Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) is committed to cultivating excellent engineers and scientific talents with innovative ability, global vision and humanistic quality. Since 2021, the "Guangdong-Technion Leadership in Science and Technology Lecture Series" has been launched to provide a platform for high-impact dialogues that explore topics that are pertinent to our faculties, students and community. To date, 29 sessions have been held.

On October 29, Prof. Lidia Morawska, a distinguished Professor and Australian Laureate Fellow at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), will deliver a lecture entitled "Air Quality: Science, Awareness and Policies" at GTIIT.

We are looking forward to your participation.

Information

Date 

October 29, 2026 (Thursday)

Time

19:00-20:15 (Beijing Time)

13:00-14:15 (Israel Time)

Venue

GTIIT L110, South Campus

Title

Air Quality: Science, Awareness and Policies

Speaker

Prof. Lidia Morawska

• Distinguished Professor, Queensland University of Technology (QUT)

• Australian Laureate Fellow

• Director of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (ILAQH), QUT

• Centre Director for the ARC Training Centre for Advanced Building Systems Against Airborne Infection Transmission (THRIVE), QUT

• Adjunct Professor, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research (ECI), Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

Host

Prof. Sasho Gligorovski (Environmental Science and Engineering Program, GTIIT)

Language

English

Zoom Link

(1) By mobile phone: please scan the QR code to attend the lecture (Please download Zoom in advance for online participation)

(2) By PC: please visit the website below to attend the lecture

https://gtiit.zoom.us/j/8718094856?omn=98635646666

Abstract

We don't usually think about the air in each breath we take or the fact that if there was no air to take the next breath and the next, in a few minutes you would no longer be alive. Yet, the air we breathe is often polluted. There is overwhelming scientific evidence about the sources of air pollution, the atmospheric processes in which pollutants are involved, and their wide-ranging impacts on human health and the atmosphere. However, technological and social advances promise positive change. The energy transition from fossil fuels to clean fuels plays a crucial role in eliminating the impacts of air pollution, and the advent of new technologies makes this possible. Likewise, the emergence of new air sensing technologies and generative AI and optimization methods allow us to explore a wide range of building design options to ensure clean indoor air, considering realistic climate projections, regulatory requirements, material characteristics, and local conditions. Furthermore, proactive policy initiatives are increasingly facilitating the adoption of these technologies. The presentation will explore these aspects, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary and applied research, greater awareness and education, and international collaboration.

Bio

Lidia Morawska, Distinguished Professor and Australian Laureate Fellow at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT); the Director of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (ILAQH) at QUT, a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Air Quality and Health; and Centre Director for the ARC Training Centre for Advanced Building Systems Against Airborne Infection Transmission (THRIVE) hosted at QUT. Lidia also holds a position of Adjunct Professor, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research (ECI), Jinan University, Guangzhou, China. She conducts fundamental and applied research in the interdisciplinary field of air quality and its impact on human health and the environment, with a specific focus on science of airborne particulate matter. She is a physicist and received her doctorate at the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. An author of >1,260 journal papers, book chapters and refereed conference papers, Lidia has been involved at the executive level with a number of relevant national/international professional bodies, is a Fellow of The Australian Academy of Science, an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and is acting as an advisor to the WHO. She is the recipient of numerous scientific awards including the Bene Merito Distinction from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland 2026, the Prime Minister Prize for Science 2025, named in the 2021 TIME100 annual list of the hundred most influential people in the world and the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Award, "for her excellent research in the field of air pollution and its impact on human health and the environment, with a specific focus on atmospheric particulate matter. Her extraordinary dedication and impact have built a bridge from fundamental science to real-world policy and practice to provide clean air for all".

Text/Photos: GTIIT Graduate Studies Office, Research Office, News & Public Affairs