Dr Adrian (Adi) Paterson is the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s newly appointed Chief Executive Officer. Dr Paterson will commence his five year appointment on 1 March 2009.
Dr Adi Paterson is currently general manager, Business Development and Operations, at the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Company in South Africa. He has a BSc in Chemistry and a PhD in Engineering from the University of Cape Town.
Dr Paterson brings strong scientific credentials, especially in the field of materials science, wide experience in working with government and contributing to national policy development, attractive partnering and commercialisation skills, and a successful history of technical leadership and organisational change.
Dr Paterson has developed the processes underpinning the building of successful relationships between universities, national research institutes and government. He is a past Chair of the South Africa Innovation Fund and a member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation.
Since 2006, his responsibilities at the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Company focused upon the development of a passively safe, high temperature gas reactor for process heat and international commercialisation.
From 2001 to 2006, Dr Paterson worked at the Department of Science and Technology in various science policy roles including the development of national innovation instruments and Research and Development strategy.
At the department he was a key architect of the National Research and Development Strategy which redefined the funding landscape, increasing government funding to innovation, biotechnology, space science and the environment, among others.
From 1984 to 2001, Dr Paterson worked at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (South Africa’s equivalent to CSIRO), rising through a number of assignments to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer.
While at the CSIR he led the Material Business Unit for a number of years before taking on Executive roles that included strategic investment of the Parliamentary Grant and the commercialisation of research.
In the nuclear domain he has served on the Advisory Board of South Africa’s cyclotron organisation iThembaLABS and was involved in reviews and restructuring of the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa.
In addition to his BSc in Chemistry and a PhD in Engineering, Dr Paterson undertook a post-doc at the University of Leeds in the UK and the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School. He has supervised Masters and PhD students and is a Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa and the South African Academy of Engineering.
Adi Paterson has been involved in creating, establishing and developing science and technology institutions throughout his career. He has focused on the interface between public spending and practical innovations that create wealth and quality of life – putting science and technology to work. He has a strong track record in developing people and teams and realising the potential within science and technology organisations.
Dr Paterson is 52 and married with two sons who are presently studying at university.