Kim Dowling Editor

Dr. Sheila Devasahayam is a faculty member of the Federation University Australia. She has a strong research background in both metallurgy and materials science. Sheila earned a PhD in materials science from the University of Queensland, Australia, with post-doctoral experiences from the University of Wollongong, University of Sydney, and University of New South Wales. Sheila has expertise in many aspects of industry-based materials science ranging from coatings, surface modifications, plasma and radiation chemistry, nanocomposites, super absorbents, super hydrophobic materials, and energy materials. Sheila previously earned a PhD in extractive metallurgy from the National Metallurgical Laboratory, CSIR-Madras University, India. She is involved in many industrial projects in the mineral sector including acid mine drainage, hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, mineral processing, and coal processing with a focus on green chemistry and engineering. Sheila gained expertise in soil and water science and aquifer characterisation while working at the Centre for Water Resources, Anna University, India. She served in the Commonwealth Government, Australia as a scientific policy officer in the Department of Innovation. Sheila’s inter-disciplinary, industry-focussed expertise has enabled her to provide innovative sustainable solutions to many immediate industrial problems and motivated her to edit this important book of transdisciplinary nature transcending individual disciplines.

Kim Dowling is a senior academic in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Federation University Australia and also holds an adjunct position at the University of Tasmania, Australia. She has been an active researcher for over 30 years, and her current interest is in the identification, characterization, and remediation of contaminated sites, with an emphasis on historical mining environments. She earned her PhD from James Cook University by developing a new and innovative method for assessment of gold deposits and also holds a Graduate Diploma in Environmental Management from Deakin University. She has extensive experience working in both the mining industry and the tertiary education sector, and actively contributes to both local and international discussions on environmental health and the emerging multidisciplinary field of medical geology.

Manoj Kumar Mahapatra, PhD, is a faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), USA. His research focuses on ceramic and glass materials for energy applications. He has authored and coauthored over 35 peer-reviewed publications and holds 2 US patents. Dr. Mahapatra earned his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He worked at the Center for Clean Energy Engineering at the University of Connecticut prior to joining UAB.