Keynote: Professor Veena Sahajwalla AO

November 13, 2026

Announcing Professor Veena Sahajwalla AO as a keynote speaker

Image: Veena Sahajwalla (Supplied)
Veena Sahajwalla (Supplied)

We are pleased to announce sustainable materials researcher Professor Veena Sahajwalla AO as a keynote speaker at Everything Open 2027, in Brisbane.

About Veena Sahajwalla

Professor Veena Sahajwalla is the director of the SMaRT Centre (Sustainable Materials Research & Technology) at the University of New South Wales. 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 more recently 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.

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Tickets to the conference are on sale now. Prices and inclusions are available on our tickets page.

Attendees are bound by our Code of Conduct. If you have questions please email the Organising Team at contact[at]everythingopen.au.

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