Rate My Professor John Mackie

John Mackie is a Conjoint Professor and Honorary Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Newcastle, Australia, specializing in Chemical Engineering. He earned a PhD and a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) from the University of Sydney. His distinguished career spans over five decades, beginning as Professor in the Discipline of Chemical Engineering at the University of Newcastle from May 1969 to April 2005. Subsequently, he served as Associate Professor in the School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney from April 2005, while holding his conjoint appointment at the Priority Research Centre for Energy, University of Newcastle.

Professor Mackie's research focuses on chemical kinetics, physical chemistry, high temperature chemistry, quantum chemistry, shock waves, and thermodynamics. His expertise includes shock tube studies, ab initio quantum chemical calculations, and modeling of combustion and pyrolysis processes. Key areas of investigation involve the thermal decomposition of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), pesticides including chlorpyrifos, glyphosate, atrazine, and dieldrin, as well as fluorinated greenhouse gases, coal volatiles oxidation, and formation of toxic pollutants like polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in fires. Notable publications include 'Thermal Mineralization of Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) to HF, CO2, and SO2' (2023, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research), 'Pyrolysis of Glyphosate and Its Toxic Products' (2019, Environmental Science & Technology), 'Products and mechanism of thermal decomposition of chlorpyrifos under inert and oxidative conditions' (2020, Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts), 'Modeling and Experimental Study on the Thermal Decomposition of Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) in an α-Alumina Reactor' (2022, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research), and 'The pyrolysis of cyclopentadiene: quantum chemical and kinetic modelling studies of the acetylene plus propyne/allene decomposition channels' (2001, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics). With 231 publications, over 5,650 citations, and affiliations in the Process Safety and Environment Protection Research Group, his work has profoundly influenced environmental chemistry, pollutant mitigation, and energy conversion research.