Distinguished Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Professor Lidia Morawska is leading the way forward in safeguarding public health by heading up a new program to improve the air quality in indoor environments. Professor Morawska is recognised as one of the world’s foremost authorities in atmospheric, aerosol and exposure science in the context of building infection transmission.
The aim of the ARC Training Centre for Advanced Building Systems Against Airborne Infection Transmission (Thrive) is to minimise the potential for air-borne infections to spread and turn in to epidemics. Officially hosted by QUT, the $5 million training centre is working to design and develop a building system that reduces indoor airborne infection transmission by improving indoor air quality while maintaining comfort and energy efficiency.
“Every drop of water we drink and every piece of food we put in our mouth is highly regulated – yet the indoor air, which we take into our lungs 12 times a minute, is not regulated at all,” Professor Morawska said. “I firmly believe the centre will be a catalyst for revolution and bring us closer to clean indoor air becoming the norm. 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.”
Professor Morawska was named in the 2021 TIME100 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world for her leadership role in alerting the global community to the aerosolization of the COVID-19 virus as a means of indoor spread. Her many previous accolades include receiving the prestigious 2023 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Laureate for Asia and the Pacific. Earlier this year she was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
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