Redefining Chemical Industries – Biocatalysis for Sustainable Manufacturing

Associate Professor Louise Brown

CEO and Co-Founder, HydGene Renewables

presents

Redefining Chemical Industries – Biocatalysis for Sustainable Manufacturing

The chemical manufacturing industry accounts for over 10 per cent of global CO2 emissions and remains one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise.

Dr Louise Brown is CEO and Co-Founder of HydGene Renewables, a NSW company which is pioneering how engineered microbes can transform the production of essential chemicals.

HydGene’s biocatalytic platform converts biomass waste, including agricultural residues and industrial by-products, into green hydrogen – the fundamental building block for thousands of chemicals.

Louise will highlight the scientific breakthroughs behind her company’s technology, developed from research at Macquarie University, and share how her team has scaled these innovations to field deployment aimed at decarbonising and securing supply chains for key chemicals, including nitrogenous fertilisers. 

By unlocking local, renewable hydrogen production, HydGene’s technology provides a scalable path to decouple chemical manufacturing from fossil fuels.

Join Louise as she presents a compelling case study in nature-inspired innovation and how biotechnology can enable circular, more flexible manufacturing systems for a net-zero future.

About the Speaker

Associate Professor Louise Brown

Louise is a scientist-turned-founder with over 20 years of experience in bioengineering and synthetic biology. She completed her PhD at the University of Sydney and held research roles at Florida State University and UNSW Sydney, before joining Macquarie University in 2005 as an academic, leading a biophysics research group focused on engineering complex biological systems.

Louise played a founding role in establishing Synthetic Biology Australasia and is internationally recognised for leading multiple award-winning university and high-school teams in the global iGEM synthetic biology competition, supported through the STEM Student Competition Sponsorship Program, managed by the Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer.

Research from the gold-medal winning 2017 Macquarie University iGEM team seeded the technology behind HydGene, later supported through ARENA’s hydrogen R&D program.

Now CEO and co-founder of HydGene, Louise leads a growing team of 15, backed by international investors and government support. In April, HydGene was recognised by Forbes JAPAN as a resilient climate tech innovator for its role in strengthening sovereign industrial capabilities and advancing decarbonisation. The company is now delivering pilot and field projects to support industrial decarbonisation.

Breakfast Seminars

The Science & Research Breakfast Seminar Series is held at the Strangers’ Function Room at Parliament of NSW, Sydney.

Where: Parliament of NSW. Entry is via Macquarie Street, Sydney. Guests are required to undergo routine security screening.

Time: Breakfast, tea and coffee are served from 7.30am.

The seminar starts at 8am sharp and concludes by 9am. Tea and coffee is also available afterwards.

RSVP: Monday 22 September 2025

IMPORTANT BOOKING INFORMATION
When making multiple bookings, please include the names of all who are attending, to ensure they have a nametag on the day.

For further information or for any accessibility requests email events.rsvp@chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au  or call (02) 9228 5762