CREATE THE FUTURECONNECT:RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING & PHYSICS

Contents

Introduction

Engineering Manufacturing

Engineering Materials Institute

Intelligent Polymer Research Institute

Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials

Information and Communication Technology Research Institute

Centre for Medical Radiation Physics

Research Centre for Geomechanics and Railway Engineering

Energy Pipelines Cooperative Research Centre

Cooperative Research Centre for Railway Innovation

Aerial view of Wollongong Harbour

University of Wollongong

BlueScope Steel Metallurgy Centre

Defence Materials Technology Centre

Advanced Structural Engineering & Construction Materials Groups Research

Environmental Engineering Research

Mining Engineering Research

Sustainable Buildings Research Group

SMART Infrastructure Facility

Research Laboratories and Facilities

Research Degrees

Awards and Achievements

McKinnon Building, Wollongong Campus

Introduction

Dean of Engineering Professor Chris CookChris has worked for Marconi Avionics in the UK as a project engineer designing aerospace computing systems after receiving his PhD in 1976, and later with GEC Australia as the Technical Manager of their Automation and Control division, where he set up a group which designed and installed robot controlled automation systems for manufacturing applications. He then became the founding Managing Director of the Automation and Engineering Applications Centre Ltd., a non-profit company of the University of Wollongong, which built and installed automation and robotic systems for manufacturing companies around Australia. He became Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Wollongong in 1989 and was Head of School for 12 years before taking up his current position as Dean of Engineering in 2003. His research interests are in industrial automation, robotics and power engineering; he supervises many different research projects in these areas that are funded by Industry and Government, and is fortunate to be supervising several talented PhD students involved in this research.

Vice Chancellor Professor Paul WellingsThe University of Wollongong found its genesis in engineering and subsequently has grown in strength in that area, and can now claim to be one of the leading research engineering faculties for its size. To look at the breadth and quality of the research being conducted within our Faculty of Engineering is to gain an understanding as to why.

The University prides itself on its strong links with industry and none more so than in its Faculty of Engineering. We see in our Faculty of Engineering the opportunity to make a contribution to the economic and social prosperity of Australia in the 21st century. The importance of the profession of engineering is paramount to our country’s future and research and research training is a priority for our Faculty of Engineering.

Sea Cliff Bridge, Wollongong NSW

Prosperity in the 21st Century will rely more on creative minds than on the relative abundance of natural resources.

Engineers will provide innovative solutions to the energy, food, shelter, communication and environmental needs of a world population expected to double by 2030. Engineering research is essential to meet future challenges and the new millennium offers exciting prospects for engineers embarking on research careers. Profitable opportunities also exist for engineering industries investing in research and development.

This brochure outlines the University of Wollongong’s outstanding record in engineering research. We invite inquiries from potential research scholars and collaborative research partners.

Wollongong has a distinguished engineering research reputation, particularly in collaboration with industry, both in Australia and internationally. Our Research Management Plan led to the creation of a number of Centres of Excellence, which has attracted a critical mass of researchers engaged in significant, well funded projects with the very latest equipment and infrastructure. Teamwork is encouraged, providing an excellent training environment and enhancing collaborative research.

Engineering Research staff at Wollongong are now major participants of several National Research Centres, each with guaranteed long term (up to 10 years) funding including: the National Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Rail Innovation, the CRC for Energy Pipelines, the Defence Materials Technology Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Geotechnical Science and Engineering. The Faculty of Engineering also contributes to six of the University of Wollongong’s major research strengths in:

• Engineering Manufacturing

• Engineering Materials Institute

• Intelligent Polymer Research Institute

• Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials

• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Research

• Centre for Medical Radiation Physics

The Faculty is also a prime mover in some of the University’s largest and most recent initiatives involving Government and Industry funding for research and training, such as the 61 million dollar SMART Infrastructure Centre, the 25 million dollar Redesign for Resilient and Sustainable Buildings Initiative, and the 35 million dollar Australian Institute for Innovative Materials. These are all located in Wollongong and together will greatly expand the research capacity of the University and our Faculty.

These and other major research groupings are described in the following pages.

Applications from potential research scholars are welcome. Graduate students enrolling in engineering research are expected to have imagination, creativity, and a desire for knowledge for its own sake as well as for practical application, and a commitment to success. While supervision is of the highest standard, we expect individuals to take responsibility for their own progress and success. Research scholars can add value to their degrees, through additional programmes designed to develop the skills and knowledge appropriate for careers in Industry, Government, Research, or Academia.

Several scholarships are offered each year to outstanding applicants (see web link in this brochure).

Industry and other external organisations can access the University’s excellent resources in a number of ways. Collaborative research on major projects may be undertaken with the support of a number of government schemes. Such research is usually strategic in nature and spans one to three years. Industry partners make only a modest cash contribution but a strong in-kind commitment is usually required.

The University also helps industry solve short term tactical problems through contract research or consulting. Fees reflect true costs, and government incentives are available in some cases.

The University offers industry access to excellent research infrastructure. Details are outlined in the following pages.

For more information about research in Engineering at the University of Wollongong, visit our homepage at http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/.

Engineering Manufacturing Research (EMR) is based on several key manufacturing research groups - Welding and Joining of steel and light alloys, Automation and Robotics, and Bulk Materials Handling. These strategic areas are supported by a Power Quality and Reliability Centre and two Intelligent Mechatronics Groups. Extensive use is made of computer aided design, numerical modelling, and computer simulation techniques, supported by experimental work in several large laboratories equipped with the latest equipment and systems at the forefront of International Industry’s ‘best practice’.

Objectives:• Perform strategic research in advanced manufacturing,

mechatronics, robotics, and power quality.

• Investigate innovative manufacturing techniques and develop cost effective, sustainable solutions to Industry problems.

• Develop new manufacturing processes and improve existing ones.

• Provide novel support services in areas such as advanced materials and health and safety.

Research Groups and projects include:

Centre for Engineering Mechanics (CEM)• Computational mechanics in materials manufacturing

(FEM, CFD etc.).

• Research into manufacturing processes such as rolling and metal forming.

• Contact mechanics in metal manufacturing.

• Advanced rolling technology of thin strip materials.

• Sustainable energy; wind and wave power generation.

• Industrial ventilation and fume control.

Centre for Intelligent Mechatronics Research (CIMR)• Haptics and virtual manipulation.

• Analysis and recognition of human motion.

• Magnetorheological (MR) Joystick for Virtual Reality Applications.

• Intelligent robotic grippers.

• Autonomous Bi-ped robots.

• Inertial sensing and pattern recognition.

• Sensor and actuator networks.

• Image Processing: content based retrieval, image coding.

Intelligent Nano-Tera Systems Research Group • Novel actuators and sensors based on smart materials and

structures, and their fabrication using innovative micro and nano technologies.

• Nano/Micro/Macro robotic systems for drug delivery and medical applications.

• Nano/Micro-fluidics for manipulation of biological particles.

• Semi-active vibration control.

• Energy harvesting based on smart materials and structures.

Integral Energy Power Quality & Reliability Centre (PQRC)• Improving power quality for distribution networks and

industry.

• Power quality data management and reporting concepts for power systems.

• Application and development of Australian Standards for power quality.

• Harmonics of photo-voltaic inverter systems in distribution networks.

• Impact of distributed energy resources on distribution networks.

• Smart grid applications for power quality and reliability improvement.

• Reliability enhancement of targeted distribution feeders.

Centre for Bulk Solids and Particulate Technologies (BMH)• Effect of product properties on the behaviour and flow of bulk

materials.

• Environmental emissions research, including dust-air generation and minimisation, and development of sustainable dust suppression technology.

• Modelling pneumatic and mechanical conveying systems, including conveyor transfers.

• Validated/calibrated computer simulation modelling of product properties, behaviour, and flow.

• Development of on-line powder flow monitoring/measurement technology.

• Contract research for industry via Bulk Materials Engineering Australia.

Welding Engineering Research Group• Rapid Robotic Programming for Repair Welding.

• Magnetically Impelled Arc Butt Welding of Pipe.

• Hybrid Laser GMAW and Tandem GMAW.

• On Line Process Monitoring and Control in Arc Welding.

• Weldability of High Strength and Coated Steel.

Applied Automation• Advanced robotic programming.

• Additive Manufacture.

• Fully automated mining systems.

Engineering ManufacturingDirector: Professor Weihua Li

Phil working on Linear Motor Technology

Multi-disciplinary ProjectsOne of the main attributes of the Manufacturing Research activity is the ability to combine multi-disciplinary teams from within the university, with advanced resources, to focus on specific industrial automation and precision engineering problems. Examples of some of these projects include:

• Applying nano/micro/macro actuators and sensors for biomedical and biological applications.

• Applying electrical design, power quality, and superconductor engineering expertise in superconducting technology to build Magnetic Energy Storage Systems and novel fault current limiters.

• Bringing together electrical, welding engineers and OH&S expertise to elucidate electrocution hazards in welding.

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/manufacturing/index.html

Industry Feedback“Manufacturing in Australia is quite a complex, diverse and multi-disciplinary industry. This is reflected by the $102-billion food, beverage and grocery manufacturing industry, which is Australia’s largest manufacturing sector, comparable in size to the mining industry and four times larger than the automotive parts industry. To remain competitive, manufacturers need to adapt quickly to fast-changing business conditions through innovative product development, new technologies and supply chain enhancements.”

Ms. Kate Carnell

CEO, Australian Food and Grocery Council

PhD Student Profile: Philip ComminsPhil Commins completed his Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics) (Hons. 1st class) at the University of Wollongong where his honours thesis involved balancing a double inverted pendulum using a linear motor. He commenced his PhD at the same institution in 2007 where his research project involved developing a high precision synchronous reluctance tubular linear motor as a potential alternative actuator in machine tools. This type of synchronous linear motor is magnet free for special applications. Phil was supported by ANCA, an Australian leader in manufacturing high precision machine tools.

Phil spent 6 months at the Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Units located in Stuttgart, Germany, on a Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD ) (German Academic Exchange Service) exchange scholarship, where he worked closely with research engineers on linear motor technology.

During his time at the University, Phil has published numerous conference papers related to his PhD. He is now a full time research fellow with the Faculty of Engineering.

Professor Weihua LiProfessor Weihua Li is currently Director of Engineering Manufacturing. He obtained his BEng (1992) and MEng (1995) from the University of Science & Technology of China (USTC), and his PhD (2001) from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore (2001). After two year’s postdoctoral training in NTU (Singapore), he joined the University of Wollongong (UOW) as a full time academic. He is currently working as Discipline Advisor (Leader) for Mechatronic Engineering at UOW.

