Associate Professor Drew Evans is based in the Future Industries Institute at the University of South Australia, with expertise in thin film coatings for commercial applications. His team focuses on enhancing the manufacturability and performance of thin film coatings.
As a research leader in Energy and Advanced Manufacturing, Drew interacts and leads R&D with global industry partners across a diverse range of industries. Specifically, he investigates optical, electrical and optoelectronic materials for use in the automotive, agriculture, augmented reality and renewable energy industries.
Of particular interest is the fundamental understanding and translation to commercial products of new materials – such as conducting polymers. This requires investigation of properties, performance and fabrication that leads to scale-up manufacturing of new technology. With experience working in private industry, Drew is well versed in the breadth of steps from lab-based research through to commercialisation.
While being formally trained as a physical chemist (B Sc (hons) in chemistry, and PhD in physical chemistry from the Australian National University), he has worked as a physicist, scientist and manufacturing engineer in private industry, and is currently employed as a materials scientist with UniSA.
In his “spare” time Drew served as an executive member (2016 to 2019, and 2018 chair) of the Early and Mid-Career Researcher Forum under the Australian Academy of Science, and former member of the South Australian Science Council (2015–2018). He received the 2012 South Australian Science Excellence Early Career STEM Professional award, 2013 South Australian Tall Poppy of the Year, 2016 BioSA Young Achiever Award, and was awarded a Future Fellowship from the Australian Research Council from 2017 to 2020.
