Eleven Curtin University projects have secured more than $6.2 million in funding as part of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project grants, to tackle challenges spanning space science, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and digital culture.
The successful Curtin-led projects include exploring how Australian children engage with and aspire to become online influencers, which is set to inform government policy and online safety education as the social media landscape continues to reshape childhood.
Other projects include developing a breakthrough system to upcycle mixed waste plastics into jet fuel, analysing samples returned from asteroids to shed light on the Solar System's origins and improve future planetary defence strategies and developing breakthrough systems to more effectively monitor the structural integrity of major civil structures such as bridges.
Curtin Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Melinda Fitzgerald congratulated the successful researchers and said the results showcased Curtin's global research strengths.
"Discovery research lays the foundation for major innovation. This funding will allow Curtin researchers to expand into new fields and help increase Australia's global research impact," Professor Fitzgerald said.
"These ARC Discovery successes demonstrate Curtin's growing impact across science, technology, health and the humanities.
"Each project represents bold, curiosity-driven research that will generate new knowledge, foster collaboration and deliver tangible benefits to Australia and the world."
Summaries of Curtin's successful projects are listed below:
- Coproducing biochar pellets and green chemicals via biomass pyrolysis: Professor Hongwei Wu; Dr Yun Yu
New technology will be developed to turn biomass into high-quality biochar pellets and green chemicals at the same time. By solving key issues in current biochar and bio-oil production, this work supports cleaner energy, decarbonisation of heavy industries and sustainable regional development.
- High-entropy colloidal nanocrystals for sustainable energy production: Associate Professor Guohua Jia
Researchers will create advanced high-entropy nanocrystals that act as powerful catalysts to improve clean energy reactions. Using an innovative synthesis method, the work will expand knowledge in nanotechnology and could lead to new breakthroughs in sustainable energy production.
- Upcycling of Mixed Waste Plastics for Sustainable Jet Fuel Production: Dr Yun Yu; Professor Hongwei Wu
This project aims to turn mixed plastic waste into sustainable jet fuel using a new separation and heating (pyrolysis) process. By improving efficiency and lowering costs, it will reduce landfill waste and support cleaner fuel production in Australia.
- Microbial detoxification of chrysotile – Towards safe disposal of asbestos: Dr Navdeep Dhami; Professor Carlos Rodriguez-Navarro
Asbestos poses a major global disposal challenge, but certain microbes can naturally break it down into safe, non-toxic forms while capturing CO₂. This research will develop new methods to understand and enhance these microbial processes, helping achieve safer asbestos disposal and progress toward net-zero emissions.
- City-level structural health monitoring of bridges with drive-by sensing: Professor Jun Li; Dr Zhen Peng
Researchers aim to use drive-by sensing technology to monitor the condition of ageing city bridges more efficiently. By improving data analysis methods, it will create a cost-effective system to assess bridge health at scale, enhancing safety and reducing maintenance costs.
- Structural health monitoring by using generative and physics-informed AI: Professor Jun Li; Dr Zhen Peng
Advanced generative and physics-informed AI will be used to improve how the condition of civil structures is monitored and understood. By creating smarter ways to generate and interpret data, the work will make infrastructure maintenance safer, more accurate and less costly.
- Unlocking Solar System Secrets from Asteroid Sample Return Missions: Associate Professor Nicholas Timms; Associate Professor David Saxey; Professor William Rickard; Professor Fred Jourdan
By studying material brought back from asteroids, scientists will uncover new clues about how the solar system formed and evolved. The work will strengthen Australia's role in global space research, support planetary defence efforts and inspire the next generation of space scientists.
- Rapidly-evolving jets at the highest angular resolution: Professor James Miller-Jones; Dr Arash Bahramian; Professor Steven Tingay
New algorithms will be created to produce ultra-detailed radio images of rapidly changing cosmic events using Australia's advanced telescopes. This will reveal how black holes launch powerful streams of matter and energy into space, deepening understanding of the Universe's most energetic phenomena and inspiring the public with real-time cosmic visuals.
- Art, politics and donor agendas in Timor-Leste: Dr Vannessa Hearman; Professor Kit Messham-Muir
This project will investigate how international funding and politics influence contemporary art in Timor-Leste, deepening understanding of how art reflects social and political change and promoting fair, respectful collaboration between artists and cultural institutions.
- Chiral electrochemistry with standard achiral electrodes: Professor Simone Ciampi
Many drugs and chemicals come in two mirror-image forms, where one is useful and the other can be harmful. This project aims to make a cleaner, cheaper way to separate these forms by using smartly designed electrodes with tiny insulating spots, reducing waste, energy use and costs.
- Mapping the Influencer Aspirations and Literacies among Australian children: Professor Crystal Abidin; Dr Jin Lee
The study explores how Australian children use social media and aspire to become influencers, focusing on their real experiences and understanding. It will inform safer, more supportive education and regulation around child influencers, improving wellbeing and online safety for young people.
Further information on the ARC Discovery grants can be found online here.
