with FB Rice. His role involves working with inventor/researchers to help them obtain patent protection for their inventions. He helps inventor/researchers identify what aspects of the invention are novel (i.e. new) and inventive (i.e. not obvious) compared to the current state of the art in the field and then draft a patent (background information, summary of the invention and a set of claims with define the scope of the protection offered). We then file patents in Australia and other jurisdictions where the client might want to exploit (i.e. use) their invention.

Another aspect of the work involves looking at what patents exist in a technology space and inform clients of where gaps exist. This can help direct future Research and Development towards technology spaces that are underexploited and ripe for innovation.