Professor Li has multi-disciplinary areas of expertise, including smart materials and structures, microfluidics, intelligent mechatronics, and dynamics and vibration control. He is widely recognised both nationally and internationally as a leading scientist in the field of magnetorheological (MR) materials and their engineering applications. He has co-authored more than 160 articles, and delivered many plenary or invited talks at various international conferences. He is currently serving as Associate Editor or Editorial board member for 8 international journals.

Professor Li has won a number of research grants and contracts from government and industry. He is also a recipient of a number of prestigious awards/prizes including an Australian Endeavour Research Fellowship, AAS Scientific Exchange Awards, and an Outstanding PhD Thesis Award, etc. He has also supervised more than 80 BE, Msc, and PhD theses to successful completion.

The Engineering Materials Institute (EMI) incorporates the BlueScope Steel Metallurgy Centre (BSMC) which co-ordinates research specific to the steel industry. EMI research fits within two ARC priority areas (environmentally sustainable Australian and frontier technologies), because the production and use of engineering materials are relevant to a wide spectrum of industries and activities such as energy generation, transportation, manufacturing, and mining, etc.. Material innovations are often central to the development of new products so current EMI researchers are developing advanced materials for automotive, building/construction, pipelines, and even bio-medical applications. Similarly, innovations in material processing can impact greatly on the economic viability and environmental sustainability of key industries such as steel production.

Objectives• To conduct world class research in the design, synthesis,

and characterisation of advanced materials for engineering applications.

• Maintain a special interest in ferrous metallurgy.

Research Groups and Projects Include:

Materials Process Engineering Group • Study the physical metallurgy of steel processing.

• Utilise Australia’s only Gleeble thermo-mechanical simulator to study thermo-mechanical processing of steel and other alloys of interest to the engineering fraternity.

• Conduct in-situ observations of phenomena such as phase transitions, oxidation, crystallisation of metallic glasses and slag dissolution using high temperature laser scanning confocal microscopy.

• Study phase transformations and thermo-mechanical processing of titanium alloys.

• Develop titanium alloys and component manufacturing techniques using powder metallurgical routes.

PYROmetallurgy Research Group• The development and optimisation of new and existing melt

processing techniques.

• Sustainable smelting technologies for low greenhouse gas emissions.

• Light metals processing.

• Novel spinel materials for refractory applications.

• Thermodynamic and kinetic modelling of cryolite-liquid and metal-liquid oxide systems.

• Inter-facial phenomena in high temperature processing.

• Processing high temperature materials.

Special Materials Advanced Research & Technology Group • Advanced processing - Advanced materials processing

technologies based on reactive milling, complex plasma powder processing techniques and high temperature consolidation using spark plasma sintering and hot induction pressing. Unique electric discharge compaction and sintering technology applied to solid-solid and solid gas reactions (alloying and compound formation, compound synthesis, ore reduction, dusty plasma reaction chemistry).

• Coatings - Improving the wear resistant coating for high speed machining of titanium, investigating corrosion resistant TiNi alloy coating.

• Products - Novel super hard materials (carbides, borides, and nitrides), nano-powders, hydrogen storage materials, deformable MAX phase conducting ceramics, advanced metal matrix composites, special purpose shape memory alloys (advanced ferrous and non-ferrous).

• Advanced Materials Characterisation Structure processing interrelationships, thermal analysis, x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and thermo-mechanical processing.

Polymer Properties Group • Understanding and replicating gecko adhesion.

• Toughness and adhesion of charged polymers and gels.

Rolling Mechanics Group • Atomic to macro scale modelling of hot and cold rolling

processes.

• Optimisation of rolling processes, development of high strength metals, thin strip rolling, product quality (surface roughness, thickness, and shape), friction, lubrication and wear, and the contact mechanics of rolling processes.

• The mechanics of micro rolling process.

• Study on strip edge cracks and waves.

Engineering Alloy Design and Characterisation • Design of new thermo-mechanical processing schedules for

HSLA, TRIP, strip-cast steels, and Ti alloys.

• Optimisation of micro alloying and utilisation of clustering phenomena to improve the properties of steels, and the application of atom probe tomography.

• Developing advanced, high strength steels for automotive applications.

• Phase transformation and mechanical behaviour.

• Texture control in annealed steels and Ti alloys (bulk texture studies and electron back scattering diffraction).

Engineering Materials InstituteDirector: Associate Professor Brian Monaghan

Research Partnerships EMI has a wide network of collaborating universities and industry partners, both in Australia and overseas. The list includes, but is not limited to: BlueScope Steel, CSIRO, BHP Billiton, DSTO, Sydney University, Monash University, ANSTO, UNSW, Swinburne University, Deakin University, University of Delft, Netherlands; Los Alomos National Laboratory, USA; Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA; McGill University, Canada; Institute for Metal Physics, National Academy of Science, Ukraine; Beijing University of Science and Technology, China; Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Nanjing University, China; Baosteel, China; POSCO, Korea.

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/emi/index.html

Associate Professor Brian Monaghan Associate Professor Brian Monaghan has been an active lecturer and researcher in materials engineering at the University of Wollongong for more than 10 years. He is a Pyrometallurgist who passionately believes that if the sustainability, energy, and greenhouse gas issues currently facing the planet are to be addressed, then we need a strong engagement from materials engineering and applied sciences. He is currently working on high temperature chemistry, with a particular focus on metal processing, and is also a member of the BlueScope Steel and Metallurgy Centre as well as Leader of the PYROmetallurgy Group.

PhD Student Profile: Stefan GriesserStefan completed a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (with distinction) in Metallurgy at the University of Leoben (MUL) in Austria, and is now working on his PhD at the University of Wollongong (UOW). As part of his current research project Stefan is using a High-Temperature Laser-Scanning Confocal Microscope (HTLSCM) to investigate the influence of alloying elements on the peritectic phase transition in steel. The use of the HTLSCM is very promising since it is a relatively new technique for in-situ characterisation of phase transformations at elevated temperatures up to 1600 °C.

His PhD project is an excellent example of international collaboration because it is a joint project between MUL and UOW, scientific partners in the Austrian COMET-K2-Project.

Stefan has published several peer reviewed journal papers, conference papers and posters, and won three awards in various competitions, as well as having attended national and international conferences.

Stefan is pictured with the high-temperature laser-scanning confocal microscope he is using for his research project.

ARC Centre of Excellence for Electomaterials Science/Intelligent Polymer Research Institute:Director: Professor Gordon Wallace

Objectives:• Create new electro-materials that will stimulate advances

in the fields of energy conversion (including artificial photosynthesis), energy storage, and bionic systems.

• Develop the science of electro-materials at both nano- and macro-dimensions.

• Integrate these novel electro-materials into devices such as solar cells and super-capacitors, lightweight batteries, artificial muscles, fuel cells and bionic implants.

• Introduce and disseminate new expertise in electro-materials into the Australian workforce.

Programmes include: Electro-materials Design and Synthesis• Synthesis of new Conducting Polymers

• Functionalising Carbon Nanotubes

• Fibre Spinning and Electro-spinning

• Ink-Jet Printing

Energy Conversion• Artificial Muscles

• Polymer Solar Cells

• Polymer Fuel Cells

Energy Storage• Polymer Batteries and Capacitors

• Textile/Fibre Batteries

Bionics• Improved electrode and nerve cell interactions

• Controlled drug release for epilepsy control

• Muscle regeneration

For more information: http://ipri.uow.edu.au/index.html

Professor Gordon WallaceProfessor Wallace is currently the Executive Research Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES). His research interests include organic conductors, nano-materials and electro-chemical probe methods of analysis. A current focus involves the use of these tools and materials in developing bio-communications from the molecular to skeletal domains in order to improve human performance via medical Bionics.

Professor Wallace completed his undergraduate (1979) and PhD (1983) degrees at Deakin University and was awarded a DSc from Deakin University in 2000. He was appointed as a Professor at the University of Wollongong in 1990 and was awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) QEII Fellowship in 1991 and an ARC Senior Research Fellowship in 1995. In 2002 he was appointed to an ARC Professorial Fellowship. In 2006 he was awarded an ARC Federation Fellowship.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI). He was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2003 and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2007. He was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK) in 2004.

He received the Inaugural Polymer Science and Technology award from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) in 1992. He was awarded an ETS Walton Fellowship by Science Foundation Ireland in 2003. He received the RACI Stokes Medal for research in Electrochemistry in 2004.

Professor Wallace has published more than 550 refereed publications and a monograph (three editions) on inherently conducting polymers for intelligent material systems. He has also supervised 55 PhD students to completion.

Cameron looking at skeletal muscle cells using fluorescence microscopy

PhD Student Profile: Cameron FerrisCameron Ferris is a PhD student working with the Bionics group of IPRI and the Soft Materials Group in the School of Chemistry. He is developing hydrogel bio-materials for engineering soft tissues such as skeletal and cardiac muscle. Cameron says “Our hydrogels, based on a natural bio-material called gellan gum, form under mild conditions that allow living cells to be encapsulated. By modifying these hydrogels with specific bio-molecules, and through intelligent fabrication using three-dimensional printers, we aim to guide these cells towards the formation of functional tissue.” These hydrogels could be applied as cardiac patches for heart attack patients, or to replace muscle lost through injury or disease.

The Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials (ISEM) has secured more than $20M in funding since 1994, from ARC and the private and public sectors. The Institute is part of the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, a leading Australian research centre with two ultra-modern buildings containing world class facilities and laboratories. It is a truly international centre with more than 30 full time researchers, 60 postgraduate students, and a number of academic and visiting researchers from Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South-East Asia. ISEM maintains its outstanding research quality through collaboration with numerous world renowned institutions such as the University of Cambridge (UK), Ohio State University (USA), and the National Institute for Materials Science (Japan), etc.

Objectives:• Establish a world class inter-disciplinary research team in

materials technology and manufacturing.

• Promote the commercial potential of emerging materials technology to industry.

• Enhance and develop strong national and international links in various fields.

• Offer the best possible postgraduate education and training.

Research Groups and representative projects include:

Applied Superconductivity Group• Technology and the application of High Temperature

Superconductors (HTSC).

• Fabrication and the application of HTSC and MgB2 wires and tapes.

• Microstructure, flux pinning, and critical current density of HTSC and MgB2 superconductors.

• Powder processing and characterisation of HTSC and MgB2 superconductors.

• Investigation and development of newly discovered Fe-based superconducting materials.

Energy Storage Group• Hydrogen-fed fuel-cell technology.

• Electro-materials for advanced lithium-ion batteries and super-capacitors.

• Investigation of nickel-metal hydride materials for rechargeable batteries.

• Novel hybrid electro-chemical energy storage and conversion systems.

Spintronic and Electronic Materials Group• First principle calculations for electronic structures and

exploration for new superconductors.

• Ferroelectric and hybrid ferroelectric-magnetic materials for multi-functional electronic applications and data storage.

• Novel magnetic materials for electronic spin applications.

• New thermo-electric materials for power generation and refrigeration.

