DoctorChris Williamson

Member of the team involved in the $4.8 million MSI funded biomass to liquid fuels research programme at the University of Canterbury. In 2008 I contributed to the proposal to the Foundation of Research Science and Technology that obtained the funding for this six year research project. The programme has four parts; Development of the University of Canterbury's biomass gasifier, investigation of pyrolysis of biomass for liquid fuels, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of biofuels from biomass and investigation of new biomass resources for biofuels. CRL Energy and Plant and Food Research are active collaborators with the University of Canterbury and there are a number of industry partners and sponsors.The programme currently supports 3 postdocs/research assistants and 7 ongoing postgraduate students. During the assessment period 4 postgraduate students have completed their degrees. My objective's focus is investigating small-scale Fischer-Tropsch reactor/catalyst systems and curently involves myself and a PhD student.

Member of the team from the Department of Chemical & Process Engineering at Canterbury University involved in the four year, $1.9 million, FRST funded research programme, Woody Biomass Integrated Gasification and Combined Cycle (BIGCC) Technology for New Zealand (2004-08). My research was on the design and modelling of BIGCC systems.

Member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (MIChE) and a Chartered Engineer (C.Eng) since 1997.

Member of the SCENZ Management Committee in 2006. SCENZ was the Society of Chemical Engineers in New Zealand (now IChemE in New Zealand) and is the professional body serving the needs of chemical engineers in New Zealand.

Member of the Wood Technology Research Centre (WTRC) at the University of Canterbury from 2000 to the present. WTRC encourages collaboration on wood related research among staff at Canterbury. Highlights are presentations by my students at 3 workshops organised by the WTRC on our research on gasification techno-economics and Fischer-Tropsch production of biofuels in 2008, 2010 and 2011 (ORO's 18,19 and 20).

Member of a team from the University of Canterbury, Waste Solutions Ltd. & IRL investigating renewable fuels for distributed electricity production funded by FRST (2003-04). My contribution, in collaboration with an ME student, was the development of a methanol to hydrogen reformer.

Member of the Wood Technology Research Centre (WTRC) at the University of Canterbury from 2000 to the present. WTRC encourages collaboration on wood related research among staff at Canterbury.

Member of the Wood Technology Research Centre at the University of Canterbury

Session Chair at the Science Symposium: Next Generation Liquid Biofuels and Co-Products, Wellington, NZ, 28-29th November, 2011

Session Chair at the 2006 Chemeca Conference in Auckland.

Invited Seminar at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (October, 2002)

Invited Seminar at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (October, 2002) on the design of regulatory control systems for whole processes.

Invited seminar on process simulation for engineered wood products given to the Institute of Wood Science, Canadian Chapter at the University of British Columbia in January, 2003.

Invited to give a seminar to staff and students at the Centre for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC) in Lawrence, Kansas. Presented on 28th January, 2010. The CEBC is a research institute associated with the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Kansas.

Invited research seminar given on 26th January, 2010 to graduate students and staff at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA