The ARC Advance Timber Hub is proud of Dr Luis Yerman’s successful industry secondment, in late 2025, with Hub partner, AKD. Luis, a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Queensland School of Civil Engineering, representing the ARC Advance Timber Hub and the National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life, undertook the six-month industry secondment to bridge academic research and real-world timber applications. This industry engagement is an important key performance indicator (KPI) of the Hub.
With a background in chemistry and extensive experience in timber durability, fungal decay, moisture behaviour, and fire performance, the secondment allowed Luis to apply research expertise in an operational setting while gaining deeper insight into industry challenges. The secondment was designed to explore the broader issue of mould in timber products, from its underlying causes through to management and prevention across the product lifecycle.
Luis stated, “I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to AKD for the opportunity to complete an industry secondment at the Caboolture sawmill. These six months have been truly rewarding. I learned a great deal about timber operations and had the pleasure of meeting many talented and dedicated people across the business.”
Over the course of the placement, Luis developed and delivered a structured body of work covering three interconnected areas. These included a review of commonly used mould remediation approaches, an investigation of material characteristics that influence moisture and biological behaviour, and an assessment of environmental conditions relevant to timber storage and handling. Together, these activities provided a holistic framework for understanding mould risk from multiple angles.
A key objective of the secondment was knowledge exchange. By working at the interface between research and industry practice, the project supported clearer alignment between scientific understanding and practical decision-making. It demonstrated the benefits of embedding researchers within operational settings, enabling two-way learning, more relevant research questions, and stronger pathways for future collaboration. It also created opportunities to translate academic methods into applied contexts and to identify areas where further collaborative research could add value.
Luis thanked the national team at AKD (Mateo Gutierrez, Kim Harris, Andrew McLaughlin and Marina Milić) for the opportunity, their guidance and collaboration throughout his time there, “I’m also very grateful for the warm support from the Caboolture team, especially Diana Jaramillo. It’s been a fantastic experience, and I look forward to continuing to strengthen our collaboration in the future.”
Luis also thanked Chris Lafferty and Ian Blanden from Hub Partner, FWPA; Professor Tripti Singh from the National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life, and Hub Director, Professor Keith Crews, for their support and engagement throughout his journey.
Luis’s secondment shows how industry–research partnerships address real-world challenges and lays the groundwork for ongoing collaboration between academia and the timber sector.
