Veena Sahajwalla

Veena Sahajwalla is an inventor and Scientia Professor of Materials Science in the Faculty of Science at UNSW Australia. She is the Director of the UNSW SM@RT Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology and an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow.
Sahajwalla is known for her role as a councillor on the independent Australian Climate Council and as a judge on the ABC television show The New Inventors. Sahajwalla also served as a commissioner on the now defunct Australian Climate Commission.

Achievements

Sahajwalla is known internationally as the Inventor of 'Green Steel'.

Sahajwalla's research is recognised for changing the way the properties of carbon-bearing materials are understood, including coals, cokes, graphites, plastics and rubber. Sahajwalla's work has had significant impact on the theory and practices that form the basis of operations of the Iron-making, Steel-making and Ceramics industries. Of particular importance is her demonstration that waste plastics and waste rubber can be partial replacements for coal and coke in steel-making.

Sahajwalla's unique focus on the evolution of carbon properties in high-temperature conditions has not only advanced scientific understanding of materials processing, but has provided cost-effective opportunities for industries to move towards sustainable and environmentally friendly production methods.

Honours and awards

In 2013, Sahajwalla was awarded the AIST Howe Memorial Lecture award.

In 2012, Sahajwalla was awarded the Banksia Environmental Foundation GE Innovation Award

In 2012, Sahajwalla won the Australian Innovation Challenge in recognition of her revolutionary work turning recycled rubber tires into steel.

In 2011, Sahajwalla was awarded the Nokia Business Innovation Award, presented at the Telstra Business Women's Awards

In 2008 Sahajwalla was named NSW Scientist of the Year for Engineering Sciences by the NSW Government Office of the Chief Scientist