Professor Ranjith Pathegama Gamage
- Key Chief Investigator
- Monash University
Professor Ranjith Pathegama Gamage, Vice-Chancellors Distinguished Professor, is a globally recognised engineering innovator whose inventions have transformed sustainable energy systems, low-carbon construction materials, critical-mineral recovery, and carbon-negative technologies. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the Indian National Academy of Engineering, placing him among the world’s most distinguished engineers.
His pioneering breakthroughs include:
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Carbon-negative CO₂-based geothermal energy, a world-first system that replaces water with CO₂ to generate clean baseload power while permanently sequestering carbon dioxide.
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Eco-Green Cement, an entirely waste-derived, ultra-low-carbon construction material achieving up to 90% reduction in CO₂ emissions.
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SREMA, a non-explosive, low-energy, in-situ mineral extraction technology that eliminates tailings and reduces mining energy consumption by more than 40%.
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Rapid CO₂ mineralisation, converting industrial CO₂ into stable minerals within 24–36 hours to produce permanently carbon-negative materials and agricultural fertilisers.
These innovations offer scalable, commercially viable pathways for global industries to accelerate climate mitigation, advance resource security, and transition to circular, low-carbon economies. His work directly supports UN Sustainable Development Goals 7, 9, 11, 12, and 13 and has influenced national decarbonisation strategies and industrial practice in Australia, China, India, Turkey, and several European nations.
Professor Gamage leads the Monash Deep Earth Energy and Resources Laboratory, home to world-class experimental facilities capable of simulating subsurface conditions exceeding 12 km depth. Supported by more than $40 million in research investment, this facility enables next-generation breakthroughs in geothermal energy, hydrogen storage, deep-earth resources, and CO₂ sequestration. He also leads major industry collaborations, including a partnership with Woodside Energy on repurposing legacy wells for clean-energy transition.
With over 665 publications and exceptional citation impact (Scopus h-index 100; >38,000 citations), his work forms a foundational knowledge base for geomechanics, carbon-neutral energy systems, sustainable mining, and environmental geotechnology. His achievements have been recognised through numerous prestigious awards, including the Humboldt Research Award, the Senior Fulbright Fellowship, multiple national Friendship Awards in China, and the inaugural ARC Future Fellowship in climate-related engineering innovation.
A committed mentor and academic leader, Professor Gamage has supervised 80 PhD graduates and more than 35 early-career researchers, many now in senior roles across academia, industry, and government. He is the founder and current Editor-in-Chief of Geomechanics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources (Springer), a leading international journal for the global subsurface energy transition. He is also the founder and Chair of the International Conference on Geomechanics, Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources (IC3G), a major international platform linking academia, industry, and policy.
Professor Gamage’s career exemplifies the integration of scientific discovery, engineering innovation, environmental stewardship, and societal impact, establishing him as one of the world’s leading figures in sustainable energy and resource engineering.
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