About
Professor Tom Rufford is an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland (UQ) School of Chemical Engineering and a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation of CO2 (GETCO2). He holds a BE and PhD in Chemical Engineering from UQ, with his doctoral work focusing on porous carbon materials from waste coffee grounds for hydrogen storage and supercapacitors. After a career in industry at Shell's Geelong Oil Refinery (2001-2005) and a Research Fellowship at the University of Western Australia (2010-2012), he returned to UQ in 2012 as a teaching and research academic. He is a chartered member of IChemE and Engineers Australia.
Research Focus: Rufford's work centers on electrochemical CO2 reduction, natural gas processing, and sustainable energy systems. His expertise includes catalyst development, gas diffusion electrodes, and coal seam gas reservoir modeling. He has published over 80 journal articles and contributed to an edited book on carbon materials.
Article Trends: His recent publications emphasize CO2 electrolysis for decarbonization, particularly in energy-intensive industries like ironmaking. Themes include catalyst ink formulation, anti-flooding strategies, and material requirements for large-scale CO2 conversion. Collaborative projects with institutions in Australia, China, and Japan highlight his global impact.
Awards:
- Chartered Member of IChemE
- Chartered Member of Engineers Australia
- Endeavour Research Fellow
Teaching: Rufford teaches core chemical engineering courses at UQ, including heat and mass transfer, unit operations, and capstone design projects (CHEE4001, CHEE7103). He has presented on hydrogen integration in engineering curricula.
