Synergetics

About Synergetics

Synergetics has been delivering solutions to engineering challenges since 2000. Our team draws upon decades of experience, and advanced computer modelling techniques such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), to create and optimise strategy, design, and process solutions. Synergetics increases revenue, and reduces project cost, time and risk.
A photo of Dave Collins at a Melbourne Awards event.

Dr Dave Collins – Director

Dave is the Managing Director and Principal Environmental Engineer of Synergetics Consulting Engineers with over 40 years national and international process engineering, environmental engineering and occupational hygiene experience in government, university, research and at plant and corporate levels in energy systems, manufacturing, construction, mining, mineral smelting and heavy industry. Dave has served as senior policy advisor to Federal Ministers and CEOs of Global mining companies and conducted doctorate level research and development in emissions and impact assessment.  While Director Environment Performance for the Minerals Council, he was responsible for environmental performance policy and assessment for Australian mining company’s global operations.   

Dave has specialist expertise in energy and air quality modelling, assessment and management, air quality policy development, air emissions measurement and emissions control, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling, environmental risk assessment, fugitive emissions characterization and noise and vibration assessment and control. He also has substantial knowledge and experience in occupational and environmental exposure assessment and is a Board Certified Industrial Hygienist in the United States. He is also accredited as a Technical Assessor for NATA. Dave served as Environment Australia’s representative and founding member of the National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM) Air Quality Working Group and other national policy development and advisory roles.

Dr James Brett – Principal engineer

James is the principal modelling engineer of Synergetics Consulting Engineers with 20 years’ experience computational engineering in research, teaching and industrial solutions. James is highly skilled across many sophisticated modelling platforms and is responsible for leading Synergetics’ PhD qualified and experienced engineers to solve complex and critical path industrial problems. By careful selection of modelling platforms and application of world class procedures, James has proven ability to lead specialist teams to achieve extraordinary results for discriminating clients within tight deadlines. James has solved problems at cement kilns, limestone quarries, iron ore processing, ship loading, coal mines, gas processing, waste to energy, sewerage processing, autogenous biowaste furnaces, airports, oil refineries, smelters, etc.

Brian Butterworth – Advisor

Brian was educated at Manchester Grammar School and Liverpool University as a Chemical Engineer. He worked for over 15 years in a range of technical and manufacturing management positions, including managing a plant employing over 600 people and managing several major engineering projects. This part of his career culminated in him being General Manager of Manufacturing for Pilkington Australia. Brian then changed career path into the personnel and industrial relations field, becoming General Manager Human Resources for Pilkington ACI. He was recruited to the public sector as an expert in change management and his career included being Deputy Director General of Community Services Victoria and then Director of Rural Health for Victoria. In both positions he was responsible for large scale social change projects. For most of his consulting career Brian was General Manager, Principal Consultant and a Partner of Clark Hummerston Consulting Group (and later Australia’s largest HR consulting group, Empower). Brian’s consulting expertise includes change management, organisation development, facilitation of various processes such as strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions and conflict resolution, leadership development, executive mentoring and all aspects of people management. 

In recent years Brian has been involved in the change management aspects of major ERP projects e.g. for Pioneer International (now Rinker) and for PaperlinX – both projects involved implementation of an SAP platform. Clients of Brian’s have included: Adshel, Alcoa, APN, Audit Victoria, BHP, Brambles, Brisbane City Council, Cement Australia, Coles Myer, Computer Associates, Incitec Pivot, Melbourne Zoo, North Limited, Orica, PaperlinX, Pilkington, Pioneer International, Robe River Iron Ore, the Jewish Museum and Western Bulldogs. His current major clients are Royal Melbourne Hospital where he is working with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team on an organization wide culture change and Fosters where he is running a series of leadership programs. In addition to his management and consulting work, Brian has trained in counselling, human relations and personal development. Brian is a member of the Board of DeakinPrime (Deakin University’s Consulting and Training arm), DoCare Geelong and The Wesley Centre.

Dr Dennis Paustenbach – Advisor

Dr. Dennis Paustenbach is currently the President of Chemrisk, Inc., one of the world’s largest human and ecological risk assessment groups which specializes in human and ecological risk assessment, and risk analysis of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. He was previously a Vice President of Exponent, and President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of global consulting firm McLaren-Hart Environmental. Dr. Paustenbach has directed consulting activities for nearly 700 risk assessments. He specializes in the areas of industrial and environmental toxicology, occupational health, historical state-of-knowledge regarding environmental issues, and ecological and human risk assessment. 

He has directed the scientific aspects of toxic tort cases. Dennis has also provided expert witness testimony in public meetings and trials concerning the health effects of chemicals in sediments, air, soil, groundwater, and the workplace. Dr. Paustenbach has been an invited technical reviewer for prominent journals and of proposed regulations. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and written nearly 40 book chapters in the fields of industrial hygiene, human and aquatic toxicology, engineering, and risk assessment. He is the editor of the most popular text book on risk assessment, “Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: Theory and Practice”. Dr. Paustenbach was identified as the best Risk Practitioner within the SRA in 1998 and was awarded the Arnold J. Lehman award by the Society of Toxicology in 2002 in recognition of his contributions to the field of risk assessment. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Children’s Health. He is an adjunct professor at several universities and served as a visiting scholar at the Center for Risk Analysis at Harvard.