May Lim

Dr. May Lim is a Professor and Chemical Engineer at the School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales. Her research focuses on designing functional nanomaterials for biomedical, environmental, and engineering applications, including magnetic, photocatalytic, and antimicrobial materials. She has secured over $3.99 million in ARC grants for projects like advanced material fabrication and water treatment technologies. Her teaching emphasizes competency-based education, and she has pioneered digital learning initiatives in chemical engineering courses. Dr. Lim holds leadership roles in education innovation, including the Scientia Education Academy Fellowship and 2020 Faculty of Engineering Education Innovation Fellowship.

Research Interests

Dr. Lim’s work bridges nanomaterials synthesis and real-world applications. Key areas include:

• Development of magnetic nanoparticles for biosensors and drug delivery
• Photocatalytic materials for water treatment
• Nanoparticle-biological interactions and toxicity studies
• Low-temperature synthesis of functional coatings for membranes

Grants & Funding

Notable grants include:

• ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Food Manufacture ($2.1M)
• ARC LP110100459 for chloramine decay management ($660K)
• UNSW Goldstar grants for microalgae harvesting and bacterial extraction systems

Awards

In recognition of her contributions to education and research:

• 2020 Faculty of Engineering Education Innovation Fellow
• Fellow of the Scientia Education Academy
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Teaching & Leadership

As a Fellow of UNSW’s Scientia Education Academy, Dr. Lim leads initiatives in adaptive learning, work-integrated training, and digital education. She coordinated the Industrial Training Program for 4,000+ students and contributed to national engineering education policy.