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Biography

Dr Robert Wilson has 29 years’ research experience in light metal materials development. His technical discipline centres around metallurgical and materials science and engineering and the interactions of processing, microstructure, and mechanical properties. His management experience centres around building financially and scientifically sustainable teams, removing roadblocks for team member high performance, supporting and actualising staff for high performance and talent retention, focusing on impact outcomes and aligning to as well as guiding strategically important areas for the organisation and the Nation.
Robert has led ~30 projects ranging in value from ~$100k to ~$7.1M. and led or been involved in the purchase and commissioning of capital equipment totalling >$10M, from which key science and revenue outcomes are generated.
He has led teams ranging from 5 to 12 people as well as a multidisciplinary material science group of 30 people. He has co-supervised PhD students from local universities to universities in the UK and has interactions with Research Institutions and Universities in Singapore and Japan and currently oversees or is involved with 2 post-doctoral researchers in Mg 3D printing, and lattice structure development with another due to start in microwave 3D printing combining AI-ML. He has authored and co-authored ~20 journal and conference paper publications, four patents and ~40 confidential reports. In 2015, Robert was awarded the CSIRO Entrepreneur’s Medal for the 3D printing of novel titanium implants.
The annual project portfolio he oversees of internally and externally funded projects is ~$3M. He is currently leading projects to the value of ~$8.5M and overseeing a total of ~$2M of opportunities. He has contacts and interactions with industrial organisations from Canada, United States, France, UK, Japan and locally from aerospace to biomedical.
He is the inventor and lead for world leading metal powder engineering for downstream processing in 3D printing, continuous direct conversion of titanium particulates to wire (TiWi), magnesium 3D printing, and microwave 3D printing development. His particular interest is the value and supply chain for titanium and metals critical for Australia's future prosperity and security. One of his strong desires is the establishment of sovereign Australian metal powder and wire manufacturing in critical metals, particularly for limited runs vital for defence manufacturing and in applied materials. Robert is also working to capture as much of the AM supply chain for Australia from powder to part (product) by growing powder making and modification capability to compliment CSIRO’s Lab 22 Innovation Centre and CSIRO IP in Ti powder conditioning technologies from impact blending to plasma spheroidisation.
His team is also heavily involved in composite material development for radiation shielding applications, friction stir welding, friction stir metal matrix composite depositions, and hydrogen storage materials.

Current Roles

  • Team Leader
    Solid State Forming

  • Project Leader
    Resources Trailblazer

Academic Qualifications

  • 1995

    Bachelor Engineering Metallurgicial Engineering
    RMIT University

  • 2005

    PhD Materials Engineering
    Monash University

Achievements and Awards

  • 2015-2015

    CSIRO Entrepreneur Medal
    CSIRO