Robert E Melchers is a professor of civil engineering and ARC DORA research fellow at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He holds a BE and an M Eng Sc from Monash University and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK. He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. He has used his background in structural engineering and probabilistic mechanics to develop mathematical physicochemical models for the long-term marine corrosion of steels, such as those used for major marine infrastructure applications, including offshore structures and pipelines. Apart from fundamental corrosion studies supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC), he is involved in industry-funded projects on the microbiologically influenced corrosion of offshore mooring chains and also on the long-term corrosion of cast-iron bridge piers and buried cast-iron water supply pipes. His most recent awards for corrosion research include the 2009 Australasian Corrosion Association Corrosion Medal, the 2012 Jin S. Chung Award (International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers) and the 2013 John Connell Gold Medal (the Institution of Engineers, Australia). He was the 2014 Eminent Speaker for the College of Structural Engineers, the Institution of Engineers, Australia.