The Australian Research Council (ARC) has granted nine Linkage Project funds worth more than $3 million to UNSW Sydney researchers.
The grants will assist UNSW research initiatives ranging from the viability of hydrogen exploration and retrieval in Australia to the integrity of steering systems for autonomous vehicles.
UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise Professor Nicholas Fisk commended the principal researchers and their teams on securing the grants and the University’s 45% success record.
“With nine ARC Linkage grants this round, UNSW is once more at the forefront of innovative research partnerships with industry and community organisations. It’s great to see UNSW topping the country again, both for number of awards, and for the scale – nearly $10 million – of government and partner investment,” Professor Fisk said.
“What stands out here is the breadth of challenges addressed, everything from a smartphone rip-detection and education tool for beach safety, to securing sovereign supply chains of next-generation alloy ammunition cartridges,” Professor Fisk added.
Professor David Waite of UNSW Engineering has been granted $612,689 for a project to investigate natural hydrogen production in Australian subsurface ecosystems. The research aims to provide prediction tools for evaluating hydrogen exploration and engineered retrieval in Australia. This might lead to the usage of naturally occurring hydrogen, which could possibly replace unabated hydrocarbons.
Associate Professor Pramod Koshy of UNSW Engineering has been awarded $508,018 for his work on the room-temperature fabrication of binary and ternary oxide cathodes utilising a single-step, cost-effective approach. The project aims to enhance the battery sector and generate jobs, which will substantially impact commercial, social, and environmental.
UNSW Law & Justice Professor Cameron Holley has been awarded $423,753 for his research on “Non-urban water regulation: next generation compliance and enforcement.” The project aims to optimise regulatory technology, encourage innovation, minimise costs, and improve long-term water consumption. Guidance strategies, training, applied regulatory theory improvements, and innovative decision-making technology tools are among the expected results.
Associate Professor Pietro Borghesani of UNSW Engineering has been granted $406,838 for a project focusing on condition monitoring of steering systems for autonomous vehicles. The purpose is to detect steering problems early, analyse malfunctions, and predict failure risks. The projected benefits include better safety, dependability, and trust in autonomous driving.
UNSW Engineering’s Dr Mitchell Harley has received $342,924 for a project to develop a smartphone rip-detection tool and online education game to minimise drowning in Australia. The project aims to create an optimised deep learning system for detecting rips in smartphone video taken on Australian beaches. The objective is to improve rip currents identification and literacy, particularly among high-risk categories such as young males, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and rural visitors. This research aims to minimise rip-current drowning and rescue incidents in Australia, particularly on unpatrolled beaches.
Professor Adriana Verges of UNSW Science has received $288,257 for a project focused on restoring and protecting the biocultural qualities of endangered seagrasses, Posidonia australis. The project aims to provide best-practice approaches for biocultural restoration, emphasising fisheries, biodiversity, and climate change mitigation. The team will collaborate with Indigenous communities to study and restore cultural values linked with Posidonia and explore cost-effective methods for scaling up seagrass restoration.
UNSW Science’s Dr Kevin Laws has been awarded $269,309 to create an alloy solution for Australia’s munitions supply chain and security. The project aims to avoid energy-intensive manufacturing stages and deliver higher-performance cartridge alloys that can be manufactured in Australia utilising contemporary economic technology. This will result in a more flexible, cost-effective, and secure sovereign ammunition supply chain and improved performance.
UNSW Engineering’s Dr Jin Zhang has been granted $262,168 for a project to produce lightweight, high-efficiency photovoltaic modules for low-load capacity building roofs. The project will employ novel lightweight materials with multifunctional properties, allowing for cost savings and overcoming the limitations of heavy glass modules. This will expand the use of solar energy in both urban and rural Australia.
Associate Professor Mohsen Kalantari of UNSW Engineering has been awarded $173,220 for his research on ‘Reconstructing land tenure maps of Australia in 3D’. A/Prof Kalantari’s research aims to create a data validation framework for changing existing drawings and recreating them as 3D models. Among the outcomes are validation concepts, formal mathematical terms, and computing methods. Among the advantages are a cost-effective onshore alternative to offshore 3D rebuilding practises, efficient land development and infrastructure planning, and fewer property conflicts.
