Mid-career engineering researchers awarded $1.9 million in ARC Industry Fellowships
From enhancing efficiencies for multidisciplinary team meetings in a healthcare setting through AI to low-emissions hydrogen production, two mid-career researchers from the University of Sydney have been named ARC Industry Fellows.
Securing a combined $1.9 million, the two projects showcase the possibilities of industry partnerships in enabling and translating research outcomes into real-world impact.
"These fellowships are among the most competitive in the country," said Professor Willy Zwaenepoel, Dean, Faculty of Engineering. "I’m thrilled Professor Jinman Kim and Professor Yuan Chen have been recognised for their outstanding efforts in showcasing the real-world impact research can have."
The ARC Industry Fellowship is a testament to the importance of partnering with industry in research.
The fellowships build innovation in the research and industry sectors to facilitate the adoption, translation and commercialisation of Australian research.
The ARC Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr Richard Johnson, said the Mid-Career Industry Fellowships Program drives research collaboration, translation and commercialisation outcomes across a range of industry settings.
“In its second year, the Industry Fellowships Program has created pathways for academic researchers to establish careers in industry and industry-based researchers to work in university settings, with the aim of increasing two-way mobility and skill-building.” Dr Johnson said.
Congratulations to Professor Jinman Kim and Professor Yuan Chen!
More information about each project can be found below.
Pictured: Professor Yuan Chen
Utilisation of carbon materials from methane pyrolysis
Professor Yuan Chen
WITH HAZER GROUP LIMITED; NANJING YUANCHANG ADV. MATER. CO. LTD.
Methane pyrolysis is a promising low-emission hydrogen production method that directly splits natural gas or biogas into hydrogen and solid carbon. However, a technological gap exists in dealing with solid carbon. This project aims to economically utilize carbon coproducts from catalytic methane pyrolysis using low-cost Australian iron ore catalysts.
Carbon structures will be optimised during synthesis, and a new electrochemical purification method will be scaled up to obtain high-purity carbon materials. Value-added applications of unpurified and purified carbon coproducts will be demonstrated for wastewater treatment and different types of batteries, reducing solid waste and enabling significant cost offsets for hydrogen production.
Pictured: Professor Jinman Kim
Enhancing Multidisciplinary Team Meetings via AI-Enabled Data Assimilation
Professor Jinman Kim
WITH ROYAL PRINCE ALFRED HOSPITAL
Multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTs) involve multiple members discussing their relevant data for collaborative decision-making. MDTs improve outcomes, but they are time and resource intensive with complex data preparation, integration, presentation and then summarisation.
The project aims to innovate in artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically prepare, integrate, visualise, and summarise MDT data. A Hospital is an excellent microcosm for MDTs where image data are usually the centrepiece for discussion.
This project expects to produce a software framework to enhance collaborative decision-making and efficiency. This should benefit healthcare industry and have wide applicability for MDTs across other industries.