Louise Belfield
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has announced that world-leading air quality expert and Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska has received the prestigious 2023 L’Oréal–UNESCO for Women in Science Award for Asia and the Pacific.
An Australian Laureate Fellow, Australian Academy of Science Fellow, and Director of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Prof. Morawska is one of five laureates in the international awards in physical sciences, mathematics and computer science.
QUT says the award is the latest accolade for Prof. Morawska, who spearheaded the warning from 240 international experts to the World Health Organization about the risk of the COVID-19 virus’ airborne transmission. This led to global acknowledgement of the importance of indoor air quality.
According to QUT, Morawska’s scientific work also led to the recognition of ultrafine particles in the latest WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines 2021.
Prof. Morawska was subsequently named in the 2021 TIME100 as one of the world’s 100 most influential people for her leadership role in alerting the global community to the aerosolisation of the COVID-19 virus as a means of indoor spread. She also recently led an international group of scientists who published four key steps needed to avoid similar critical mistakes in the future.
Prof. Morawska also leads the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Advanced Building Systems Against Airborne Infection Transmission, as well as the research program THRIVE.
“THRIVE is designing and developing the next generation of building systems, including ventilation systems and sensors, to reduce indoor airborne infection transmission by improving indoor air quality (IAQ) while maintaining comfort and energy efficiency,” says QUT.
As part of the research program, Prof. Morawska will develop and recommend IAQ standards to the Australian government that can easily be adopted by other governments and authorities.
The research aims to ensure the spread of pathogens and pollutants are strategically controlled in indoor spaces.
“This work has the potential to touch billions of lives in the next decade, by enhancing safety from airborne transmission of infections in indoor spaces,” says Prof. Morawska.
She says she will donate her entire prize money of AUD$162,000 to establish a perpetual scholarship named the “Lidia Morawska science and engineering that helps us thrive” scholarship at QUT.
QUT has contributed $90,000 to the scholarship, which will provide $10,000 annually to students whose work in science and engineering helps people thrive in the future.
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