Rate My Professor Colin Scholes

Associate Professor Colin Scholes is a prominent figure in the Department of Chemical Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Melbourne, where he holds the position of head of the Scholes Research Group. He earned his PhD from the University of Melbourne, focusing on the dynamics of macromolecular adsorption to surfaces, along with bachelor's degrees from the same institution. His career includes joining the Department of Chemical Engineering in 2017 as a Senior Lecturer and advancing to Associate Professor. Prior to this, he served as a Research Fellow at the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) at the University of Melbourne. Scholes leads a team of researchers and PhD candidates working on cutting-edge projects in sustainable chemicals, energy, and industrial processing.

Scholes' research specializes in advanced membrane technology for gas separation, purification, and processing, with applications in clean energy sectors including carbon capture, hydrogen fuelling, electrochemical compression, and toxic gas handling. With nearly two decades of expertise, he has pioneered revolutionary membrane solutions that enhance efficiency in hazardous chemical processes, reduce CO2 emissions, and lower industrial energy intensity. These innovations have been implemented in Australian energy company assets, contributing to the clean energy transition. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed papers, including 'Helium Recovery through Inorganic Membranes Incorporated with a Vacuum Membrane Distillation Unit' (Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2018), 'The Economics of Helium Separation and Purification by Gas Separation Membranes' (Separation & Purification Technology, 2017), and 'Membrane gas-solvent contactor process for efficient carbon capture from multiple emission sources within an industrial complex' (Chemical Engineering Science, 2023). Notable awards include the Grimwade Prize for Industrial Chemistry (2023) for his membrane technology research, the 2012 Young Tall Poppy Science Award, the FEIT Excellence Award in Teaching (Kelvin Medal, 2024), and the MSA Applied Research Award (2025). Scholes is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) and a Chartered Chemical Engineer with the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). He serves on the editorial board for the 'Membrane Applications for Gas Separation' section of Membranes journal and has delivered public lectures, such as 'Fuelling the future with hydrogen'.