Growing up surrounded by cane fields in north Queensland has had a lasting legacy on QUT's newest Fulbright scholar and research chemist, Dylan Cronin.
Working in QUT's Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities (CTCB) on his doctoral thesis, Mr Cronin is determined to find renewable solutions to cater for increased demands for energy, fuel and synthetic products.
"Renewables can be a politically charged topic but science can provide solutions," he said.
"With the depletion of non-renewable petroleum resources and growing global demand for both energy and raw materials, bio-refining is a pertinent area of research."
For the next year as part of his Fulbright scholarship Mr Cronin gets the opportunity to continue his work in a research institute at Washington State University, swapping his knowledge of cane fields to forestry.
"Plant waste products have the potential to make a significant and immediate contribution to alleviating society's dependence on fossil fuels," he said.
Mr Cronin said he was realistic enough to understand his career goals meant spending at least the next decade in a lab and was hopeful of helping make serious advances within the sustainable energy and materials sector.
In 2008, Mr Cronin was awarded 1st Class Honours for his postgraduate course in Applied Chemistry and received commercial interest by international packaging company Inova.
Since beginning his tertiary education at QUT in 2003 in Information Technology and Applied Science (majoring in Chemistry) Mr Cronin has been mentored by Professor William Doherty, QUT Principal Research Fellow and a pioneer in economically sustainable bio-based energy.
He also said his teachers at Mackay North State High School inspired him to pursue a career in science.
"Having come from a sugarcane farming community, I'm pleased to now be involved in shaping the future potential of our agricultural industries," he said.
Mr Cronin was also heavily involved in the preliminary research conducted at QUT by the CTCB which culminated in the building of the Mackay Reneweable Biocommodities Pilot Plant.
The prestigious Fulbright program is the largest education scholarship of its kind and was created in 1946 with over 150 countries participating.
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Media contact: Debra Nowland, QUT Media Officer, (Mon, Tues, Thurs), 07 3138 1150 or media@qut.edu.au
