Rate My Professor Lu Aye

Lu Aye is a Professor in the Department of Infrastructure Engineering within the Melbourne School of Engineering at the University of Melbourne. Possessing over 40 years of engineering experience, he has contributed extensively to university teaching, research, development, demonstration, and commercialisation of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. Internationally recognised for his expertise in low-carbon technologies applied to the built environment, Aye's research focuses on heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, waste-to-resources processes, and complex systems modelling. He utilises phenomenological modelling and simulation to optimise energy systems and applies computational and participatory methods to model socio-ecological systems under deep uncertainty, aiding policy interventions and robust decision-making.

Aye earned his PhD in 1995 and MEngSc in 1989 from the University of Melbourne, a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering in 1979 from the Rangoon Institute of Technology, along with graduate certificates from the University of Melbourne and the Rangoon Institute of Computer Science. He coordinates and teaches courses including Solar Energy, Energy Efficiency Technology, Sustainable Buildings, and Energy for Sustainable Development. He has supervised numerous higher degree research projects on topics such as thermal energy storage, supercritical water gasification, rural electrification via solar home systems, and life cycle energy analysis. His accolades include the 2025 Distinguished Professor in Low Carbon Technologies Award and the 2023 Distinguished Global Engineering Education Award from the Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Society International, the 2021 University of Melbourne 25-Year Service Recognition Bronze Medal, and membership in the American Society of Mechanical Engineering since 2004. Notable publications encompass "Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and energy analysis of prefabricated reusable building modules" (Aye et al., 2012), "Computer simulation of a downdraft wood gasifier for tea drying" (Jayah et al., 2003), and "A review of Net Zero Energy Buildings with reflections on the Australian context" (Wells et al., 2018). Aye has produced 398 scholarly works, demonstrating substantial influence in sustainable engineering and urban liveability.