From coffee to concrete: award-winning environmental innovation

Associate Professor Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch has been named winner of the IKON Services Australia Environmental Sustainability Award at the 2026 7NEWS Australia Young Achiever Awards Victoria.

The award celebrates young leaders driving meaningful environmental change, with Shannon honoured for research that is reshaping how the construction industry approaches waste and emissions.

Of the receiving the award Shannon says "I’ve always believed sustainability shouldn’t be the end goal, it should be the outcome of how we choose to act, design and think every day."

A proud Yowong-Illam-Buluk and Natarrak-Baluk man, Shannon has pioneered innovative methods to repurpose waste materials - including coffee grounds, disposable face masks and biochar - into stronger, more sustainable concrete.

Based at Monash Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), he holds key leadership roles advancing Indigenous research and education, embedding cultural knowledge into engineering practice and creating new pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scientists and engineers.

Professor Ha Bui, Head of CEE says "This is an outstanding and well-deserved achievement, recognising Shannon’s leadership in advancing sustainable engineering, including his work on repurposing waste materials into low-carbon construction solutions. This also reflects the growing role of our department in delivering engineering solutions that create real and lasting sustainability impact."

Learn more about Shannon's ground-breaking research here.