• Exploration of new concepts in functional materials: gapless spin and multi-ferroic materials.

Thin Film Technology Group• New technology for HTSC coated conductors for future long

length and “over-critical” current carrying applications.

• Nano-structures and interfaces for super current flow and limitation in HTSC films, multi-layers and hybrid structures.

• Magneto-optical investigation of HTSC films, multi-layers and hybrid structures for electronic applications.

• MgB2 thin films for electronic devices and telecommunication.

Nano-structured Materials Group• High surface area nano-structured oxides for energy saving.

• Chemical deposition methods for solid state thin film batteries.

• Novel nano-structured materials for asymmetric super-capacitors.

• Application of nano-structured ceramics for treatment and prevention of cancer and other diseases.

• Terahertz Science, Solid State Physics Group

• Quantum tunnelling and electrical characterisation of semi-conductor nanostructures.

• Magneto-optical study of colossal magneto-resistance.

• Thermionics and thermo-electrics in nanomaterials.

• High efficiency terahertz emitters.

• Advanced materials and structures for terahertz science and technology.

• Theoretical and applied research on graphene and its applications.

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/ISEM/index.html

Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials Director: Professor Shi Xue Dou

Laser ablation system.

Professor Shi Xue DouInstitute Director Professor Shi Xue Dou is an internationally renowned expert in the field of superconductivity and energy storage. His experience and dedication to the field has been acknowledged with the award of a Doctor of Science at UNSW in 1998. He is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Professorial Fellow, a Fellow of The Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering, and winner of 13 academic awards for excellence in research and teaching. He has been proactive in promoting collaborations uniting industry in the national and international arena. Through Professor Dou’s great dedication, experience and leadership, ISEM continues to achieve outstanding results and recognition in research. He holds four patents, has published more than 300 refereed papers, and presented more than 40 invited talks at international conferences.

PhD Student Profile: Serhiy PysarenkoMr. Serhiy Pysarenko recently completed a PhD degree at UOW. He joined ISEM in 2005 after completing his Master Degree in Physics in the Ukraine. He was involved in the development of new and effective ways to increase the critical current carrying capability of thin YBCO films. Not only did he produce significant results in applied physics, but also in theoretical and fundamental physics of thin superconducting films. These achievements have been recognised by several awards received at national and international conferences. Due to his vast knowledge of Physics, Materials Engineering, and dextrous hand skills, Serhiy has become an invaluable and well respected member of ISEM where he now works as an Associate Researcher. We are confident that he has a bright future ahead of him, and in years to come will make ISEM very proud.

Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials Director: Professor Shi Xue Dou

The University of Wollongong’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Research Institute is one of the longest running university-based research institutes in the field of ICT in Australia and is a leading research strength within the University. The Institute has been instrumental in establishing the University’s international reputation in ICT research and is recognised as a Centre of Excellence in Telecommunications by the New South Wales State Government. The ICT Research Institute has significant R&D capacity in the areas of communication and wireless technology, multi-media and information processing, computer and information security, and intelligent systems. The research institute currently comprises six laboratories which collectively represent about 32 academic research staff and over 70 post-graduate students, 90% of whom are PhD students.

Objectives:• To conduct leading edge research and development into the

technology and application of future multi-media information communication and services.

• To conduct research into cryptography, network security, and multi-agent systems.

• To use its expertise and reputation to help establish the Illawarra Region as the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hub of New South Wales.

• To offer the best possible postgraduate education and training.

Key Competencies• Wireless ad hoc and sensor networks.

• Immersive multi-media virtual environment.

• Smart vision sensors and 3D data acquisition.

• Coding, search and retrieval of multi-media content.

• Detection, tracking, and recognition of human faces.

• Analysis of human motion and video surveillance.

• Multi-media security and forensics.

• Access control and computer security.

• Cryptography and network security.

• Information retrieval, web search, and data mining.

• Multi-agent systems and agent-based simulation and modelling.

Current Projects include:• Immersive Multi-media Communications - an immersive

and interactive virtual environment with applications such as education and training services, and virtual office for a dispersed workforce.

• Human face detection, tracking and analysis - leading technologies for face detection, face recognition, facial expression recognition, and gender recognition under realistic conditions.

• Bio-acoustic signal processing and analysis - develops the latest technologies for automatic recognition, localisation, and monitoring of endangered fauna.

• Dynamic single sign-on with identity-based cryptography - offers a novel solution for managing multiple credentials of multiple on-line services.

• Secure payment systems - offers the latest secure payment systems over the Internet for e-commerce and gives privacy and anonymity whenever it’s required.

• 3D profile acquisition based on digital fringe projection - cost effective solutions for non-contact measurement of 3D shapes for applications such as prototype engineering, 3D bio-metrics, and 3D virtual reality.

• A Multi-agent System for Power Grid Networks - is an innovative approach to managing power grids and allocating resources through a combination of local intelligence and global coordination using multi-agent technology.

• Distributed Information Retrieval Systems for Web Search - introduces technologies that will advance web search services and help meet current and future needs.

• Analysis of distributed Surveillance Systems for Event Detection - aims at combining sensory data from globally distributed surveillance systems to detect inter-dependent events for enhancing national and international security.

Collaboration:ICTR has established strong research collaborations with world leading research organisations such as Microsoft Research, Apple, Department of Foreign Affairs, Directorate of Signal Defence, NSW government, and a partnership with the Smart Service CRC.

For more information on ICTR: http://ictr.uow.edu.au/index.html

Information & Communication Technology Research InstituteManaging Director: Professor Farzad Safaei

Professor Farzad SafaeiFarzad Safaei graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics) degree, and obtained his PhD in Telecommunications Engineering from Monash University, Australia. He has been conducting and managing advanced research in the field of data communications and networks since 1990. Currently, he is the Professor of Telecommunications Engineering and Managing Director of ICT Research Institute at the University of Wollongong. Before joining the University of Wollongong, he was the Manager of Internetworking Architecture and Services Section in the Telstra Research Laboratories.

His current research focus is on network support for immersive and distributed virtual environments. A key aspect of this research is large-scale delivery and real-time creation and processing of multi-media content, with a judicious adaptation of the spatial location of computation performed on multi-media streams. The application of this research on immersive voice communication for massive multi-player network games has been successfully commercialised through a start-up company which was later acquired by Dolby Corporation, the world leader in spatial sound technology.

PhD Student Profile: Jie (Jack) YangJie Yang received his Bachelor degree from the Chinese University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China in 2005, and completed a Master’s degree in Pattern Recognition and Intelligence Systems at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in 2007. He was awarded the Top Ten Research Student prize from HUST, and received second prize in the “China National Mathematical Modelling” competition in 2007.

In April 2008, Jie joined the University of Wollongong as a Ph.D. candidate working under the supervision of Professor Salim Bouzerdoum, Associate Dean of Research (Faculty of Informatics). His PhD research involves the application of Compressed Sensing for Machine Learning and Image Processing. He developed novel algorithms for sparse parameter estimation in pattern classification, feature selection, and image reconstruction. So far, he has published six refereed articles related to his Ph.D. research. In September 2010, he received the People’s choice Award in the University of Wollongong “Three Minute Thesis Competition”.

Jack is pictured with Augmented-Reality technology relating to his research project.

The Centre for Medical Radiation Physics (CMRP) is internationally recognised and has attracted competitive funding from the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Australian Research Council (ARC), Cancer Institute NSW and NSBRI (NASA), as well as strong support from industry. The CMRP has close links with four major hospitals: St George Cancer Care Centre, Illawarra Cancer Care Centre, Liverpool and Prince of Wales Hospitals’ Radiation Oncology Departments that provides opportunities for translational research and training in medical physics.

Objectives:• Research and development in the field of radiation detectors

and radiation instrumentation for mini-, micro- and nano-dosimetry in radiation therapy, nuclear medicine, space sciences, and high energy physics (HEP).

• Continuous education and training in medical physics through our comprehensive postgraduate research programme, and strong national and international collaborations.

• Translational research into clinical environments and commercialising our research and development to improve the results of cancer treatment.

• Develop new radiation oncology modalities, including proton therapy, synchrotron micro-beam therapy, Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), MRI-Linac, Volumetric Modulated Arc radio Therapy (VMAT), and new methods of radiation diagnostics.

Projects include: Radiation Detection and Instrumentation • Real time semi-conductor dosimetry for external beam

therapy and brachytherapy (MOSkin, spectroscopy dosimetry, MEDIPIX dosimetry, Dose Magnifying Glass (DMG), Magic Plate neutron dosimetry).

• Radiation probes, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) detector modules and gantry for small animal imaging.

• Semi-conductor detectors for micro -dosimetry in mixed radiation fields.

• Radiation detectors for synchrotron micro-beam radiation therapy and imaging.

• Radiation instrumentation for HEP and homeland security.

Radiation Oncology – Radiotherapy Physics • Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)-translational

research.

• Image Guided Radiotherapy/ Adaptive Radiotherapy and advanced dosimetry.

• Brachytherapy (HDr. and LDR) to treat prostate cancer and eye melanoma.

• Synchrotron Micro-beam Radiation Therapy.

• Radio-Magneto-Therapy and MRI guided-Linac radiotherapy.

Micro- and nano-dosimetry and new radiation oncology modalities• Silicon micro-dosimetry for radiotherapy, space, and avionics.

• Proton therapy and proton computer tomography.

• Dosimetry in hadron therapy.

• Radio-biology for hadron therapy and Radio-Magneto therapy.

• Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations, including nano-dosimetry on the DNA scale.

Applied Medical Imaging • Film dosimetry: radiochromic and radiographic.

• Radiological dosimetry.

• Image fusion for radiotherapy planning.

• Imaging with high resolution pixelated detectors.

Industrial Partners and CollaborationCMRP has strong research and educational programmes in medical radiation physics in conjunction with St George and Illawarra Cancer Care Centres, and the Liverpool and Prince of Wales Hospitals Radiation Oncology Departments.

Collaborating with overseas institutions include: • Advanced radiation therapy - Memorial Sloan Kettering

Cancer Care Centre (New York), Department of Medical Physics at Wisconsin University, Proton therapy and micro- and nano-dosimetry - Loma Linda University Medical Centre (proton therapy) and MGH Proton Therapy Centre, Weizman Institute of Science (Israel).

• Space radiation medicine- US NAVAL Academy, NASA, NSBRI and Brookhaven National Laboratory.

• HEP and hadron therapy - CERN – European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Switzerland), KEK – High Energy Accelerator Research Organisation (Japan).

• Synchrotron therapy and imaging- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (France).

• Semi-conductor radiation detector groups at Polytechnico di Milano and Perugia University (Italy), and the Nuclear Medicine Medical Physics Department at University College, London.

