Professor Rose Amal of the University of New South Wales has won the inaugural Freehills Innovation Award in Chemical Engineering, awarded to a chemical engineer in Australia who has shown outstanding innovation in product design or development. The innovation award is one of the top level national awards offered by the chemical engineering associations IChemE, the Institute of Engineers and the Royal Association of Chemical Institute (RACI). It was awarded at the recent annual CHEMECA conference, this year held in Newcastle.
Professor Amal, the youngest woman ever to receive a Professorship in chemical engineering in Australia, was awarded the $5000 prize for her work in photocatalysis and nanoparticle fabrication for applications such as water pollution control, self-cleaning surfaces, alternative energy technologies and health and medical treatments. Professor Amal is the Head of UNSW’s Particles and Catalysis Research Group and Director of the Centre for Energy Research and Policy Analysis (CERPA).
"These awards are very highly regarded in the chemical engineering industry and I’m quite thrilled to receive it," she said.
The award was presented by Brett Connor, a partner of Freehills Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys who is a registered patent attorney and chemical engineer. He comments:
"Freehills realises the critical role of chemical engineers in innovating across a wide range of industries, such as the energy, water and resources sectors, many of which will be affected by climate change policy and carbon trading schemes. Chemical engineers create valuable intellectual property but are often not encouraged to capitalise on their innovation through IP protection strategies, which is a missed opportunity for them as academics and also for their employers. Innovation such as Professor Amal’s can be exported and developed to the benefit of Australia’s economy and international reputation. Professor Amal is an exceptional role model for young chemical engineers and graduates, and we congratulate her on her achievements.’
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