Adisa Azapagic facts for kids

Adisa Azapagić (born 10 April 1961) is a Bosnian chemical engineer and a university professor. She is known for her work in making things more sustainable. Since 2006, she has been a Professor of Sustainable Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester in the UK.

Early Life and School

Adisa Azapagić was born in 1961 in a city called Tuzla, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She went to the University of Tuzla and finished her first degree in chemical engineering in 1984.

Later, she moved to the UK to continue her studies. She earned her PhD (a high-level university degree) from the University of Surrey in 1996. Her PhD research focused on how to analyze environmental systems, especially using something called Life-cycle assessment. This helps understand the environmental impact of products.

Research and Career

After getting her PhD, Professor Azapagić stayed at the University of Surrey for 13 years. Then, she moved to the University of Manchester. There, she leads a special research group called the Sustainable Industrial Systems group. This group looks for ways to make industries more environmentally friendly.

She works with many big companies, like Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods, and Whirlpool Corporation. These projects help these companies become more sustainable. In 2015, she won an award from the University of Manchester for making a big positive difference to society.

Professor Azapagić also helped create a special computer program called CCaLC. This program helps people figure out the carbon footprint of different products or activities. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by something.

Her main research is about making things sustainable. This includes creating sustainable technology, doing life cycle assessments, and calculating carbon footprints. For example, in 2018, she showed that the UK's chocolate industry produces as much greenhouse gases as the entire country of Malta!

Professor Azapagić is also the first editor-in-chief for a science journal called Sustainable Production and Consumption. She has written three books about sustainable development and materials like polymers.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Professor Azapagić has received many important awards for her work:

• In 2013, she was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng). This is a very high honor for engineers in the UK.
• In 2020, she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This award from the Queen recognized her services to sustainability and carbon footprinting.
• She also received an honorary doctoral degree from Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași.
• In 2010, she won a prize from the Institution of Chemical Engineers for her "Outstanding Achievements in Chemical and Process Engineering."
• She won the GlaxoSmithKline Innovation prize in 2011.