Special 2020 Award

Lidia Morawska, the recipient of the 2020 Special Award for an Extraordinary Academic Leadership

Lidia Morawska is Distinguished Professor at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, and the Director of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health at QUT, which is a Collaborating Centre of the World Health Organization on Research and Training in the field of Air Quality and Health. Lidia also holds positions of Adjunct Professor, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research (ECI), Jinan University, Guangzhou, China, of Vice-Chancellor Fellow, Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), University of Surrey, UK, and is a co-director of the Australia-China Centre for Air Quality Science and Management She conducts fundamental and applied research in the interdisciplinary field of air quality and its impact on human health and the environment, with a specific focus on science of airborne particulate matter. She is a physicist and received her doctorate at the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland for research on radon and its progeny. An author of over eight hundred journal papers, book chapters and refereed conference papers, Lidia has been involved at the executive level with a number of relevant national and international professional bodies, is a member of the Australian Academy of Science and a recipient of numerous scientific awards. achievements in human environment studies.

The Academy does not normally present special awards and follows strict rules of presenting only the awards mentioned earlier. However, sometimes there are exceptions, and the year 2020 was out of the ordinary.. It was special and bizarre,creating new challenges and opportunities. There is one person who deserves high commendation and special recognition for acting swiftly at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020) to address these new (old) challenges. a person who gathered scientists from different disciplines to act collegially and respond to risks and needs present back then (and still present). This action and initiative, which seems like it happened a hundred years ago, despite many hurdles and difficulties, produced fruits and can have considerable consequences for the future of indoor air sciences. It led among others to the publication of the open letter signed by 239 scientists from 32 countries appealing to the medical community and the relevant national and international bodies to recognize the potential for airborne spread of COVID-19, and finally to gradual acknowledgment, albeit late, that COVID-19 spreads through the air. This is clearly demonstrated through changing stance of CDC and WHO (in the middle of 2020). The action led also to the publication of the policy paper in Science advocating for a paradigm change in the regulations and solutions regarding air quality in buildings acknowledging the airborne transmission of infectious diseases, the need for its inclusion in standards and regulations regarding indoor air quality, and ventilation, the change that can be compared to the one made for water and food quality regulations. The mentioned actions may have a profound impact on the quality of life and indoor air research in the future. The effort and initiative were extraordinary and visionary. Therefore, the Academy ExCom had no doubts to create the exception and award special recognition for these extraordinary achievements. As a result, the special award was established to acknowledge and commend Extraordinary Academic Leadership. This award is presented to Prof. Lidia Morawska, Director of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health and the Queensland University of Technology Australia. It was her initiative back in March 2020 that resulted inall the subsequent events mentioned above (and more) as a result. Congratulations and thank you.

We have asked close collaborators of Lidia to write a few words on this occasion:
Prof. Tunga Salthamme, Fraunhofer WKI, Germany wrote “‘It started with a kiss’ (at Healthy Buildings 2000)… is probably the best way to describe my long academic and friendly relationship with Lidia. Since then, we have been working closely together within the framework of many scientific topics. Whether in Braunschweig or Brisbane, at the university, or on hiking trips, the discussions with Lidia are always inspiring. She understands like no one else how to combine scientific expertise and the ability to create synergies between different disciplines. She has an impressive sensitivity to research needs. This became particularly clear with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, when, contrary to prevailing opinion at that time, she issued an early warning of airborne virus transmission. The International Laboratory for Air Quality and Heath (ILAQH), which she initiated, has developed into a well-known and highly frequented meeting place for international scientists. Lidia, her family, and her working group at QUT have been an important and positive part of my life over the past 20 years and I very much hope that we can continue our friendship and collaboration for a long time. My sincere congratulations Lidia. I do not know of anyone who deserves this award more.”

Prof. Giorgio Buonanno, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Italy wrote “Since my first contact (about 15 years ago) I have learned to appreciate the great competence combined with the tireless desire to know and share the results of her work. But what I consider extraordinary in Lidia are her welcoming and listening skills. 15 years ago, she welcomed me as a colleague (when I had just started working in the Air Quality area), without ever letting the great scientific difference that existed at that time shine through. And still today it is extraordinary how she listens to the participants in the meetings, making everyone participate in the decision-making processes (although she is able to anticipate them), but always guided by her solid scientific principles. I believe that Lidia represents the essence of the scientific leader, as I have lived in my personal experience.”

Assoc. Prof. Aneta Wierzbicka, Lund University, Sweden stated “Lidia is a charismatic leader who with ease mobilizes others to effective collaboration across different research disciplines. She has contagious enthusiasm and an ability to pursue novel and overarching ideas, which others would consider impossible to coordinate. I met Lidia in 2010 at Workplace and Indoor Aerosols Conference in Karlsruhe (Germany) and during our first and inspiring discussion I “somehow” volunteered to arrange the next conference in this series, you have to ask Lidia how she does it 😊. The conference took place in 2012 in Lund (Sweden) and continues in different European countries thanks to Lidia’s initiative and ability to convince others. I had the pleasure to work under Lidia’s leadership in several projects, none of them had a specifically dedicated budget, most of us worked in our spare time, but all the projects were finalized and formed important and highly quoted contributions to science. Hats off to you Lidia! Lidia, you truly are a great role model for future research leaders!”


