2023 Chancellor's Research Fellows
Dr Zoe Xirocostas, Faculty of Science
Chancellor's Research Fellow 2024
Project: Pliable plants: How biogeography shapes plants’ adaptive potential to climate change.
Summary: This fellowship project aims to determine the importance of habitat complexity in plants’plasticity to climate change by conducting fieldwork across Australia and a novel series of glasshouse experiments. It will further our knowledge of the mechanisms that drive our ecosystems and identify those less likely to keep up with Earth’s rapidly changing conditions. Expected outcomes of this project include building networks across UTS and Australian National Parks, high-impact publications and identification of species/areas most at risk of climate change.This should provide significant benefits such as putting UTS on the map for globally recognised research and safeguarding our precious biota.
Sponsor: Associate Professor Brad Murray
Dr Ariel Pezner, Faculty of Science
Chancellor's Research Fellow 2024
Project: Drivers of low oxygen tolerance in extreme reef habitats over space and time.
Summary: Ocean deoxygenation poses a severe threat to the health and survival of marine ecosystems. This fellowship project aims to advance our understanding of how naturally variable coral reef environments influence the deoxygenation tolerance of key species. The results of this project will provide new data on the resilience of key reef species to deoxygenation and the drivers of variability in low oxygen tolerance to support continued management and conservation of Australia’s coral reef ecosystems under climate change.
Sponsor: Dr Emma Camp
Dr Daniel Mediati, Faculty of Science
Chancellor's Research Fellow 2024
Project: Programmable RNA-based antibiotics for urosepsis: A translational RNA biology approach.
Summary: Urosepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when a urinary tract infection (UTI) disseminates into the blood, causing organ dysfunction and failure. Treatment failure is now common and attributed to antibiotic-resistant isolates that demonstrate resistance to last-line antibiotics. This fellowship will establish a programmable RNA platform technology that can attenuate urosepsis, be used in combination therapy with current conventional antibiotics, or re-enable deprecated antibiotics previously rendered useless by antimicrobial resistance. This RNA technology can be used as a broad-spectrum RNA-based antimicrobial that could be rapidly synthesised to combat emerging infectious diseases and complement the development of mRNA vaccine(s) in other human or animal infections.
Sponsor: Professor Garry Myers
Dr Lizhao Song, Faculty of Engineering and IT
Chancellor's Research Fellow 2024
Project: Adaptive terahertz antenna systems for inter-satellite communications.
Summary: This fellowship project aims to develop high-speed, compact, electrically controlled adaptive antenna systems for intelligent inter-satellite communications using terahertz (THz) reconfigurable metasurfaces. It expects to generate new technologies in space communications by exploiting interdisciplinary approaches, including tuneable metasurfaces, THz technologies and algorithms. This project promises secure, fast and uninterrupted data transmissions for constantly moving satellites. It will also enable institutional and multidisciplinary collaborations. The research outcome will significantly enhance UTS’s international standing in THz and space communications, and benefit Australia’s future space industry for commercial and defence purposes.
Sponsor: Distinguished Professor Yingjie Jay Guo
Dr Matt Johansen, Faculty of Science
Chancellor's Research Fellow 2024
Project: Investigating the host-pathogen interface of Mycobacterium abscessus infection in cystic fibrosis.
Summary: In the last decade, the incidence of infections from non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have increased exponentially. The most clinically significant and pathogenic NTM species is Mycobacterium abscessus, causing severe lung and soft tissue infections. The major risk factor for NTM and M. abscessus infection is chronic lung disease and in particular cystic fibrosis, however the mechanisms responsible are poorly understood. This project will investigate the host and bacterial factors driving Mycobacterium abscessus infection in cystic fibrosis patients. This project will significantly advance our understanding of M. abscessus infection, identify new treatable targets and improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for cystic fibrosis patients.
Sponsor: Professor Philip Hansbro
Dr Meg Foster, Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Chancellor's Research Fellow 2024
Project: Law and Justice? Social attitudes towards crime and policing from Australia’s past.
