Faculty of Engineering 4

Doctor of Philosophy

ANDERSON, Cody Blain

Thesis Title

Operation and Maintenance Planning of Concentrated Solar Thermal Tower Plants: Soiling Mitigation and Receiver Control

Supervisors

• Associate Professor Michael Edward Cholette  (Principal Supervisor)
• Mr Giampaolo Manzolini  (External Supervisor)
• Mr Darren John Pearce  (Associate Supervisor)
• Dr Giovanni Picotti  (Associate Supervisor)

Citation

Concentrated solar power (CSP) faces high operation and maintenance costs, partly due to soiling of heliostats reducing plant productivity. Existing models lack completeness, ignoring moisture effects and cleaning optimization. This research aims to characterize soiling processes, refine cleaning techniques, and optimize resources for CSP sites. It includes understanding moisture effects, refining cleaning models, and developing a cleaning optimization methodology for CSP sites. Additionally, a receiver controller performance metric is tested to improve receiver lifespan. These tools reduce O&M costs and enhance solar tower technology performance.

CHENG, Matthew Edwin

Thesis Title

Scaffold Guided Breast Tissue Engineering: Translation From Pre-Clinical To Clinical Application

Supervisors

• Distinguished Professor Dietmar Hutmacher  (Principal Supervisor)
• Dr Siamak Saifzadeh  (Associate Supervisor)
• Dr Michael Wagels  (External Supervisor)

Citation

This thesis investigates the ability to regenerate soft tissue utilising 3D printed bioresorbable scaffolds for the purposes of breast reconstruction, chest wall reconstruction, and breast implant revision surgery. Clinically relevant volumes of soft tissue were able to be regenerated in pre-clinical large animal studies, and subsequently this concept was successfully applied in first in human surgeries, which led to the establishment of a phase 1 clinical trial. This represents a new paradigm in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

FAN, Xiaolong

Thesis Title

Modelling the Biomechanical Stability of Reverse Shoulder Implant

Supervisors

• Professor YuanTong Gu  (Mentoring Supervisor)
• Associate Professor  Saulo Martelli  (Principal Supervisor)
• Professor Peter Pivonka  (Associate Supervisor)

Citation

This research contributes to orthopedic engineering by developing a novel experimental protocol to measure micrometric displacement across the entire humeral component of a reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) implant under progressive loading to failure. The protocol provides detailed insights into implant mechanics under load, both in intact conditions and during fracture, offering substantial evidence for evaluating the accuracy of finite element (FE) models derived from clinical CT images. The results highlight the critical impact of segmentation methods, element size, density-modulus relationships, and interface friction coefficients on model accuracy, ultimately enhancing surgical planning and improving patient-specific orthopedic interventions.

JEONG, Hyogu

Thesis Title

Advanced Physics Information Machine Learning Framework for Structural Optimization

Supervisors

• Professor YuanTong Gu  (Principal Supervisor)
• Associate Professor Liangzhi Kou  (Associate Supervisor)
• Adjunct Associate Professor Haifei Zhan  (External Supervisor)

Citation

This study introduces a novel computational framework that incorporates Physics-Informed Machine Learning (PIML) which leverages Automatic Differentiation (AD) to directly integrate physical laws described by nonlinear Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) into the neural network, replacing FEA and sensitivity analysis in traditional topology optimization method to PIML models. This approach not only enhances the model's ability to handle complex and nonlinear structure design problems but also overcome the data scarcity and generalization issues of DDTO framework. The potential of this new methodology to revolutionize existing ML/DL based topology optimization thereby opening up a new research avenue for structural topology optimization.

KOCH, Maria Katharina

Thesis Title

Development of Translational 3D In Vitro Models for Breast Cancer Research

Supervisors

• Associate Professor Laura Jane Bray  (Principal Supervisor)
• Associate Professor Larisa Margaret Haupt  (Associate Supervisor)
• Distinguished Professor Dietmar Hutmacher  (Associate Supervisor)

Citation

Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cancer worldwide and the leading cancer-related death in women. Current treatment strategies are not sufficient, due to high disease heterogeneity and differences in patient response. The tissue microenvironment is crucial for BC development and growth. This project aims to develop a tissue-specific three-dimensional (3D) cancer model mimicking the human breast tissue environment for BC research. By using starPEG-heparin hydrogels as semi-synthetic matrices, we are able to generate a multicellular 3D cancer model by implementing patient-derived breast tissue and tissue-specific cells into this controllable and biocompatible 3D platform.

