Saya Ramakrishnan

Saya Ramakrishnan is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Engineering, University of Southern Queensland. Their research focuses on sustainable construction materials, particularly 3D concrete printing, geopolymer composites, and phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage. They hold affiliations with the Centre for Future Materials and have been recognized with awards such as the FSET Early Career Researcher Award (2021) and the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (2019).

Education includes a BScEng from the University of Moratuwa (2013) and a PhD in Engineering from Swinburne University of Technology (2017). Their work emphasizes eco-friendly materials, such as geopolymer formulations using waste materials like brick and glass, and innovative technologies for improving construction efficiency.

Research highlights include developing set-on-demand geopolymer systems for 3D printing and exploring magnetorheological additives to enhance buildability. Grants include a $1.44M IMCRC project (2020–2022) and a $429K ARC DECRA grant (2019–2023). Over 240 publications and 580+ downloads reflect their impact in construction materials science.

Key contributions include improving thermal performance of PCM-integrated composites and advancing microwave-assisted geopolymer 3D printing. Their work bridges material innovation with sustainable construction practices.