Rate My Professor Jim Petrie

Professor Jim Petrie is Emeritus Professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Sydney, where he was appointed to a professorship in Chemical Engineering in 1997. He earned a BSc Honours in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cape Town, an MSc in Engineering from the University of Houston, and a PhD from the University of Cape Town. Petrie also holds the position of Honorary Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town. Throughout his career at the University of Sydney, he served as Shell Chair of Environmental Engineering, Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Director of CRESTA, the Centre for Resources, Energy and Sustainable Technology Australia.

Petrie's academic interests center on sustainable development and process engineering, including industrial ecology, life cycle assessment, environmental technology performance, waste management, resource processing, and decision support for complex industrial systems. A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (CEng FIChemE), he advanced chemical engineering education through sustainability integration, as outlined in his co-authored paper 'Chemical Engineering Curriculum Renewal' (2006). Key publications include 'Strategies for reducing the carbon footprint of copper' (2007, with D. Giurco), 'Deportment and management of metals produced during gasification of municipal solid waste' (2006, with J.M. Rogers, M. Stewart, and B.S. Haynes), the book chapter 'The Case of Power Generation in South Africa' (2004), 'ChemEng: 100 Years at Cape Town' (2021), and 'A South African Challenge' (2018). In 2007, the University of Sydney recognized him among notable members for exceptional achievement and service. Petrie's work has shaped approaches to sustainability in engineering, mining, energy, and waste sectors through frameworks for life cycle management and agent-based modeling of industrial networks.