Professor Elizabeth Croft and Professor Wenhui Duan elected Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering

Monash Engineering is pleased to announce that Professor Elizabeth Croft and Professor Wenhui Duan have been elected as new Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.

Elected by their peers, Fellows of the Academy apply excellence in science, technology and engineering for the benefit of all Australians. Professors Croft and Duan join almost 900 Fellows drawn from academia, industry, government and research institutions across Australia.

Professor Elizabeth Croft is the faculty’s Dean of Engineering and an internationally-recognised expert in the field of human-robot interaction. Her work advances the design of intelligent controllers and interaction methods that underpin how people and autonomous, collaborative systems can work together in a safe, predictable, and helpful manner.

She is an active proponent of increasing the participation of women in engineering, and for creating increased opportunities for student internships and international exchange. In her role as Dean, Professor Croft has established new undergraduate degree specialisations in Robotics and Biomedical Engineering, more than doubled the number of student design teams and introduced the Cooperative Education Program to increase the availability of career-ready engineering graduates.

Professor Croft is the Chair of the Go8+ Engineering Deans Council, an elected executive member of the Global Engineering Deans Council, a member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering International Committee and the American Society for Engineering Education Engineering Deans Council International Committee. She is also a Fellow of the American Society of Engineers, the Institute of Engineers Australia, Engineers Canada and the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Professor Wenhui Duan from the Department of Civil Engineering is the Founding Director of the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Nanoscience-based Construction Material Manufacturing (ARC Nanocomm). He conducts interdisciplinary research on nanocomposites and nanomechanics. By adding advanced nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide into conventional engineering materials such as epoxy, Portland cement, and geopolymer, Professor Duan has developed novel nanocomposites with high mechanical performances and reduced environmental impact. His research studies have resulted in more than 150 publications.

Professor Duan has also been awarded several ARC and industry grants on nanocomposites and nanomechanics totalling $AUD 23 million. Since its inception, ARC Nanocomm has delivered a total of around 60 projects across five key sectors of the Australian economy: construction, transport, aquaculture, mining and manufacturing. ARC Nanocomm’s research has led to more than 550 publications, the commercialisation of eight patents, 20 construction products and 17 sets of new industry guidelines/Australian standards.

Monash University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Senior Vice-President, Professor Rebekah Brown, said: "Our warmest congratulations to Professor Croft and Professor Duan on their election as Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.”

"This recognition of Professor Croft and Professor Duan by their peers shows the influence of their work over a number of years. The outstanding impact of their research on their respective fields will only grow in the years ahead."

Visit the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering website for more information about the 2021 New Fellows.