MARRIAM, Ifra

Thesis Title

Development of High-Performance Lithium-Ion Yarn Batteries

Supervisors

• Professor Aijun Du  (Associate Supervisor)
• Professor Cheng Yan  (Principal Supervisor)

Citation

This thesis addresses the challenges pertaining to the design and development of textile yarn-based lithium-ion batteries, which are vital for powering personal wearable electronics. Overall, the thesis involved the selection, synthesis, modification, and testing of several battery materials and their fabrication into high performance yarn-based electrodes. The inorganic nickel-rich materials were used to form yarn-based cathodes. This was followed by the modification of silicon materials by sandwiching them between molybdenum disulphide 2D nanosheets, which were then used to form anode yarns. Finally, the anode and cathode yarns were combined into a fully functional yarn battery capable of powering wearable electronics.

ONYEAGBA, Chijioke Raphael

Thesis Title

Surface Engineering of Implant Substrates with Nanostructured Polymorphous Thin Film Metallic Glasses

Supervisors

• Professor Cameron Peter Brown  (Associate Supervisor)
• Dr Tuquabo Tesfamichael  (Principal Supervisor)
• Professor Hongxia Wang  (Associate Supervisor)

Citation

This thesis investigates the mechanical, electrochemical, and bactericidal performance of metallic glass coatings on medical-grade stainless steel and titanium substrates to advance sustainable biomedical implants. The research gives practical insights into bactericidal functional coatings with improved mechanical strength and biochemical stability through surface engineering and processing of desirable structural, morphological, and nanomechanical properties using state-of-the-art PVD sputter systems. Bactericidal tests on the coatings confirmed effective bacterial immobilization and biofilm inhibition. The overall study underscores the potential of nanostructured thin film polymorphic metallic glasses to enhance bacterial infection prevention, addressing critical challenges in biomedical implants.

SIVAKANTHAN, Subajiny

Thesis Title

Development and Characterization of Rice Bran Oil and Sesame Oil-Based Oleogels for Healthy Food Applications

Supervisors

• Dr Sabrina Fawzia  (Associate Supervisor)
• Professor Azharul Karim  (Principal Supervisor)
• Terrence Madhujith  (External Supervisor)
• Adjunct Professor Sagadevan Mundree  (External Supervisor)

Citation

Trans fats, found in partially hydrogenated oils, are linked to increased risks of heart diseases, contributing to over 278,000 deaths annually worldwide. Their use in processed foods such as margarines and shortening poses a significant public health challenge, prompting global efforts to eliminate trans fats from the food supply. This thesis explores developing trans fat-free, bioactive-enriched oleogels as alternatives for high-trans fat margarines and shortenings. This study aims to develop and optimize healthy oleogels by tuning their structural and nutritional aspects. This investigation contributes to formulating food products that cater to the growing demand for healthier and functional dietary options.

WAN, Tsz Lok

Thesis Title

Ferroelectric Controllable Gas Capture and Catalysis for Environmental and Energy Application

Supervisors

• Professor Aijun Du  (Associate Supervisor)
• Associate Professor Liangzhi Kou  (Principal Supervisor)

Citation

This thesis explores the design of nanocatalysts with controllable electrocatalysis, focusing on 2D ferroelectric materials. Employing innovative methodologies, it demonstrates the regulation of gas adsorption through ferroelectric switching, leading to the development of a heterogeneous catalyst for controllable H2 evolution. The study extends to 2D conjugated metal-organic frameworks, revealing the impact of electronic structure modification on electrocatalytic activity. These findings offer a pioneering approach to high-performance, cost-effective electrocatalyst design, advancing sustainable energy conversion technologies.

ZHAO, Jiachen

Thesis Title

Hybrid Lattice Boltzmann and Finite Difference Model for Simulating Electrohydrodynamic Effects on Multicomponent Viscoelastic Fluids

Supervisors

• Professor YuanTong Gu  (Associate Supervisor)
• Adjunct Associate Professor Maria Elena Juan Pardo  (External Supervisor)
• Professor Emilie Janette Sauret  (Principal Supervisor)
• Dr Zhongzheng Wang  (Associate Supervisor)

Citation

This research develops a hybrid numerical model to investigate the electrohydrodynamic effects on multicomponent viscoelastic fluids. By combining the lattice Boltzmann and finite difference methods, this fundamental study reveals how electric fields influence fluid dynamics at the microscale. The findings offer new insights for precise control of fluid behaviours in various practical applications, such as droplet generation in microfluidics for drug delivery, thus enhancing efficiency and performance.

