Dr Noel Barton AM

Introduction

Sydney hosted the 5th International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics in 2003, following a successful bid led by Dr Noel Barton in partnership with Business Events Sydney.

Biography

Dr Barton is a Fellow and Honorary Life Member of the Australian Mathematical Society and has an Honorary Doctorate from the Queensland University of Technology.

In 2002, Dr Barton was announced as a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to mathematics, both in research and fostering communication with industrial users.

He was educated at the University of Western Australia, finishing in 1973 with a PhD in applied mathematics. After a six-year appointment as a mathematics lecturer at the University of New South Wales, he worked for CSIRO Australia from 1981 to 2003. Whilst at CSIRO, his research interests were in use of the finite element method for numerical solution of partial differential equations, computational fluid dynamics and simulation of granular material. He has 30 years' experience in developing mathematical models for industrial and physical processes.

For more than 12 years, he managed CSIRO’s applied mathematicians, including industrial and commercial applications of their research. Other achievements include the establishment of a CSIRO Operations Research Group and being Director of the Australian Mathematics-in-Industry Study Group from 1985 to 1993.

His work for professional organisations includes:

• Chair (1993-94) of Australia and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ANZIAM), the regional professional body for applied mathematics
• President (1996-97) of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Council
• Editor and Executive Officer (1994-95) of a Strategic Review of the Mathematical Sciences in Australia
• Board member (1995-2004) of the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
• Editorial Board member for four international journals
• Director of the 5th International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics, a major international conference (1,744 mathematics professors, academics and junior mathematicians from 60 countries) held in Sydney in July 2003.
  

He resigned from CSIRO in 2003 to follow his passion for research into solar energy. He then established Sunoba Pty Ltd, where his work has concentrated on new heat engines and heat pumps, with a strong emphasis on renewable energy and energy conservation. He also works on new techniques for desalination. His inventions are the subject of vigorous patent activity.