Special 2020 Award Lidia Morawska, the recipient of the 2020 Special Award for an Extraordinary Academic Leadership Lidia Morawska is Distinguished Professor at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, and the Director of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health at QUT, which is a Collaborating Centre of the World Health Organization on Research and Training in the field of Air Quality and Health. Lidia also holds positions of Adjunct Professor, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research (ECI), Jinan University, Guangzhou, China, of Vice-Chancellor Fellow, Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), University of Surrey, UK, and is a co-director of the Australia-China Centre for Air Quality Science and Management She conducts fundamental and applied research in the interdisciplinary field of air quality and its impact on human health and the environment, with a specific focus on science of airborne particulate matter. She is a physicist and received her doctorate at the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland for research on radon and its progeny. An author of over eight hundred journal papers, book chapters and refereed conference papers, Lidia has been involved at the executive level with a number of relevant national and international professional bodies, is a member of the Australian Academy of Science and a recipient of numerous scientific awards. achievements in human environment studies. The Academy does not normally present special awards and follows strict rules of presenting only the awards mentioned earlier. However, sometimes there are exceptions, and the year 2020 was out of the ordinary.. It was special and bizarre,creating new challenges and opportunities. There is one person who deserves high commendation and special recognition for acting swiftly at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020) to address these new (old) challenges. a person who gathered scientists from different disciplines to act collegially and respond to risks and needs present back then (and still present). This action and initiative, which seems like it happened a hundred years ago, despite many hurdles and difficulties, produced fruits and can have considerable consequences for the future of indoor air sciences. It led among others to the publication of the open letter signed by 239 scientists from 32 countries appealing to the medical community and the relevant national and international bodies to recognize the potential for airborne spread of COVID-19, and finally to gradual acknowledgment, albeit late, that COVID-19 spreads through the air. This is clearly demonstrated through changing stance of CDC and WHO (in the middle of 2020). The action led also to the publication of the policy paper in Science advocating for a paradigm change in the regulations and solutions regarding air quality in buildings acknowledging the airborne transmission of infectious diseases, the need for its inclusion in standards and regulations regarding indoor air quality, and ventilation, the change that can be compared to the one made for water and food quality regulations. The mentioned actions may have a profound impact on the quality of life and indoor air research in the future. The effort and initiative were extraordinary and visionary. Therefore, the Academy ExCom had no doubts to create the exception and award special recognition for these extraordinary achievements. As a result, the special award was established to acknowledge and commend Extraordinary Academic Leadership. This award is presented to Prof. Lidia Morawska, Director of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health and the Queensland University of Technology Australia. It was her initiative back in March 2020 that resulted inall the subsequent events mentioned above (and more) as a result. Congratulations and thank you. We have asked close collaborators of Lidia to write a few words on this occasion: Prof. Tunga Salthamme, Fraunhofer WKI, Germany wrote “‘It started with a kiss’ (at Healthy Buildings 2000)… is probably the best way to describe my long academic and friendly relationship with Lidia. Since then, we have been working closely together within the framework of many scientific topics. Whether in Braunschweig or Brisbane, at the university, or on hiking trips, the discussions with Lidia are always inspiring. She understands like no one else how to combine scientific expertise and the ability to create synergies between different disciplines. She has an impressive sensitivity to research needs. This became particularly clear with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, when, contrary to prevailing opinion at that time, she issued an early warning of airborne virus transmission. The International Laboratory for Air Quality and Heath (ILAQH), which she initiated, has developed into a well-known and highly frequented meeting place for international scientists. Lidia, her family, and her working group at QUT have been an important and positive part of my life over the past 20 years and I very much hope that we can continue our friendship and collaboration for a long time. My sincere congratulations Lidia. I do not know of anyone who deserves this award more.” Prof. Giorgio Buonanno, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Italy wrote “Since my first contact (about 15 years ago) I have learned to appreciate the great competence combined with the tireless desire to know and share the results of her work. But what I consider extraordinary in Lidia are her welcoming and listening skills. 15 years ago, she welcomed me as a colleague (when I had just started working in the Air Quality area), without ever letting the great scientific difference that existed at that time shine through. And still today it is extraordinary how she listens to the participants in the meetings, making everyone participate in the decision-making processes (although she is able to anticipate them), but always guided by her solid scientific principles. I believe that Lidia represents the essence of the scientific leader, as I have lived in my personal experience.” Assoc. Prof. Aneta Wierzbicka, Lund University, Sweden stated “Lidia is a charismatic leader who with ease mobilizes others to effective collaboration across different research disciplines. She has contagious enthusiasm and an ability to pursue novel and overarching ideas, which others would consider impossible to coordinate. I met Lidia in 2010 at Workplace and Indoor Aerosols Conference in Karlsruhe (Germany) and during our first and inspiring discussion I “somehow” volunteered to arrange the next conference in this series, you have to ask Lidia how she does it 😊. The conference took place in 2012 in Lund (Sweden) and continues in different European countries thanks to Lidia’s initiative and ability to convince others. I had the pleasure to work under Lidia’s leadership in several projects, none of them had a specifically dedicated budget, most of us worked in our spare time, but all the projects were finalized and formed important and highly quoted contributions to science. Hats off to you Lidia! Lidia, you truly are a great role model for future research leaders!”
ISIAQ Newsletter - ISIAQ June 2021 Newsletter - Academy Awards