Rose Amal


Rose Amal is an Australian chemical engineer, currently serving as Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales, Australia, where she is the director of the Particles and Catalysis Research Group. Previously she was Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials. From 2012 to 2015 she was named in the Engineers Australia list of Australia's Top 100 Most Influential Engineers. In 2014 she became the first female engineer elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

Education

Amal was born in Medan, Indonesia and moved to Australia in October 1983 after finishing high school. She completed a Bachelor of Engineering majoring in Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales in 1988, and received her PhD in Chemical Engineering in 1991. From 1992 she was a lecturer in the School of Chemical Engineering before becoming director of the Centre for Particle and Catalyst Technologies in 1997. She became a full professor in 2004.

Research

Throughout her career, Amal's work has been focused on "fine particle aggregation, photocatalysis, nanoparticle synthesis" and their applications in areas such as the control of water pollution and air quality, clean energy technologies and biotechnology. She is particularly interested in designing nanomaterials and engineering systems for solar and chemical energy conversion applications. Some of her most cited works include a review on the role of nanoparticles in photocatalysis and a study on a bismuth vanadate-reduced graphene oxide composite for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting.
The short citation made in the year of Amal's election to Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science stated:

Recognition

Amal was appointed as a member of the ARC College of Experts on the Environmental Science and Engineering panel in 2007 and served as Chair in 2009. From 2008 to 2010 she was the Inaugural Director of the Centre for Energy Research and Policy Analysis and in 2012 she was the Chair of the ARC–ERA Research Evaluation Committee in the Engineering and Environmental Sciences Cluster. From 2010 to 2013 she was Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials. Amal is a Fellow of Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and the Australian Academy of Science.
In addition to being named in the list of Australia's Top 100 Most Influential Engineers in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, Amal has received several awards including:
In the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours, Amal was named a Companion of the Order of Australia.