Sami Kara is a professor of sustainable manufacturing and life cycle engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney Australia (www.lceresearch.unsw.edu.au) and the Director of Vertically Integrated Projects Program @ UNSW (https://www.unsw.edu.au/challeng/vertically-integrated-projects). He has a professional background of more than 30 years in industry, research, and tertiary education, including several engineering and management positions in manufacturing companies in Australia and around the world. His research interest is in developing technology solutions with a life cycle view by using circular economy strategies to decarbonize and reduce environmental impact of manufacturing industry while helping them create value. Prof Kara is also the Vice-President elect for the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP). He has authored more than 300 peer reviewed scientific publications.

Prof Sami Kara is well known for his efforts and creativity into providing students with authentic and engaging learning activities. His contribution to learning and teaching has been acknowledged with various awards such as UNSW ITET Fellowship (2003), UNSW Vice Chancellor’s Postgraduate Teaching Award (2004), UNSW Faculty of Engineering, Carrick Citation Nomination (2007), UNSW Faculty of Engineering Dean’s Teaching Award (2009), ARC-UNSW Postgraduate Supervisor Award (2012), UNSW Postdoctoral Academy Supervisor of the year award (2012), UNSW Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Award (2012), ARC-UNSW Postgraduate Supervisor Award (2013), Australian Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) Teaching Excellence Award (2014), UNSW Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award – Postgraduate Supervision (2016), and UNSW Faculty of Engineering, Faculty Excellence Awards in Educational Excellence and Innovation, 2021, and Faculty of Engineering Excellence Awards in Community Engagement.

He is regularly invited as a Subject Matter Expert to review Australian and international government proposals in decarbonization of the manufacturing industry and environmental sustainability. He also works as an advisor for various international organizations in providing strategic directions to decarbonize their organizations towards achieving their net-zero targets.

Professor Kara is an elected fellow of the International Academy of Production Engineering (CIRP), Royal Society of New South Wales (FRSN), UNSW Scientia Education Academy, International Academy of Engineering and Technology (AET), and German National Academy of Science and Engineering (ACATECH).

Professor Kara's research interests include:

Life Cycle Engineering
Industrial decarbonisation, Sustainability in Manufacturing, Energy, Resource and Water Efficiency in Manufacturing, End-of-Life Product Collection and Management,  Life Cycle Design, Design for disassembly, Design for environment / Eco-design, Logistics and reverse supply chain, Cleaner production, Green certification

Quantitative Sustainability Assessment and Costing

Life Cycle Environmental Impact Assessment (LCA), Absolute Sustainability Assessment (ASA), Planetary boundaries assessment, Life Cycle Costing (LCC), Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFA), Carbon Abatement

Manufacturing Processes and Systems

Additive Manufacturing, Design for Additive Manufacturing, Energy and Resource Efficiency in AM, Process Design for AM, Rapid Prototyping, 3D printing, Laser Sintering,  Stereolithography, Digital Manufacturing