Clean Energy: Why It Matters and What Comes Next :

  Host: Associate Professor Fatemah Salehi

  Thursday 23 July 2026, 6.15pm – 7.30pm 

  Theatre G25, Michael Kirby Building, 17 Wally’s Walk, Macquarie University

Overview

Clean energy systems such as solar, wind, and biomass are often presented as the answer to climate change. While they aim to reduce pollution, they must also deliver reliable and affordable energy for everyday life, powering homes, transport, and industry without disruption. If clean energy is so promising, why haven’t we fully switched to it yet? The answer lies in the practical challenges of performance, safety, and scale that must be solved before new energy technologies can replace the systems we rely on today. 

In this talk, Associate Professor Fatemeh Salehi explores how engineering helps address these challenges, turning clean energy ideas into real-world solutions. This talk explains how understanding what affects performance, and identifying safety issues early, can make clean energy systems work at large scale. Through this lens, she provides insight into how research supports the transition from promising concepts to energy solutions that can meet future needs.

Biography

Associate Professor Fatemeh Salehi is the Associate Dean, Engagement and Sustainability in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Macquarie University, and the Hub Chair for the United Nations Academic Impact Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land). 

Her research focuses on low-carbon energy solutions, with a particular emphasis on computational modelling and optimisation to support the safe and efficient deployment of clean energy systems, including hydrogen and biomass. Her work in hydrogen safety and clean energy systems has been recognised in the NSW Hydrogen Strategy published by the NSW Government in 2021. 

Associate Professor Salehi is a Fulbright alumna, an International Hydrogen Fellow, an Executive Member of the Combustion Institute, and a member of Standards Australia working groups contributing to the development of hydrogen standards. She has received several awards, including the NSW Young Tall Poppy Award, the Maria Skyllas-Kazacos Award, the Bilger Award, and the Macquarie University Excellence in Research Award.

Contact Us

For more details about the series, contact us at fse.outreach@mq.edu.au.