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“ We need to have a balanced debate on it and develop the best possible methods so we can make realistic assessments,” he says.“ We need to know: Is this going to provide a good source of energy without damaging our environment and without damaging our water supply?
“ We need to make sure that when and if the community decides it wants this development to go ahead – and ultimately it’ s going to be a government decision and not just an industry decision – that we do it with the best possible practice that is informed by good science and good engineering. That is what our research project is about.”
SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY As the founding director of the University of Adelaide’ s Centre for Energy Technology, professor Gus Nathan has long focused his efforts on identifying and refining low-cost clean energy sources.
His latest project to gain funding, to the tune of a $ 612,000 ARC grant, centres on solar thermal energy and refining the efficiency potential of a heliostat field of mirrors designed to reflect radiation to a common point in order to harness its power.
“ With the current generation of solar receivers, the heat is thermal floored, which is in tubes and there the temperature that can be achieved is limited by the temperature of the metal of the tubes and you end up losing efficiency with that approach,” he explains.
With a number of emerging companies working on such technology in Australia already, Nathan is optimistic about the future of solar thermal as a valuable renewable energy source despite the current absence of a carbon price in Australia, which he says creates little incentive for investment.
Like Jagadish, he believes the key challenge remains improving the efficiency of not only the technology used to generate the energy but the financial equation that would allow it to easily replace existing energy sources.
“ There are lots of reasons to be optimistic,” Nathan says.“ I think around the world there is a very clear trend of growing investment in renewable energy and that is bringing costs down and the investment means also that it is a growing sector.
“ From my perspective the international drivers are so big that it won’ t be too long before Australia ends up with a carbon price anyway – you can see that from what’ s happening in the US and China now and even the current government is saying that if a carbon price was introduced internationally it would add one as well.
“ So I think that it is inevitable there will be a carbon price in Australia as well. But even without that we are seeing companies investing in energy-storing technologies and ongoing investment in renewables. Even though it is more challenging in the Australian context without a carbon price, there are lots of drivers.” ■
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong. It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate, Master’ s, and Bachelor’ s degrees. It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1,250. The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is about HK $ 5 billion per year.
DEPARTMENT OF LAND SURVEYING AND GEO-INFORMATICS
The Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics( LSGI) is widely considered as a centre of excellence in both education and research in Geomatics and related fields. The Department offers a range of academic programmes to both local and overseas students, including Higher Diploma in Geomatics, Bachelor of Science( Honours) in Geomatics( with three specialized streams: Land Surveying, Geo-Information Technology, and Utility Management and Surveying), Master of Science in Geomatics, Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy. LSGI has a very strong research programme that encompasses research activities in the areas of geographical information science, satellite positioning, ubiquitous positioning, remote sensing, geodynamics, environmental monitoring, geo-hazards studies, intelligent transport systems, digital city modeling, sustainable urbanization, utility system management, location based services, geographical social science, and land information system and management. There are currently 21 academic staff and 12 supporting members in the Department. LSGI has a number of well-equipped research and teaching laboratories. Please visit the website at http:// www. lsgi. polyu. edu. hk for more information about the Department.
Research Assistant Professor in Geographic Information Science / Remote Sensing
The Department is seeking a highly motivated individual with a PhD degree either in( i) Land Surveying,( ii) Geo-Information Technology or( iii) Utility Surveying.
The appointee will be required to( a) conduct researches that lead to high-quality publications and awards of external research grants;( b) undertake teaching duties in relevant subject areas at undergraduate and postgraduate levels;( c) supervise student projects and theses; and( d) undertake relevant administrative duties.
Applicants should( a) have a doctoral degree in a relevant area;( b) have the relevant postdoctoral research experience( as supported by evidence of research projects and outputs), with relevant teaching experience at tertiary level being an advantage; and( c) demonstrate potential for establishing significant externally funded research programmes.
Remuneration and Conditions of Service The remuneration package for the Research Assistant Professor post is the same as an Assistant Professor post. A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered. Appointment for Research Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contract for up to three years. Re-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement. Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application.
Application Please submit application form via email to hrstaff @ polyu. edu. hk; by fax at( 852) 2764 3374; or by mail to Human Resources Office, 13 / F, Li Ka Shing Tower, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae, please still complete the application form which will help speed up the recruitment process. Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded from http:// www. polyu. edu. hk / hro / job. htm. Recruitment will continue until the position is filled. Details of the University’ s Personal Information Collection Statement for recruitment can be found at http:// www. polyu. edu. hk / hro / jobpics. htm.
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