Australia and New Zealand Member Chapter
Seventh Annual AIST Australia and New Zealand Steel Symposium 2026
10–11 February 2026 • Ian Wark Theatre, CSIRO, Clayton, Australia
Program Schedule | |
Day 1 Tuesday, 10 February | |
| 8:30 a.m. | Registration |
| 9 a.m. | Welcome Alan Duffy, Pro Vice Chancellor, Swinburne University of Technology |
| Session 1 Chaired by Geoffrey Brooks, Joint Professor, Swinburne University of Technology and CSIRO | |
| 9:10–9:30 a.m. | KEYNOTE Project NeoSmelt Ruwan Brell, Process and Technology Manager, Project NeoSmelt |
| 9:30–9:50 a.m. | KEYNOTE Assessment of Australia Steel Scrap Circularity and Tramp Elements Accumulation M. Akbar Rhamdhani, Professor, Swinburne University of Technology |
| 9:50–10:10 a.m. | KEYNOTE Partnerships Accelerating ZESTY: Scaling Australia’s Green Iron Technology from Pilot to Demonstration Matt Hand–Bootford, Chief Scientist, Calix |
| 10:10–10:25 a.m. | Update on the HIsmelt Direct Smelting Ironmaking Technology Neil Goodman, Director of Smelt Tech Consulting and the HILT CRC |
| 10:25–10:45 a.m. | KEYNOTE Progress Toward “Clean Nickel” Production for Stainless-Steelmaking Raw Materials Taufiq Hidayat, Associate Professor, Bandung Institute of Technology |
| 10:45–11:05 a.m. | Coffee Break in CSIRO Central Canteen (close to Ian Wark Theatre) |
| Session 2 Chaired by Keith Vining, Research Group Leader, CSIRO | |
| 11:05–11:25 a.m. | KEYNOTE Decarbonization of the Ironmaking Process: A Quantitative and Fundamental Perspective Ajay Shukla, Professor, IIT Madras |
| 11:25–11:40 a.m. | Life Cycle Assessment of CCUS Technologies for Integrated Iron and Steel Production Routes Vishal D Khomane, Research Associate, IIT Hyderabad |
| 11:40–11:55 a.m. | Physics-Guided Modelling of Scrap Variability in Electric Arc Furnace Operation Somenath Mukherjee, PhD scholar, IIT Dhanbad |
| 11:55–12:10 p.m. | Process Performance and Life-Cycle Emissions Assessment of Biochar-Fueled CPR-Coated Pellets for Low-Carbon DRI Production Avash Kumar Saha, NIT Durgapur |
| 12:10–12:25 p.m. | Evaluating the Economic Fairways for Green Iron and Steel Production in India Arunkumar Bheemanalli, PhD scholar in the IITB-Monash Research Academy at IIT Bombay |
| 12:25–12:40 p.m. | Comparative Analysis of ESG Practices and Performance: Global and Indian Steel Industries Arghya Majumder, Director, School of Mines and Metallurgy, Kazi Nazrul University |
| 12:40–1:20 p.m. | Lunch at CSIRO Central Canteen (close to Ian Wark Theatre) |
| Session 3 Chaired by Yvonne Durandet, Associate Professor, Swinburne | |
| 1:20–1:40 p.m. | KEYNOTE |
| 1:40–1:55 p.m. | Effect of Thermomechanical Processing Parameters on the Microstructure of High-Strength Low-Alloyed Steel Gholam Ali Baqeri, Ph.D. Student, University of Wollongong |
| 1:55–2:10 p.m. | Precipitation Behaviour During Tempering in Ferrite-Martensite Dual-Phase Steels: A Strategy to Strengthen Dual-Phase Microstructure Baoqi Dong, Ph.D. Student, Deakin University |
| 2:10–2:25 p.m. | The Effect of Isothermal Holding and Transformation of τ5c-Fe5Si2Al20 (+Zn) to θ–FeAl3 for Removing Consolidated Bottom Dross in 55%Al-Zn Coating Bath Joseph Williams, Metal Coating Innovation Specialist, BlueScope Steel |
| 2:25–2:40 p.m. | Iron Metallization by Carbothermic Reduction of Pyrite in the Presence of Lime Odilon K. Ilunga, Lecturer, University of Namibia |
| 2:40–2:55 p.m. | Decarbonisation Options for Reheat Furnaces Tharindua Siyambalapitiya, Ph.D. Student, Swinburne |
| 2:55–3:15 p.m. | Coffee Break in CSIRO Central Canteen (close to Ian Wark Theatre) |
| Session 4 Chaired by M. Akbar Rhamdhani, Professor, Swinburne University of Technology | |
| 3:15–4 p.m. | PANEL SESSION Topic: Women in Steel Deborah Claudle, BlueScope Steel; Lynda Fogarty, InfraBuild; Yvonne Durandet, Swinburne University of Technology |
| 4–4.15 p.m. | Design Requirements, Challenges and Solutions From a Technology Supplier’s Perspective: A Design Approach for Electric Melting Furnaces in Green Steel Transformation of Integrated Steel Plants Ernst Kleynhans, Senior Process Engineer, Metix Ltd., SMS group |
| 4:15–4.30 p.m. | Thermodynamic Modelling of Slag and Hot Metal Chemistry in Electric Smelting Furnace Kwaku Owusu, Postdoctoral Fellow, CSIRO |
| 4:30–4.45 p.m. | Heat Transfer Model for Laboratory-Scale Brushed Arc Electric Smelting Furnace Thi Bang Tuyen Nguyen, Researcher, The University of Newcastle |
| 4:45–5 p.m. | Advancing Low-Carbon Metallurgy: The Role of Hydrogen in the context of Australian steelmaking Tristan Kyle Wickham, Master Student, North-West University |
