ARC NetZero Hub officially launched
In a formal ceremony last week, Monash Engineering marked the launch of Professor Wenhui Duan’s ARC NetZero Hub.
VIP guests included Professor Alison Ross, Academic Director, Humanities and Creative Arts at the Australian Research Council (ARC); Dr Matthew French, representing the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) at Monash University; and Professor Yiannis Ventikos, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.
Formalities were preceded by a tour of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s (CEE) Visualisation Laboratory, featuring Research Showcase presentations from Dr Richard Yeo (ARRB Group LTD – NTRO - National Transport Research Organisation), Mr Michael Zeng (iBuild Building Solutions) and Dr Yihai Fang (CEE).
At the official launch, Professor Duan outlined the vision behind his project "Re-imagining Concrete as a Carbon Sink". He highlighted the NetZero Hub’s potential to enable large-scale atmospheric CO₂ capture and contribute to global sequestration efforts, and expressed his gratitude for the ARC’s support in advancing this ambitious research agenda.
To the audience of ARC representatives, Faculty colleagues and industry partners, Dr French delivered remarks on behalf of the DVC Research and Enterprise, highlighting the Hub’s role in driving impactful net-zero solutions.
Professor Ross followed with an address recognising the significance of the NetZero Hub and the contributions of Professor Duan and his team. The celebration concluded with a ceremonial ribbon cutting, officially opening the ARC NetZero Hub and ushering in a new chapter of collaboration and discovery.
Over lunch, Australian marathon runner Sarah Klein shared her story of competing in four World Championships. The launch then continued with a workshop entitled "Grand Challenges in Infrastructure."
Chaired by Professor Lihai Zhang of The University of Melbourne, the two-day program featured academic presentations from UNSW; Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering; University of Technology Sydney; Monash University; The University of Melbourne; RMIT University; National University of Singapore; Western Sydney University; Swinburne University of Technology and Curtin University.
We congratulate Professor Duan and the NetZero Hub team. This launch marks a step forward in advancing research that can help shape practical, scalable pathways to a net zero future. We look forward to the impact your work will deliver in the years ahead.
