Suresh Bhargava

Distinguished Professor Suresh Bhargava is a world-renowned interdisciplinary scientist with decades of leadership in academia and industry, with a lifelong commitment to strengthening Australia’s relationship with India through research collaboration.

In 1990, Professor Bhargava started at RMIT, where he established the state-of-the-art Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry, known as CAMIC. The centre has developed and innovated translational research that has been implemented and utilised by industry and produced real-world graduates. Professor Bhargava has been an inspiring mentor to some of great talent who have gone on to serve at institutions such as Stanford and Oxford, as well as multinationals such as Alcoa, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. His dedication to uplifting and producing the next generation of industry-ready scientists and engineers is exceptional. He has supervised almost 70 PhD students with a 100% employment rate.

He has authored/co-authored over 800 journal publications, amassing over 26,000 citations, as well as editing two books, 23 book chapters, and presented more than 200 keynote/ plenary lectures. His h-index is 86 and i-10 index 454, and he has received over $34 million dollars in research funding throughout his career. Holding distinguished professorships at top universities in 6 countries, he is an outstanding ambassador of Australian higher education around the world.
Professor Bhargava’s advice is also in demand far beyond RMIT, including business & government leaders in India, China & Malaysia. In 2013, Professor Lord Bhattacharya, University of Warwick, UK invited him as his advisor and to be a panel member for professorial recruitment. He has helped preserve and create jobs and transformed companies and individual lives in Australia. Classified as the topmost researcher in mercury pollution control, his achievements are well recognised in the Australian resources sector.

He has always had a lifelong commitment in connecting India and Australia. Through advisory roles with Australian PMs, Premiers and Governors on Indo-Australian relations, he has been a founding architect of the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund. In 2018, he developed the award-winning global PhD cotutelle collaboration, the RMIT-AcSIR Joint Research Program, connecting RMIT with39 national CSIR research laboratories of India, providing a platform for equipping PhD students with real-world skills through collaborative research and international engagement.

As a recipient of international prestigious awards, including the Queens Birthday Honours recognition of the Member of the Order of Australia (2022), the KIA Laureate Award (2016), the ‘CHEMECA medal’ (2015) and most recently, he is the first RMIT researcher to ever receive the RMIT University Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award three times, having been awarded the Vice Chancellor Research Excellence Award for Graduate Supervision (2023). He was also honoured in 2014 with the ‘P.C. Ray Chair’ by the Indian National Science Academy. This award is one of India’s most prestigious honours to a foreign scientist including Nobel laureates. He received Honoris Causa D.Sc. Degree from Rajasthan University, presented by the President of India. An inspirational figure to many, he pushed the boundaries and developed innovative ways for how universities should work with industry, creating jobs and changing lives.

Industry experience:
Distinguished Professor Bhargava has formally advised the Commonwealth Government and numerous industries on matters regarding industrial processing, yield optimization, mining effluent remediation and other environmental issues.

His industrial consultations include:

Queensland Pacific Metals (QPM Chair Professor)
CSIRO
Rio Tinto
Alcoa
BHP Billiton
Mobile Exxon
Australian Alumina Council
Hindalco Industries
TATA Innovations
Reliance Industries
Southern Pacific Petroleum
Canadian Alumina Council
Bharat Petroleum and Corporation Ltd.
Clean TeQ
Aditya Birla Minerals Ltd. (non-executive board member)

Programs:
Industrial Chemistry/ Mining
Mineral processing/ Molecular
Nanoengineering/ Catalysis
3D printing in Catalysis

Awards
Non-Resident of India (NRI) of the Year Award; category: Academics
Award date: 2017
Recipients: Suresh Bhargava

Visiting Advanced joint Research Award (VAJRA)
Award date: 2020
Recipients: Suresh Bhargava

Khwarizmi International Award (KIA Laureate)
Award date: 2016
Recipients: Suresh Bhargava

2015 CHEMECA Medal
Award date: 2015
Recipients: Suresh Bhargava

2017
Leadership Awards
Non-Resident of India (NRI) of the Year Award in the category of Academics as the best Indian academic in Asia-Pacific region by the TIMES Network

