Ms Priscilla Grassi Freire

Ms Priscilla Freire obtained her Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering (with a focus on Mechatronics) from Pontifícia Universidade Católica in Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 2011. She also holds a post-graduation degree in Business and Project Management and started her career as a graduate engineer in a consulting company in Brazil, where she worked in large mining, materials handling and port infrastructure projects and acquired experience in the development of technical documents and reports, belt conveyor load calculations, expediting and purchasing of mining equipment, components and materials. 

After that, she worked as a Business Development Officer for TUNRA Bulk Solids, responsible for the technical and commercial interface between Brazilian clients and TUNRA's specialists. She also coordinated marketing activities, including participation and promotion of exhibitions and technical events, coordination of national and international trips and management of the Brazilian projects which the company was awarded during this time.

Ms Freire is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Newcastle and her thesis topic involves the development of an economic model for complex materials handling systems. While doing her PhD, she also works as Research Development Engineer for the Centre for Bulk Solids and Particulate Technologies and is responsible for the research collaborations and projects involving Brazilian universities and research institutions/clients. Since 2017, when Priscilla started her role as Research Development Engineer, she has played a major role in the coordination of the research collaboration with the University of São Paulo in Brazil, including establishing a Memorandum of Understanding under which 3 University of Newcastle Scholars have gone to Brazil to teach in their Master's program. This collaboration also entails the establishment of a research lab in USP and coordination of visiting professors and students.

Priscilla has also assisted in the coordination of the 13th International Conference on Bulk Materials Storage, Handling and Transportation, which took place at the Gold Coast in 2019. This conference attracted a record number of participants from all over the world, including 6 participants from Brazil, and consisted of 100 technical papers in various fields of materials handling. Priscilla's role involved contacting and negotiating with sponsoring companies, contacting specialists from Australia and from Brazil to participate with technical papers and assisting the Conference Manager with various activities.

In 2018, Priscilla was appointed Student Representative of the Advanced METS Doctoral Training Centre, responsible for providing support to the fellow students and voicing their needs in the Steering Committee.