• Industrial partners supporting and collaborating with CMRP include:

• Radiation detection instrumentation: Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Semi-conductor Nano-fabrication Facilty (SNF) at the University of New South Wales.

• Radiation therapy: Insight Oceania P/L and Varian Medical systems, Siemens, Australian Synchrotron, Institute of Scintillating Materials and Semi-conductor Production Association-BIT in the Ukraine.

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/phys/cmrp/index.html

Centre for Medical Radiation PhysicsDirector: Professor Anatoly Rozenfeld

Michael is pictured with a digital oscilloscope and pulser for the debugging of radiation detector instrumentation.

Professor Anatoly Rozenfeld Professor Anatoly Rozenfeld is the Director and founder of CMRP, and is world renowned for his research work on semi-conductor radiation detectors and their application for mini- and micro- dosimetry in radiation therapy, radiation protection, nuclear medicine and space sciences. He is a member of numerous editorial boards and international advisory committees on Solid State Dosimetry, Micro-dosimetry, IEEE Radiation Instrumentation Steering Committee, IEEE NPSS Transnational Committee and local committees, including the Australian National Proton Therapy Steering Committee, Prostate Cancer Institute, Australian HEP Executive Board and NHMRC Academy. He has also established a strong research programme on proton therapy in Australia.

Professor Rozenfeld is the founder of the biennial international workshops on Mini – and Micro- Dosimetry and its Applications, and Modern Technology for Prostate Cancer Treatment, and was President of the Solid State Dosimetry (SSD 16) international conference in 2010.

The Medical Radiation Physics research and educational programmes developed by Professor Rozenfeld at CMRP were recently recognised as being “above world standard” by the Australian Research Council – Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA). The CMRP was awarded for the second time, a special $1M grant from the NSW Cancer Institute “for further reinforcement of CMRP through the appointment of a Chair in Clinical Medical Radiation Physics”. Moreover, Professor Rozenfeld has published more than 160 articles, 2 chapters in books, holds 15 ex- Soviet, USA, and Australian patents, and also delivered many invited talks and seminars around the world.

PhD Student Profile: Michael WeaverMichael Weaver completed his Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics, Class 1 Honours) at the University of Wollongong in 2008. In the following year he began a PhD project that included a scholarship for a Graduate Certificate in Research Commercialisation. Michael’s project involves the research and development of a dosimetry verification system for use in eye brachytherapy. Currently, eye brachytherapy treatment in Australia lacks the level of quality assurance of many other modern radiotherapy treatments, so the project aims to resolve this problem and improve the quality of life for patients with ocular cancer.

This project is conducted in collaboration with the Centre of Medical Radiation Physics (CMRP), the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Illawarra Cancer Care Centre, the Sydney Eye Hospital, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre.

To gain experience in different areas of expertise, Michael will be spending some months abroad at the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics in the Czech Republic, and at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in the USA.

Michael’s involvement in the project includes the design and development of printed circuits and embedded data acquisition systems. His work at CMRP also involves conducting experimental research and programming the interfaces and visualisation of dosimetric data. He submitted a paper in his first year and has made presentations at a number of national and international conferences.

The Research Centre for Geomechanics and Railway Engineering (GRE) has been built around several inter-disciplinary research phases to undertake advanced research into the design and performance of major infrastructure such as dams and transportation systems. Researchers at the Centre have successfully secured many Australian Research Council linkage and discovery grants, in addition to funding from the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Railway Engineering and Technologies, and government and industry partners. Indeed the total annual funding for the Centre exceeds $30 million. The proven high level research from a team of focused academics, research fellows’ and high calibre research students places the GRE Research Centre on top of the region in many key areas.

Objectives:• Establish an inter-disciplinary research team to contribute to

the innovative development of sustainable surface and sub-surface infrastructure.

• Undertake challenging ground structure interaction projects.

• Conduct fundamental and applied research on modern ground improvement techniques.

• Improve the quality of research and training of postgraduate students with strategic research directions, with a focus on current industry trends.

The key research areas of GRE are:• SoftSoilEngineeringandGroundImprovement

• Stabilising soft clay embankments using prefabricated vertical drains combined with vacuum preloading.

• Chemical stabilisation of problematic soils, including erodible, dispersive, collapsible, and unstable soils.

• Use of synthetic materials to improve subsurface drainage and reduce track deflection.

• Stabilisation of soft and weak foundation soils using native vegetation that exploits root suction.

Rail Track Engineering• Dynamic modelling and prediction of track performance.

• Automated monitoring of track defects.

• New materials for track and rail components.

• Decision support systems applied to track maintenance scheduling.

• Assessment of rail-ballast-foundation interaction.

• Behaviour of granular materials under cyclic loads including particle degradation and cyclic densification.

• Effect of slope movements on rail tracks.

• Railway sub-ballast filtration under cyclic conditions.

• Dams and Foundation Engineering

• Design and construction of granular filtration for embankment dams.

• Role of filtration in eroded soil retention.

• Stability analysis of embankment dams.

Rock Engineering and Mining Geomechanics and Mine Planning• Jointed rock engineering.

• Rock excavations including tunnelling and mining.

• Strategic mine planning for deep mineral extraction and ventilation models.

• Minimisation of Geo-hazards and Geo-environmental Impact

• Landslide hazards and risk management.

• Remediation of acid sulphate soils to prevent corrosion of track components.

• Stability assessment of embankments.

Computation and numerical Geomechanics• Deep foundations and pile dynamics.

• Earthquake effects on foundations.

• Numerical and computational geomechanics.

• Constitutive modelling of geomaterials.

ARC Centre of Excellence for Geotechnical science and EngineeringThe ARC Centre of Excellence (ARC COE) for Geotechnical Science and Engineering was established in 2011 through the award of an Australian Research Council grant worth over $20 million. The Centre is expected to operate over a 7 year period via cash funding approaching $20 million, and contributions from ARC, industry, University, and NSW Science Leveraging.

ARC COE was formed by merging 3 of the most active and successful geotechnical research centres in Australia: the Centre for Geotechnical and Materials Modelling (Newcastle), the Centre for Geomechanics and Railway Engineering (Wollongong), and the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems (Western Australia).

The Centre focuses on large scale laboratory experiments and advanced computational methods in Geotechnical engineering, and for the first time in Australia the Centre will combine experimental and numerical researchers into a cohesive national team. Their combined strengths will generate a powerful capability for understanding and applying Geomechanics. Researchers from the University of Wollongong will lead exciting projects in the fields of energy, transport infrastructure, and ground improvement.

This will lead to many new opportunities for research students at the international leading edge of Geotechnical Engineering. The Centre is developing a major outreach program to bring this exciting field to the public.

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/geotechnical/index.html

Research Centre for Geomechanics and Railway EngineeringDirector: Professor Buddhima Indraratna

Research Centre for Geomechanics and Railway EngineeringDirector: Professor Buddhima Indraratna

Professor Buddhima IndraratnaProfessor Buddhima Indraratna (FIEAust, FASCE, FGS, CEng, CPEng) is an internationally acclaimed geotechnical researcher and consultant. After graduating in Civil Engineering from Imperial College, University of London he obtained a Masters in Soil Mechanics also from Imperial College, and subsequently earned a PhD in geotechnical engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada. His outstanding professional contributions encompass innovations in railway geo-technology, soft clay engineering, ground improvement, environmental geo-technology and geo-hydraulics, with applications to transport infrastructure and dam engineering. Under his leadership, the Centre for Geomechanics & Railway Engineering at the University of Wollongong has developed into a world class institution for ground improvement and transport geomechanics, undertaking national and international research and consulting jobs.

Recognition of his efforts is reflected by numerous prestigious Awards, such as the 2009 EH Davis Memorial Lecture by the Australian Geomechanics Society for outstanding contributions to the theory and practice of geomechanics and the Australian Commonwealth Government hosted 2009 Business-Higher Education Round Table Award for Rail Track Innovations among others. He is the author of 5 books and over 350 publications in international journals and conferences, including more than 30 invited keynote lectures worldwide. In the past, several of his publications have received outstanding contribution awards from the International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics (IACMAG), Canadian Geotechnical Society, and Swedish Geotechnical Society.

PhD Student Profile: Ana Ribeiro Heitor Ana is currently a PhD student at the School of Civil Mining and Environmental Engineering. Before joining UOW, Ana received her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Universidade Nova de Lisboa, followed by a two year period working as a Geotechnical Engineer in a highway construction firm in Portugal. Subsequently, she completed her MSc in Geotechnical Engineering at Kyoto University, Japan.

She is currently working on an ARC linkage project focussed on the characterisation of compacted fills using non-destructive testing methods, under the supervision of Professor Buddhima Indraratna and Dr. Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn. The application of her PhD work will be used in the assessment of foundation suitability over large areas of old compacted embankments, including the Penrith Lake development for housing and civil infrastructure.

Ana was awarded First Prize in the 2010 Young Geotechnical Professional Competition hosted by the Australia Geomechanics Society.

Ana is pictured with a Bishop-Wesley Triaxial cell upgraded to perform P and S wave bender element testing relating to her research project.

Bluescope Steel Metallurgy CentreDirector: Professor Elena Pereloma

The BlueScope Steel Metallurgy Centre (BSMC) was established in 2004 after it evolved from the previous BHP Institute for Steel Processing and Products which had been operating since 1995. The centre provides opportunities for academic staff to help industry enhance its business and for industrial staff to contribute to fundamental research and education, and in a unique arrangement, has built up specialised equipment and infrastructure that is shared by the University and company employees. The BSMC predominately focuses on, but is not limited to, research in the following two areas:

• Physical Metallurgy

• Pyrometallurgy

Objectives:• To conduct strategic, basic, and applied research that

complements the in-house R & D capacity of BlueScope Steel.

• To provide the best possible education at undergraduate and postgraduate level and help transfer new knowledge to the workplace.

Projects include:

Physical Metallurgy• The development of a new generation of low-manganese

steels.

• The study of steel processing using Australia’s only Gleeble thermo-mechanical simulator and high temperature laser-scanning confocal microscope to observe phenomena such as phase transitions, re-crystallisation, and oxidation.

• Delta-ferrite to austenite phase transformation in Fe-C alloys.

• The use of transmission electron microscopy and three dimensional atom probe tomography to study fine features in steels.

• Modelling

• Strip casting

• Weldability of low-manganese steels.

• Structural analysis for assessment and control of hydrogen damage in pipeline steels.

Pyrometallurgy Research• The development and optimisation of new and existing melt

processing techniques.

• Sustainable smelting technologies for low greenhouse gas emissions.

• Refractory stability.

• Thermodynamic and kinetic modelling of metal-liquid oxide (slag) systems involving high temperature (>1750°C) experimental work under oxidising and reducing conditions.

Rolling Research • Contact mechanics and computational mechanics in

materials processing.

• Multi-scale mechanics in metal manufacturing.

