After moving to Canberra, the CEO of the UNSW Energy Institute took up ultimate frisbee to expand her network.
Dani Alexander, CEO of the UNSW Energy Institute, joined the University in April 2023. Based in the Faculty of Engineering, she works across all the faculties to represent the depth and breadth of energy research and technology at UNSW.
“At the Energy Institute our aim is to direct our effort to where we identify high potential for societal impact,” Dani says.
“In some cases that might be a new technology that could change the game and could be spun out of the University. In other cases, it's where there’s an opportunity to make an impact on the policy landscape. For example, we have recently engaged in some Senate inquiries, drawing on expertise across the University.”
Dani says a lot of her work over the past 18 months has been engaging internally to understand the full capabilities we have here at UNSW.
“It's very exciting, and it really was the key reason for my interest in the role. If you believe in energy research and technology, I think it's safe to say that UNSW is the place to be.
“We have such a fantastic track record of developing energy technologies that are making an impact now. But also, we have technologies in the pipeline across many different disciplines that are likely to make a huge impact in the future.”
Dani says bringing together the hundreds of people who are working in energy at UNSW has culminated in a strategic direction with three focus areas. The first is related to delivering a future grid that hosts close to 100% renewables. The second is seeking to realise the government's huge ambition of becoming a renewable energy superpower. And finally, supporting an energy transformation that’s led by the people who are rapidly becoming involved in our energy market with rooftop solar, batteries and smart appliances.
A focus on energy and frisbee
Dani’s undergraduate degree is in business management and science, with a focus on microbiology. Her time at university ignited her passion for mitigating climate change she says.
“I believe that the most impactful place to mitigate climate change is in the energy sector, because it accounts for 70% to 80% of our – as well as global – emissions worldwide.”
She joined the Department of Energy in “very cold” Canberra, taking a leap from living in sunny Queensland, and moved to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) when it was established. From her time in the government sector, experiencing different facets of policy programs and regulatory reform related to the energy sector, she then moved to Sydney and into energy research.
When Dani moved from Queensland to Canberra, she left friends as well as the warm sunshine behind.
“A new friend I met through the graduate program in Canberra asked me to play ultimate frisbee in a social league. At that point I was saying ‘yes’ to everything because I didn’t have many social connections,” she says.
“I was immediately hooked because it's a very inclusive community and a very exciting game.
It complemented some of my athletic pursuits when I was at school, where I played netball and competed in athletics. I felt like it really played to my strengths, and I was quickly caught up in the frenzy.”
In September, Dani represented Australia at the Ultimate Frisbee World Championships in front of a home crowd on the Gold Coast. She has previously played for Australia in the US, Germany, China, the Philippines, England and Colombia.
Can you tell us something about you that might surprise your colleagues?
In this role I think people expect me to be an engineer rather than having a background in business and microbiology.
What's the best advice you ever received?
1. One of my coaches Anna Rogacki would say, ‘There are no special moments, there are only moments’. It helps to ground you in the present.
2. In one of our frisbee teams Anna would also ask us to say, ‘I see you and I love you anyway’, which means we all have our differences but as a team we are in this together.
What's one thing that makes you happy?
I love a challenge – it gives you the opportunity to strive.
What day in your life would you like to relive?
At the end of 2019, I was on a panel about energy with Dr Karl at the Woodford Folk Festival and it was my first experience of speaking to a large public audience on my professional passion. It was thrilling!
What's the best thing you've read or watched in the last year?
1. Tim Winton’s ‘Born of Nightmares’ in The Monthly - I posted a few quotes on LinkedIn for my daughter’s third birthday.
2. Watching Electric Fields with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra with my daughter. Listen to their cover of ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’.
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