Tom Quirk

Tom Quirk is a nuclear physicist and former board member of the Institute of Public Affairs, an Australian conservative think-tank for which he has written numerous articles and papers and provided comments to the media.[1] Quirk is an advocate for the expansion of Australia's role in the nuclear fuel chain and has expressed support for the development of uranium enrichment capacity, spent fuel reprocessing and future storage of nuclear waste in Australia.[2][3] He has also challenged the work of anti-nuclear activist, Helen Caldicott.[4] Quirk contributed a chapter entitled Opportunities in the nuclear fuel cycle to the 2011 policy perspective publication Australia's nuclear options for the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).[3] Between 2006 and 2011, Quirk wrote numerous articles for the website Online Opinion, including criticisms of wind power and renewable energy and pieces promoting nuclear power.[5]

Career

Quirk has worked for resources company, CRA (now known as Rio Tinto). He has also worked in the United States at Fermilab, the universities of Chicago and Harvard and at CERN in Europe. He was an early director of Biota, a company which developed an influenza drug. He has held several positions in utilities, electricity and transport industries including a founding directorship of the Victorian Power Exchange. Quirk was Deputy Chairman of VENCorp, which managed the transmission and wholesale natural gas market and system planning for the electricity market in Victoria, Australia. He is also a former Chairman of Victrack, the owner of the state's railway assets.[3] Quirk also worked for James D. Wolfensohn in a venture capital fund based in New York.[6]

Education

Quirk trained as a nuclear physicist at the University of Melbourne, has attended the Harvard Business School and has been a Fellow of three Oxford Colleges.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "People & associated - Tom Quirk". Institute of Public Affairs. Institute of Public Affairs. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  2. ↑ Quirk, Tom (2005-06-14). "Let's Capitalise On Our Nuclear Assets". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Australia’s nuclear options - CEDA policy perspective. Melbourne, Australia: CEDA. 2011. pp. 50–61. ISBN 0 85801 277 4.
  4. ↑ Quirk, Tom (2015-04-01). "Twisting the facts is not the answer". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  5. ↑ "Tom Quirk". OnlineOpinion.com.au. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  6. ↑ Quirk, Tom (2011-04-06). "What is going on at Fukushima?". OnlineOpinion.com.au. Retrieved 2015-04-01.