Monash University receives over $3.4M in ARC Early Career Industry Fellowships
Eight Monash researchers have been awarded more than $3.4 million in research funding under the Australian Research Council (ARC) Early Career Industry Fellowship scheme.
The Fellowships support Early Career and industry-based researchers to develop skills in research collaboration, translation and commercialisation. In all, the ARC awarded 50 Fellowships nationally.
The Monash Fellowship recipients are:
Dr Hareth Al-Wassiti (Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences): awarded $457,684 to develop next-generation mRNA manufacturing and analysis technologies to fill critical gaps in RNA analysis.
Dr Hoang-Long Du (Science): awarded $453,000 to develop a robust process for electrosynthesis of ammonia using devices manufactured by Jupiter Ionics Pty Ltd. This aims to benefit Australian agriculture by creating technology that can produce ammonia from renewables that is pollution-free and highly scalable.
Dr Li Gao (Engineering): awarded $466,097 for the development of ammonium-selective membranes to provide significant environmental benefits to Australia by making ammonia recovery from wastewater more effective and sustainable.
Dr Alon Ilsar (Information Technology): awarded $430,912 to develop innovative, accessible gestural instruments for musicians with a physical disability. Through inclusive technology and creative artificial intelligence, the project aims to break down barriers to participation in the Australian music industry.
Dr Karolina Matuszek (Science): awarded $430,000 to develop a new generation of phase change materials to advance the technology of thermal energy storage and provide cheap energy from zero-carbon sources in the form of heat and electricity.
Dr Tam Nguyen (Science): awarded $450,000 to develop a sustainable method for generating compressed hydrogen at significantly reduced costs to support Australian energy industries.
Dr David Rudd (Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences): awarded $353,258 to develop a new drug screening system for use in corrective services through nanomaterials and spectrometry to improve the testing speed, cost, and accuracy of current drug testing programs, while minimising the distress for users.
Dr Zhouyou (Emily) Wang (Engineering): awarded $387,057 for the development and commercialisation of a novel membrane-based technology based on newly invented lithium-selective ceramic-polymer membrane, to transform the lithium mining and recycling industries.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Rebekah Brown, said the Fellowships are an invaluable opportunity for Early Career researchers to further develop research collaboration skills by working closely with industry.
“The Fellowships awarded this year reflect the strong capabilities of early career researchers at Monash and our commitment to building industry engagement to improve the lives of Australians.
“To have eight Fellowships awarded across Monash speaks to the breadth and strength of our research talent. Congratulations to all our awardees and all those who contributed to this fantastic outcome.”
Among the industry partners involved in the Monash projects are Energys Australia Pty Ltd, Jupiter Ionics Pty Ltd and the Department of Communities and Justice Corrective Services (NSW).