Summary: This interdisciplinary project examines the impact of the colonial past on current attitudes to crime and policing. It integrates public history, social memory and criminology to uncover how 3 historical figures—the bushranger, stock thief and colonial police—affect present understanding. It shows how historical narratives are experienced, shaped and challenged by Australians of white and diverse backgrounds today, with particular attention to the impact of race, gender, class and nation. The project addresses critical issues, like the mass criminalisation of people of colour, by revealing their connection to historical narratives. Understanding colonial legacies in crime and policing enables us to actively combat them.
Sponsor: Professor Anna Clark
Dr Kumar Biswajit Debnath, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
Chancellor's Research Fellow 2024
Project: Data-driven Bio-fabricated carbon-negative building skin for passive COOLing (BioCOOL).
Summary: High temperatures and frequent, prolonged heat waves have increased global space cooling demand, thus elevating fossil fuel-based generation and emissions. Furthermore, existing space cooling and passive and adaptive building skin solutions are energy-dependent and have high embodied carbon. BioCOOL aims to develop a biomimetic, bio-fabricated (from agriculture waste), weather-resistant, and carbon-negative building skin with mycelium composites for climate resilience capable of passive evaporative cooling through interdisciplinary research and innovation in building skin, bio-based material development, and large-scale prototyping. This project should benefit climate change resilience and the goals of achieving net zero by reducing active energy demand and embodied carbon in the building sector and fulfilling SDGs 7, 11, 12, and 13.
Sponsor: Associate Professor Dr Nimish Biloria
Dr Guochen Bao, Faculty of Science
Chancellor's Research Fellow 2024
Project: Conquering concentration quenching for efficient absorption of lanthanide nanocrystals.
Summary: To study cells and diseases at the molecular level, biological researchers require luminescent probes that are bright enough to achieve single-molecule sensitivity in living cells. This project aims to create superbright nanoprobes, with high brightness and low background noise. It will lead to a series of new-generation molecular probes and provide significant benefits in biomedical imaging, ultra-sensitive assays, and optoelectronic devices.
Sponsor: Professor Philip Gale
Dr Aaqil Rifai, Faculty of Engineering and IT
Chancellor's Research Fellow 2024
Project: 3D-bioprinted microtissues as living building blocks to regenerate cartilage (PrintCARTILAGE).
Summary: This fellowship project aims to establish a transformative tissue engineering approach. It involves spatially patterning engineered microtissues into predefined positions in 3D space using 3D-bioprinting to derive larger tissues and organ precursors (PrintCARTILAGE). PrintCARTILAGE will be the world's first to fabricate bespoke, clinically relevant tissues at scale, focusing on zonally defined cartilage grafts. The project's expected outcomes will advance knowledge and foster translational partnerships with clinicians and hospitals. Successful implementation of PrintCARTILAGE will have a profound impact, enabling cartilage regeneration for therapeutic outcomes.
Sponsor: Professor Joanne Tipper
Dr Xuan Li, Faculty of Engineering and IT
Chancellor's Research Fellow 2024
Project: A novel biotechnology for eliminating harmful wastewater-induced emissions from sewers.
Summary: Wastewater-induced sewer gaseous emissions lead to severe concrete corrosion issues, resulting in millions of dollars of damage in Australia alone, along with odour and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This project aims to develop an innovative technology with underpinning science to eliminate harmful wastewater-induced gaseous emissions in sewers. The expected outcome will support Australia in achieving resilient and sustainable urban infrastructure with extended service life, reduced maintenance costs, and minimized odour and GHG emissions. This project promises significant economic, environmental, and social benefits for water utilities and the public.