• Tribology in metal forming.

• The application of FEM to metal manufacturing and stress analysis.

• Analysis of heat transfer, thermo-mechanical, and mechanical properties by numerical methods.

• Mechanics of complex strip and thin strip rolling.

• Development of high precision mathematical models in the metal forming processes.

• The use of artificial intelligence in metal forming processes.

Metallic Coating Research• Study of Inter-facial Reactions between Steel Strip and

55%Al-Zn Galvanising Bath.

• Improved ductility of Al-Zn coatings.

Industry FeedbackBlueScope Steel has a long standing collaboration with the Materials Engineering discipline in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Wollongong.

This relationship was strengthened in 1995 with the formation of what is now the BlueScope Steel Metallurgy Centre (BSMC), and it was formalised with a Memorandum of Understanding.

Mr David Varcoe, General Manager, Product R&D at BlueScope Steel, said BlueScope Steel is very pleased to support the University in this way. “Through the BSMC we partner with highly regarded academic staff who have an interest in steel metallurgy, and we are able to jointly develop excellent research projects that benefit both the steel industry and our downstream customers. Steel is a versatile product that provides unique properties for the applications in which it is utilised. BlueScope Steel is proud to collaborate with the University of Wollongong to further enhance our products and to contribute to the research and educational initiatives of our local university.”

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/emi/SI/index.html

Bluescope Steel Metallurgy CentreDirector: Professor Elena Pereloma

Professor Elena PerelomaProfessor Elena Pereloma joined the University of Wollongong in January 2007 as a Professor of Physical Metallurgy and Director of BlueScope Steel Metallurgy Centre, having previously been at Monash University, Melbourne (1995-2006), Queen’s University, Canada (1993-1995) and the Institute for Metal Physics, National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine (1987-1992). Her areas of expertise include thermo-mechanical processing and processing-microstructure-property relationships in steels. She is also an expert in the application of advanced experimental techniques such as atom probe tomography and electron microscopy, and the microstructure characterisation of steels and alloys. Professor Pereloma has published more than 180 scientific papers, was the editor of two peer-reviewed conference proceedings, and is currently on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Metallurgy and La Metallurgia Italiana, the Advisory Board of ISIJ International, as well as being a reviewer for a number of international journals and international grant bodies. She is a recipient of five awards for excellence in research and teaching.

PhD Student Profile: Abdullah AlshahraniAbdullah Alshahrani is currently a PhD candidate in the BSMC. His studies are being sponsored by the Research Centre of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), with whom he has had more than 7 years working experience. Abdullah is participating in a project that is focused on the presence of mixed grain size microstructure in steels containing Niobium because it has an adverse effect on the toughness of steel. His research topic is titled “Role of Niobium Segregation and Dynamic Recrystallisation Phenomena in HSM Rolling on the Development of Mixed Austenite Grain Sizes in X70 Pipeline Steels”. This research project is jointly sponsored by BlueScope Steel and CBMM (Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração, the world’s largest producer of Niobium)”. Before joining the UOW in 2009, Abdullah obtained a Masters of Engineering degree from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.

Abdullah working with the GLEEBLE thermo-simulator

Defence Materials Technology CentreCoordinator: Dr. Stephen Van Duin

The Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC) is a multi -partner collaborative research centre aimed at providing the defence industry with materials and manufacturing solutions to enhance Australia’s defence capabilities. The research node of DMTC was established at UOW and is conducting research into materials and production techniques associated with the fabrication of land, marine, aerospace, and personnel survivability platforms.

Welding and joining play a key role in the fabrication of all defence platforms and in an attempt to progressively improve performance, capability, and availability it is likely that new challenges will arise in joining technology, particularly with the higher strength materials and lighter weight structures likely to be used. As the strength of these materials increases, weldability issues can dictate whether fabrication is feasible and what procedural constraints will be imposed. In addition the requirement for improved productivity and sustainable manufacture in Australia mean that advanced welding processes and automated manufacturing technologies must be evaluated.

Objectives:• To combine expertise and resources from defence industries

and research providers.

• To develop and deliver advanced materials/manufacturing technology that will be incorporated into future defence industry products and services, covering applications in land, marine, aerospace, personnel survival, and propulsion platforms.

• To sustain defence manufacturing and support capability in Australia, including in-service maintenance.

Selected DMTC research projects at the University of Wollongong:• The weldability and subsequent performance of high

strength structural steels for naval ships.

• The weldability and performance of existing and alternative armour materials for protective land based personnel vehicles.

• Advanced automated welding processes and monitoring for improved productivity.

• Lean additive manufacturing using GTAW robotic deposition of titanium aerospace components.

• Lean automation and rapid robotic programming for land and marine platforms.

• Welding reclamation repair and the surface treatment of marine components.

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/crc/dmtc/UOW089361.html

Dr. Stephen Van Duin Dr. Stephen Van Duin is currently the Programme Leader for the DMTC Maritime Platforms and facilitates several national research projects funded and supported by DMTC, defence industry and research providers across Australia, including the University of Wollongong. He is proactive in promoting collaboration between these groups and helps exploit the strong expertise of the University of Wollongong in the areas of material properties, joining, and automation.

Dr. Van Duin also maintains an active role as a Senior Researcher at the university with a strong focus on robotic lean automation. He has worked with a number of Cooperative Research Centres and is responsible for many long term research contracts with direct industry collaboration. He is currently Research Leader for several competitive contracts with the underground coalmining industry and has been the key to other industrial automation research projects at the University of Wollongong for over 14 years. He has patents on automation systems and has numerous publications in refereed journals, a book section and international conferences in the industrial automation and manufacturing field.

Defence Materials Technology CentreCoordinator: Dr. Stephen Van Duin

PhD student profile: Lenka KuzmikovaLenka graduated from Slovak University of Technology in 2007, where she was studying materials engineering. In her final year she focused on non-destructive testing of welds in the automotive industry. She came to Australia in 2008 as a permanent resident to study for a PhD. Her research topic is materials development and weldability of high strength armour steel for defence applications. She is currently receiving a scholarship from the Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC).

Lenka is pictured with the 6-axis industrial robot ABB ARB 4400 – 60 she is using for gas metal arc welding in her research project.

The Energy Pipelines Cooperative Research Centre (EPCRC) is a newly established collaboration involving the Australian Pipeline Industry Association Research and Standards Committee, the University of Adelaide, the Australian National University, Monash University, and the University of Wollongong.

Objectives• To provide a more efficient and effective use of materials for

energy pipelines.

• To extend the safe operating life of existing natural gas pipelines.

• To facilitate the construction of new pipelines to transfer gas and emerging energy cycle fluids such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide.

• To complement these technical programs with other programs to optimise public safety and organisational structures.

Selected CRC – Energy Pipeline Projects at University of Wollongong• Formation mechanisms and detection of weld metal

hydrogen-assisted cracking in pipeline girth welds - The CRC will conduct experiments and develop theory to identify the metallurgical factors and role of restraint; it will define optimum operating ranges for welding processes, consumables, and parameters to control hydrogen diffusion and avoid microstructures susceptible to cracks, and it will also evaluate non-destructive techniques to identify weld metal defects and ensure appropriate levels of detection.

• Pro-active control techniques - The CRC will develop and integrate on-line monitoring of safe welding procedures and associated post-weld approaches for non-destructive evaluation based on the data developed in formation mechanisms.

• Methods for fracture control in small diameter natural gas and other energy fluid pipelines - The CRC will develop comprehensive predictive models to analyse decompression and fracture arrest, including the effects of pipe wall roughness, pipe diameter, and two-phase processes of condensation nucleation. Testing with shock tubes will be carried out to validate the models.

• Methods for the design and control of thermal and pressure transients - The CRC will develop models using the latest CFD techniques and conjugate heat transfer analysis to assist in the design of pipelines to prevent the formation and propagation of critical fatigue, or stress corrosion cracks.

• CO2 decompression and dispersion modelling – The CRC will carry out research to develop recommendations for the technology, economics, and technical regulatory aspects governing the safety of CO2 pipelines.

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/crc/energypipelinecrc/UOW088116.html

Dr. Cheng LuDr. Cheng Lu joined the University of Wollongong in 2000. He has been actively involved in gas pipeline research since the formation of the Energy Pipelines Cooperative Research Centre (EPCRC) in 2010. The EPCRC addresses key challenges facing the Australian pipeline industry. The work of the EPCRC integrates four research programs. Dr. Lu is the Leader of Program 3 and a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the EPCRC. He has rapidly developed an international reputation for his innovative research in gas pipeline fracture control. His other research areas include the rolling process and computational material science and ultrafine grained materials. Dr. Lu has attracted more than $2million in funding for gas pipe-line research since 2010.

Energy Pipelines Cooperative Research CentreCoordinator: Dr. Cheng Lu

Energy Pipelines Cooperative Research CentreCoordinator: Dr. Cheng Lu

Zhixiong conducting micro-hardness test

PhD Student Profile: Zhixiong ZhuZhixiong Zhu is currently a PhD candidate supported by the China Scholarship Council. He commenced his PhD study in the School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering at UOW in July, 2010. He is participating in a project focused on the efficient use of materials for energy pipelines within Energy Pipelines CRC. This project will establish an international collaboration with Baosteel in China. His research topic is the welding of high strength pipeline steels. His PhD work will provide guidance and advice to the Australian pipeline industry on steel chemistry and welding variables to improve its performance

The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Railway Innovation is a joint venture by Australia’s leading rail industry companies and several major universities to advance research and development and increase the efficiency of the nation’s rail industry.

The key rail partners of the University of Wollongong are RailCorp (NSW), Queensland Rail (QR), and Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).

Objectives:• To improve the reliability of track through innovative design

and enhanced operational safety.

• To reduce the maintenance of track and the cost of upgrading.

Selected CRC-Rail Projects undertaken at the University of Wollongong:• Integrated Ballast-Formation-Track design and analysis

including the implications of ballast fouling and high impact loads.

• Development and validation of non-destructive ballast and formation condition assessment.

• Very Fast Trains - Quantification of non- commercial benefits.

• Strategic urban transport assessment: initial scoping.

• Longer life insulated rail joints.

• Improving rail infrastructure by introducing native vegetation and ‘green’ corridors.

• Improved Noise Management and Vibration Management.

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/crc/railcrc/index.html

Professor Buddhima IndraratnaProfessor Buddhima Indraratna (PhD, FIEAust, FGS, FASCE, CEng, CPEng) is an international expert on track geomechanics, bringing to the Centre a blend of academic and industry experience from Canada, UK, Thailand, and Australia. His special interests include extensive testing of composite track structures, assessment of ballast degradation and the influence of soft soils on track stability, and the numerical modelling of track under high speed trains. His book on “Mechanics of Ballasted Rail Tracks – A Geotechnical Perspective” was the first of its kind to describe the detailed engineering behaviour of ballast. His latest research findings have been instrumental in revising the ballast standards now used in the State of NSW. He is the author of 5 other books and over 350 publications in international journals and conferences, including more than 30 invited keynote lectures worldwide.