Undergraduate awards

Bachelor of Engineering Studies

• CUMBERLAND, Brianna Dawn
• SIMNER, Jarrod Frank

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Process) – Third Class Honours

• GOVENDER, Hertisha

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Third Class Honours

• ALI, Mustafa
• BENTLEY, Lachlan Chase
• BROWN, Dominic James
• DEAN, Kobe William
• DHAKA, Preekshit
• LE CLERC, Cobe Shawn Garry
• LIU, Ho-Wei
• TAN, Reuben Jian Wei
• THACH, Amanda

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – Third Class Honours

• GRANT, William Peter
• JOCSON, Racquel Anne Alegria
• KUNTZMANN, Robin Jacques Renaud
• LIU, Yi

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Medical) – Third Class Honours

• BLAIR, Lachlan James

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Process) – Second Class Honours – Division B

• DIALLO, Thierno Sadou
• MARLBOROUGH, Jake Mathew

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division B

• BINKERT, Sebastian
• CAMBRIDGE, Alexander Stewart
• COSSETTINI, Louis Stuart
• DURAN, Ariel Mederec De Leon
• HURFORD, Tyler John
• KIM, Hyunwoo
• MATOVIC, Veljko
• MAURER, Jake Adam
• MCCULLOCH, Benjamin Thomas Leon
• MILLER, Myles John K
• MITCHELL, Wraithe Ian Leslie
• MORGAN, Samuel David
• NGUYEN, Minh Dang
• NGUYEN, Pham Gia Huy
• PATTERSON, Tyler Grahame
• RETSCHLAG, Adon Raymond
• SCHUURS, Ezekiel Leonard
• SMITH, Ethan James
• SMITH, Kelsey Shae
• STURMAN, Finn
• SYSTA, Samuel Patrick Kalevi
• THOMASSEN, Elliott Dane
• WOODS, Dean

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – Second Class Honours – Division B

• BULLEN, Cory Michael
• CLOSE, Andrew William
• HEYMANN, Alistair Harrison
• JONES, Henry Roy
• ROBB, Jared Thomas
• SCHOMBERG, Ethan Tony
• TEDESCO, Brody Dominic

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Medical) – Second Class Honours – Division B

• FRANKLIN, Lewis Vincent
• TRAN, Andy Quang Nhat

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division A

• ARNOLD, Oliver Steen
• AUMULLER, Luke Michael
• AYODEJI, Ayomikun John
• BETHERAS, James David
• BURDETT, Taylor Maddison
• CASEY, William James
• DIXON, Jonathan Thomas Lindsay
• GINN, Caleb Frederick Ross
• HALL, Olivia Jane
• KELLY, Zane Francis
• KENA, Fahad Fira
• MACLEOD, Hayden Scott
• MOSS, Kolbe Ja
• NOVAK, Natasha Josephine Wendy
• RUFUS, Cooper Jay
• SAIFEDDIN, Ayesh SM
• SULLY, Kehan Jacob
• ULBRICH, Werner Andreas
• WILLIAMSON, Baden Robert
• ZUGNO, Callum Walter

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – Second Class Honours – Division A

• BEASLEY, Macklin Thomas
• BREWARD, Jack Ronald
• EDWARDS, Margaux Mackenzie
• EMANUEL, Jack Bailey
• FLANAGAN, Cody Shohei
• FRASER, Luke William
• KEEVERS, David Lawrence
• LYTHGO, Harrison Ray
• MAHER, Scott Daniel
• MIHELCIC, Matthew David
• MODOLO, Joseph Andrew
• THOUARD, Kai Ashley
• VAN HEERDEN, Joshua Robert
• VENZ, Michael James
• WARDLE, Stephen John

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Medical) – Second Class Honours – Division A

• GOODWIN, Abbey Anne
• SOUTHWARD, Ethan Geoffrey

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Process) – First Class Honours

• BOONTAENG, Kunyarin
• HALL, Matthew John
• HARDIE, Naguib

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – First Class Honours

• CATES, Jed Madison
• DAVID, Jerica Anne Mendoza
• GUO, Shihao
• HUNT, Alexander Lucas
• PHILLIPS, Brendan Lawton
• SAMUEL, Catherine
• SAMUEL, Jessica
• USHAKOV, Georgy
• WARD, Evan Michael

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – First Class Honours

• COX, Benjamin D
• GORDILLO, Benjamin Allan
• HORTON, Matthew James
• JONES, Natalya Laura
• REES, Carlton Aaron

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Medical) – First Class Honours

• HUMPHREYS, Olivia Grace
• TRAN, Sophia

Bachelor of Business (Finance)/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Third Class Honours