2016
Research Awards
Khwarizmi International Award (KIA Laureate), award sponsored by UNESCO

Leadership Awards
Awarded an inaugural Distinguished Professorship at RMIT University

2015
Research Awards
CHEMECA Medal, the most prestigious award in the chemical engineering profession in Australia and New Zealand

2014
Research Awards
RMIT University Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award - First academic to receive this award twice (See '2006 Awards')

Leadership Awards
P. C. Ray Chair’ Indian National Science Academy, one of India’s most prestigious honours to a foreign scientist

2013
Research Awards
Applied Research Award – a prestigious award in the field of Applied Sciences given by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Australia
Leadership Awards
Asian Paint Award at CHEMCON, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Mumbai, India

2011
Publication Awards
Award of Excellence in Chemical Engineering sponsored by Exxon Mobil in recognition of significant on-going contributions to Chemical Engineering through innovations and outstanding publications

Teaching Awards
Ralph McIntosh Medal (RMIT University) for outstanding services to students beyond normal expectations

2010
Publication Awards
John A. Brodie Medal – Best paper selected from all papers submitted (400+) at CHEMECA 2010, Australian Institute of Chemical Engineering

2009
Research Awards
Award of Excellence in Chemical Engineering sponsored by Worley Parsons – IChemE, RACI & Engineers Australia
Leadership Awards.
Finalist in the RMIT Media Star Awards

2008
Research Awards
R. K. Murphy Medal for Industrial Chemistry from RACI, known as the most coveted award in the field of Industrial Chemistry in Australia

2007
Teaching Awards
RMIT Research Excellence & Innovation and Teaching Awards

2006
Research Awards
RMIT University Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award - First academic to receive this award twice (See '2014 Awards')

Teaching Awards
RMIT Research Excellence & Innovation and Teaching Awards

2005
Teaching Awards
RMIT Research Excellence & Innovation and Teaching Awards

2004
Teaching Awards
RMIT Research Excellence & Innovation and Teaching Awards

2003
Teaching Awards
RMIT Research Excellence & Innovation and Teaching Awards

2002
Teaching Awards
RMIT Research Excellence & Innovation and Teaching Awards

Public and media engagements:
Patented anti-cancer research from CAMIC’s Molecular Engineering Group “Potent and selective cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory gold (III) compounds containing cyclometallated phosphine sulfide ligands” was covered on more than 240 media and online outlets around the globe, including AAAS potentially reaching up to 176 million people. According to RMIT’s media team, the total average value of the media coverage received for this research was worth $1,642,900 AUD.

Featured in:
RMIT News
Canberratimes.com
Atse.org
Esperanceexpress.com
Createdigital.org
Standard.net.au
Stawelltimes.com.au

A cost-saving and eco-friendly method to produce graphene from eucalyptus bark extract was developed by CAMIC researchers in collaboration with National Institute of Technology Warrangal, received media exposure:

Featured in:
Technology.org
Bioengineer.org
Nano-magazine.com
Phys.org
Nanowerk.com
Scienmag.com
Nztrucking.co.nz
Australiascience.tv
Miragenews.com
Brightsurf.com
Sciencecodex.com
Mercury monitoring technology

Mentioned in:
Nanotech-now.com
Nanowerk.com
Nanotechwire.com
Sciencealert.com
Other mentions:

TIMES Now media broadcasted Professor Bhargava as a recipient of the 2017 NRI Award, with its network reaching more than 110 countries
Interviewed by Liza Kappelle from Canberra Times, 05 Jan 2013 for her article on: Breakthrough for thinner, faster, lighter gadgets.
This article also featured in The Press, The Southland Times, Brisbane Times, West Australian, Yahoo 7 News, The Age, WA Today, Canberra Times, Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail, The Australian, Herald Sun, News.com.au, SBS & Tribune Minado.
Mentioned in ‘SCI: Australian nanotechnology is revolutionary’ on AAP Newswire, 05 Jan 2013.
Appeared on ABC Radio, The Science Show with Robyn Williams to discuss his latest invention on reducing toxic mercury released in the environment.
Part of the Nanotechnology Thought Leader Series on AzoNano.com.
Mentioned in The Age on the article ‘Mercury Falling’ published by Geoff Maslen.