Leela Kempton is an associate research fellow at the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC) at the University of Wollongong.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) from the University of Sydney in 2004 and completed her PhD from the University of NSW in 2014 whilst working at BlueScope Steel.
Leela joined the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC) in 2017 and has worked on various projects involving asbestos containment, mould remediation in social housing, life cycle assessment of buildings and thermal modelling of wall assemblies.
When it comes to making a difference, Leela says a career highlight was coordinating the Sustainable Homes Challenge in 2021.
“Students from around Australia designed homes from waste derived building products. It was great to challenge a group of young minds and see the results which were amazing,” she says.
“As a researcher in the built environment, I am involved in investigating ways to improve construction materials and practices to be more sustainable, use less energy and generate less waste.”