Staff
The highly qualified and experienced team at TUNRA Bulk Solids is committed to forming long term partnerships with your business to help overcome existing handling problems and assist with planning new projects to ensure trouble-free plant operation.
Our team of engineers have many years of experience problem solving in the bulk solids handling industry and are supported by our proficient technical staff.
E/Prof Alan Roberts – Founding Director of TUNRA Bulk Solids
Emeritus Professor Alan Roberts AM has an outstanding international reputation as a world authority in the field of bulk solids handling. He has a proven international track record in fundamental and applied research, and is highly respected by industry worldwide. He was the founder of TUNRA Bulk Solids in 1975. His contribution to research and consulting spans a period of 50 years and covers almost all aspects in the field of bulk solids handling.
E/Prof Alan Roberts – University of Newcastle Profile
+61 (2) 4033 9036
Dr Tim Donohue – General Manager
Dr Tim Donohue is the General Manager of The University of Newcastle Research Associates Limited (TUNRA). In this role Tim has overall responsibility for the TUNRA business, with TUNRA Bulk Solids (TBS) being the longest running division of TUNRA.
Tim has many years of experience in the materials handling field and has been involved in many projects, with experience across all aspects of TBS including flow property testing, the provision of specialised testing services such as wear testing, along with general consulting projects. His expertise lies in transfer chute design, bin and hopper design and numerical modelling. Discrete Element Modelling (DEM) is being used more widely in the materials handling field with Tim having significant expertise in this field. Through both research and consulting projects Tim has built significant experience in the bulk materials field to deliver value to Clients through solving industry problems.
Timothy.Donohue@newcastle.edu.au
Dr Timothy Donohue – University of Newcastle Profile
+61 (2) 4033 9031
Dr Bin Chen – Technical Director
Dr Bin Chen is a Technical Director at TUNRA Bulk Solids, he has over 10 years of research and consulting experience in the field of bulk solids handling, which has involved a combination of experimental measurement, theoretical modelling, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulation. Dr Chen’s activities have covered a broad area of bulk materials handling design and consultancy in areas including transfer chutes, silos/hoppers, feeders, train loadout systems, stackers and reclaimers, ship loading/unloading systems, and prediction of silo wall loads and quaking. The focus of his current consultancy and research is to develop techniques to guide the design of these systems and ultimately solve industrial problems. Before joining TBS in 2008, he was employed as an engineer with Baosteel Group Corporation (Shanghai) for a period of two years. Dr Chen has published 2 patents, 2 book chapters and over 40 research and technical papers.
+61 (2) 4033 9029
Dr David Bradney – Engineering Manager
Dr David Bradney is the Engineering Manager and a Senior Consulting Engineer at TUNRA Bulk Solids, he has over a decade of experience working in both research and industrial consultancy on a diverse range of challenging projects in the mining, manufacturing, and energy industries. Dr Bradney has a high level of expertise in the application of computational modelling regularly applying Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and Discrete Element Method (DEM) Modelling across a broad array of problems within the bulk material handling sector. In addition to his role with TUNRA Bulk Solids, Dr Bradney is also an Honorary Lecturer with the University of Newcastle, and currently delivers the Advanced Computer Aided Engineering course at both an Undergraduate and Masters level for the School of Mechanical Engineering.
David.Bradney@newcastle.edu.au
Dr David Brandey – University of Newcastle Profile
+61 (2) 4033 9130
Dr Jayne O’Shea – Operations Manager
Dr Jayne O’Shea is Operations Manager and a Senior Consulting Engineer at TUNRA Bulk Solids. She has been involved with TBS since 2005 as a lab technician, researcher and engineer. Jayne completed her PhD at the University of Newcastle in belt conveying in 2014 as part of an ARC Linkage grant. Her PhD focused on the numerical modelling of the indentation rolling resistance associated with overland belt conveying. In addition to her work in the belt conveying field, Jayne has worked on numerous research and consulting projects involving a combination of scale modelling design, experimental measurement, theoretical modelling, and Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulation. Jayne was appointed chair of the RU-002 Australian Standard committee in 2021. Dr O’Shea has successfully contributed to over 100 projects, both in Australia and overseas, across a wide array of bulk materials, including coal, iron ore, gold ore, bauxite, and grains.