• CAFFERKEY, Joseph Adam

Bachelor of Business (Economics)/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division B

• TRAN, Anitha

Bachelor of Business (Finance)/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division B

• CRAIGIE, Jack Emerson

Bachelor of Business (Management)/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – Second Class Honours – Division B

• MCGREGOR, Jack Henry

Bachelor of Business (Financial Planning)/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – Second Class Honours – Division A

• KRENSKE, Luke Anthony

Bachelor of Business (Management) – with Distinction/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division B

• GLYBOVITCH, Luke Alexander

Bachelor of Business (Marketing) – with Distinction/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division B

• LEONG, Constantine Ming Yan

Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) – with Distinction/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division A

• MCKENNA, James William

Bachelor of Business (Economics) – with Distinction/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division A

• VERSCHUURE, Hayden Cale

Bachelor of Business (Finance) – with Distinction/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Process) – Second Class Honours – Division A

• PENBOSS, Zachariah Henry

Bachelor of Business (Finance)/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Process) – First Class Honours

• LOVEDAY, Darcy

Bachelor of Business (Management) – with Distinction/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – First Class Honours

• PATEL, Pranjal

Bachelor of Business (Management) – with Distinction/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Medical) – First Class Honours

• HORNIGOLD, Maggie-May Murphy

Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design)/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – Second Class Honours – Division B

• FOX, Alexander McKenzie

Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) – with Distinction/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – Second Class Honours – Division B

• SINGH, Jupneek Kaur

Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design)/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Medical) – Second Class Honours – Division A

• CHUNG, Wei Juliet

Bachelor of Design (Architecture) – with Distinction/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – Second Class Honours – Division A

• LAY, Melanie May

Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) – with Distinction/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division A

• PEGLER, Sam Scott

Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design)/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – First Class Honours

• BYROM, Nicholas James

Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) – with Distinction/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – First Class Honours

• FRUNZ, Kilian Jack
• LIBBY, Michael James

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – Third Class Honours/Bachelor of Information Technology (Computer Science)

• VAN LINT, Alexander Perry

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Medical) – Second Class Honours – Division B/Bachelor of Information Technology (Information Systems)

• MARADANI, Duke Benjamin

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division A/Bachelor of Information Technology (Information Systems) – with Distinction

• HASHER, Osama

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – Second Class Honours – Division A/Bachelor of Information Technology (Computer Science) – with Distinction

• MAAG, Mathew Robert
• TRUONG, Jayden Khoa Dac
• UCHINO-HANSEN, Ryan William

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – First Class Honours/Bachelor of Information Technology (Computer Science) – with Distinction

• DITTMAN, Jack Henry
• VAN BEEK, Cody

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – Second Class Honours – Division A/Bachelor of Mathematics (Applied and Computational Mathematics) – with Distinction

• COX, Oliver James
• PAVEY, Dana Lorraine

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – First Class Honours/Bachelor of Mathematics (Applied and Computational Mathematics)

• GENTNER, Jacob Christian

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – First Class Honours/Bachelor of Mathematics (Applied and Computational Mathematics) – with Distinction

• CHALLINOR, Jack Andrew David George

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – First Class Honours/Bachelor of Mathematics (Statistics) – with Distinction

• KOLB, Matthew Adam

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Medical) – First Class Honours/Bachelor of Mathematics (Applied and Computational Mathematics) – with Distinction

• HEALEY, Toby Ian
• PERRIER, Naomi Elizabeth
• WESTLAKE, Mikaela

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division B/Bachelor of Science (Physics)

• VADER, Thomas Isaac

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Process) – Second Class Honours – Division A/Bachelor of Science (Earth Science)

• PLATT, Adrian Joseph

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Medical) – Second Class Honours – Division B/Bachelor of Science (Physics) – with Distinction

• GRIMES MARIN, Andreas Raoul

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – Second Class Honours – Division A/Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science) – with Distinction

• BUNIN, Carlo

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Medical) – Second Class Honours – Division A/Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences) – with Distinction

• POLYCANDRIOTIS-VAN DUYNHOVEN, Julia Alexandra

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Medical) – First Class Honours/Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences)

• CHIRNSIDE, James Tennyson

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Process) – First Class Honours/Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) – with Distinction

• FARRINGTON, Matthew John

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) – First Class Honours/Bachelor of Science (Physics) – with Distinction

• BIELENBERG, Ryan Thomas
• SWART, Jason

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechatronics) – First Class Honours/Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences) – with Distinction

• BARRETT, Taylia Dione