Cooperative Research Centre for Railway InnovationCoordinator: Professor Buddhima Indraratna

Cooperative Research Centre for Railway InnovationCoordinator: Professor Buddhima Indraratna

PhD Student Profile: Shiran Galpathage Shiran Galpathage commenced his PhD at the School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering in 2009. He obtained his BSc (1st class Honours) in Civil Engineering from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka in 2007. He worked as a highway design engineer at the Road Development Authority, Sri Lanka, before joining the University of Wollongong to do a PhD in 2009.

Shiran’s PhD research is mainly focused on the “Improvement of the sheer strength of soft soil by native tree root suction and root reinforcement”. His main goal is to provide important tools for practising engineers to use native vegetation as an environmentally friendly, cost effective, and flexible ground improvement method; especially in the construction of railways on vegetated coastal areas.

Shiran won the CRC Rail Innovation students’ competition in September 2010 in Brisbane for his excellent research presentation. He is working towards his PhD under the supervision of Professor Buddhima Indraratna, Dr. Jayan S. Vinod and Dr. Cholachat Rujikiatamjorm.

Shiran is pictured with an experiment (pressure plate test) relating to his research project

Advanced Structural Engineering and Construction Materials GroupCoordinator: Associate Professor Muhammad Hadi

Objectives:Researchers at the Advanced Structural Engineering and Construction Materials Group (ASEACM) generate sustainable solutions to some of the most extreme situations that structures are subjected to. Through our analytical, numerical, and experimental research programmes, ASEACM staff is developing novel solutions in blast engineering, resources, and offshore engineering. The group consists of six full time academic staff members, four visiting staff members, numerous BE (Hons), Masters, and PhD students associated with the group’s activities, and approximately five technical staff attached to its two structural engineering laboratories.

Within the School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wollongong, the ASEACM group combines their existing strengths in structural engineering to focus on advanced structural analysis to optimise the design and evaluation of high performance materials used in civil engineering construction, mining engineering, and protective technologies.

Projects include:• Advanced analysis and design of structures.

• The behaviour and strength of bolted connections in cold-formed steel. Fuse connections in design to halt the progressive collapse of steel storage racks.

• Investigating the response of high performance concrete filled columns and sandwich panels to blast and impact loads.

• Researching high performance concrete.

• Researching high performance metallic alloys.

• Investigating the interaction between foundations and soil under variable loads and rock based reinforcement systems.

• Modelling seismic ground motion. Seismic analysis and design of reinforced concrete structures. Seismic design of steel storage racks with rocking bases.

• Use of new materials to strengthen reinforced concrete members.

Examples of the application of these research strands include:• Improving the longevity of buildings.

• Sustainable construction materials.

• Floating oil and gas installations.

• Blast retrofit and blast resistant structures.

• Reinforced concrete columns and piers.

• Increasing the life cycle of pre-stressed concrete sleepers.

• Anchoring rock bolts.

• Seismic design for low to moderate seismicity regions.

• Methods of preventing buildings from progressive collapse.

This fundamental work by the ASEACM group to improve the strength of concrete structures has resulted in a number of patents. Moreover, the group has also done ground breaking work using novel materials such as metallic glasses and fibre reinforced polymers to improve the performance of columns and beams under extreme loads. They have also developed high performance barrier structures to protect critical infrastructure facilities against terrorist activities. This work enables structures to withstand the large forces generated by earthquakes and both accidental and intentional explosions. Our laboratories are equipped to conduct full scale beam tests and large impact tests.

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/aseacm/index.html

Associate Professor Muhammad HadiAssociate Professor Muhammad Hadi joined the University of Wollongong in 1994. He has extensive research experience in the area of reinforced concrete and using new materials to strengthen them. He has one patent pending in the area of preventing buildings from progressive collapse. Currently he is supervising eight research students in different areas of structural engineering. He has had over 200 research papers published in leading journals and conferences and has presented his work at over 65 conferences in some 40 countries. With colleagues he has secured over $400,000 of research funds and about $100,000 of consultancies.

PhD Student Profile: Hua Zhao Hua Zhao completed her Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) degree at the School of Civil, Mining, and Environmental Engineering and is now enrolled in a PhD. Her research project focuses on using alternatives to Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) to improve the performance of reinforced concrete members. In particular she is looking at methods to reduce early cover spalling of reinforced concrete members. During her time at the University of Wollongong, Hua has published a number of journal and conference articles.

Hua Zhao is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Award which includes travel to Hong Kong Polytechnic and Hong Kong Universities to undertake further research. She is also in receipt of a Commercialisation Training Scheme (CTS) Scholarship and an Australian Postgraduate Award.

Hua Zhao standing by the concrete cylinder specimens.

Environmental Engineering is based on several key aspects relating to society’s interaction with the Environment. This includes the development of engineering solutions to environmental problems which impact on our land, water, air quality, and provision of clean water and air for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes. Our research is developed on the principle of sustainability and centres on water quality and treatment as well as water resource engineering. We are now undertaking several major research projects funded by the Australian Research Council on membrane separation, water recycling, and remediation of acid sulphate soil groundwater.

Objectives:• To develop advanced water treatment technologies to

maximise the use of alternative and traditional water sources for a secured water supply.

• Integrate renewable energy to current water and wastewater treatment processes for a carbon neutral treatment system.

• Explore alternative approaches such as coastal reservoirs to capture, store, and protect water resources, and to promote our understanding of the impact of sediment transport in rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters on the water supply.

Research projects include:• Optimising nano-filtration and reverse osmosis filtration

processes for water recycling: effects of fouling and chemical cleaning on trace contaminant removal.

• Assessment and optimisation of N-nitrosamine rejection by reverse osmosis for planned portable water recycling applications.

• Investigation of chemical clogging in a permeable reactive barrier installed for remediating groundwater from acid sulfate soils.

• Novel approach for on-site landfill leachate treatment.

• Evaluating rest area on-site sewage treatment systems.

• Water recycling evaluation at NowChem: a feasibility study.

• Membrane and ion exchange assessment for the recovery of ammonium nitrate.

Industrial Partners and CollaborationEnvironmental Engineering has a strong research program in water engineering.

Collaborating institutions include:

• Veolia Water and Water Secure, Orica Australia and Hatch.

• University of New South Wales, Colorado School of Mines, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (New South Wales), Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA)- New South Wales.

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/UOW095479.html

Associate Professor Long NghiemAssociate Professor Long Nghiem is the leader of the Strategic Water Infrastructure Laboratory and currently Vice President of the Membrane Society of Australasia. He received his B.E. (1st Class Honours) from the University of New South Wales in 2002 and PhD from the University of Wollongong in 2005 under the supervision of Professor Andrea Schaffer (currently at the University of Edinburgh) and Professor Manachem Elimelech (Yale University). Associate Professor Nghiem was the recipient of the prestigious 2010 Vice Chancellor Award for Research Excellence for Emerging Researchers. His research interests centre on problem solving involving physico-chemical and bio-chemical processes in aquatic systems including, (1) Membrane technologies (2) Desalination technologies, and (3) Acid sulphate soil. Associate Professor Nghiem is currently the supervisor/co-supervisor of 10 PhD and Masters students, and 2 Postdoctoral Research Fellows.

Associate Professor Muttucumaru SivakumarAssociate Professor Muttucumaru Sivakumar is a recognised expert in the area of Water and Environmental Engineering both nationally and internationally. He has supervised over 15 successful PhD completions and has published over 175 technical publications in refereed journals and conferences. He has over 25 years teaching and research experience in the area of Environmental Engineering and is the founder of the research and teaching programs in Environmental Engineering at UOW. Associate Professor Sivakumar has held Visiting Professor/Academic positions at University of Minnesota, USA; University of Heidelberg, Germany; Shenyang University, China; Indian Institute of Science, India; James Cook University, Queensland, Australia, and Sri Sathya Sai University, Puttaparthy, India. Current Vice President and co-founder of Futureworld Eco-Technology Centre, a community based not-for-profit organisation that promotes the development and demonstration of ecologically sustainable technologies. Associate Professor Sivakumar was an Advisor/Consultant to the United Nations (Healthabitat) /Asian Development Bank – a value based water and sanitation education programme. He is also a resource person for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)-Tongji Environment for Sustainable development leadership programme, and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia and a Chartered Professional Engineer.

Environmental Engineering Research

Environmental Engineering Research

Associate Professor Shuqing YangAssociate Professor Shuqing Yang is a recognised expert in the area of sediment transport, turbulence, hydraulic and water engineering. He previously worked at the Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, China where he was the leader of a team of researchers responsible for solving sedimentation problems in the Three-Gorge Dam Reservoir, which is one of the largest reservoirs in the world. Currently, Associate Professor Yang is attacking the world’s water crisis, i.e., water resources development, clean water protection, and prevention from external pollution. He has published a book on scientific research in water, and over 50 journal papers where he clarified many long term unsolved problems such as why the measured velocity deviates from the log-law and what is the mechanism of wake-law or secondary currents? He also ascertained the mechanism of drag-reduction caused by polymer additives. He has been granted 6 patents relating to coastal reservoirs and proposed a series of new concepts for the global water crisis. He is the recipient of the Best Paper Award by IAHR (International Hydraulic Research Association), and Best Technical Note Award by ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers).

Dr. Faisal Ibney Hai Dr. Faisal Ibney Hai is one of the key teaching and research academics of the Strategic Water Infrastructure Laboratory at the School of Civil, Mining and Environmental (CME) Engineering, UOW. After receiving his BSc (1st class Honours) in Civil Engineering from BUET, Bangladesh, Dr. Hai completed his Masters and PhD in Environmental Engineering on 2004 and 2007, respectively from the University of Tokyo, Japan. Before joining UOW he completed a postdoctoral fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) at the University of Tokyo. Dr. Hai is the recipient of the prestigious award for “Outstanding Lecturer” from the Japan Society on Water Environment in 2010. Dr. Hai continues to carry out exciting research on the application of hybrid membrane processes for the removal of biologically persistent compounds (especially micro-pollutants) from water and wastewater.

PhD Student Profile: Alexander SimonAlexander Simon is currently a PhD student in the School of Civil, Mining and Environment Engineering. In 2008, while still a final year undergraduate student at Heilbronn University, Germany, he had the opportunity to do an internship in Environmental Engineering at UOW. “It was the first time that I had the opportunity to do hands-on laboratory research in membrane technology. After this experience I developed a passion for this topic. In addition to the advanced laboratory facilities at UOW, it was the team spirit that motivated me to enrol in a PhD at UOW.” Alex’s research project is to examine the influence of membrane fouling and subsequent cleaning on the membrane properties and performance. Membrane fouling is inevitable in any membrane applications and usually requires harsh chemical cleaning. The over arching aim is to provide a better understanding of how membrane fouling can be minimised and cleaning optimised. This would contribute to more reliable water production during long term membrane processes and lower the operating costs of this water technology. Alex has published a number of journal articles.

