Timothy Donohue

Dr. Timothy Donohue serves as Conjoint Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment at the University of Newcastle, Australia, while also holding the position of General Manager at TUNRA Bulk Solids (The University of Newcastle Research Associates Ltd). With a Doctor of Philosophy and Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) (Hons) from the University of Newcastle, he has built a career centered on numerical modeling for industrial problem solving, particularly in bulk materials handling.

Dr. Donohue's research expertise focuses on transfer chutes, passive dust control techniques, and calibration of parameters for Discrete Element Modeling (DEM). His work combines Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with DEM to reduce dust generation in material handling systems through passive means. His foundational research on permeability of packed beds and development of packing algorithms for simulating packed beds of spheres and fibrous materials has provided a strong basis for his current work in DEM and CFD applications. His research interests encompass bulk materials handling, discrete element modeling, computational fluid dynamics, dust control, transfer chute design, bin and hopper design, and bulk material stress analysis.

His publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to the field of bulk solids handling, with recent work focusing on silo quaking, gate load analysis, particle degradation effects, and advanced DEM calibration techniques. His research bridges theoretical modeling with practical industrial applications, particularly in the coal and iron ore industries.

Dr. Donohue has received numerous awards recognizing his contributions, including the First Prize Winner at the 2016 Unearthed Hackathon Hunter Valley, the A.W. Roberts Award for Outstanding Young Engineer in 2015, and several other prestigious honors throughout his career.

With over 170 industrial projects completed since joining TUNRA Bulk Solids in 2007, Dr. Donohue has extensive experience in both conceptual design and troubleshooting existing systems. He has supervised PhD, Master's, and Final Year Project students at the University of Newcastle and has been involved in lecturing and tutoring undergraduate courses. Additionally, he has delivered approximately 20 industry short courses since 2009, ranging from 1 to 5 days in length.