معرفی
Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla is an ARC Laureate Professor and founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology (SMaRT) at the University of New South Wales. She also heads the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for 'green manufacturing' and serves as Director of the NSW Circular Economy Innovation Network. Professor Sahajwalla is internationally recognized for revolutionizing recycling science through her pioneering work in high-temperature transformation of waste into 'green materials.'
Professor Sahajwalla's research focuses on sustainable materials engineering, waste transformation, and circular economy implementation. Her work spans materials engineering, metallurgy, polymer science, and environmental technologies. She has developed groundbreaking approaches to recycling complex waste streams including e-waste, plastics, and automotive waste, transforming them into value-added materials for manufacturing applications. Her research integrates fundamental scientific understanding with practical industrial applications to create economically viable and environmentally sustainable solutions.
Professor Sahajwalla's publications demonstrate consistent innovation in waste-to-resource conversion technologies, particularly in microrecycling approaches and high-temperature material transformation. Her work shows a clear progression from fundamental research to practical implementation through her microfactory model, which brings recycling solutions directly to waste sources. The research spans multiple disciplines including materials science, metallurgy, polymer engineering, and environmental technology, with increasing focus on decentralized manufacturing systems and circular economy implementation.
- Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (2018)
- PLuS Alliance Prize for Research Innovation (2017)
- Jubilee Professorship by Indian Academy of Sciences (2017)
- Australia's Most Innovative Engineers (2016)
- Australia's 100 Most Influential Engineers (2015)
- ARC Laureate Fellowship (2014)
- Howe Memorial Lecture Award (2013)
- Australian Innovation Challenge Winner for Green Steel (2012)
Professor Sahajwalla has secured over $40 million in research funding from diverse sources including the Australian Research Council, NSW Government, and industry partners. Her leadership extends to mentoring programs for girls in science (Science 50:50) and extensive public engagement through media appearances, TED talks, and community outreach. She has established the world's first e-waste microfactory (2018) and plastics microfactory (2019), demonstrating practical applications of her research.
As founding Director of the SMaRT Centre at UNSW, Professor Sahajwalla leads a multidisciplinary team focused on sustainable materials research and technology development. The Centre collaborates with industry partners, government agencies, and international research institutions to translate scientific discoveries into real-world environmental and economic benefits through the microfactory model and other innovative approaches to waste valorization.
