Core Jury
and Climate Changeat the Adani Group
Arun Sharma is an advisor to Chairman and Group Head for Sustainability and Climate Change at the Adani Group.
He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where he served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor from 2004 to 2019. He is also the Council Chair of QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.
Mr. Sharma has played a leading role in the development of Australian technology research capability. He was the co-founder of National ICT Australia Limited (NICTA) – now CSIRO’s Data61. He was Head of the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales, where he co-founded the Cooperative Research Centre for Smart Internet Technology. At QUT, he oversaw the establishment of research programs in robotics, data science, and sustainability-linked technologies such as cellulosic ethanol, bio-commodities, renewables, and hydrogen. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Queens Birthday Honours for services to Computer Science and Information Technology.
He was a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Innovation Ecosystems (2018-19) and appointed to the inaugural Advisory Council of the Australian Research Council (2008-09).
He received the 2010 Queensland Premier’s Special Award for contribution to building the export profile of Queensland. He is a past National Chair of the Australia India Business Council and was recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 India Australia Business and Community Awards.
Mr. Sharma has made sustained contribution to the foundations of machine learning. He graduated from BITS Pilani in Computer Science, received his Ph.D. from the University of Buffalo, and undertook post-doctoral training in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In 2019, BITS Pilani conferred on him its Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Water Hero of India AwardeeInnovator of the year 2019
Subhajit Mukherjee is the founder of Mission Green Mumbai where he inspires Citizens to grow their own oxygen by planting a tree. He was recognized as innovator of the Year 2019, for the invention of Magic Drum for Rainwater Harvesting
Looking at his passion and innovation for trees and water conservation now he is Honoured as a Jal Rakshak and awarded Water Hero Title for his innovations in water conservation and environment.
Recently the NGO Mission Green Mumbai has also been awarded by the Government. Now working on Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyan an initiative by Government of Maharashtra to create a citizen's movement to conserve environment
Champions of Earth Awardee by United NationsCNN Heroes of the year Awardee
Afroz Shah is an Indian environmental activist and lawyer from Mumbai. A CNN Heroes of the Year Awardee−2019, he is best known for organizing the world's largest beach clean-up project, which has grown into a movement that has inspired people around the world including the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to launch the clean seas campaign globally. In 2016, Shah was named by the United Nations as a Champion of the Earth for leading the clean-up of Mumbai's Versova Beach.
Jury Partners
Hailing from a small town in Andhra Pradesh. He left a high paying job with SAMSUNG in South Korea and pursued his dream of becoming an IAS officer and develop the conditions in rural India.
Mr. Sheetal Jain likes to work in frontier sciences. He has completed projects on revolutionary energy technology at the Purdue University and the University of Tokyo. His notable contributions include designing a ‘error correction’ for India’s premier telescopes.
Gold Medalist IIT Bombay
Graduated with a Dual Degree (Master + Bachelor of Technology) in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay. She received the coveted Institute Gold Medal - the highest honor awarded at IIT Bombay for outstanding academic performance and conferred on a single student in the entire graduating batch.
33 Under 33 - International Clean Energy Challenge
Experienced Founder with a demonstrated history of working in the renewables and environment industry. An Alumnus from IIT-Bombay, Visat brings to the table strong information technology professional skilled in Vehicle Dynamics, AutoCAD, Matlab, Product Design, and Computer-Aided Design (CAD).
