Affiliates

Arkasubhro.Chatterjee@monash.edu 

 My name is Arkasubhro Chatterjee. I am currently in the fourth year of my PhD at Monash University
in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. I completed my Bachelor’s and
Master’s in pharmaceutical technology at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai where I
primarily worked with bio-polymer formulations.

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I am currently working on developing pectin anti-microbial films for various bio-medical applications
under the guidance of professors Antonio Patti, Phil Andrews and Amit Arora. My work is primarily
focused on replacing conventional food preservation systems such as plastic based packaging with
environmentally benign and edible bio-polymer based barriers in an effort to reduce both food
wastes and the overreliance on plastic.

 My name is Hannah Kennedy and I am currently undertaking my Masters in Green and Sustainable Technologies at Monash University. In 2018 I graduated from RMIT University with a Bachelor of Science, (Dean's Scholar, Chemistry) (Honours) and I am currently working part time as an Environmental Scientist.

At Monash I am completing my research project under the guidance of Prof. Tony Patti, Prof. Douglas MacFarlane and Dr Nima Vijay, assessing the ammonia adsorption capacity of pyrolysed organic materials (biochar) for their use as effective fertilizers. I am particularly interested in waste minimization and circular economy principles. 

Caleb.Mynard@csiro.au

Hi there! My name is Caleb Mynard and I am a PhD candidate at Monash University under the guidance of Prof. Antonio Patti and Prof. Steven Siems, and with CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere under the guidance of Dr Erin Dunne and Dr Ruhi Humphries. In 2021, I graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Science Advanced – Research (Honours) majoring in Chemistry and Atmospheric Science. I am currently part of the Aerosol and Reactive Gases Team at CSIRO and work with atmospheric monitoring instrumentation used for ambient and marine environment observations.

My PhD project is focused on measurements of marine volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with the Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS), which can be used to understand their contributions to secondary organic aerosol and ozone formation in the marine environment. I am specifically interested in targeting sparsely characterised marine VOCs, such as amines, halides, and organosulfur compounds over the Southern Ocean.

Cresha.Nadar@monash.edu  

My name is Cresha Gracy Nadar and I have research experience in agricultural and fruit waste
valorisation. I have my master’s degree in Biotechnology, and I am currently doing my final year of
PhD at Monash University, Australia. My initial three years of PhD research was carried out at IIT
Bombay, India through the joint PhD program. My PhD research focuses on developing a green
biorefinery from fruit processing waste. I am supervised by Prof. Antonio Patti and Prof. Victoria
Haritos from Monash University, Australia; Prof. Amit Arora and Prof. Yogendra Shastri from IIT
Bombay, India in collaboration with BASF, India.

My research involves exploring green, sustainable and economical methods to extract value
added products from fruit processing waste. The challenges in the conventional processes were
studied using Life cycle analysis and Techno economics assessment to explore the opportunities for
intervention. Based on the findings, a novel process has been designed which will be tested on multiple feedstocks. We hope to make a significant impact to address the fruit waste management issue in a sustainable way.

craig.stocker@monash.edu 

Member of the Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia (BioPRIA), Monash University.

My name is Craig Stocker, I am a PhD candidate with BioPRIA at Monash University. In 2020 I graduated from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand with a Bachelors of Engineering majoring in Chemical and Process Engineering and a minor in Bioprocess Engineering, as well as a diploma in global humanitarian engineering. I then moved to Melbourne to begin studying a PhD at Monash in February 2021.

My research is the valorisation of lignocellulose for sustainable agriculture, supervised by Prof. Gil Garnier, Prof. Antonio Patti, and A/Prof. Vanessa Wong. My work involves investigating new, greener methods of synthesis for hydrogels and films for to improve water retention properties of soil and for nutrient delivery in agriculture. I hopeful my research will make a significant contribution towards a more sustainable and secure future for agriculture.

 Kirti.Thakur@monash.edu

I am Kirti and together with Prof. Tanja Junkers, Assoc Prof. Rico Tabor, Prof. Bart Follink and Prof. John Warner I work on intelligent polymer designs for environmental chemistry.

I joined Monash University in 2019 and work on “Microcapsule Technology and Green chemical processes” that enhance my skill in hydrogel-based microcapsules for organic pollutant removal from the environment focusing on PFAS (Perfluoro alkyl substances) remediation. I also take keen interest in theoretical understanding of pollutant behaviour in water and use Molecular dynamics to simulate PFAS micelles. I strive to work for applicable material design based on principles of green chemistry and sustainable development.

While this is what I am passionate about in research, outside academia my interests include numismatics, poetry writing, gardening, cooking etc. I have found new interests in driving around Australia and also in dragon boat rowing. I also take keen interest in teaching various subjects at the undergraduate level as its fun to meet students with passion and curiosity to learn. I love having a chat about science, so message me if you like that too.

I strongly believe Green Chemistry will be the backbone for all development and thus everything I do focusses on enhancing our environments health.

Poornima Vijay (Nima) is a postdoctoral researcher working under the guidance of Professor Tony
Patti and Professor Douglas Macfarlane on collaboration projects with Deakin University, RMIT
University and industrial partners. The projects are being supported by the Victorian Government's
Higher Education State Investment Fund (VHESIF). Nima's project focuses on transforming biomass,
food waste and agricultural waste into valuable fertilisers, contributing to the circular economy and
minimising waste.

Nima accomplished her Master's degree in Applied Chemistry from Mangalore University, India. She
then worked as an R&D synthetic organic chemist in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and
petrochemical industries for six years before joining Monash University to pursue her PhD. In her
PhD, she was a part of the ARC Research Hub for Processing Lignocellulosics into High-Value Products
(PALS) and worked on projects where a one-pot, green oxidation process of nanocellulose extraction
from lignocellulose was developed, and its possible applications were studied.
Nima finds herself fortunate to contribute to sustainable circular economy-related projects to
minimise waste to save the environment.