Meet the Team
The Technology Translation Squad (TTS) brings together specialist engineers from industry with skilled researchers from across UNSW to help organisations solve complex technical challenges in electrification and decarbonisation.
Our core team works directly with clients to provide rapid, practical engineering support. When additional expertise is required we can connect organisations with UNSW academics, researchers, specialist facilities and a broader network of technical experts.
The Core TTS Team
The Core TTS Team are full-time members of TTS and are your primary point of contact throughout an engagement.
Dr Matthew Priestley
Lead Technology Translator
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Dr Matthew Priestley is an electrical engineer who is passionate about revolutionising the way universities provide value to industry. He specialises in lithium-ion battery safety, green hydrogen power systems, power converters and power electronics, grid-tied inverters, drone propulsion and electric vehicle motor drive systems, electric motor control and fault-tolerance and health-monitoring of electric motor drives. A former academic and start-up founder, Matthew has numerous publications and patents and has a media presence including interviews on ABC and SBS.
Dr Thomas McNeill
Technology Translator
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Dr Thomas Mc Neill is an engineer with over three decades of experience in product design, from conceptualization to manufacturing. Proficient in CAD and electronic development, he excels in problem analysis, specification, design, prototyping, validation, and testing. His expertise includes full product cycle management, systems analysis, electronic and schematic design, PCB layout, and firmware development. Having studied the design process in his PhD in 1999, Thomas applies this knowledge daily in the TTS, collaborating effectively with diverse stakeholders to drive innovation.
Peter McNair
Technology Translator
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Peter McNair is an Electrical Engineering graduate from UNSW, excelling in electrical automotive systems and embedded systems. He was a team leader for Sunswift and helped develop a solar-electric vehicle that won first place in the 2023 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. As an intern at Millibeam, Peter contributed to 5G chip design. Peter has extensive experience in circuit design, software programming, and communication systems. His skills include Verilog, Python, C/C++, and PCB design tools like Altium Designer and KiCAD.
Dr Nathan Marks
Technology Translator
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Dr Nathan Marks is an electrical engineer passionate about developing innovative technological solutions for electrical power systems and producing tangible, real-world impacts. He specialises in power electronic and power systems applications including electric machines and drives, grid interfacing of renewable energy generation and storage systems, and future grid planning and resilience. Nathan is experienced in overcoming practical barriers for translating theoretical work into real applications having developed several experimental systems to support R&D programs in defence and university environments.
Shahab Asadollah
Technology Translator
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Shahab Asadollah is an electrical engineer with over 10 years of experience as an R&D engineer in the energy and e-mobility sectors. He specializes in wind turbine control, model-based function development for electric vehicles, C programming, software testing, and calibration. He has collaborated with leading European OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to develop and refine software solutions for next-generation sustainable transportation systems. He has played a key role in the end-to-end development of B-sample application software for electric axles (including electric machine and inverter functions), covering design, implementation, testing, and calibration, effectively bridging the gap between theoretical innovation and real-world application.
Justus van Biljon
Technology Translator
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A dynamic and innovative professional with 15+ years of experience in end-to-end product development, adept at scaling startups into world-class industry competitors. Justus excels at solving complex problems across multiple engineering disciplines, including Electronics, Electrical, and Mechanical, with proven expertise in diverse sectors such as Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure, Renewable Energy, Mining, Automotive, Military Aviation, Telecommunications, and Rail.
Tamara Adzic
Business Manager
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Tamara brings a diverse background spanning clean technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialisation across Australia and Europe. Having worked with startups, scale-ups, and global technology companies, she has experience developing strategic partnerships, commercialising emerging technologies, and supporting organisations through growth and market expansion.
Prof John Fletcher
Director
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Professor John Fletcher is an expert in the practical application of power electronics, electric machine drives, renewable energy and electric vehicle traction and propulsion. He has extensive experience in developing and supporting power conversion equipment development including motor designs, motor control systems, power conversion interfaces for microgrids, renewables, energy storage and many other application sectors. As an academic, John has been awarded research and development grants in excess of AU$20M and has six patents awarded in drive systems and power electronic control.
