Professor Irene Penesis
Professor Irene Penesis is the Research Director of the Blue Economy CRC.
Irene is the founding Research Director and was the bid leader responsible for developing the successful application to the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program. She also served as Acting CEO of the Blue Economy CRC during a key transition period, providing leadership and stability for the organisation.
Since its establishment in 2019, Irene has steered the CRC’s research agenda to deliver measurable impact for Australia’s blue economy — advancing offshore renewable energy and seafood production, building sovereign engineering and regulatory capability, strengthening food security, and training the next generation of researchers and industry leaders.
Irene led the development of the Hydrogen Production & Research Facility, a flagship initiative of the CRC. This facility is central to the CRC’s mission, providing a world-first capability for research, demonstration, and workforce training in offshore renewable hydrogen production. It supports industry adoption, emissions reduction, and builds Australia’s long-term competitiveness in the global clean energy economy.
Her passion for renewable energy, environmental sustainability, and the decarbonisation of marine and maritime industries has been the driving force behind her leadership roles. Irene is on secondment from the Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania, where she led a multi-disciplinary research team in marine renewable energy and contributed to educating maritime engineering students in the Centre for Maritime Engineering and Hydrodynamics.
Irene is the Australian Primary Delegate of the International Energy Agency’s Ocean Energy Systems (OES), and serves on the Steering Committees of the Tasmanian Government’s Renewable Energy Action Plan, the Marine Energy Research Australia (MERA) at the University of Western Australia, and MERIC Chile’s Scientific International Committee.
She was Chair of the Marine Renewable Energy Specialist Committee of the International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) from 2011 to 2017, a peak international body developing technical guidelines and procedures for hydrodynamic testing of wave energy converters, tidal turbines, and offshore wind turbines. Irene was also the Chairperson for the International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE) held in Melbourne, Australia in 2024.
Professor Irene Penesis is the Research Director of the Blue Economy CRC.
Irene is the founding Research Director and was the bid leader responsible for developing the successful application to the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program. She also served as Acting CEO of the Blue Economy CRC during a key transition period, providing leadership and stability for the organisation.
Since its establishment in 2019, Irene has steered the CRC’s research agenda to deliver measurable impact for Australia’s blue economy — advancing offshore renewable energy and seafood production, building sovereign engineering and regulatory capability, strengthening food security, and training the next generation of researchers and industry leaders.
Irene led the development of the Hydrogen Production & Research Facility, a flagship initiative of the CRC. This facility is central to the CRC’s mission, providing a world-first capability for research, demonstration, and workforce training in offshore renewable hydrogen production. It supports industry adoption, emissions reduction, and builds Australia’s long-term competitiveness in the global clean energy economy.
Her passion for renewable energy, environmental sustainability, and the decarbonisation of marine and maritime industries has been the driving force behind her leadership roles. Irene is on secondment from the Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania, where she led a multi-disciplinary research team in marine renewable energy and contributed to educating maritime engineering students in the Centre for Maritime Engineering and Hydrodynamics.
Irene is the Australian Primary Delegate of the International Energy Agency’s Ocean Energy Systems (OES), and serves on the Steering Committees of the Tasmanian Government’s Renewable Energy Action Plan, the Marine Energy Research Australia (MERA) at the University of Western Australia, and MERIC Chile’s Scientific International Committee.
She was Chair of the Marine Renewable Energy Specialist Committee of the International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) from 2011 to 2017, a peak international body developing technical guidelines and procedures for hydrodynamic testing of wave energy converters, tidal turbines, and offshore wind turbines. Irene was also the Chairperson for the International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE) held in Melbourne, Australia in 2024.
