University of NSW Professor Veena Sahajwalla, founding director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology (SMaRT) was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the Australia Day honours list in recognition of her distinguished service to science as an engineer and inventor, sustainable materials research and technology and waste management.
The AO is an honour that recognises distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or to humanity at large.
Prof. Sahajwalla founded the SMaRT Lab at UNSW in 2008 to focus on recycling science and waste management, and a decade later, pioneered the concept of micro-factories in manufacturing businesses to recycle available waste.
Her first micro-factory at the SMaRT Lab based in 2018 focused on recycling e-waste from old technology, salvaging gold, electrical conductors, and rare earth materials, while the glass and plastic were melted down and used in industrial-grade ceramics and plastic filaments in 3D printing. The concept has since expanded to recycle other materials.
Prof. Sahajwalla also created green steel by used old truck tyres as a partial replacement for coal in steel production, which accounts for around 7% of total greenhouse gas emissions. The process she developed polymer injection technology, grinds the tyres into pellets to burn instead of coal, reducing emissions and also diverting more than 2 million tyres from landfill. Australian giant OneSteel has been using her innovation.
The engineer and inventor said she was honoured to be recognised, and the Order of Australia motivates her more.
“It means so much and reflects on the many people who have been part of my journey. The feeling of leading a scientific field is profound, but this sort of recognition is next level,” said.
“I speak to communities, governments and industries all the time, and if this award helps me to continue doing that and to motivate and inspire others, I am grateful for that. What drives me and the team at the UNSW SMaRT Centre is developing solutions for real world materials sustainability challenges that help deliver better social, environmental and economic outcomes.”
Prof. Sahajwalla also paid tribute to the university and her family for being able to pursue her passion and dreams.
“Students and staff I’ve worked with have been so inspirational to me and many of them have become champions of the field of science we have been pioneering, and for me knowing there are others taking the passion forward is satisfying,” she said.
“On a personal side, I deeply thank my family for their understanding of my ongoing focus and drive, as well as my occasional crazy fixations on solving waste problems.”
She was one of the few people in tech and entrepreneurship among 732 Australians recognised in the 2025 Australia Day honours list.
Others recognised
One of her UNSW colleagues, Prof. Bronwyn Fox, UNSW Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Enterprise, also received an AO for her distinguished service to public administration, scientific research and development, advanced manufacturing, and to tertiary education.
She began her career as a 22-year-old research assistant at CSIRO and in 2022, became chief scientist at the national science organisation.
Adrian Di Marco, the pioneering founder of one of the country’s first startups in 1987, TechnologyOne, which listed on the ASX in 1999, received for Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
Plenty of Canberra residents and academics were also recognised.
Sylvia Tulloch
Materials scientist, startups advisor, angel investor and renewables pioneer Sylvia Tulloch was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
ANU Emeritus Professor Andrew Blakers, co-inventor of two kinds of high-efficiency solar cells and an expert on pumped hydro energy storage, was also among the 22 receiving the top honour, an AO.
Academy of Science CEO Annamarie Arabia received an OAM.
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