Curtin University

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Microbial detoxification of chrysotile - Towards safe disposal of asbestos . Safe disposal of asbestos is a global concern. It belongs to serpentine class of minerals which are magnesium phyllosilicates. In natural environments, microbes and geochemical processes play an important role in the dissolution and transformation of these magnesium silicate minerals as chrysotile into non-toxic forms along with capturing of CO2; but much of our knowledge in the area is limited due to poor understanding of reaction mechanisms. This project will develop new methods to enable and advance the fundamental knowledge of microbially induced transformation of asbestos minerals into non toxic forms with significant implications for CO2 capture; a crucial step towards safe disposal of asbestos and net zero carbon emissions. Field of research: 3703 - Geochemistry Asbestos causes 4000 deaths in Australia per annum and costs over $1billion to the economy. The use of asbestos has been banned in the building industry since 2003, but its release from old buildings remains a major challenge to health and environment. This project will harness the bioinspired natural microbial processes that alter asbestos mineral fibres into a nontoxic form by understanding their reaction mechanisms and kinetics at micro- to nanoscale. These insights into natural microbial asbestos break down processes will lead to the development of safe, eco-friendly asbestos management technology. The new technology will provide a safe disposal and detoxification process for asbestos with applications in construction-mining sector and built infrastructure. The outcome has a potential to steer Australia towards achieving an asbestos disease-free future and save many lives. The findings will be shared with building industry stakeholders through conferences, workshops, Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Trailblazer programme and other outreach programs at Curtin University and WA Museum to foster community and industry engagement. The project will also create a legacy of benefit by building national and international collaboration (stronger European collaborations), growing research capacity and training the next generation of scientists in research priority areas that are crucial for Australia’s future prosperity.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Upcycling of Mixed Waste Plastics for Sustainable Jet Fuel Production . This project aims to develop an integrated plastic separation and pyrolysis process that can sustainably upcycle mixed waste plastics into jet fuel. A selective separation technology will be developed to recover plastics suitable for jet fuel production, using the light oil internally generated as the solvent. An advanced pyrolysis process will then be designed to integrate reflux and staged condensation systems for maximising the formation of jet fuel range products. Through techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment, the jet fuel production cost at larger scale can be greatly reduced. By diverting mixed waste plastics from landfilling, the project will also provide significant benefits to plastic waste management in Australia. Field of research: 4004 - Chemical Engineering Australia has set up the Long-Term Emissions Reduction Plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Both the aviation and waste sectors contribute largely to Australia's emissions, thus advanced technologies are urgently needed for decarbonising those sectors. Fast pyrolysis is a promising technology to convert mixed plastic waste into oil products, but the plastic pyrolysis oil currently has very limited applications due to its poor quality, greatly hindering its commercial applications for producing sustainable jet fuel. This project will develop an integrated plastic separation and pyrolysis process that can sustainably upcycle mixed waste plastics into high-quality jet fuel. This novel pyrolysis process integrates reflux and staged condensation systems to maximise the formation of jet fuel range products and reduce the production cost of sustainable jet fuel, thereby significantly accelerating the commercialisation of plastic pyrolysis technology for producing sustainable jet fuel. It will not only significantly decarbonise Australia's aviation and waste sectors, but also substantially contribute to the circular economy in Australia’s rural and regional areas. Utilising mixed plastic waste as feedstock also offers a sustainable solution for environment-friendly management of mixed plastic waste in Australia. This project aligns well with Australia’s target of achieving 80% recovery from waste streams by 2030 and facilitates the transition to a circular economy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Rapidly-evolving jets at the highest angular resolution. This project will develop innovative new algorithms for Australia's unique high angular resolution radio telescopes, enabling us to achieve unprecedented accuracy in producing radio images of fast evolving and explosive cosmic events. These advances will determine how black holes launch powerful jets that recycle matter and energy back into their cosmic surroundings. This addresses a key question in modern astrophysics, generating new knowledge on the most energetic events in our Universe. The project will leverage Australia's significant investments in world-leading telescope facilities, develop new capability in data science and statistical techniques and inspire the public by generating real-time movies of black hole jets as they evolve. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Australia hosts a unique and complementary suite of radio telescopes, which when combined yield exceptionally detailed, high-resolution images of the southern sky, providing an unrivalled global capability. This will soon be augmented further as the world’s largest radio telescope, the SKA, begins operations and enhances the sensitivity of this network. This project will build on innovative new algorithms developed for modelling data on rapidly-evolving gas flows around feeding black holes, improving the ability of this network to unravel the physics behind some of the most extreme and explosive events in our Universe. These algorithms fit physically-motivated models to accurately reconstruct the properties of high-energy radio sources that change while we are observing them, providing a low-cost way to extract additional science and derive new insights from our existing facilities. The project will address fundamental questions in astrophysics, as identified by the Australian and global scientific communities, determining how black holes launch powerful outflows that move at close to the speed of light. The project will leverage Australia’s existing investments in radio astronomy and its membership of global scientific collaborations. It will train students and early-career researchers in data science, high-performance computing, and statistical techniques, and it will draw on the excitement generated by black holes to foster deeper public engagement in STEM fields.