Alister Sheil

Alister is a PhD student in the School of Chemical Engineering and is a member of the Future Fuels Cooperative Research Centre which aims to research methods of transitioning Australia safely and reliably to clean energy sources. He graduated from The University of Queensland in 2018 with a degree in chemical engineering with first class honours, over the course of which his interest in the energy sector and alternative energy solutions developed. Upon graduating, he worked as a process engineering consultant which allowed him to become familiar with the Australian energy landscape and gain an appreciation for the complexities involved in the energy transition.

He is now investigating the production of low-emission hydrogen from natural gas which has the benefit of creating reliable, low-cost hydrogen to contribute to the decarbonisation of fertaliser production, refining, heating and the transportation sector. This is achieved by splitting natural gas when passing it through a high temperature catalytic mixture of molten salts and/or metals to create a solid carbon by-product. He is excited to be involved in the Global Change Scholars Program to continue to learn how to communicate effectively with other disciplines to maximise the contribution of technical solutions to the world’s future fuels.