Professor Veena Sahajwalla is the director of the SMaRT Centre (Sustainable Materials Research & Technology at UNSW Sydney). She is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer, and inventor revolutionising recycling science. Well known for her contributions in building a waste-free economy, innovating microfactories and inventing ‘green steel’, an alternative to using coal in the steel production industry.

For many years Professor Veena was a judge on the ABC TV show The New Inventors and she was featured in the ABC’s Australian Story and named the 2022 NSW Australian of the Year. Professor Veena was named the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes winner for the Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) Clunies Ross Innovation Award.

In 2023, Professor Veena was awarded the Engineering Australia Chemical College Chemical Engineer Achievement Award and the Good Design 2023 Women in Design Award.

In 2025, Professor Veena was awarded the ‘Officer of the Order of Australia’ (AO) for distinguished service to science, sustainable materials research and technology and waste management on Australia Day.