Dr Brett Parkinson is a chemical engineer working at the forefront of clean energy and decarbonisation technology. 

As Senior Manager of R&D at California-based clean-tech company C-Zero, Brett is working on the development of new technology that converts natural gas into hydrogen without CO2 emissions. The process works by extracting the hydrogen component and leaving behind a solid carbon product. This process utilises existing natural gas assets but effectively avoids CO2 emissions in doing so. The extracted hydrogen provides clean, low-cost energy on demand, while the carbon can be permanently sequestered as a solid.

Brett’s passion for sustainability and innovation in engineering began during his studies at the University of Queensland, where he completed his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Chemical and Materials Engineering. He entered into the industry in Australia in roles with Incitec Pivot, Momentive Specialty Chemicals and the Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovations, before moving to the UK to complete his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the renowned STEM focused university, Imperial College London, as a Woodside John Monash Scholar. He moved to the USA in 2020, as one of C-Zero’s early employees in their Santa Barbara head office. As the company continues to rapidly scale its development and operations, Brett remains a key part of C-Zero’s growth and innovation, fulfilling his mission of working on big engineering challenges related to climate change and sustainability.