Rate My Professor Karolina Matuszek

Dr. Karolina Matuszek is a Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow in the School of Chemistry at Monash University, within the Faculty of Science. She earned her PhD from the Silesian University of Technology in Poland in 2017, where her early research centered on the synthesis and characterization of ionic liquids for various applications. Following her doctoral studies, she joined Monash University as a postdoctoral research fellow and has progressed to her current roles. Matuszek has been recognized for her contributions with the Australian Research Council Early Career Industry Fellowship in 2023, valued at $430,000, to develop advanced phase change materials for thermal energy storage in collaboration with industry partner Boron Molecular. In 2026, she received the Le Fèvre Medal from the Australian Academy of Science for outstanding basic research in chemistry within ten years of PhD completion. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

Matuszek's research specializes in designing novel materials for renewable energy storage, particularly phase change materials operating at intermediate temperatures for applications like Carnot Batteries, enabling inexpensive, scalable, and reversible thermal energy storage from renewable sources. She has delivered breakthroughs, including the discovery of a trimodal thermal energy storage material published in Nature in 2024. Her expertise extends to ionic liquids for sustainable catalysis, electrolytes for aluminum batteries, and green ammonia synthesis. Key publications include 'Nitrogen reduction to ammonia at high efficiency and rates based on a phosphonium proton shuttle' (Science, 2021), 'Electroreduction of nitrogen with almost 100% current-to-ammonia efficiency' (Nature, 2022), 'Phase change materials for renewable energy storage at intermediate temperatures' (Chemical Reviews, 2022), 'Unexpected energy applications of ionic liquids' (Advanced Materials, 2024), and 'Trimodal thermal energy storage material for renewable energy applications' (Nature, 2024). These works have garnered significant citations and appear in leading journals, underscoring her impact in advancing clean energy technologies. She supervises Honours, Master's, and PhD students in clean energy and green chemistry.