Dr Jayne O’Shea – University of Newcastle Profile
+61 (2) 4033 9127
Mr Eric Brooker – Laboratory Manager
Mr Eric Brooker has been leading TUNRA Bulk Solids’ laboratory team since 2011, working as a Laboratory Manager. Eric joined TUNRA Bulk Solids in 1995 as a Laboratory Technician, progressing in his career as a Senior Laboratory Technician from 2004 to 2011. Eric is responsible for all lab work, overseeing in excess of one hundred projects a year. His main activities include supervising and training technicians to perform the highly specialised services offered by TBS including flow properties testing, Transportable Moisture Limit testing and sample preparation, all of which with a special focus on safety. Eric is also responsible for the liaison with TBS Engineering team, ensuring that tests are conducted to the highest standards and in timely manner for the completion of projects.
+61 (2) 4033 9017
Prof Craig Wheeler – Associate Director Centre for Bulk Solids & Particulate Technologies
Professor Craig Wheeler is Associate Director of the Centre for Bulk Solids (Newcastle Node), a Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Newcastle, Australia and a Senior Consultant at TUNRA Bulk Solids. He worked for 10 years with BHP Billiton in Australia in a variety of engineering positions, including maintenance, production and design. Since joining the University he has worked as a consultant for TUNRA Bulk Solids for over 15 years. Professor Wheeler’s research is focused on reducing the energy intensity and environmental impact of ore and mineral transportation globally. His research develops new theoretical approaches to model and optimise belt conveyor and bulk handling systems. This approach is at the forefront of modern plant design and requires highly analytical and computationally intensive techniques, however at all times remains focused on practical solutions to industrial problems.
Craig.Wheeler@newcastle.edu.au
Prof Craig Wheeler – University of Newcastle Profile
+61 (2) 4033 9037
Em/Prof Mark Jones – Director Centre for Bulk Solids & Particulate Technologies
Professor Mark Jones is Director of the Centre for Bulk Solids & Particulate Technologies (Newcastle Node) and a Senior Consultant at TUNRA Bulk Solids. He has been an active researcher and international consultant in the field of bulk solids handling for over 20 years. His principal contributions are in the areas of pneumatic conveying and characterisation, however he has contributed a significant amount of work in a wide range of areas within bulk materials handling.
Em/Prof Mark Jones – University of Newcastle Profile
+61 (2) 4033 9035
Dr Thomas Bunn – Senior Consulting Engineer
Dr Thomas Bunn has been a Senior Consulting Engineer with TUNRA Bulk Solids for more the 15 years. Thomas completed his PhD and Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Newcastle and has authored over 30 national and international publications. His principal research interest is in the field of the pumping and disposal of power station ash and coal washery reject as a high concentration paste for disposal in tailing dams and open cut and underground coal mines. Whilst employed by Pacific Power he was responsible for the original concept design and research into dense phase slurry pumping systems, allowing this environmentally progressive technology to be transferred to power stations worldwide.
+61 (2) 4033 9634
Dr Daniel Grasser – Consulting Engineer
Dr Daniel Grasser is a mechanical engineer with interests in simulation of bulk particle flow and resulting wear. He was educated in Germany and obtained a PhD from the Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM), Geelong, Australia, in 2022, and was appointed as an Associate Research Fellow, working in the fields of mechanical testing of material properties and wear testing of metals. He then advanced to the position as centre manager focusing on increasing the efficiency of mining applications. In 2023, Daniel joined TUNRA Bulk Solids as a Consulting Engineer.
Daniel is experienced in experimental wear testing and the development of test rigs, with experience in the optimisation of chute wear liners using Discrete Element Modelling (DEM). In particular, designing wear liners with maximum wear resistance utilising an optimised combination of two liner materials. His project experience includes the modelling and optimisation of a Vertical Shaft Impactor (VSI) implementing a numerical model of the Dry Sand Rubber Wheel (DSRW) utilising the ASTM G65 standard. The results were validated experimentally and provided fundamental insights into the abrasive wear behaviour of composites.
