Innovation Nation: Sustainability

Professor Veena Sahajwalla is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer, and inventor revolutionising recycling science. She is renowned for pioneering the high temperature transformation of waste in the production of a new generation of ‘green materials’ at the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, where she is Founding Director. Professor Veena is the inventor of polymer injection technology, known as green steel, an eco-friendly process for using recycled tyres in steel production. In 2018, Veena launched the world’s first e-waste MICROfactorieTM and in 2019 she launched her plastics and Green Ceramics MICROfactoriesTM, a recycling technology breakthrough. Veena is the director of the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for ‘microrecycling’, a leading national research centre that works in collaboration with industry to ensure new recycling science is translated into real world environmental and economic benefits. Professor Veena has also been appointed hub leader of the national NESP Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub. In 2021, Professor Veena featured in the ABC’s Australian Story. 

Dr Kate Nguyen is a national expert in advancing the sustainability of fire-resistant construction materials. In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower blaze in London that claimed 72 lives, and in collaboration with industry, Dr Nguyen collaborated with industry partners and came up with a light-weight, cost-effective alternative cladding material using ceramic particles that will not combust during a structural fire. She has also developed various nano-based construction products that were analysed in commercial buildings, such as the City Hall in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Her work has provided a solution for the safe removal and transformation of combustible construction waste into high value, fire-retardant pre-fabricated building materials. Dr Nguyen is currently the leader of the Innovative Fire and Façade Engineering Group at RMIT University, collaborating closely with some of the major construction partners who are end-users of her innovative research. She has also recently been appointed as the Chief Engineer with Cladding Safety Victoria. 

Professor Peter Cook is one of Australia’s foremost scientists and technology leaders in the areas of energy, greenhouse technologies and carbon capture and storage research and development.  Professor Cook has occupied geoscience leadership positions in Australia and the UK and was the foundation Chief Executive of the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC). He was an IPCC Coordinating Lead Author and has published extensively. He is a consultant to Australian companies and governments and has been an adviser to several overseas governments and international organisations. 

Marcus is based in the Global Village Canberra and focuses his activities on developing and supporting ventures that provide a global innovation edge. He is a strategy, innovation, design and systems thinker. He leads several global initiatives in climate change and health.

He has been leading an initiative with Australian based MCi since 2007 that is developing technology to permanently and safely store millions of tonnes of CO2 using the Earth’s own carbon sink mechanism – mineral carbonation. He secured Australian Governments’​ and industry funding for its ongoing development including a world first pilot plant and industrial demonstration plant underway in 2021.

Tony is the immediate past CEO of the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Association, a position he held for a decade, bringing together industry and academe to work together on applied research. Prior to his current role, Tony was CEO of two CRCs and one of Australia’s peak Rural R&D Corporations. He is a Eureka Prize winner for science communication, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company directors. Tony has played a major role in the critical issue in Australia of improving collaboration between industry, universities and other research organisations.