Executive Team

 

Scientia Professor T. David Waite

NAE FRSN FRACI FRSC

> Chairman, UNSW Centre for Transformational Environmental Technologies (CTET)

> Scientia Professor, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, UNSW Sydney

David Waite is a Scientia Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He served as Director of the UNSW Centre for Water and Waste Technology (now UNSW Water Research Centre) from 1993 to 2006 and was Research Director for the School from 1997 to 2006 before taking over as Head of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2007. He continued as Head of till early 2013 before taking on the role of Deputy Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Engineering. Professor Waite obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Tasmania (1974), Masters degree from Monash University (1977) and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1984). Before joining UNSW as Head of the Department of Water Engineering in 1993, he spent eight years undertaking research at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and, prior to this, two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Melbourne and five years at the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission in Melbourne. His speciality areas of teaching are water chemistry and water treatment and his principle research area is that of investigation of physico-chemical processes in natural and engineered systems. Professor Waite has commenced as the Executive Chairman of the UNSW Centre for Transformational Environmental Technologies (CTET) in Yixing (Jiangsu Province) in 2019 and is an Associate Editor of the journal Environmental Science & Technology. He was honoured with membership of the US National Academy of Engineering in 2018.

 

Dr. Yuan Wang

> General Manager, UNSW Centre for Transformational Environmental Technologies (CTET) 

 > Head, UNSW Torch Innovation Precinct

  

Dr. Yuan Wang received her PhD from UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology (UCMST) at UNSW in 2010. From 2010-2016, she worked as a research fellow for UNSW Water Research Centre and UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science & Technology on various industry scale projects. Her specialized research areas include:

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling of membrane processes for water and wastewater treatment;
  • Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) - design, module development, fouling control strategies, cleaning protocols;
  • Mechanical analysis of hollow fibre membranes in water and wastewater applications;
  • Resilience of advanced water treatment plants;
  • Groundwater treatment for drinking water supplies.

She led a research team and developed the state-of-the-art tools for modelling of membrane separation processes using Computational Fluid Dynamics, which makes design of membrane module and membrane systems more viable.

In August 2016, Dr Yuan Wang started her new role as the Head of UNSW Torch Innovation Precinct - A UNSW 2025 strategic project which aims to create an innovation ecosystem at UNSW by bringing together industry, SMEs, start-ups, entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers from around the world to engage in cutting edge R&D at UNSW and new product development. She is also serving as the General Manager of CTET that oversees operation of the Centre.

 

 

Dr. Kai Wang

> Assistant General Manager, UNSW Centre for Transformational Environmental Technologies (CTET)

> Torch Project Officer, UNSW Torch Innovation Precinct 

Dr Kai Wang obtained her PhD in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNSW Sydney in 2017, ME and BE in Environmental Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology, China in 2010 and 2012. She worked as the Torch Project Officer in UNSW China Centre from 2017 to 2019 to enhance the collaboration between UNSW and Chinese enterprises, and currently is the Assistant General Manager and Assistant Head of Electrochemistry & Advanced Oxidation Processes (EAOP) Unit in UNSW Centre for Transformational Environmental Technologies. 

Her research expertise lies in iron redox chemistry in natural and engineering water bodies, wastewater treatment by membrane bioreactors, and algae toxicity. She is dedicated to promoting the transformation of advanced environmental technologies into products that meet market needs.