Associate Dean, Sustainability Address
Forward thinking is the nature of engineers, and when we think towards the future, sustainability is at the forefront. The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) with its world-leading capabilities and resources is uniquely positioned to take meaningful action towards sustainability challenges. As leaders of technological innovation in Engineering and IT, we are ideally placed to make tangible impact towards the University’s sustainability commitments.
Aligned with the University’s Sustainability Plan 2030, the FEIT Sustainability Development Guide details the approach we are proposing to facilitate this shift towards greater sustainability that can be adopted across the Faulty. To support this, the FEIT Sustainability Community of Practice has been established with representation across FEIT Departments and Schools to focus on driving our sustainability agenda in areas of education, research and operations.
Each person in FEIT – researchers, academics, students and professional teams – has a contribution to make towards sustainability. Through sector-facing platforms, research teams collaborate with sector partners to develop solutions to sustainability challenges and ‘drive the agenda’ in sustainability. Our students and teaching staff make a difference in widening the understanding of sustainability knowledge and values. Lastly, professional staff play a critical role in embracing and supporting sustainability within the faculty’s operations governance, helping us nurture and grow relationships with industry and partners who share our principles and values around sustainability.
Our interdisciplinary team is well equipped with the knowledge and technical capacity required to address the current global challenges, and to design and implement processes for realising sustainable development and resilience.
Professor Abbas Rajabifard
Associate Dean, Sustainability
Our Vision
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The FEIT Sustainability Impact Report 2026 outlines the Faculty’s transition from delivering individual sustainability initiatives to embedding sustainability across its culture, decision-making and everyday practices. Aligned with the University of Melbourne’s Sustainability Plan 2030 and the FEIT 2035 Strategy, the report demonstrates how FEIT is integrating sustainability into education, research, community engagement and operations.
Under the theme “Advancing Sustainability: Turning Knowledge into Action,” FEIT is building the capability, partnerships and systems needed to translate engineering and technology expertise into measurable environmental, social and economic impact.
Key highlights
- Four strategic anchor projects are driving the next phase of FEIT’s sustainability work:
- Sustainability Foundation Modules
- FEIT Sustainability Research and Impact Dashboard
- Indigenous Knowledge for a Sustainable Future
- My Green Lab Roll-Out
- Sustainability education: Stackable Sustainability Foundation Modules are being developed to establish a shared sustainability literacy baseline across FEIT programs and ensure every graduate is prepared to contribute to a sustainable future.
- Connected sustainability community: The FEIT Sustainability Community of Practice now brings together more than 60 academic, professional and student representatives, supported by dedicated Education, Research and Operations working groups.
- Research visibility and impact: The proposed Sustainability Research and Impact Dashboard will connect research, education, industry partnerships and community engagement, making FEIT’s sustainability ecosystem more visible, measurable and strategically actionable.
- Growing HDR contribution: Analysis identified more than 100 graduate researchers undertaking sustainability-related research across multiple FEIT disciplines.
- Discoverable expertise: FEIT is working to incorporate Sustainable Development Goal alignment into the University’s Find an Expert profiles, improving access to sustainability expertise for industry, government, community partners and researchers.
- Indigenous knowledge and leadership: FEIT is strengthening the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in sustainability education, research and engineering practice through respectful partnerships and Indigenous-led governance.
- Digital cultural preservation: The Digitalising Indigenous Cultural Heritage Project will document, photograph and create 3D models of culturally significant artefacts from the Thomson Collection while supporting Indigenous data sovereignty, cultural preservation and future repatriation efforts.
- AI-enabled decision-making: The UMAMI prototype combines artificial intelligence and spatial analytics to make campus sustainability data easier to access and use for retrofit planning, emissions reduction, passive cooling, tree-canopy improvements and infrastructure renewal.
- Sustainable laboratories: Following FEIT’s first My Green Lab certification for the Materials Characterisation and Fabrication Platform, the program will initially expand to five pilot laboratories across the Faculty.
Overall message
The report positions sustainability as more than a discrete portfolio of projects. It is becoming a defining principle for how FEIT educates students, conducts and translates research, engages with communities, manages its facilities and makes strategic decisions. The long-term ambition is for sustainability to be embedded in every graduate, every partnership, every place and every decision.
