The Australian Research Council has awarded six UNSW Sydney researchers grants totalling $2.8 million.
UNSW experts will advance their work in areas such as AI, infrastructure, quantum computing and recycling after receiving substantial funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC).
The ARC announced grants for 50 new projects nationally under the Early Career Industry Fellowships scheme. The scheme allows early-career researchers to collaborate across academic and industry settings, which is crucial to address industry-identified challenges in Australia.
Four of the UNSW grant recipients are from the Engineering faculty, one from Science and one from Arts, Design & Architecture.
UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise, Professor Bronwyn Fox, said the projects will deliver meaningful advancements for industry and society.
"These ventures represent exciting opportunities to turn bold ideas into practical solutions," said Prof. Fox.
"I'm excited to see UNSW researchers working alongside industry partners to translate their ideas into technologies that will help shape Australia's future economy and contribute to global innovation."
ARC Chief Executive Officer, Professor Ute Roessner, said the Fellowships would help facilitate the adoption, translation, and commercialisation of Australian research.
"These early career researchers will create pathways to deliver actionable outcomes for industry partners and research end-users," Prof. Roessner said.
"It is important for industry stakeholders to acknowledge the value of research and development to assure Australia's prosperity."
The winning projects from UNSW are:
Building better quantum computer chips
- Awardee: Dr Scott Liles, UNSW School of Physics
- Grant total: $510,849
- Project summary: Dr Scott Liles is developing a highly sensitive tool for characterising silicon quantum chips, addressing a key challenge in building scalable quantum computers. This new characterisation tool will improve the ability to detect and understand material imperfections at the atomic level. The outcomes of this project will support the development of commercial quantum technology in Australia and strengthen the nation's competitive edge in a rapidly growing industry.
Ensuring the efficiency of Australia's ports
- Awardee: Dr Elnaz Irannezhad, UNSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Grant total: $510,162
- Project summary: This project aims to enhance the efficiency and reliability of container operations at Australia's ports by developing an adaptive, data-driven digital twin model for Port Botany in Sydney. By creating a replicable scheduling framework that leverages historical, external, and real-time data, this project will optimise multimodal logistics networks to support seamless port operations and interconnected transport networks.
Better materials for extreme conditions
- Awardee: Dr Zhao Sha, UNSW School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
- Grant total: $508,109
- Project summary: Dr Zhao aims to develop advanced carbon fibre materials called towpregs that are reinforced to create strong, heat-resistant composites for use in extreme environments. By adding flame-retardant and heat-stable materials, the resulting composites will be stronger and more thermally stable, able to withstand very high temperatures. This new process will be safer, faster and better suited for large-scale manufacturing, benefiting industries such as aerospace, defence, and energy.
Driving innovation in battery recycling
- Awardee: Dr Shuang Song, UNSW School of Chemical Engineering
- Grant total: $500,476
- Project summary: This initiative aims to develop a new, efficient process for safely extracting valuable materials from used batteries. Dr Song is designing an efficient and scalable leaching process, which is a key step in battery recycling, with high feasibility for commercialisation. The approach uses environmentally friendly chemicals and minimises waste.
Leveraging AI in responsible investment
- Awardee: Dr Zhengyi Yang, UNSW School of Computer Science and Engineering
- Grant total: $478,161
- Project summary: This project aims to enhance the effectiveness of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) analysis by leveraging advanced AI and data management in responsible investment. By addressing challenges such as complex data and evolving ESG demands, this project will empower investors to make more sustainable choices. Additionally, the project will promote global knowledge exchange, talent development and public awareness of the importance of responsible and transparent business practices.
Enhancing collaboration for better communities
- Awardee: Dr Mike Harris, UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture
- Grant total: $365,109
- Project summary: This initiative aims to enhance delivery of micromobility projects, such as bike lanes, scooter paths and shared mobility hubs. Through participatory research, the project will improve collaboration and consensus-building among governments, private practice and communities. This project is expected to create significant local economic growth and aims to address strategic goals of governments concerning both health and decarbonisation, leading to increased physical activity and reduced reliance on private vehicles.
I'm excited to see UNSW researchers working alongside industry partners to translate their ideas into technologies that will help shape Australia's future economy and contribute to global innovation.