Sponsor: Professor Qilin Wang
Previous Chancellor's Research Fellows
2022 Chancellor's Research Fellows
Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellows 2022
| Treena Clark Project: Ad (dressing) Indigeneity: cultural identity, healing, and social change through clothing, fashion, and style Supervisor: Professor Peter McNeil |
| Paul Gray Project: Reimagining child protection systems and practice for First Nations children and families Supervisor: Professor Larissa Behrendt |
2022 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellows
| Yougwoo Choo Project: Next-generation membrane: Highly selective rare-earth element recovery from mining wastewater Supervisor: Dr Gayathri Naidu |
| Mariana de Souza e Sousa Project: Building multidisciplinary capacity to deliver quality cancer cachexia care Supervisor: Professor David Currow |
| Yuhan Huang Project: Improving urban air quality by reducing street canyon effect on pollution dispersion Supervisor: Professor John Zhou |
| Michael Kendig Project: Characterising the effects of unhealthy diets on the brain, behaviour, and gut microbiota Supervisor: Dr Laura Bradfield |
| Mehran Kianinia Project: Quantum memory with two dimensional materials Supervisor: Professor Igor Aharonovich |
| Yan Liao Project: Divide and conquer: deciphering cell division in ancestral organisms and its implications in biology Supervisor: A/Professor Iain Duggin |
| Laurence Don Wai Luu Project: Elucidating chlamydia host-pathogen interactions through systems biology and a new organoid model Supervisor: A/Professor Willa Huston |
| Asif Mahmood Project: Develop high-energy sodium-metal batteries for renewable energy storage Supervisor: Professor Guoxiu Wang |
| Jennifer Matthews Project: Good Fats of the Reef: Unlocking the Role of Lipids in Coral Resilience Supervisor: Professor David Suggett |
| Luong Nguyen Project: High rate CO2 capture and wastewater treatment by a novel microalgal photobioreactor Supervisor: Professor Long Nghiem |
| Julia Scott-Stevenson Project: Envisaging and enacting just climate futures through immersive media Supervisor: Professor James Goodman |
2021 Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellows
2021 Chancellor's Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow
| Jonathan Jones Supervisor: Professor Daryle Rigney |
2021 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellows
| Andrew Care Supervisor: Stella Valenzuela |
| Brigitte Sommer Supervisor: Professor David Booth |
| Amir Razmjou Supervisor: Professor Hokyong Shon |
| Alexandria Grey Supervisor: Ana Vrdoljak |
| Elliot Scanes Supervisor: Professor Justin Seymour |
2020 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow 2020
| Tui Nolan (Faculty of Science) Project: Sampling methods in machine learning algorithms for statistical inference in big data models Supervisor: Distinguished Professor Matt Wand |
Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellows 2020
| Paul Byron (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) Project: LGBTIQ+ young people, mental health and digital peer support Supervisor: Dr James Meese |
| Jaesung (Peter) Choi (Faculty of Science) Project: Sex hormone and microbiome regulation of inflammation in cardiovascular disease and stroke Supervisor: Professor Philip Hansbro |
| Emma Letizia Jones (Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building) Project: Built by the book: The global impact of the trade catalogue in nineteenth century Australia Supervisor: Professor Charles Rice |
| Nathan Kettlewell (UTS Business School) Project: Risk attitudes and economic wellbeing Supervisor: Professor Lionel Page |
| Stephen Northey (Institute for Sustainable Futures) Project: Battery industries and sustainable development: transforming metal supply chains Supervisor: Professor Damien Guirco |
| Dong Han (Michael) Seo (Faculty of Engineering and IT) Project: Next generation, advanced material based membrane for battery driven, portable water desalination Supervisor: Professor Hokyong Shon |
| Bill Söderström (Faculty of Science) Project: Advanced technology development: an out-of-the-box approach to fight against antimicrobial resistance Supervisor: Professor Liz Harry |
| Cait Storr (Faculty of Law) Project: Regulating 'new' mining in the international seabed and space Supervisor: Professor Shaunnagh Dorsett |
| Javad Tavakoli (Faculty of Engineering and IT) Project: Novel engineering solutions to cure back pain: Engineering a novel 3D tissue for disc regeneration Supervisor: Professor Joanne Tipper |
| Qiaoyun Xie (Faculty of Science) Project: Forecasting pollen in the scenario of climate change to mitigate health threats Supervisor: Distinguished Professor Alfredo Huete |
Videos
Four of our Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellows offer insights into their research:
- Arian Wallach, Centre for Compassionate Conservation, Faculty of Science
- Tim Foster, Institute for Sustainable Futures
- Romy Lauche, Australian Research Consortium in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM)
- Jean Baptiste-Raina, Climate Change Cluster, Faculty of Science
2019 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Congratulations to the 2019 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellows (CPDRF):
Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow 2019
| Katrina Thorpe Project: Learning from Country’ in Teacher Education in Australia and Canada Supervised by Professor Michelle Trudgett |
Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellows 2019
| Chelsea Barnett Project: Toxic Masculinity, or Just Misunderstood? A History of Single Men in Australia, 1945—2018 Supervised by Associate Professor Anna Clark |
| Emma Camp Project: Extremes Down Under: Diagnosing coral resilience to future reef climates Supervised by Associate Professor David Suggett |
| Juan Pablo Dehollain Project: Optimising near-term quantum simulators with superconducting circuits by adding a touch of chaos Supervised by Dr Nathan Langford |
| Evelyne Deplazes Project: Cell membrane-disrupting peptides to combat multi-drug resistance in cancer and infections Supervised by Dr Charles Cranfield |
| Sejeong Kim Project: Next-generation nanophotonics: Engineering light-matter interactions in two dimensions Supervised by Professor Igor Aharonovich |
| Wei Lin Project: Integrated Wireless Power Transfer and Communication Systems for Emerging IoT/IoE Applications Supervised by Professor Richard Ziolkowski |
| Laura Smith-Khan Project: Communicating migration law and procedures across cultures Supervised by Dr Trish Luker |
| Trong Toan Tran Project: Scalable telecom cybersecurity architecture Supervised by Dr Alexander Solntsev |
| Fan Wang Project: Developing new tools for super-resolution tracking cells’ talk within a mini organ Supervised by Distinguished Professor Dayong Jin |
2018 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Congratulations to the 2018 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellows (CPDRF):
- Nilesh Bokil (Science)
Regulating microRNA as a novel treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases
Supervised by Dr Bernadette Saunders
- Barbara Brito Rodriguez (Science)
Genomic epidemiology of known and novel viral livestock diseases
Supervised by Associate Professor Aaron Darling
- Gayathri Danasamy (Engineering and IT)
Energy-efficient desalinisation for Australia: In-situ biofouling index and carbon storage
Supervised by Distinguished Professor Saravanamuth Vigneswaran
- Richard de Abreu Lourenco (Business)
Value of choice in Cancer care
Supervised by Distinguished Professor Rosalie Viney
- Alvaro Garcia (Science)
Lipophilic cardiovascular drug disruption of protein/phospholipid membrane interactions
Supervised by Dr Charles Cranfield
- Rachel Grove (Graduate School of Health)
Understanding autism in girls and women
Supervised by Dr John McAloon
- Mohammad Hamidian (Science)
Fundamental mechanisms involved in antibiotic resistance and virulence of Acinetobacter baumannii
Supervised by A/Prof Cynthia Whitchurch
- Peter Irga (Engineering and IT)
Can green infrastructure technology mitigate the impending air quality crisis in Australia?
Supervised by Professor John Zhou
- Carolyne Njue (Health)
Increasing access to Maternal and Child Health Services for African refugees
Supervised by Associate Professor Angela Dawson
- Alana Piper (Arts and Social Sciences)
Digitising crime histories: Perceptions and realities of criminality in Australia
Supervised by Dr Tamson Pietsch
- Maiken Ueland (Science)
Search and recovery of human remains and associated evidence in mass burials
Supervised by Professor Shari Forbes
- Zaiquan Xu (Science)
Engineering “white graphene” for efficient, on-chip quantum light emitting diodes
Supervised by Professor Milos Toth
- Ting Zhang (Engineering and IT)
Ultra-sensitive Wideband Mm-wave HTS Receiver for Future Spectrum Sensing
Supervised by Distinguished Professor Yingjie Jay Guo
- Jiajia Zhou (Science)
Upconversion nanoscale thermometry: enabling high brightness in a thermal field
Supervised by Distinguished Professor Dayong Jin
Past Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellows
Read more about our past Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellows, including the full list of successful applicants for the past five years:
- 2017: Fellowship scheme brings leading researchers to UTS
- 2016: Fellowships bring outstanding researchers to UTS in 2015
- 2015: Record number of fellowships to back UTS young researchers in 2014
- 2014: Postdoctoral fellowships bring best and brightest in 2013
- 2013: UTS boosts support for young researchers