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Structural health monitoring by using generative and physics-informed AI. This project aims to develop advanced generative and physics-informed Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques for structural health monitoring of civil structures. The developed approach applies novel generative and physics-informed deep learning techniques with synthetic data and domain knowledge, for reliable structural condition monitoring. This project expects to significantly improve data generation and interpretation by enhancing AI capacity. Expected outcomes of the project include novel generative and physics-informed AI approaches to conduct structural condition monitoring with limited monitoring data. This will provide significant benefits to infrastructure asset owners to ensure public safety and reduce maintenance costs. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering Optimal maintenance and management of civil infrastructure, such as bridges and buildings, etc., are essential for ensuring public safety and economic productivity. Structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques face challenges of lacking sufficiently meaningful, diverse and realistic data from real-world civil engineering structures for condition monitoring. This project aims to develop advanced generative and physics-informed AI techniques incorporating laws and principles of physics, for effective SHM and condition monitoring of civil structures, with limited monitoring data. This project has significant economic benefits in enhancing the effective maintenance and management of ageing infrastructure in Australian and international community. With the developed approaches, the project enables the capacity and prediction accuracy of AI techniques, supports more accurate training and validation, and improves the convergence and generalization capability of AI techniques with physics information. The project outcomes will contribute to Australian’s Science and Research Priorities on “Building a secure and resilient nation”, and Australian Government priority on: “A Future Made in Australia”, by advancing scientific and technological development for preventing structural failures and building a resilient infrastructure network. The findings will be disseminated through publications, presentations and workshops, and translated to industry through collaborations with stakeholders.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Development of Hybrid Precast Concrete-Steel Wind Turbine Tower Systems. This project aims to develop an advanced wind turbine system that combines precast concrete segments and steel towel as well as corrosion resistance FRP prestress tendon for enhanced strength, durability, constructability, and hazard resistance capacities. It will integrate UAV-based inspection with digital twin to enable effective and efficient inspection and performance prediction. By addressing key technical and economic barriers to deploying tall wind turbines especially in remote and coastal regions, the project will support safer and more cost-effective renewable energy infrastructure. Outcomes will directly benefit Australia’s clean energy transition, ensure infrastructure resilience, and contribute to national decarbonization goals. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering This project directly serves Australia's national interest by addressing urgent needs in renewable energy infrastructure and accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy. The proposed hybrid precast concrete-steel wind turbine tower system, incorporating corrosion-resistant materials and modular construction, is designed to significantly enhance structural integrity, durability, and economic viability. It particularly addresses the logistical challenges and structure resilience against natural hazards faced by remote and coastal regions across Australia, enabling more robust and reliable renewable energy solutions in these vulnerable locations. The integration of advanced UAV-based inspection and digital twin technologies will transform maintenance practices and performance monitoring of wind turbines. This innovative approach will substantially reduce operational costs, enhance safety, and improve reliability over the long term. Such advancements will bolster Australia's domestic capabilities and stimulate the growth of new industries within the renewable energy sector. By directly contributing to Australia's commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050, this project aligns strategically with national science and research priorities, including renewable energy and resilient infrastructure. Additionally, it will nurture skilled researchers and enhance collaboration between industry and academia, thereby reinforcing Australia's leadership in renewable energy innovation.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Unlocking Solar System Secrets from Asteroid Sample Return Missions Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

