Associate Professor Fatemeh Salehi from Macquarie’s School of Engineering has been named a 2023 New South Wales Young Tall Poppy by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science for her excellence in groundbreaking scientific research and passion for communicating science.

The annual awards celebrate scientific achievement and excellence in promoting understanding of science throughout our communities, encouraging younger Australians to follow in the footsteps of outstanding achievers. Award winners spend the year sharing their knowledge with school students, teachers and the broader community through workshops and public lectures.

“It is such an honour to be acknowledged in this way,” says Associate Professor Salehi.

Associate Professor Salehi has developed new computational models that will help to use clean energy fuels safer and more efficiently. Alongside the positive climate impacts, this will also improve Australia’s fuel security, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

“The key application that I am focusing on is clean and sustainable energy technologies,” she says.

Associate Professor Salehi is particularly interested in clean fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. The efficient use of these fuels requires a precise mix of air and fuel at the right temperature and pressure to operate safely and maximise energy output. Her work aims to predict complex multi-physics and multi-scale fluid flows, helping developing better technologies and safe procedures. She also models multi-phase flows for particles, sprays and aerosols, used in drug inhalers and many other applications.

As part of the Standards Australia Hydrogen Working Group, she has contributed to developing Australia’s hydrogen standards, and her innovative research was also recognised in the NSW Hydrogen Strategy.

Associate Professor Salehi is a member of the scientific advisory board for the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre, an International Hydrogen Research Collaboration Program fellow, and a 2021 Fulbright alumni.

Growing up in a STEM-focused family, Associate Professor Salehi was inspired from a young age by the potential of engineering.

“As an engineer, you have an enormous opportunity to make a positive impact protecting our air and environment,” she says.

She also leads outreach and communication at Macquarie’s School of Engineering, a role that has seen her deliver a talk on ‘Tiny droplets – from engines to inhalers’ to more than 1000 students from a range of schools, along with organising an engineering outreach event where over 300 students worked on group hands-on projects to inspire them with the power of engineering.

“To make kids excited and interested in engineering, you need an army. I always receive great support from my amazing colleagues and our wonderful engineering students,” she says.

“I tell students that engineering is fun, exciting, innovative, and most importantly impactful. I think every aspect of our lives is influenced by engineering in some way, and engineers have a vast potential to positively impact the world, from protecting our environment to saving people’s lives.”

Associate Professor Salehi was awarded her PhD (photovoltaics and solar energy) at the University of New South Wales in 2015 and is currently an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Macquarie.