- Four strategic anchor projects are driving the next phase of FEIT’s sustainability work:
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The FEIT Sustainability Portfolio Brochure 2025 provides an overview of the Faculty's vision, priorities and initiatives for embedding sustainability across education, research, operations and engagement. It positions sustainability as a core strategic priority aligned with the University's Sustainability Plan 2030 and the FEIT Sustainability Development Guide, demonstrating how the Faculty is translating sustainability ambitions into measurable outcomes.
Key highlights include:
- Strategic Vision: Outlines FEIT's commitment to empowering future engineers and IT professionals to address global sustainability challenges through research, education and innovation.
- Sustainability Framework: Describes how the Sustainability Development Guide aligns Faculty activities with the University's Sustainability Plan 2030 and its three domains of action.
- Community of Practice: Introduces the cross-faculty Sustainability Community of Practice and its three working groups focused on Education, Research and Operations.
- Education, Research and Operations: Highlights initiatives to embed sustainability into curricula, drive interdisciplinary research, improve operational sustainability and foster behavioural change.
- Measuring Impact: Showcases the proposed FEIT Sustainability Dashboard as a mechanism to monitor progress, visualise performance and support evidence-based decision making.
- Communication and Engagement: Features the FEIT Sustainability Website as the central platform for sharing projects, stories, achievements and opportunities for collaboration, increasing the visibility of sustainability across the Faculty and beyond.
- Call to Action: Concludes by inviting staff, students and partners to engage with the Faculty's sustainability initiatives and contribute to building a more sustainable future.
Community
Fostering a sustainable and innovative community
As a world-renowned research institution, the University of Melbourne is committed to lead and act on the critical challenges of global sustainability and is reflected in the University’s Sustainability Plan 2030. The FEIT Sustainability Development Guide identifies where the most practical and valuable contributions towards the University’s sustainability priorities can be achieved.
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FEIT Sustainability Development Guide
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
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University of Melbourne’s Sustainability Framework
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
Operations
FEIT Operations "Walk the Talk"
As we turn our attention towards taking active measures to make our societies more sustainable, FEIT acknowledges that all of our staff has a vital role to play. Learn more about our commitment to making sustainability a reality across the Faculty.
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FEIT Sustainability Community of Practice
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
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Green Caffeen
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
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Melbourne Connect
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
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Fishermans Bend Campus
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
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Sustainable events
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
Education
Embedding Sustainable Education
FEIT is committed to fostering the next generation of global citizens and future leaders. As part of this, we are empowering our students with sustainability knowledge through their curriculum and the Wattle Fellowship.
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Teaching and Learning Laboratory
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
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Wattle Fellowship
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
Research
Discover Sustainable Research
The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) is committed to collaborating with industry partners to develop sustainable methods that support the talent and workforce needs of industry.
FEIT currently has nine key industry sector research programs, the following of which focus on sustainability.
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Transport
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
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Water
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
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Infrastructure
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
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Energy
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
Learn more about our other key industry sector research programs
Melbourne Climate Futures
A network of cross-disciplinary climate change researchers across UoM that connects climate change practitioners and researchers with the broader public across thirteen key research themes.
Graduate research in sustainability. Meet our graduate students who are committed to advancing sustainability knowledge across FEIT.
Tay Son Le
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
Naomi Bury
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
Jing Zhu
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
Interested in pursuing a PhD?
Engage with us
Engage with our institutes and research centres
FEIT is home to a number of major institutes and research centres of international standing that represent joint ventures between universities, industry and government bodies in Australia. Find out more about our Institutes and Centres furthering research in sustainability.
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Melbourne Energy Institute
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
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Peter Cook Centre (for Carbon Capture and Storage Research)
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
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Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration
We are continuing to make further strides in increasing our sustainability commitments in line with the University's goals, and are integrating sustainable approaches into all aspects of our business. The FEIT Sustainability Guide is key in this and is a call to action that clearly defines our direction and targets our efforts as we strive to become more sustainable. The Guide will help us to focus our efforts, capitalise on our strengths and deliver greater value to our people, our students, and our partners.
Explore more about our institutes and research centres
Events
Keep up to date on public lectures, workshops, and other events in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, focusing on sustainability.
News and media
Staff Resources
To discover current sustainability activities and research at FEIT, or pick up some handy hints and tips, please visit our dedicated FEIT Sustainability resources page (staff access required).
Contact Us
For more information about sustainability at FEIT, please contact the Engagement & Partnerships team.
FEIT Engagement and Partnerships
engit-engagement@unimelb.edu.au