Daniel.Grasser@newcastle.edu.au
+61 (2) 4033 9055
Mr Yusuf Badat – Consulting Engineer
Mr Yusuf Badat has a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering with extensive experience in chemical and process engineering. He worked at the BHP Research Centre as a mineralogist for 4 years, and also managed reporting for a geological consultancy company focusing on gas content measurement in the coal seam gas industry. In 2015 Yusuf joined the University of Newcastle where he worked as research officer in the Priority Research Centre for Frontier Energy Technologies. Yusuf was responsible for the management of the experimental rig and testing regime for the multi-million dollar Ventilation Air Methane Abatement Safety Project. He then went onto work for the Centre for Bulk Solids as a research assistant conducting a variety of tests in the bulk solids sector. These tests included uniaxial, wall and interparticle adhesion, hyperspectral testing of iron ore and coal self-heating tests. Yusuf joined the TUNRA Bulk Solids team in March 2020 where he is mostly responsible for the belt and idler testing services, including interface with clients in the belt conveying sector, proposals and reporting.
+61 (2) 4033 9032
Mr Kudzai Beta – Engineer
Mr Kudzai Beta graduated as a Mechanical Engineer from the University of Newcastle in 2019. During the last six months of his degree, he did his work experience with TUNRA Bulk Solids, later moving to a casual engineering role. As a casual engineer, Kudzai was responsible for conducting performance tests on conveyor idlers including rim drag and impact tests, as well as working in the flow properties laboratory. Kudzai also gained experience with Discrete Element Modelling (DEM) with regards to bulk material flow optimization, wear reduction and belt loading, along with DEM calibration. In March 2021, he was employed as a Plant Engineer with MCi and was responsible for general plant maintenance and operation including preparation of plant equipment for research experiments. In July 2021, Kudzai returned to the TUNRA Bulk Solids Engineering Team.
+61 (2) 4033 9055
Dr Priscilla Freire – Business Development Engineer
Priscilla Freire obtained her Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pontifícia Universidade Católica in Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 2011. She also holds a post-graduation degree in Business and Project Management and started her career as a graduate engineer in a consulting company in Brazil, where she worked on large mining and port infrastructure projects. After that, she worked as a Business Development Officer for TUNRA Bulk Solids in Brazil, responsible for the technical and commercial interface between Brazilian clients and TUNRA’s specialists. Dr Freire obtained her PhD from the University of Newcastle in 2021 with her thesis focusing on the influence of material properties on the performance of bulk solids handling systems, and is now responsible for TUNRA Bulk Solids’ Marketing and Business Development activities, in addition to managing flow properties projects.
Priscilla.Freire@newcastle.edu.au
+61 (2) 4033 9055
Dr Peter Robinson – Research Associate
Dr. Peter Robinson is a Research Associate renowned for his expertise in the optimisation of bulk material handling systems, with a specific focus on mechanical equipment; belt conveying, bucketwheel reclaimers, and mineral filtration. Prior to his appointment at the University of Newcastle, he held a consulting role at Hatch Associates, part of the EPCM team delivering the NCIG Coal Terminal in Newcastle. He has a core focus on applied research, consistently driving innovation in the field and ensuring the translation of research findings into practical solutions for industry challenges.
Dr. Robinson has dual degrees from The University of Newcastle, in Physics and Mechanical Engineering, graduating with honours. At the completion of this degree, he undertook a PhD entitled ” The Dynamics of Open and Closed Belt Conveyor Systems Incorporating Multiple Drives”, which utilised Numerical Modelling to assess the time-dependent behaviour of complex conveyor systems during starting and stopping, and the mechanical implications of key components (drive systems, pulleys, counterweight, belt and idlers). As conveyor systems continue to evolve, in response to ongoing demand for critical resources, this research area remains a key focus. Dr Robinson also holds a consulting role with TUNRA Bulk Solids. His key area is belt conveying, collaborating with industry partners to optimise systems, troubleshoot failures and ensure compliance with both industry and regulatory standards.
Peter.w.Robinson@newcastle.edu.au
Dr Peter Robinson – University of Newcastle Profile
+61 (2) 4033 9040
TUNRA Bulk Solids Engineering Team
