Tom Denniss

Tom Denniss (born 24 February 1961 ) is an Australian athlete, inventor, scientist, and entrepreneur. A Doctor of Mathematics and Oceanography, he invented a technology to convert energy in ocean waves into electricity, also played professional rugby league, was a finalist in the Australian of the Year Award,

Early life Denniss was born in 1961 in Wollongong, south of Sydney, Australia. He attended Warilla North Primary School from 1966 to 1973, and Lake Illawarra High School from 1974 to 1979, and was Student Council President at high school in 1979. From 1980 to 1982, Denniss completed a degree in Mathematics at the University of Wollongong, and a Diploma in Education from the University of New South Wales in 1983. A professional musician in his early life, Denniss has played to audiences in eight different countries.

Career Initially a high school maths teacher, Denniss taught at Newtown High School in Sydney from 1984 to 1990. While working at Newtown High, he attended UNSW part-time during 1988/89, obtaining a First Class Honours degree in Science.

From 1994 to 1999, Denniss worked at Macquarie Bank, a leading Australian investment bank. In 2005 he was invited by Jeffrey Sachs, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General, to be a member of the Global Roundtable on Climate Change, serving on this forum until 2009. and on the Australian Government's Advisory Board for the Clean Energy Innovation Centre in 2010–11.

World run

On 31 December 2011, Denniss began a quest to run around the world. He set a new world record and while doing so raised money for Oxfam. Denniss completed the 26,232 km journey on 13 September 2013, becoming just the second person to successfully complete a fully documented world run according to the rules defined by the sport's international governing body, the World Runners Association, His accomplishment was the equivalent of running 622 marathons in 622 days in extremes of heat and cold.

Sporting achievements

Denniss was a member of the Warilla North Primary School 4 x 100-metre relay team which won three consecutive New South Wales state titles from 1971 to 1973, setting state records in 1971 (Junior Boys 57.4 sec) and 1973 (Senior Boys 52.7 sec).