Associate Professor Michael Jack

Research

My research group carries out fundamental and applied research into a wide range of sustainable energy areas. We specialize in applying methods from theoretical physics to the sustainable energy area, but collaborate closely with a wide range of other disciplines. Areas of focus include: smart, flexible energy systems, exploring fundamentally new paradigms of energy generation and conversion and designing efficient technologies for renewable energy production and energy efficient processes.

Smart energy systems

Globally energy systems are rapidly transitioning from the traditional fossil-fuel dominated and centralized paradigm to being much smarter, more energy-efficient, distributed, highly renewable and low carbon. Electricity grids and greater electrification will play a key role in this transition. To enable this transition, we need ways of matching variable renewable electricity generation to increasingly variable energy demand, without building expensive underutilized infrastructure. This research focuses on understanding the opportunity for innovative grid-connected technologies (solar PV, EV, energy storage), ICT and business models to create flexible energy services that link generation, storage and demand to shift consumption away from periods of peak demand and respond to variable supply from renewables.

This work is carried out in collaboration with the Centre for Sustainability (CSAFE) and the University of Canterbury.

Nanoscale energy conversion – Molecular motors

At the nanoscale new possibilities and phenomena arise. For example, chemical energy can be converted directly into useful work and thermal fluctuations become an inherent part of a system's behaviour. Biological systems harness nanoscale machinery to create processes with performance far exceeding man-made technologies. If we can understand these biological nanoscale energy conversion processes we may be able to develop future technologies that are very energy efficient. Our work involves developing mathematical theories of the behaviour of nanoscale devices or molecular motors subject to large thermal fluctuations and applying this to both developing a better understanding of biological energy conversion and developing new technology concepts.

Recent work focuses on exploring the collective behaviour that spontaneously arises from many interacting molecular motors. This work is relevant to the rapidly growing field of Active Matter and may provide insights into the microscopic origin of collective behaviour and macroscopic structures that arise in biological cells.

This work is carried out in collaboration with Dr Katharine Challis from Scion.

Current teaching

EMAN201 Thermoprocesses 1
EMAN204 Energy Resources
EMAN308 Thermoprocesses 2
EMAN404 Advanced Energy Resources

Course Coordinator

EMAN201 Thermoprocesses 1
EMAN204 Energy Resources