Emeritus Professor Kenneth Baldwin

Contacts

Contact email:kenneth.baldwin@anu.edu.au
Contact phone:+61 2 6125 4702
Link:ANU Researchers profile
Founding Director, ANU Grand Challenge: Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific
Inaugural Director, ANU Energy Change Institute (now incorporated into ICEDS)

Professor Ken Baldwin was the founding Director (2010-2020) of the Australian National University’s (ANU) Energy Change Institute (now incorporated into the Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions – ICEDS).  He was also the inaugural Director (2018-2021) of the ANU Grand Challenge: Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific.

The main focus of his current work is to help drive the energy transition, particularly for Australia’s export future based on renewable energy.  He has held the following energy-related appointments:

  • Project Steering Committee, Australian Energy Technology Assessment (2011-2013)
  • Board member, South East Region of Renewable Energy Excellence (SERREE, 2014-2019)
  • Socio-Economic Modelling Advisory Committee, South Australian Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission (2015-2017)
  • Chair, Energy Cluster, the Australia-Indonesia Centre (2015-2018)
  • Founding Chair, Energy Research Institutes Council for Australia (ERICA, 2018-2019)
  • Steering Committee, CSIRO Hydrogen Research, Development and Demonstration Report (2019)
  • Australian Hydrogen Research Network (AHRN) Steering Committee (2020-2021)
  • ACT Renewable Energy Investment Fund Grant Technical Assessment Panel (2022)
  • Member, Australian Hydrogen Research Delegations to Germany (2022), France (2022) and India (2023)
  • Member, Future Electricity Vietnam (FE-V) team, for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Partnerships for Infrastructure (P4I) program (2023-2024)
  • Chair, Industry Advisory Board, ACT Government Renewable Energy Innovation Fund (2023-2025)
  • Non-executive director, Board of the Australian Hydrogen Research Network (2023-present)
  • Chair, Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) Steering Committee for the Australian Energy Transition Research Plan (2023-present, committee member 2019-2022)

Prof Baldwin also chaired the inaugural State-of-Energy-Research Conference (SoERC) at ANU in 2019, and the inaugural Australian Hydrogen Research Conference (AHRC) at ANU in 2023 – both of which he helped found.

Professor Baldwin is an inaugural 2012 ANU Public Policy Fellow, and in 2021 he was recognised by the ANU with the Chancellor's award for Distinguished Contribution to the University.  In 2004 he won the Australian Government Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science, for his role in initiating and championing “Science meets Parliament”.

His research achievements have been recognized by the award of the 2007 W.H. Beattie Steele Medal, the highest honour of the Australian Optical Society.  In 2010 he was awarded the Barry Inglis Medal by the National Measurement Institute, and in 2019 the Australian Institute of Physics conferred on Professor Baldwin the award for Outstanding Service to Physics.

Professor Baldwin is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (FTSE), the American Physical Society (FAPS), the Optical Society of America (FOSA), The Institute of Physics UK (FInstP), and the Australian Institute of Physics (FAIP), and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Research interests

As inaugural Director of the ANU Energy Change Institute (now part of the Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions), and as founding Director of the ANU Grand Challenge: Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific, Professor Baldwin's research interests are in energy policy to inform the energy transition to a decarbonised economy. This includes research into developing a systems level approach to the integration of renewable energy sources throughout all sectors of the economy, including the potentially dominant renewable energy export sector. Policy development in the understanding of export prospects in the Asia-Pacific, including the creation of certification systems for hydrogen and other energy carriers, are a key research interest.

Professor Baldwin's physics research interests lie in developing new laser technologies for precision measurement to test quantum theories of atomic and molecular structure. This can be used to test fundamental theories such as Quantum ElectroDynamics (QED), or applied to determine how air molecules react to ultraviolet light, thereby enabling better understanding of energy balance and ozone formation in the earth's atmosphere. He is a pioneer in atom optics - a field which uses lasers to create new technologies for atoms which are the analogue of optical elements for light - that can be used e.g. to create nanostructures for better microchips. Lasers can also be used to cool atoms to the lowest temperatures in the universe, at which point they behave more like waves than particles, enabling them to be used as sensitive detectors e.g. of changes in the earths gravitational field for mineral exploration.

Groups

Projects

Updated:  25 June 2024/Responsible Officer:  College of Science/Page Contact:  https://iceds.anu.edu.au/contact