Rate My Professor Thomas Maschmeyer

Thomas Maschmeyer AO PhD HonDSc FAA FTSE MAE FRACI FRSN is Professor of Chemistry in the School of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, at the University of Sydney. He serves as Founding Director of the Laboratory of Advanced Catalysis for Sustainability. Maschmeyer earned his BSc (Hons) in Chemistry in 1991 and PhD in Chemistry in 1995 from the University of Sydney, completing his doctoral work under Associate Professor Anthony F. Masters. Following his PhD, he held a postdoctoral position at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, served as an ARC Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, and later joined the University of Sydney, where he has been Professor since 2003. His academic career also includes roles such as Founding Director of the Australian Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology.

Maschmeyer's research specializations encompass catalysis, sustainable processes, renewable and circular feedstocks, advanced materials, and process intensification, addressing challenges in renewable energy, resource recovery, and the circular economy. He has produced over 350 publications, 23 book chapters, and 31 patents or patent applications, achieving more than 19,000 citations and an h-index of 73 on Google Scholar. His contributions have significant impact through commercialization, including founding the London-listed Gelion plc for zinc-bromide battery technology suited for renewable energy storage and co-founding Licella Holdings for catalytic hydrothermal treatment converting waste plastics to oil. Notable awards include the Prime Minister's Prize for Innovation (2020) for translating fundamental research into environmental technologies, the Eureka Prize for Societal Impact in Science (2025) for scalable plastic waste conversion technology, the David Craig Medal (2021) from the Australian Academy of Science, the RK Murphy Medal (2018) from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, the Le Fèvre Memorial Prize (2007), and the RACI Weickhardt Medal for Economic Contributions through Chemistry (2012). He holds fellowships in the Australian Academy of Science (FAA, elected 2011), Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE), Académie Européenne du Sucre (MAE), Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI), and Royal Society of NSW (FRSN).