City-level structural health monitoring of bridges with drive-by sensing. This project aims to address the challenge of managing ageing bridges in a city-level network by using drive-by sensing. By integrating advanced signal processing and physics-informed optimization techniques, the project will enhance the capability of identifying bridge modal parameters from drive-by measurements. The project will advance knowledge in effectively monitoring a large number of ageing bridges. The expected outcomes include the development and application of a cost-effective city-level bridge health monitoring framework, enabling scalable and efficient condition assessment. The benefits include improving structural safety, reducing maintenance costs, and supporting Australia's priority on building a secure and resilient nation. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering Around 70% of Australian bridges are over 50 years old and rapidly approaching the end of their service life, increasing the risks of structural damage or even failure, safety hazards, and economic disruption. With limited maintenance budgets, managing these ageing infrastructure presents a critical national challenge. Drive-by sensing by using vehicle vibrations as they pass over bridges, is a promising technique for monitoring structural conditions of bridges. This project aims to develop an innovative, cost-effective mobile crowdsensing framework for city-level structural health monitoring of bridges, enabling efficient, scalable assessment of bridge conditions across transportation networks. By delivering robust, data-driven insights to asset owners, this project will provide significant economic benefits, support smarter resource allocation and prioritize interventions on at-risk bridges. Project outcomes will be disseminated through academic journals and conferences to stimulate further research. In addition, findings will be shared through public seminars, technical presentations, and industry-focused training courses to engage a broader community. This project outcomes will contribute to the Australian Government’s Science and Research Priority on “Building a secure and resilient nation”. It also supports Australia’s Net Zero commitment and advances Sustainable Development Goals through improved infrastructure resilience and sustainability.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Nonlinear scheduling optimisation for green hydrogen production. This project aims to develop cutting-edge mathematical algorithms to optimise operation scheduling for green hydrogen plants, to enhance overall productivity and reduce green hydrogen production costs. Optimisation problems in this domain are highly nonlinear and of massive scale. The project will leverage recent breakthroughs in integer programming and nonlinear optimisation to create efficient computational algorithms for overcoming this complexity. These algorithms will provide critical insights into optimal operations strategies for potential Australian hydrogen scenarios. The new theoretical developments will contribute to bridging the gap between discrete and continuous optimisation, two fields that are normally studied disparately. Field of research: 4903 - Numerical and Computational Mathematics The Australian Government is investing billions of dollars to position the nation as a major global producer of green hydrogen. The success of this new industry relies on large-scale infrastructure and reliable operational systems, with efficient operation scheduling being crucial for performance and reliability. However, operation scheduling is a significant challenge. Even in mature industries like mining, it is already laborious and highly complex; and today's most advanced computer algorithms cannot scale to the dimensions required for operations scheduling in industry. There is a critical need for a novel mathematical optimisation framework and fast, scalable algorithms to tackle these complex scheduling problems. This project will address this gap by developing effective scheduling algorithms for optimising production activities through new advances in mathematical optimisation. The outcome will be innovative scheduling technology that provides optimal planning and scheduling strategies, minimising costs and safety risks while enhancing overall productivity and reliability. These new scheduling algorithms will be applied to proposed Australian hydrogen projects, accelerating the industry's viability and contributing to decarbonisation efforts.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

ARC Centre of Excellence for Quality Work in a Digital Age. This centre aims to bring together experts from the social and technical sciences to learn how to create quality work for the future. This aim is significant because intelligent technologies, such as AI and robotics, are radically disrupting work. The Centre will investigate how to use these technologies to augment human performance, how to enable people to collaborate across geographic and temporal boundaries, and how to future-proof workers by building capabilities to thrive in a digital era. Expected outcomes are that the Centre will generate knowledge, tools and guidance that is relevant and ready for use by government and industry. Social and economic benefits include improvements in health and well-being, inclusion and productivity. Field of research: 3507 - Strategy, Management and Organisational Behaviour The Centre for Quality Work in a Digital Age (QWiDA) investigates how to jointly design technology and work systems to create and sustain healthy, inclusive, and productive future work. It adopts a novel interdisciplinary approach informed by new theories and innovative methods. QWiDA is supported by diverse Partner Organisations that function as living labs, enablers, and/or disseminators, and involves engagement activities to ensure the new knowledge is relevant, ready for use, has reach, and is resilient (lasting). The research benefits Australians in many ways. First, the Centre enhances national productivity by fostering the optimal use of intelligent technologies to augment human work, reducing costly failed applications and wasted investment. Second, QWiDA enhances the mental and physical health and well-being of Australians by designing work that prevents psychosocial risks, thereby reducing burnout, minimising workers’ compensation cases, and mitigating other negative outcomes of poor work. Third, by creating future-ready workers, QWiDA supports inclusive and fair employment opportunities, closing the digital divide and enabling participation in quality work for all people. Combining the cost benefits across the three areas of impact, and adjusting for interdependencies, the economic value of creating effective, healthy, and fully inclusive Australian work is many billions per year. The societal value of meaningful work is also highly significant.