Access to a Broader Network of Experts
Many technical challenges require specialised knowledge from multiple disciplines.
Beyond the Core TTS Team, we can connect organisations with:
Leading UNSW academics, teams and researchers
Other industry and technical subject matter experts aided by our connections to large and well-established engineering firms
State-of-the-art infrastructure without extensive capital costs
TRaCE programmes and the ability to support applications to high impact grant and funding bodies
This extended network allows TTS to draw on a diverse range of skills and capabilities to support complex technical projects of various sizes.
Available Expertise
Some example academics who are available to help with TTS work are:
Associate Prof Rukmi Dutta
Chair, IEEE IAS Electric Machine Committee
Lead Researcher at the Power Electronics and Drive Systems Lab at the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications at UNSW
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Associate Professor Dutta is a world-leading expert in electric machine design and drive systems. She has extensive experience developing advanced motor-drive systems for various industrial applications, including high-speed systems (up to 100,000 rpm). She has secured research funds of more than AU$10M. Rukmi is a named inventor in three patented motor technologies.
Dr Pablo Poblete
Associate Lecturer at UNSW
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Dr Pablo Poblete is an Associate Lecturer at UNSW Sydney. His interests focus on power electronics and control systems. He has a strong track record of industry-engaged research and technology translation and has led multiple R&D grants totalling more than $800k (AUD). He developed the first second-life battery energy storage system projects in Latin America, designing and commissioning industrial prototypes up to 200 kW, and has delivered technical consultancy on battery energy storage systems to partners across the energy, transport, and healthcare sectors.
Dr Clay (Guoyu) Chu
Lead Motor Design Engineer at ConryTech
Australian Research Council (ARC) Early-Career Industry Fellow at UNSW
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Dr Clay Chu is a senior research associate within the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications. He is an expert in electric motor design and electric motor drive systems. Clay has received the ARC Early Career Industry Fellowship for developing a rare-earth-less motor. He has developed a design optimization program for various advanced motors and developed a patented record-breaking high-speed motor topology achieving 5 kW at 100,000 rpm.
Dr Rodrigo H. Cuzmar
Associate Lecturer at UNSW
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Dr Rodrigo H. Cuzmar received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering through a double degree program between Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in 2024. He has contributed to industry-oriented research projects on positioning control for ultrasonic motors at UTS and wireless power transfer for electric vehicles at Macquarie University in 2024 and 2025. Since 2026, he has been an Associate Lecturer at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
His current research interests include predictive control of power converters applied to energy storage, solar energy conversion and industrial applications.
Dr Felipe Arraño-Vargas
Research Fellow in Energy Systems with the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications at UNSW
Member of the Real-time Simulation (RTS) Laboratory
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Dr. Felipe Arrano Vargas is an Engineering Early Career Academic Fellow within the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications. He is also a Research Fellow at the university’s Real-Time Simulations Laboratory (RTS@UNSW). Felipe’s expertise lies in power system digital twins, real-time digital modelling and simulation, synthetic grids, and grid integration of renewable energy resources and energy storage systems.
Hao (Henry) Huang
Senior Technical Officer at UNSW
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Henry (Hao) Huang is an Electrical engineer that carries over 10 years of industrial expertise in the energy storage sector. With experience in product R&D, power electronics, project management, 3D CAD design for manufacturing, Henry works to accelerate the translation from ideas to reality.
Why work with TTS?
A clear entry point to specialised expertise and university-grade infrastructure without the extensive capital costs.
TTS engineers are dedicated full-time to industry projects, maximising delivery focus and efficiency.
Client-focused IP arrangements.
Rapid, low-friction engagement with minimal administrative burden.
Access to industry-grade project management, financial oversight, and resource planning capabilities.
In need of expert help?
Whether you’re validating a new concept, preparing for deployment or overcoming a technical challenge, TTS can help.