When Dr Ashak Nathwani AM first set foot in Australia in 1972, he was a political refugee with just 20 cents in his pocket. Exactly 50 years (to the hour) later, he received his PhD from the school of architecture, design and planning at the University of Sydney. He is now a celebrated engineer with a career spanning over 50 years advocating for energy efficient buildings and best practice approach to green engineering and sustainability.
Ashak has lectured on sustainability, air conditioning, and facilities management for the past 12 years at University of Sydney and co-launched a new postgraduate degree, the Master of Architectural Science – High Performance Buildings. He also co-designed the unique Indoor Environmentally Quality (IEQ) Laboratory at the University, researching comfort, costs, covid and climate change to find the ideal air conditioning system as part of his PhD.
Ashak has authored books namely Forty Years Journey (2012) – Gujarati Migration to Australia (2016) and 50-Year Journey, Australians from Uganda, Tales of Trials, Tribulations & Triumphs (2022). Ashak is also a frequent contributor to articles in various publications by Australian Green Building Council, Fifth Estate, AIRAH, ARBS, and Property Council of Australia.
Between all this, Ashak finds time to volunteer as an energy minimisation strategist with the Aga Khan Development Network. Working primarily in the poorest parts of Asia and Africa, he leads energy and greenhouse gas audits of various types of buildings including places of worship with the goal of achieving net zero by 2030.
In 2016 Ashak was awarded an AM – Member of the Order of Australia – for his achievements and service to sustainability, engineering, and the Ismaili community in Australia.
Dr Ashak Nathwani AM 