Day 2 Wednesday, 11 February | |
| Session 5 Chaired by Shabnam Sabah, Postdoctoral Researcher, Swinburne University | |
| 9–9:15 a.m. | Influence of Plasma Gas on Electric Arc in ESFs Ujwal Kudaru, Ph.D. Student, Swinburne University of Technology |
| 9:15–9:30 a.m. | Numerical Analysis of AC/DC Induced Electromagnetic Fields in Electric Smelting Furnaces Xuefeng Dong, Senior Researcher, University of Wollongong |
| 9:30–9:45 a.m. | Melting Behaviour of Various DRI Forms in Synthetic Slag for Low-Carbon Electric Smelting Furnace Ironmaking Banty Kumar, Postdoctoral Fellow, CSIRO |
| 9:45–10 a.m. | Laboratory-Scale Demonstration of a Pellet-Based H2-DRI + ESF Process for New Zealand Titanomagnetite Ironsand Shaira Mendoza, Ph.D. Student, Victoria University of Wellington |
| 10–10:15 a.m. | Enhancing EAF Efficiency and Sustainability Through Electromagnetic Stirring: CFD Insights and Multisite Operational Results Bintang Bergas Cendekia, Area Sales Manager, ABB Metallurgy |
| 10:15–10:30 a.m. | Self-Reducing Pellet of EAF Dust for EAF/ESF Steelmaking Made Giri Natha, Ph.D. Student, Swinburne University |
| 10:30–10:50 a.m. | Coffee Break in CSIRO Central Canteen (close to Ian Wark Theatre) |
| Session 6 Chaired by Michael Davis, Biocarbon | |
| 10:50–11:10 a.m. | KEYNOTE Research on Slag Phase Equilibria and Thermodynamics in Support of Green Steelmaking Evgueni Jak, Professor, University of Queensland |
| 11:10–11:25 a.m. | Phosphorus Segregation and Wetting in Steelmaking Slag Raymond J. Longbottom, Senior Researcher, University of Wollongong |
| 11:25–11:40 a.m. | Effects of Slag V-Ratio and %Al2O3 on Contact Angle and Interfacial Tension on Alumina Substrates Junior Ngoyi Kayembe, Researcher, University of Wollongong |
| 11:40–11:55 a.m. | Practical Coating Methods to Reduce Carbon Activity in Graphite Crucibles Used in Softening and Melting Tests to Simulate the Cohesive Zone in Blast Furnaces Evan Copland, Research Associate, The University of Newcastle |
| 11:55–12:10 p.m. | Characteristics of Iron Ore Pellet Melting in a Plasma Furnace: A Combined FactSage and COMSOL Multiphysics Study Prasenjit Singha, NIT Durgapur |
| 12:10– 12:25 p.m. | Non-Thermal Hydrogen Plasma Reduction of Iron Ore Christopher Cooper, PhD student, Australian National University |
| 12:25–1:05 p.m. | Lunch at CSIRO Central Canteen (close to Ian Wark Theatre) |
| Session 7 Chaired by Matt Shaw, Swinburne, CSIRO | |
| 1:05–1:20 p.m. | LMP Process for Australian Iron Ores Suneeti Purohit, Research Scientist, CSIRO |
| 1:20–1:35 p.m. | Understanding the role of phosphorus in the formation and stability of sinter phases Isis R. Ignácio, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, CSIRO |
| 1:35–1:50 p.m. | Key Insights on Ammonia Ironmaking Tiara Triana, PhD Student, Swinburne University of Technology |
| 1:50–2:05 p.m. | Reduction Behavior of Iron Ore Pellets Using Ammonia, Cracked Ammonia, & Hydrogen Gas Ashok Kamaraj, Assistant Professor, IIT Hyderabad |
| 2:05–2:20 p.m. | Use of Carbon for EAF Slag Cleaning Surya Pratap Singh, Research fellow, Swinburne University of Technology |
| 2:20–2:35 p.m. | A Review of Current Theories and Modelling Progress of Droplet Behaviour in the BOF Nicole Kuo, PhD student, Swinburne University of Technology |
| 2:35–2:55 p.m. | Coffee break at CSIRO Central Canteen (close to Ian Wark Theatre) |
| Session 8 Chaired by Johann Rinhofer, thyssenkrupp nucera | |
| 2:55–3:10 p.m. | Hydrogen for Iron and Steelmaking: International Insights and Collaboration Opportunities from IEA Hydrogen TCP Task 52 Changlong Wang, ARC Industry Fellow (Monash |
| 3:10–3:25 p.m. | Gas flow distribution and effectiveness in hydrogen-rich direct reduction shaft furnace William Haeusler, Student, University of Wollongong |
| 3:25–3:40 p.m. | Hydrogen burners for steelmaking furnaces Gopal Pandey, PhD student, Swinburne University of Technology) |
| 3:40–3:55 p.m. | Renewable Carbon for Metallurgical Applications Dr Kannappar Mukunthan, Chief Scientist, BioCarbon |
| 3:55–4:10 p.m. | Building an Environmental Footprint Framework for SME Steel in India: Global Literature and Data Challenges Rushikesh Mundane, PhD student, Victoria University |
| 4:10– 4:25 p.m. | Refratechnik Hybrid Technology Laura Erbar, R&D Engineer, Refratechnik Steel GmbH |
| Plant tour of InfraBuild Steel Mill Laverton/Calix Ltd. on the morning of Thursday, 12 February 2026. Details of transport to follow, bookings via Geoffrey Brooks (gbrooks@swin.edu.au). Please note there are only limited places. | |