Alex working on the Surpass Electrokinetic Analyser

Mining Engineering at the University of Wollongong (UOW) is a major provider of research outcomes to the Australian minerals industry. Academics are actively engaged in a number of fundamental and applied research projects which are externally funded and industry sponsored in various areas of mining engineering.

Objectives:• To be an international provider of research outcomes to the

minerals industry.

• To support the mining industry with established expertise in mine safety, ground control, and mine design.

Current Research Projects include:• Mine Safety - in the areas of coal gas migration mechanisms,

underground mine dust control, dust suppression technologies, coal mine outburst control and prediction.

• Mining Geotechnical Engineering and Ground Control – with a focus on strata reinforcement, rock bolting, numerical modelling, and mine subsidence prediction.

• Computer Applications and Operations Research Methodologies – an active programme of system approach to mine productivity improvements. The work currently being conducted focuses on discrete simulation modelling, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and numerical modelling of ground movement.

Industry collaborationCurrent research collaborators include Australia Coal Association Research Program (ACARP), BHP Billiton, Minova Australia and Nuplex International.

For more information: http://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/UOW095476.html

Associate Professor Ernest Yaw Baafi Associate Professor Ernest Yaw Baafi has been associated with mining for 30 years. His primary field of research is the application of computers and operations research methodologies to system evaluation and design. His current research activities include geo-statistical ore reserve estimation, modelling ore bodies and mine system simulation and optimisation. He is a member of the International Council of Application of Computers and Operations Research in the Minerals Industry (APCOM), representing the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Ernest is also a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Associate Professor Ian Porter Associate Professor Ian Porter’s main area of research is strata control in underground coal mining. Current major research projects (securing $3M in Australian competitive grants), relate to the development of a thin spray on liner to replace steel mesh in coalmine roof reinforcement. Other areas of interest include modelling coal mine operations to improve performance. Ian is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and an editor of the Transactions of the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Journal.

Associate Professor Najdat Aziz Associate Professor Najdat Aziz’s current research interests include mine gas drainage and outburst control, ground control and rock bolting, and mine safety with an emphasis on dust control and rock cutting. He has supervised more than 20 postgraduate students and has developed numerous websites relating to mining engineering, including a website on mine gas outbursts, and has more than 200 publications. Naj is a regular reviewer of highly ranked journal papers and is a member of the organising committee of the International Ground Control Conference, held annually in West Virginia, USA. He is the chairman and editor of the proceedings of the Australasian Coal Operators’ Conference held annually.

Dr. Jan Nemcik Dr. Jan Nemcik has been actively involved in geotechnical research for more than 20 years. He has previously worked for a number of well known research institutions and companies including the Australian Coal Industry Research Laboratories (ACIRL), Commonwealth Scientific Industry Research Organisation (CSIRO), Department of Mineral Industries, Western Australia; Strata Control Technology (SCT) Operations Pty Ltd., which covers a wide array of mining and geotechnical applications from numerical simulations to field investigations. Jan’s primary field of research is rock mechanics and strata control in coal mining. He is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Dr. Ting Xiang Ren Dr. Ting Ren is an expert in mine gas drainage, coal seam gas, and dust control in long wall mines. He has worked on many projects in China and is well connected with Chinese Mining Universities and industry. Ting is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) registered with the UK Engineering Council and a member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. He is currently a guest professor for China University and Mining Technology (CUMT), and is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Mining Engineering Research

Mining Engineering Research

PhD Student Profile: Lei ZhangLei Zhang completed a Bachelor of Mining Engineering and a Master of Mining Engineering at China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT). He is also the first student from CUMT to enrol in a PhD in Mining Engineering at UOW. Lei is the recipient of a China Scholarship Council award.

Lei’s research topic is investigating the Coal Sorption Characteristics in various Environmental Situations. This research involves visiting mine sites and completing field studies on Coal Seam Gas problems.

As a first year PhD candidate, Lei has already published two papers and was a member of the organising committee for the China-Australia Coal Mine Safety & CMM international Conference held in Australia.

Sustainable Buildings Research CentreDirector: Professor Paul Cooper

More than a quarter of the total greenhouse emissions in Australia result from the use of buildings (this figure is even higher in other countries such as the US and Europe). Since new buildings are replacing the existing stock at a rate of only about 1% or so per year, research and development, and the implementation of new retrofit technologies and design approaches are required to increase the energy efficiency of our national buildings and help de-carbonise our built environment.

The Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC) began with an Australian Commonwealth Government grant of $25.1m to develop a number of new facilities focussed on retro-fitting existing buildings, including the new research centre at the University of Wollongong (UOW) Innovation Campus.

Objectives:• To conduct research that will significantly increase the

sustainability of our existing buildings by focussing on the development and application of retrofit technologies that will reduce greenhouse emissions, waste, and water consumption.

• To work closely with industry to research, develop, test, and demonstrate sustainable building technologies and design principles.

Research and training project examples include:• Thermal modelling of buildings and optimisation of retrofit

options.

• Natural ventilation and low energy ventilation systems.

• New materials for buildings and building elements including thermal storage systems, cladding, insulation, etc

• Sustainable construction techniques for retrofitting.

• Laboratory and in-situ testing and demonstration of retrofit technologies.

• Social and cultural research – impact of social behaviour and attitudes towards the uptake of sustainable retrofit technologies, and cultural barriers to the implementation of environmentally friendly technologies.

• Economic, social and environmental evaluation of retrofitting technologies.

• Electricity demand-side management and on-site energy generation for buildings, micro-grids, on-site generation systems (PV and wind), smart meters, storage systems, etc..

• Distributed retrofitting – a proactive program to demonstrate and test retrofit technologies on existing buildings on the UOW campus and in the local community.

• Technical training and up-skilling of engineers, para-professionals, and tradespeople in energy efficiency and sustainable retrofit technologies.

Collaboration:The University is currently developing research collaborations with a number of leading international institutions in the field of Energy Efficiency and Building Retrofitting. The University’s existing relationship with industry leader BlueScope Steel will be expanded through SBRC projects and many other research/training relationships with professional bodies, manufacturers, suppliers and contractors are currently under development.

For more information: http://sbrc.uow.edu.au

Professor Paul CooperPaul Cooper is the Director of the University of Wollongong Sustainable Buildings Research Centre, or SBRC.

Professor Cooper has been involved in research on a wide variety of topics in energy systems, energy efficiency and fluid mechanics over the past twenty five years. He holds a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering, a Masters in Science and Technology Studies and a PhD in heat transfer, all from Imperial College, London. In the mid-1980’s he was a research fellow in the Built Environment Research Group (BERG), and the Research in Building (RIB) group at the University of Westminster, before joining the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Wollongong in 1988.

His research projects have included the development of a large solar hot water scheme for municipal housing in London; modelling of energy and ventilation systems in buildings and research on renewable energy, including small scale wind and ocean wave energy systems. Professor Cooper was the Head of the School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering at the University of Wollongong up until July 2010, when he took up his present appointment as Director of SBRC.

Phd Student Profile: Daniel DalyDaniel graduated with first class honours from the Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) degree program at the University of Wollongong in 2010. His final year thesis research project focussed on minimising the carbon footprint at the University by reducing electricity consumption. Daniel’s PhD research program with the SBRC will look at optimal retrofit strategies to minimise electricity consumption and greenhouse emissions in commercial and educational buildings. Of particular interest will be the effects of occupants’ day-to-day practices and attitudes in respect to the success of these strategies.

Outside of his studies at UOW, Daniel spends much of his time active in the local environment, either surfing at the nearby beaches, or walking in the escarpment. He plays for the University’s AFL team, and is active in the North Wollongong community garden. Longer term, Daniel hopes to work on retrofitting residential and small commercial buildings to reduce energy wastage. In this area an understanding of the human influence on retrofit strategies will be invaluable.

Sustainable Buildings Research CentreDirector: Professor Paul Cooper

Computer image of the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (to be completed in 2012).

Daniel in a new building services plant room.

SMART Infrastructure FacilityChief Executive Officer: Garry Bowditch

The SMART Infrastructure Facility (Simulation, Modelling, Analysis, Research, and Teaching) is a world class interdisciplinary research and teaching centre concerned with integrated infrastructure challenges and solutions for business, government, and communities.

The SMART Infrastructure Facility ranks as one of the largest infrastructure institutions in the world. It consists of 30 specialist research and education laboratories that focus on services such as electricity, energy, water, gas, transport, rail, and road.

The laboratories are integrated by a simulation centre which can generate powerful, scaleable models of various infrastructure services, including the interaction between these networks. The simulation centre is supported by a peak computing facility containing high end computational and visualisation capabilities of bio-physical characteristics of, for example, road, rail, water, electricity, and communication in a particular area, including how people interact with these assets.

SMART offers postgraduate scholarships in infrastructure modelling. SMART scholars study in the new SMART Infrastructure Facility, access SMART laboratories, and participate in unique inter-disciplinary opportunities with government and industry.

Objectives • To generate, publish, and disseminate ideas that support

a greater understanding of the inter-connection and interdependence of infrastructure assets and systems.

• To forge a new branch of research called ‘integrated infrastructure planning and management’ with the aim of analysing the individual and combined effects of infrastructure systems.

• To encourage positive policy formation using reasoned arguments and intellectual rigour, and converting conceptual insights into practical initiatives beneficial to governments, industry and the community.

• To promote vigorous and evidence based dialogue with industry and government whilst being a compelling intellectual partner in the development of the infrastructure industry in Australia and abroad.

SMART Infrastructure Facility at a glance

• Four-storey research and teaching building

• 12,000 m2 floor space

• 30 state-of-the-art laboratories integrated by a national simulation and data centre

• Up to 200 higher degree research students

For more information: http://smart.uow.edu.au

Mr Garry BowditchGarry is the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the SMART Infrastructure Facility. He has approximately 20 years of experience spanning Australia, Asia, and the OECD, and has a wealth of knowledge, insight, and “bluechip” networks to help SMART achieve its goals with government and business within Australia and internationally. Garry was the Founding Executive Director of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia. He has held senior executive positions in commercial organisations including Tenix as Senior Vice President, Marketing & Business Development.

Before entering the private sector, Garry was a senior Commonwealth Treasury Official for seven years and Head of International Economics and Finance at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Garry is an appointed member of the Australia Pacific Economic Cooperation Committee to advise on regional trade and investment initiatives in APEC. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Macquarie Graduate School of Management, an Honours degree in Economics from the University of Wollongong, and also studied at the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, John Hopkins University, Washington DC.

