June 2021
Welcome to the second quarterly newsletter of the year. Just this week we had our graduation ceremony at the Spark Arena in Auckland central. As we celebrate our fresh graduates, we also feature our current students’ successes in this newsletter and our alumni updates. The ‘student-graduate-alumni continuum’ in Chemmat has been strengthened over the more than 50 years of the department’s history, as it has more than merely survived the tumultuous years. Like every department in good universities everywhere, we do have challenges ahead, given the current pandemic and economic fallout, but we are up for it! The University is embarking on a new Vision 2030 and Strategic Plan 2025 (Taumata Teitei), and the department will be aligning its strategy for the future with the University vision. Our department is already aligned in many ways, as we focus on applying our teaching and research work to serve in the solving of large-scale global issues in food, water, energy, and health and well-being. Demonstrating these values are our truly excellent staff and students in the department. We feature our recent successes in achieving both national and international recognition for our excellence in this issue.
Ashvin Thambyah
Professor & Head of Department
Chemical & Materials Engineering
Listener article: “The Future of Battery Power” – CHEMMAT’s Assoc Prof Dr Peng Cao
CHEMMAT’s Associate Professor Dr Peng Cao is mentioned on page 27 of the below article featured in the 13 March 2021 issue of the Listener: ...
‘Best Paper’ – Awarded to CHEMMAT’s Drs Steve Matthews and Alec Asadov
Congratulations to CHEMMAT’s Drs Steve Matthews and Alec Asadov for winning the Journal of Thermal Spray Technology, Volume 29, ‘Best Paper’. CHEMMAT’s Dr Steve Matthews CHEMMAT’s Dr Alec...
Class visits Fuji Film
On 10 May 2021, CHEMMAT 758 (Waste Reduction and Recycling) class visited Fuji Film Innovation Centre. This site visit was organised as part of our new partnership with Fuji Film on our new Master of Engineering Studies – Sustainable Resource Recovery. The visit...
CHEMMAT’s Dr Laura Domigan on tech industry expert panel for XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion
One of the tech industry experts that will select up to 30 Semifinalists out of hundreds of entries, giving them a shot at competing for the Grand Prize and changing the future of food is CHEMMAT’s Biomaterials Scientist Dr Laura Domigan. In July, 2021, XPRIZE...
CHEMMAT’s Dr Laura Domigan awarded for Early Career Research Excellence
We are delighted to share the great news that Laura Domigan has been awarded a UoA Early Career Research Excellence Award! This is an outstanding achievement, and the award recognises and promotes excellence and research leadership potential among emerging researchers...
CHEMMAT PhD candidate Annie Wang awarded new Callaghan Innovation fund
Congratulations to CHEMMAT PhD candidate Annie Wang and her supervision team for being awarded a new Callaghan Innovation fund to support her PhD project to the value of $91,500. PhD project title: Development of an eco-friendly, anticorrosion and antifouling...
‘Raising the Bar’: CHEMMAT’s Assoc Prof Saeid Baroutian
From Left: Dr Rob Burrell (Anaesthetist), CHEMMAT’s Assoc Prof Saeid Baroutian Congratulations Saeid! On the evening of Tuesday, 20 April, we gathered across ten bars to cheer on twenty bright minds. CHEMMAT’s Assoc Prof Saeid Baroutian was one of...
Radio NZ interview – CHEMMAT’s Assoc Prof Saeid Baroutian
CHEMMAT’s Associate Professor Saeid Baroutian was featured on Radio New Zealand’s Nine to Noon on his research on waste minimisation in the healthcare industry. Read/listen to...
In memory of Associate Professor Kevin Free
Photo: A/P Kevin Free, 31/1/1932 – 23/5/2021 Kevin Free was an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering from 1986 until 2000 when he retired at the age of 68. After completing his undergraduate studies in Chemical...
CHEMMAT Part IV student Morgan Dolfing’s team wins the Velocity Innovation Challenge
Photo: Morgan Dolfing...
Velocity Innovation Challenge – NZPA wins the UN Sustainable Development category
Photo: Dr Harshpreet Singh We are excited to share that the NZ Product Accelerator team won the Velocity Innovation Challenge 2021 under the UN Sustainable Development category led by Dr. Harshpreet Singh. The venture (H2OQUAL) aims to develop a sensitive,...
NZ Aluminium Smelters Masters Prize in Engineering won by CHEMMAT student, Akash Kaushal
Akash Kaushal M B, a master’s student from Professor Mohammed Farid’s group won the New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Masters Prize in Engineering, awarded to recognise excellence in the field of Engineering. Akash worked on the project titled ‘High Pressure Processing...
CHEMMAT alumni catch-ups
Photo: CHEMMAT alumni Dr Farzam Shahni Dr Farzam Shahni completed comprehensive research in control and automation with a specialization in process monitoring. His research was an industrial project in the Industrial Information and Control Centre (I2C2) at the...
AUEA Ardmore Fund undergraduate scholarship
The Ardmore Fund was established by students from the Auckland University School of Engineering at Ardmore, class of 1957-59 The awards are made to students who have excelled academically and who exemplify the camaraderie, school spirit and values...
Nominee for the ‘IChemE Postgraduate Researcher of the Year’ – CHEMMAT’s Mohamed Dabbour
Photo: CHEMMAT PhD candidate, Mohamed Dabbour Mohamed Dabbour was nominated as representative for the University of Auckland for the ‘IChemE Postgraduate Researcher of the Year.’ Mohamed’s research entails integrating reservoir simulation with...
Winter graduation
The 2021 Winter Graduation Ceremony was held at Spark Arena on Tuesday, 1 June. University administration, lecturers, students and their families attended the event. The department would like to congratulate all new graduates on their significant and well-deserved...
CHEMMAT Finalist: ENZ ‘Student Engineer of the Year’ – Omar Mustafa
When CHEMMAT’s Dr Amar Auckaili and Prof Mohammed Farid were looking for a talented student engineer to work on their novel thermal storage heat exchanger, they were fortunate that Omar Mustafa was assigned to the project. Omar who had already proved his...
Congratulations to our CHEMMAT PhD candidates who have recently passed their exams or graduated
Photo from the left: Professor Anthony Phillips from Biological Sciences, CHEMMAT’s Dr Michael Hodgson, CHEMMAT PhD candidate Yixuan (Jennifer) Wang, CHEMMAT’s Professor Wei Gao Yixuan (Jennifer) Wang Thesis title: Electrospun silicon oxycarbide fibre mats...
CMESA Sponsorship Proposal
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CHEMMAT PhD Student Update: Completed Theses
PhD student: Yixuan (Jenifer) Wang, Supervisors: Wei Gao & Filicia Wicaksana Electrospun Silicon Oxycarbide (SiOC) Fibre Mats and Its Composites Abstract: This work presents the preparation of ultrafine SiOC fibre mats through the electrospinning/sol-gel method,...