Dr Deborah Lau, CSIRO

Dr Deborah Lau leads CSIRO’s Ending Plastic Waste Mission which is Australia’s catalyst for systematic change directed towards plastic pollution. She coordinates a portfolio of scientific, technological and data driven innovations for the entire plastics life cycle to support government and industry initiatives, diverting plastic waste into resources that build Australia’s circular economy. 

For over 23 years, she has delivered impact across interdisciplinary projects developing innovative materials and processes for energy and the environment. Deborah has been nationally awarded and internationally recognized for contribution to the field of cultural heritage and conservation science in Australia and in 2020 led the first global commercialisation of a novel polymer coating in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria, now being used to protect the world’s most valuable paintings. She has long-standing expertise in developing hyperspectral and chemometric analytics for complex material structures in order to accelerate materials discovery.