Student topics

Concentrating solar power (CSP) is a technology that utilises mirrors (heliostats) to focus the sun’s rays on a solar receiver. This provides heat for a power generation cycle, creating thermal energy.Control of the heat transfer fluid temperature in the solar receiver is crucial for the efficient use/storage of thermal energy and to minimise the degradation of the receiver. The aim of this project is to design controllers for the heat transfer fluid pumps and the heliostats using a previously developed model of the receiver's thermodynamics.

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering

Graphene consists of hybridised carbon atoms in a hexagonal two-dimensional (2D) lattice. This material has extraordinary mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. However, one problem in practical applications is the aggregation and restacking between neighbouring graphene layers.In contrast, a possible way to avoid this problem is by transforming 2D graphene sheets into graphene hydrogel (GH) consisting of a three dimensional (3D) porous structure. Recently, 3D GH has been widely investigated in energy storage and conversion, catalysis and sensors. Furthermore, its accessible …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering

Research centre(s)

Centre for Materials Science
Centre for Clean Energy Technologies and Practices

Single robotic systems can't accurately measure dynamic processes and map large areas in challenging environments. However, managing multiple robotic systems simultaneously poses many challenges around coordination and control. This is particularly true in environments where there's a lack of communication with the system. This project will explore multi-robot swarming and formation control to monitor, manage and track large-scale environmental phenomena.In this project, you will explore multi-robot swarming and coordinated formation control for dynamic process monitoring, target tracking and coordinated mapping. …

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics

Research centre(s)

Centre for Robotics

Underwater robotic systems have been in use for several decades. In recent years, various groups have been adding manipulators and other payloads to increase their utility. However, their role has primarily been monitoring and mapping the oceans without human interaction.The next frontier is to have human divers and robotic system collaborate safely and productively in the same space to jointly complete complex tasks. This will involve the robotic system directly understanding and interacting with the diver in a non-verbal manner. …

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics

Research centre(s)

Centre for Robotics

The adoption of electric vehicles and grid storage systems by the present day consumers has been phenomenal. The most critical issue with the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery is how to manage its degradation.Understanding battery degradation mechanisms and the development of charging strategies to optimally manage battery degradation is very important. There are a number of important issues that need to be addressed carefully, such as thermo-electrochemical modelling of large battery packs and fast charging protocols.

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics

There's a growing interest by many governments and industry sectors on dynamic wireless power transfer systems for electric vehicle charging. This means there's increased research intensity in this domain. However, there are numerous important issues that need to be addressed carefully, such as:load estimationsensorless vehicle position estimationrobust controlimproved power converter topologies.

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics

Augmented reality (AR), or mixed reality, has become a mature technology with many possible practical applications in manufacturing, retail, navigation and entertainment.We're interested in using AR to support human-robot interaction. In this project, you'll investigate how a human can use AR to better understand how a robot perceives the world and to understand the robot's intentions.

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics

Solar panel efficiency is calculated using standardised testing conditions, allowing like-for-like comparison of systems under the same conditions. However, data collected over a three year period from two collocated solar systems of different technologies are showing unexpected results. The most efficient system's yearly output is comparatively lower. Initial data analysis explains some differences from the operational conditions, but further investigation is required.

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering

Research centre(s)

Centre for Clean Energy Technologies and Practices

Respiratory infections such as influenza, SARS-COV-2, COVID-19, and MERS are increasingly prevalent. Complications and related deaths arising from these infections are often the result of a “cytokine storm”, whereby there is an over production of proinflammatory soluble factors by immune cells, which dictates symptoms severity and mortality risk. Recent works showed that immunomodulatory therapy, with or without antiviral agents, may improve recovery outcome. However, the screening of suitable immune-modulatory and antiviral agents relies heavily on animal models which can't capture …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering

Shiryaev's Bayesian Quickest Change Detection (QCD) problem is to detect a change in the statistical problems of an observed process. This is an important signal processing problem with application in a diverse range of areas, including:automatic controlquality controlstatisticstarget detection.Recently a critical deficiency in Shiryaev's QCD problem has been identified to occur due to the insufficient informativeness of measurement in low signal-to-noise (SNR) to overcome geometric prior assumption on the change event.These deficiencies are due to the non-ergodic nature of the …

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics

Have you ever wondered how we deal with harmful pollutants like PFAS, the so-called 'forever chemicals'? PFAS are found in everyday items like non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and firefighting foam, but they don’t break down in the environment. Over time, they build up in water, soil, and even our food, creating serious risks for human health and ecosystems.Managing PFAS is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time. Traditional methods to remove them are expensive and can produce more …

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Landfill leachate, a highly polluted liquid, can pose serious risks to the environment and public health if not treated effectively. Without proper management, it can contaminate groundwater and surface water, threatening ecosystems and water resources.This project focuses on using innovative bioreactors to treat landfill leachate efficiently and sustainably. By optimizing these reactors, we aim to remove harmful pollutants like ammonia, addressing a key challenge in managing high-strength wastewater. Your work will contribute to practical solutions for real-world environmental problems.

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering