TUNRA Leadership

Tim Donohue

General Manager

Dr Tim Donohue is the General Manager of TUNRA and has been in this role for over 5 years. Tim completed undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in engineering at the University of Newcastle before going on to provide specialised consultancy services, to predominantly the resource sector, in the early stages of his career. Moving from a technical to management role Tim has subsequently complimented his technical studies with a Master of Business Administration and Graduate Certificate in Law as he progressed into the General Manager role. In this role Tim has been exposed to a wide variety of projects across the spectrum of research fields at the University of Newcastle, with Tim leading a team of 80+ staff who ensure excellence in project delivery through a strong service orientation and a commitment to the provision of high-quality solutions to industry problems. Working with the Board of Directors, Tim continues to focus on identifying new applied research opportunities and initiatives that further the strategic objectives of both TUNRA and the University of Newcastle.

Kendyll Frielick

Executive Officer

Kendyll Frielick joins the TUNRA team as an Executive Officer with over 14 years of experience in executive support, project management and administrative roles. In her role at TUNRA Kendyll provides high level project and executive support to the General Manager, working on a range of operational, strategic and policy related business matters. Prior to joining TUNRA, Kendyll worked in the private sector most recently providing executive and project management support services to the Director of a privately owned property development firm.  Kendyll is a commercially minded, driven, and energetic professional with a strong background in administration and client service. She is a highly organised problem solver with a proven ability to plan effectively to maximise opportunities and support businesses to achieve organisational objectives. Kendyll holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney and is currently completing her Master of Business Administration (MBA) through the University of Newcastle.

Dan Smith

Business Lead, TUNRA Connect

Dan Smith leads our TUNRA Connect business unit which provides University experts with a platform to collaborate and deliver research-lead solutions with real world impact. Dan is focused on establishing and supporting collaborative consulting and non-HERDC projects between University of Newcastle Researchers, industry, and the broader community. Dan joins TUNRA with over 6 years’ experience working in research commercialisation and business development most recently at The Sydney School of Entrepreneurship where he held the role of Director of Entrepreneurship.  Prior to his roles with SSE, Dan has founded several start-ups and worked with multiple organisations in the drone industry. Dan is an innovative and entrepreneurial business lead and passionate about leading a team that drives real impact.

Jayne O'Shea

Operations Manager, TUNRA Bulk Solids

Dr Jayne O’Shea is one of our experienced Senior Consulting Engineers and Operations Managers at TUNRA Bulk Solids. Jayne has been involved with TBS since 2005, joining us as a lab technician and progressing through to an engineering and researcher role. She completed a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Newcastle (2005- 2009), where she graduated with first class honours and the University Medal. She completed her PhD studies at Newcastle University (2010-2015), focused on the numerical modelling of the indentation rolling resistance associated with overland belt conveying. In addition to her work in the belt conveying field, Jayne has worked on numerous research and consulting projects involving a combination of scale modelling design, experimental measurement, theoretical modelling, and Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulation.Dr O’Shea has successfully contributed to over 100 projects, both in Australia and overseas, across a wide array of bulk materials, including coal, iron ore, gold ore, bauxite, and grains.