After completing a B.Sc. (hons) and PhD in Physical Chemistry at the Australian National University, Drew worked for four years in the private R&D sector. During this time he worked at the interface between lab based fundamental research and the scale-up and commercialisation of the resulting products.
From this basis, he joined the Thin Film Coatings Group at the University of South Australia in 2010. In this role, Drew has been involved with the fundamental materials science and application thereof to develop new products in collaboration with many multinational manufacturing companies. Currently in his role as Professor and Professorial Lead, he is driving forward a diverse range of activities related to university-industry engagement, advanced manufactured thin film electronics, and support for SMEs.
The successful product development projects include the world's first plastic automotive mirror, and conducting polymer materials for use as active electrodes in advanced electronics.
Drew's expertise includes material and interfacial science, thin film coatings, translating research to development, university-industry collaboration, establishing pilot production, and product development.