Contact Details
| Organization: | Resource Management and Geography |
| Position: | SENIOR LECTURER |
| Email: | |
| Homepage: | http://www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au/staff/brodie.html |
| Work: | 5833 9273 |
| Fax: | 5833 9201 |
Biography
I have over 27 years of professional engineering experience either through full time engineering employment or as a consultant, working with engineering colleagues. I have 8 to 9 years of industrial engineering experience in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of large scale electrical distribution systems. Prior to my academic career I was employed as a professional engineer with the Victorian State Electricity Commission. During this time I gained extensive experience in the design and deployment of overhead and underground electrical distribution systems across the state of Victoria. My experience includes working in lightly loaded rural systems, urban residential environments and heavily loaded industrial developments in and around the Melbourne metropolitan area. These systems were energized at 66 kV, 22 kV and 415 V.
Since engaging in education, I have continued to provide electrical and agricultural engineering expertise, in association with my engineering colleague at Dookie campus, to clients in the agricultural and resource management industries. This has involved the design, analysis and development of high powered microwave treatment systems, farm structures, automatic data acquisition systems, solar powered electrical and heating systems, and agricultural waste management systems.
I was a finalist of Fresh Science, 2004. Fresh Science “provides a national forum where 16 early career scientists can explain their work and interact with the media and public audiences to make science interesting, relevant and accessible”. “Fresh Scientists have attracted national and international interest resulting in hundreds of media stories, including national television news”. I have personally presented several radio interviews and had my research work reported in many Australian and foreign news papers and journals. A short list of those articles that can be readily found on the InterNet is attached at the end of this document. My biography was also included in Marquis Publishing’s "Who's Who in Science and Engineering".
My research focuses on: high powered microwave engineering applications in agriculture and forestry, improving water use efficiency in agriculture; and applications of GIS and remote sensing technologies in agriculture and archeology. I have also written several computer packages for analysing and modeling: complex microwave heating systems; hydraulic networks; waste management systems; and solar powered heating and drying systems. Three of these computer packages have been developed into commercially viable systems.
I maintain collaborative research links with the Tropical Weed Research Centre in Charters Towers, North Queensland, Physical Weed Control Working Group, linked to the University of Western Australia, the engineering department of James Cook University, the Information and Communications Technology group in CSIRO and the electrical engineering department in the University of Auckland. I also maintain strong industry links with: ACA Engineering (an engineering company in western Melbourne), Riverine Plains Inc. (a proactive farmer group from southern New South Wales and north eastern Victoria), PowerCor (an electrical distribution utility company), and SP AusNet (an electrical distribution utility company).
Research Expertise and International Linkages
Research Expertise
| Research Interest | Key Words | Country of Expertise |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Modeling of Electromagnetic Heating | Heat transfer, Mathematics | Australia |
| Microwave Modification of Timber Products | Wood, Wood Drying | Australia |
| Non-Chemical Pest Control | Weeds, Termites, Pests | Australia |
Languages
Languages
| Language | Proficiency |
|---|---|
| English | Speak, Read & Write |
Qualifications, Honours, Fellowships and Other Awards
Qualifications
| Title | Institution | Date Awarded | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Engineering | James Cook University of North Queensland | 15-May-1982 | |
| Graduate Diploma of Computing | Deakin University - Rusden | 07-May-1998 | |
| Doctor of Philosophy | University of Melbourne | 14-Dec-2005 |
Memberships
| Membership Type | Membership Body | Description | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers | Full Member | 10-Feb-1994 | |
| Member | The Institute of Engineers Australia | Full Member | 09-Apr-2009 |
Other Awards
| Award Type | Awarding Body | Comments | Date Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other (Award) | American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers | Information and Electrical Technology Select Paper Award | 12-Jul-2006 |
| Other (Award) | American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers | American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Honorable Mention Paper Award | 02-Jul-2008 |
Government Research Classifications
Research Fields, Courses and Discipline Classifications
- Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified (OTHER BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES) (279999)
- Food Engineering (INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND FOOD SCIENCES) (290102)
- Food Processing (INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND FOOD SCIENCES) (290103)
- Structural Engineering (CIVIL ENGINEERING) (290801)
- Electrical Engineering (ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING) (290901)
- Environmental Technologies (ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING) (291104)
- Timber (MATERIALS ENGINEERING) (291405)
- Heat and Mass Transfer Operations (INTERDISCIPLINARY ENGINEERING) (291802)
- Agricultural Engineering (OTHER ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY) (299901)
- Plant Protection (Pests, Diseases and Weeds) (CROP AND PASTURE PRODUCTION) (300204)
- Agronomy (CROP AND PASTURE PRODUCTION) (300205)
- Oenology and Viticulture (HORTICULTURE) (300305)
- Animal Nutrition (ANIMAL PRODUCTION) (300403)
- Management and Environment (FORESTRY SCIENCES) (300604)
- Forestry Sciences not elsewhere classified (FORESTRY SCIENCES) (300699)
- Natural Resource Management (ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES) (300803)
Socio-Economic Objective Classifications
- Grapes (HORTICULTURAL CROPS) (620204)
- Native forests (FORESTRY) (620301)
- Softwood plantations (FORESTRY) (620302)
- Harvesting and transport of forest products (FORESTRY) (620304)
- Forestry not elsewhere classified (FORESTRY) (620399)
- Field crops (SUSTAINABLE PLANT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS) (620501)
- Primary products from plants (SUSTAINABLE PLANT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS) (620504)
- Sheep - meat (LIVESTOCK) (630101)
- Dairy cattle (LIVESTOCK) (630104)
- Industry (CONSERVATION AND EFFICIENCY) (660401)
- Processed food products & beverages not elsewhere classified (PROCESSED FOOD PRODUCTS AND BEVERAGES) (670199)
- Wood products not elsewhere classified (WOOD, WOOD PRODUCTS AND PAPER) (670306)
- Timber materials (MATERIALS PERFORMANCE AND PROCESSES) (680304)
- Other (MATERIALS PERFORMANCE AND PROCESSES) (680399)
- Housing (BUILDING MANAGEMENT AND SERVICES) (680501)
- Integrated (ecosystem) (FOREST AND WOODED LANDS) (770705)
- Land and water management (OTHER INCL. ISLANDS) (779902)
Grants and Contracts
Research Grants, Contracts and Consultancies awarded to the University of Melbourne as the administering institution (since 2003) as recorded in Themis Agreements.
Grants
| Title | Role | Funding Source | Scheme | Award Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investigate control of in-situ termite and decay protection and control using microwave technologies | Chief Investigator | POWERCOR AUST LTD & CITIPOWER PTD, PCT INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD, REDCENTRE, AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL |
Linkage Projects (AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL) | 01/07/2007 |
| Scoping Study into using Microwave Technologies as part of an Integrated Weed Management Strategy in Conservation Farming Systems | Chief Investigator | GRAINS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP | Research Grants | 26/02/2009 |
Publications
Publications produced at the University of Melbourne and reported in the Annual Publications Collection and 'Research Report' since 2001. The Themis Publications module, released in November 2006, allows additional publications from previous institutions and publications from past years to be entered.