Dr. Azharul Karim

Prof. Azharul Karim is currently working as a Professor at the School of Mechanical, Medical & Process Engineering (MMPE), Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and the director of Advanced Drying and Sustainable Energy Research (ADSER) Group. He earned his Ph.D. in Engineering from The University of Melbourne. His research is directed towards uncovering a fundamental understanding of the drying process by developing advanced multiscale and multiphase models using theoretical/computational and experimental methodologies. He has been a keynote/distinguished speaker at scores of international conferences including the International Drying Symposium (2022) and invited/keynote speaker in seminars at many reputed universities including Oxford University (2018) and the University of Illinois (2022). He is the recipient of the highly prestigious ARC Linkage (2021) and ARC Discovery grants (2022) as the first chief investigator. He is also a leader in the innovative application of ‘Lean Manufacturing’ concepts in hospital emergency departments to reduce long waiting times and optimize resources. His main research areas include Multi-scale and Physics Based Modelling in Drying; Renewable Energies and Sustainable Processing; Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Modelling in Agri-industrial Processes; Nanofluid solar thermal storage; Concentrating PV-thermal collector; Thermal Storage; and Lean Manufacturing and Lean Healthcare System.