CAPA liaison officer

Ronald Halim

Portfolio

The CAPA Liaison Officer is responsible for:

• communications, including correspondence, between MPA and CAPA

• attending relevant meetings of CAPA on behalf of MPA

• providing reports to the MPAEC on the activities of CAPA

• coordinating attendance by MPAEC members of the CAPA Annual Conference

• deputising for the President in the absence of the President and Vice Presiden

• other responsibilities as may be determined by the MPAEC from time to time

Background

I completed my BE (Chemical Engineering – Honours I) at the University of New South Wales, Sydney in 2007. Having worked as a research summer student during vacation holidays, I decided that a research career was something that I would really enjoy in the future. I was strongly drawn by the prospect of ‘trying to better the future by improving the now’. Or I simply just wasn’t ready for a full-time serious engineering job (hehe). Anyway, here I am in Monash University in my second year as a PhD student.

Research

Biodiesel has several advantages compared to conventional diesel. It is renewable, is bio-degradable, and emits less pollutant. However, its current primary sources (vegetable oils) compete directly with food sources (this has made big news this year). For this reason, a new alternative source of biodiesel is needed. In Monash, we are currently looking at algae, one of the fastest growing organisms in the planet, as a possible oil source. The research will focus on culturing the required algae and extracting oil from the algae.

Personal interests

I enjoy swimming, watching movies, and going out in the weekend. In the near future, I would like to improve on my language skills and, maybe, learn how to cook (yeah I’m horrible in the kitchen).

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