UNSW attracts world-leading academics through Green Fellowships

The first Green Fellows bring internationally recognised expertise in critical minerals, constitutional law, population health and sustainable architecture.

UNSW is proud to welcome its first recruits under the Green Fellowships program – the University’s ambitious scheme to attract exceptional global talent to its research community.

Named in honour of UNSW Scientia Professor Martin Green, who pioneered much of the technology underpinning solar panels, the fellowships were open to distinguished international academics working on solving some of the world’s biggest problems.

The University received 400 applications from 58 countries in the first round of recruitment.

UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research & Enterprise, Professor Bronwyn Fox, said welcoming the first academics to UNSW through the Green Fellowship Program was an exciting milestone for the University.

“Our ambition is to attract exceptional global research talent to Australia through this program,” she said.

“The Green Fellows bring deep expertise, international perspectives and a shared commitment to tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. 

“We are proud to welcome them and we look forward to the impact they will create working alongside our talented research community at UNSW.”

Professor Yan Yung Edward Ng – a global leader in sustainable architecture

Professor Edward Ng – a renowned expert in sustainable architectural design and urban climatology – will join the School of Built Environment from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Prof. Ng will join Built Environment’s High Performance Architecture Research Cluster to work on innovative projects to tackle urban heat, contributing his specialisation in urban ventilation. He will also play a key role in the School’s mission to support Australian cities to tackle housing challenges through sustainable, equitable and comfortable building design.

Prof. Ng has been widely recognised for his work in green buildings, environmental and sustainable design, urban climate science and city planning. He’s received awards from prestigious organisations such as the Royal Institute of British Architects, UNESCO and the Red Cross.

He said he was honoured to join UNSW’s world-renowned team of scholars undertaking leading research on climate change, the sustainable built environment and healthy living for our ageing society.

“It is my honour to learn from them, and to work with them,” he said. “I hope our collective research can improve the quality, health and the wellbeing of city dwellers living in the future.”  

Professor Saleem Ali – a global voice on critical minerals and resource governance

Professor Saleem Ali will join UNSW Engineering in the School of Mineral & Energy Resources Engineering. Prof. Ali is from the University of Delaware, United States, where he was Chair of the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences.

An environmental systems scientist, Prof. Ali is known for his leadership in bridging environmental science and resource economics. His work in mining argues that extractive industries are neither inherently destructive nor automatically beneficial, and that outcomes depend on governance, technological innovation, diplomacy and the equitable distribution of benefits. 

He is a National Geographic Explorer and Lead for Critical Minerals at the United Nations University's Institute for Water, Environment and Health. He serves on the boards of notable non-profit charitable organisations including Adventure Scientists, The Amazon Aid Foundation and Mediators Beyond Borders International.

Prof. Ali said that while working at UNSW he would like to strengthen links between the University’s world-class mineral and mining engineering school and the United Nations to help improve international knowledge on critical minerals science and policy. He said: “UNSW is a remarkably entrepreneurial university and I feel deeply honoured to join its ranks on a fellowship named after one of the great pioneers of environmental innovation.”

Dr Gautam Bhatia - strengthening democratic and constitutional resilience

Professor Gautam Bhatia will join UNSW Law & Justice in the School of Global & Public Law. He is an expert in constitutional law from India’s top-ranking Jindal Global Law School.

Prof. Bhatia practises at the Supreme Court of India, where he has worked on significant cases involving civil rights, the freedom of speech, the federal structure and the independence of fourth branch institutions (bodies that oversee, scrutinise or regulate the government, such as anti-corruption or election commissions).

An alumnus of the University of Oxford and Yale Law School, Prof. Bhatia focuses his research on comparing the constitutions of different countries, the theory and practice of non-hierarchical decision-making and law and the political economy. The Supreme Court of India has frequently cited his writing and he's advised the Supreme Court of Kenya.

At UNSW, Prof. Bhatia will work on democratic and constitutional resilience with world-leading researchers at the UNSW Resilient Democracy Lab and the Gilbert and Tobin Centre of Public Law. He will also build upon his existing work on comparative constitutional law and the critique of political economy.

Prof. Bhatia said he was delighted to be coming to Sydney as part of the inaugural cohort of Green Fellows. “As a frequent visitor to the University, I have long been deeply impressed by the work done by UNSW Law & Justice and its commitment to inclusive, open and egalitarian scholarship. As a Green Fellow, I hope to contribute to this wonderful tradition,” he said.

Professor Jennifer DeVoe - advancing health equity and future health care

Professor Jennifer DeVoe, an internationally recognised leader in primary care, population health and health systems equity, will join UNSW Medicine & Health’s International Centre for Future Health Systems (ICFHS), where she has been collaborating on initiatives as an adjunct professor since 2025.

Prof. DeVoe is widely known for her pioneering research into how health systems can better serve individuals and communities experiencing disadvantage, financial hardship and barriers to care. Her work is focused on access to health care, health insurance coverage, social determinants of health and ‘learning health systems’ that integrate clinical care, data, policy and community engagement.

A Harvard Medical School and Oxford University alumna, Prof. DeVoe has significant international influence, particularly in demonstrating how health systems can move toward more integrated, preventative and person-centred models.

As a Green Fellow, Prof. DeVoe will strengthen international collaborations, to advance interdisciplinary research and support new thinking in future health systems, primary care transformation and health equity.

She said it was a tremendous honour to join the ICFHS as a Green Fellow.

“I have long admired the ICFHS’s commitment to advancing equitable, person-centred and future-focused health systems through interdisciplinary collaboration and global engagement.

“Across all countries, we are facing complex challenges – rising inequities, workforce pressures, chronic disease burden and the need to redesign systems around the needs of communities. I look forward to working with colleagues at UNSW and across the Centre’s international networks to explore innovative approaches to primary care, health system transformation and improving health equity for all,” she said.

Read more about the UNSW Green Fellowships Program.