Prof. Thomas Faunce, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

Host: Eva-Mari Aro (evaaro@utu.fi)

Professor Thomas Faunce is an expert in health law and nanotechnology regulation, as well as the impact on those areas of trade and investment agreements; areas where he has been awarded five Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grants. Thomas was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship to investigate how nanotechnology could help solve the great public health and environmental problems of our time. This has led him to research governance issues surrounding the globalisation of artificial photosynthesis to make every road, house and vehicle on the earth’s surface make renewable fuel and fertilizer. This is achieved by using sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen while absorbing atmospheric nitrogen and carbon dioxide. His research here is focused on developing a Global Project on Artificial Photosynthesis to help promote environmental sustainability. Thomas has coordinated major international conferences on these themes. Professor Faunce holds a joint position in the ANU College of Law and the ANU Medical School (where he chairs the Professionalism and Leadership Theme). He sits on the ANU central Research Ethics Committee and on the ACT Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal for health professional matters. He edits the medical Law Reporter for the Journal of Law and Medicine. He has been a consultant tio UNESCO on its Global Health Law Database. Since 2017 Professor Faunce has been a Class A (non-alcoholic) Trustee on the Board of Alcoholics Anonymous Australia. He is a Senior Fellow in the Higher Education Academy.