Celebrating an ARC Research Hub and Training Centre Trilogy + ARC Hub and Centre Collaborations

We’re proud to celebrate an outstanding achievement for Monash Engineering in the latest round of Australian Research Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation Research Program (ITRP) funding.

Professor Yiannis Ventikos - Dean of the Faculty of Engineering - says “Beyond underpinning again the exceptional scientific quality and research prowess of my colleagues…this amazing success highlights something else too: the tremendous value Monash Engineering researchers leverage with, and for, our industrial partners. These Hubs showcase beautifully how the sum can exceed the parts, and how our research brings together public and private resource for impact and for helping build a better world.”

Three Category 1 competitive grants we applied for have been awarded, showcasing the strength of our research, our partnerships, and our impact. Monash Engineering-led Hubs and Centres include:

ARC Research Hub for Critical Energy Separation Materials “CREST” $4 million

The ARC crest hub will change our relationship with the materials of the green energy future. A leading group of Australian researchers and local companies has been carefully assembled to develop technology that can separate an energy carrier out of a complex mixture. This technology will both lower the cost and improve the sustainability of how energy is created and transported. The CREST Hub will also rethink what it means to have developed a new sustainable technology by engaging properly with the community so that a ‘true’ green solution can be developed collaboratively. We will deliver recycling of lithium ion batteries, means to cleanly transport hydrogen globally and circular materials economy.

Academic team from Monash Engineering:

  • Professor Matthew Hill, Head of Department - Materials and Science Engineering
  • Professor Huanting Wang, Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor and Australian Laureate Fellow - Chemical and Biological Engineering
  • Dr Parama Chakraborty Banerjee, Senior Lecturer - Chemical and Biological Engineering
  • Professor Sankar Bhattacharya, Head of Department - Chemical and Biological Engineering
  • Professor Mainak Majumder, Director, ARC Research Hub on Advanced Manufacturing with Two-Dimensional Materials (AM2D) - Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Dr Zhikao Li, Senior Lecturer and ARC Industry Early Career Fellow - Chemical and Biological Engineering
  • Professor Benny Freeman, Professorial Fellow - Chemical and Biological Engineering

ARC Research Hub in Cyber-Farming for Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture – $4.95 million

The Hub aims to transform Australian agriculture by pioneering cutting technologies across the agricultural production lifecycle to add values to agriculture and achieve sustainability and resilience. Aligned with the 2030 Agricultural Roadmap and National Robotics Strategy, the Hub aims to increase yields and efficiency, improve quality and consistency, and enhance decision-making through innovation and adoption of technologies in robotics, AI, internet of soils and plants, and data-driven automation. With effective engagements in science, engineering, and all critical stakeholders, this Hub will address pressing challenges, invigorate the economy and communities, and ensure sustainable agriculture development in Australia and the world.

Academic team from Monash Engineering:

  • Associate Professor Chao Chen - Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Professor Le Hai Vu, Deputy Dean Research, Faculty of Engineering, Professor in Transport Engineering - Civil and Environmental Engineering

ARC Training Centre in Sustainable Materials and Responsible Technologies for Packaging (SMaRT-Pack) $4.907 million

This project seeks to unite a group of researchers and organisations (industry, academia, government and NGOs) with a common goal of developing clearer standards around sustainable technologies and a more representative, environmentally responsible policy framework for packaging. This will encompass not only new materials, manufacturing and recycling methods, but also standards, measurement methods and policy insight concerning the recyclability and degradation of current and future packaging materials. We seek to understand authentically the role that different aspects of packaging materials and their life cycle have in both intended waste / recycling streams and within the broader terrestrial and marine environment.

Academic team from Monash Engineering:

  • Professor Gil Garnier, Director of BioPRIA - Chemical and Biological Engineering
  • Dr Shanthi Priya Samudrala, Senior Lecturer - Chemical and Biological Engineering
  • Professor Warren Batchelor, Deputy Head of Department and Director of Teaching, Chemical and Biological Engineering
  • Dr Anna Lintern, Senior Lecturer in Water Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Monash academic researchers (in bold) are also contributing to four ARC funded Hubs and Centres

  • ARC Research Hub for Next Generation Mining Methods lead by the University of New South Wales - Professor Ranjith Pathegama Gamage, Director of International Affairs, Professor in Geomechanics Engineering - Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • ARC Training Centre for Microphysiological System Technology (MiPSET) lead by Queensland University of Technology - Professor Nicolas Voelcker - Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Dr Reza Nosrati, NHMRC Fellow and Senior Lecturer - Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Professor Laurence Meagher, Director, ARC Centre for Cell and Tissue Engineering Technologies, Director, SPARK Monash Program - Materials and Science Engineering; Associate Professor Victor Cadarso - Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • ARC Training Centre for High-Speed Propulsion, Rocket and Launch Systems lead by the University of Sydney - Associate Professor Daniel Edgington-Mitchell; Dr Daniel Duke Associate Professor Aditya Paranjape; and Dr Katherine Grigoriou - all of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; and Dr Yuman Zhu - Deputy Director, Monash Centre for Additive Manufacturing, ARC Future Fellow and Senior Lecturer, Materials and Science Engineering
  • ARC Training Centre in Sustainable and Green Economy Manufacturing lead by Monash Faculty of Science - Professor Murali Sastry - Chemical and Biological Engineering I Materials and Science Engineering; Professor Akshat Tanksale - Chemical and Biological Engineering

We warmly congratulate all academics involved, along with professional teams for their vital support in making these submissions.

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