SMART Infrastructure FacilityChief Executive Officer: Garry Bowditch

PhD Student Profile: Maria RashidiMaria completed her bachelor degree in Civil Engineering at BIHE University in Iran and an MSc degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wollongong (UOW). She is currently working on a PhD at the University of Wollongong in the School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering. Her research project is “Decision Support System (DSS) for Bridge Remediation” under the supervision of Associate Professor Peter Gibson. The DSS is a sub-category of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that helps decision makers solve problems and make decisions. The research outcome can be applied to any type of infrastructure asset management. She has published and presented her research at international conferences.

Maria is the recipient of the Railcorp Infrastructure Award funded by SMART.

Research Laboratories and Facilities

Engineering research is supported by well equipped laboratories and workshops and a highly skilled team of support staff. There is a major off-campus facility for large scale research projects.

The use of resources by external collaborators from industry is encouraged and enquiries are invited.

Special facilities include:• advanced computer controlled welding systems

• the latest robotic and automation systems

• high speed data acquisition

• high speed video and cine cameras

• 3kW diode laser

• welding fume measurement system

• scanning electron microscopes

• electron back scattering diffraction unit

• transmission electron microscope

• atomic force microscope

• x-ray diffraction

• optical microscopy and metallography

• mechanical testing

• micro indentation system

• hardness testing

• GLEEBLE thermo-mechanical simulator

• thermal analysis suite (DSC, dilatometry, DTA)

• high temperature laser confocal microscope

• plasma nitriding system

• filtered arc deposition system

• wear testing machines

• 10kW gyrotron for microwave processing

• chemo-mechanical synthesis equipment

• refractory testing

• high temperature sessile drop measurement equipment

• Hille rolling mills

• ultra high vacuum pulsed laser deposition (UHV-PLD) system

• terahertz facility

• magnetic properties and physical properties measurement systems (MPMS and PPMS)

• ICP-OES Spectrometer for chemical analysis

• electron beam evaporation facility with XPS, auger, x-ray modules

• high resolution SEM/EBL system

• high magnetic field materials processing and characterisation system

• large scale cylindrical tri-axial apparatus with dynamic actuator (300 mm in diameter)

• large scale cyclic prismoidal tri-axial rig with unrestrained sides (600x600x800 mm)

• large scale consolidatometer (650 mm in diameter for soft soil testing)

• GDS controlled tri-axial apparatus

• cyclic filtration apparatus (240 mm in diameter)

• 500kN instron universal testing machine

• Large capacity drop hammer machines

• California instruments 30 kVA programmable arbitrary waveform generator

• power quality analysers (Kioki 3196 Power Quality analyser, Dranetz-BMI PowerXplorer PX5)

• Voltech PM3000 universal power analyser

• PMM 7000 emission pre-compliance system and PMM L3-64 three-phase 64 A artificial mains network

• Small-Strain Hollow Cylinder Apparatus

• Cyclic simple shear apparatus

• Unsaturated tri-axial apparatus

• Static/cyclic tri-axial apparatus

• Back pressure shear box apparatus

• GDS cyclic process simulation apparatus

• Ring shear apparatus

• High Pressure Tri-axial Apparatus

• Large-scale direct shear apparatus

• Scanning electron microscope with EDXS

• Field emission gun scanning electron microscope with EDXS and EBSD

• Texture goniometer

• Dust testing via AS4156 and I.S. EN15051

• Simulation research hub comprising 8-core workstations

• Large-scale direct shear tester with variable shear rate and displacement

• Arching and flow rate indicisers

• Treatment Planning Systems for Radiation Therapy (Pinnacle, Eclipse and HDr. brachytherapy)

• Nuclear spectroscopy shielded room for radiation detector investigation

• Characterisation facilities for semi-conductor and scintillator based radiation detectors

• Computer cluster for Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations (GEANT, EGS, Beam, Pinnacle, MCNP)

• Electronic DAQ system designed laboratory for medical devices (fast picoseconds resolution VCR, FPGS programming and testing equipment)

• Phantom design and fabrication laboratory (mechanical machinery tools, Autocad station)

• Clean room for semi-conductor radiation detector assembly and investigation

• PET computer control gantry for relocating different designed PET detector modules

Please note the following equipment is located at collaborating hospitals

• Modern radiation oncology modalities:

• LINAC

• Brachytherapy equipment

• CT scanners

• PET

• MRI

Research Laboratories and Facilities

Research Degrees

Students may undertake the following Degrees

Doctor of PhilosophyDuration: 3 Years Full-Time (or Part-time equivalent)

The PhD is an internationally recognised qualification for postgraduate research of the highest standard.

Applicants should have completed a Masters degree or a Bachelor degree with first or second class honours. The research programme typically takes 3 years of full time study, and includes a major thesis describing the original research of the candidate which is then presented to a panel of examiners of international standing.

Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated)Duration: 4 Years Full-Time (or Part-time equivalent)

The PhD (Integrated) integrates a traditional three year PhD thesis with one year of coursework, comprising generic research training and discipline specific content into a single degree.

The coursework provides candidates with the opportunity to develop their research skills while allowing additional time to develop a detailed research topic. This provides greater certainty and better outcomes in the thesis.

The PhD Integrated is ideal for applicants who aspire to graduate with a PhD and who:

• want a flexible programme which includes a selection of ‘taught’ subjects included in a specific discipline area of their interest;

• need further time and to develop a detailed research proposal; or

• need to develop their research training skills in order to demonstrate their capacity to undertake a major research thesis.

Master of Engineering – Research Duration 1.5 years Full-Time (or Part-time equivalent)

This degree is intended for those who wish to extend their knowledge in a chosen discipline. Some coursework may be undertaken to strengthen their knowledge in the chosen topic and candidates must submit a thesis that contains significant advanced study.

Applicants should have a Bachelor degree with Honours or equivalent to enter this program.

Master of Science – Research (Physics)Duration 1.5 years Full-Time (or Part-time equivalent)

The Master of Science degree by research equips candidates with superior skills in research design and methodology to prepare for leadership roles in their chosen field. Advanced standing for some or the entire coursework component may be granted for demonstrated research skills.

Professional DevelopmentUnder appropriate circumstances some research may be undertaken in industrial or other laboratories. In such circumstances students may have an industrial supervisor and a University supervisor. Some attendance at the University is required including participation in research seminars and discussion. Interested candidates should enquire for further details.

A feature of postgraduate research training in the Faculty is personal development in a range of skills that make graduates more effective when they are employed, after completing their degrees. HDr. students are also encouraged to attend faculty based and centrally funded research seminars and workshops covering a range of generic and discipline based research skills and professional development needs.

PhD candidates may also undertake a Graduate Certificate in Business, at no cost, whilst completing their PhD studies.

Master of Engineering (Coursework Degree)Duration 1 year

This programme provides training in research and also gives greater depth of understanding in specialist areas of engineering. It involves a combination of research dissertation and four, 6 credit point subjects which are chosen from the engineering specialisations.

Admissions:All applications for Research degrees are made via the web. To apply please proceed http://www.uow.edu.au/future/index.html applicants may nominate an agent as their representative but their representative must still submit an online application.

Language Competency:All classes are conducted in English; therefore non-native English speakers must demonstrate competence in the language by presenting the results of one of the following tests.

• IELTS(InternationalEnglishLanguageTestingSystem)withaminimumscoreof6.5overallandminimum6inallbands(reading,writing,listening,andspeaking).

• TOEFL(TestofEnglishasaForeignLanguage)with88(internetbasedexamination)withnotlessthan20inwriting;18inreading;18inlisteningand18inspeaking.

• WollongongCollegeAustralia,EnglishforTertiaryStudies(ETS)scoreof65%.

StudentswhohavecompletedtwoyearsstudyinanEnglishspeakingcountryovertheprevious4yearsdonotneedEnglishrequirements.

Students may apply to complete the English requirement at the University of Wollongong College, information available at http://www.uowcollege.edu.au

Generous University and Government scholarships are available for research based postgraduate programs in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Wollongong. Information and application procedures can be found at the following website: http://www.uow.edu.au/future/index.html

Research Degrees

Awards and Achievements

Established in 1951, the University of Wollongong (UOW) has been recognised by Federal and State Governments and by independent analysts as being at the pinnacle of higher education in Australia. Here is a cross section of awards and achievements bestowed on UOW.

2011 Rated In The Top 2% Of Research Universities In The WorldUOW was placed in the top two per cent of universities in the world by its performance in the QS World University Rankings 2011 and Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011. These prestigious rankings compare universities across a range of important criteria, with a particular emphasis on research excellence.

Top 100 for EmployersUOW is ranked in the top 100 universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings Employer Review 2011. This review rates Institutes based on employers’ opinions of their graduates.

A Five Star UniversityThe 2012 Good Universities Guide confirms UOW’s longstanding position as one of the country’s leading research institutions. UOW received five stars in five key areas, where only the top 20 percent of universities in Australia can be awarded five stars in any one category.

***** Getting a Job

***** Positive Graduate Outcomes

***** Staff Qualifications

***** Generic Skills

Twelve Years Of Graduate Success2011 marked the twelfth year in a row that UOW has scored five stars in the categories of Getting a Job and Positive Graduate Outcomes. This shows UOW is a place where students not only get a five-star education, but a five-star chance of gaining a job at the end of their degree.

Excellence In ResearchThe Australian Research Council - Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) ranked Interdisciplinary Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering as “well above world standard” which reflects the Faculty’s strong multidisciplinary approach.

Engineering also received “above world standard performance” for the following areas.

Condensed Matter Physics; Other Physical Sciences (Medical Radiation Physics), Civil, Manufacturing, Materials and Mechanical Engineering.

General EnquiriesTel: (02) 4221 3491 Fax: (02) 4221 3143

Research Student Enquiries

UniadviceTel: 1300 367 869 Australia

Tel: + 61 2 4221 3218 International Fax: +61 2 4221 3233

Email: uniadvice@uow.edu.au

University of Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia Web: http://www.uow.edu.au

Awards and Achievements

General EnquiriesTel: (02) 4221 3491 Fax: (02) 4221 3143

Research Student Enquiries

UniadviceTel: 1300 367 869 Australia

Tel: + 61 2 4221 3218 International Fax: +61 2 4221 3233

Email: uniadvice@uow.edu.au

University of Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia Web: http://www.uow.edu.au

This brochure has been prepared by the University of Wollongong (UOW) for the purpose of providing industry, university partners and potential postgraduate students with research and admissions information.

While every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of information at the time of printing, this information may change over time. UOW makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied, relating to the information provided in this brochure. Readers should rely on their own inquiries in making decisions affecting their interests.

UOW CRICOS Provider No: 00102E