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Mining Earth's Memory–From Crustal Thickness to Mineral Prediction. This project aims to map how Australia’s crustal thickness has changed over time, a key determinant on metal transport and mineral formation. By using existing government-funded samples and a novel approach enabled by recent analytical advancement, this project expects to generate new knowledge in predictive geoscience. Expected outcomes include i) a new isotopic tool that can track past crustal thickness; and ii) Australia’s first crustal thickness model through deep time to aid identify areas with high mineralization potential. These outcomes can benefit Australia by reducing exploration risk, maximizing the value of previous government investments, and strengthen Australia’s global leadership in analytical geochemistry. Field of research: 3703 - Geochemistry Australia’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 depends on extracting mineral resources from Earth’s crust, as clean energy technologies – such as solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and electric vehicles – require a substantial supply of critical minerals. With some of the world's largest recoverable critical mineral deposits, Australia has the potential to play a key role in global decarbonization. However, predicting the location of these resources remains one of geoscience’s greatest challenges. National strategic plans recognize that a holistic understanding of Earth, including crustal evolution, is essential for future exploration success and building Australia’s critical minerals pipeline. Aligned with this national priority, this project will use a cost- and time-efficient innovative approach to reconstruct Australia’s crustal architecture through time, helping to identify areas with favourable conditions for mineral deposit formation. This will reduce exploration risk, strengthen economic security, and support the transition to sustainable energy sources. The results will be made publicly available through free-to-access outlets, including open-access articles and data platforms, traditional and social media releases, as well as seminars to ensure broad dissemination to government, industry, and policy makers.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Next-Generation Agentic AI System for Intelligent Infrastructure Monitoring. This project develops an innovative Agentic AI system powered by a large language model to automate infrastructure monitoring and management. It closes the loop between perception, analysis, and action by integrating multi-modality sensing, predictive simulation and natural language reasoning. The AI agent drives workflow automation, enabling early anomaly detection, real-time structural assessment, and autonomous decision-making. This reduces manual intervention, enhances efficiency, and ensures scalable, proactive infrastructure management. The research will improve safety, lower maintenance costs, and position Australia as a leader in AI-powered engineering solutions for resilient and sustainable infrastructure. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering This project develops an AI system to enhance infrastructure monitoring and maintenance in Australia. It addresses the growing challenge of aging infrastructure, high maintenance costs, and safety risks by integrating advanced sensing, predictive simulation, and large language models. Current practices rely on manual inspections and costly simulations, leading to inefficiencies. We will create an automated system to detect structural damage early, predict deterioration, and enable proactive decision-making, reducing costs and improving resilience. Australians will benefit from safer, longer-lasting infrastructure, including bridges, rail networks, and roads. By reducing reliance on manual inspections and reactive maintenance, the project lowers maintenance expenses and transport disruptions. Integrating digital twins allows real-time monitoring and simulation, strengthening asset management and risk mitigation. Beyond academia, findings will be shared with government agencies, industry partners, and infrastructure operators through workshops, policy engagement, and open-access resources. The AI system holds significant commercialization potential for monitoring infrastructure in transportation, energy, and other sectors, as well as for applications in smart city development. By driving digital transformation in infrastructure management, this project will position Australia as a leader in AI-powered engineering solutions, delivering long-term economic and social benefits.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Where Are All Our Intermediate Mass Black Holes? How do galaxies grow? Current theory suggests the intermediate mass black holes that are the building blocks of supermassive black holes, should be distributed throughout the Universe. However, there is scant evidence. This project will leverage observations from new facilities like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Square Kilometre Array, and take a the first systematic approach to finding these black holes, thereby testing a key theory of how our Universe evolved. By hunting for electromagnetic signatures of these black holes in 300,000 star clusters in the nearby Universe, it will be possible to detect the long-sought population of intermediate mass black holes, or place stringent constraints on their existence. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences My research is aimed at answering one of the biggest open questions of how our Universe works, finding the evidence of the intermediate mass black holes that drive supermassive black hole formation and galaxy evolution. By performing the first systematic search for intermediate mass black holes in young massive star clusters, I will either discover these elusive black holes, or prove that we need to revisit our leading theory of how the Universe evolves. I will also build national capacity through my leadership in international collaborations. I will leverage the significant Australian investment in the A$3 billion dollar Square Kilometre Array and its precursors, leveraging existing investments with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (A$1.4 million Australian investment), and provide new avenues of research with these facilities. As an experienced mentor, I am committed to leading and participating in impactful scientific outreach events to empower the next generation of Australian scientists. I have organised and contributed to over 30 public outreach events for the public, experience which will serve me well to communicate my exciting discoveries to the general public through broad reaching scientific outreach.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Recovery of rare metals from e-waste through mechano-electrochemistry. This project aims to harness mechano-electrochemistry for the efficient one-pot recycling and repurpose of rare metals and plastics from e-waste. Australia is among the world's larger producers of e-waste on a per capita basis, yet only 35% are properly recycled, with much still reaching landfills, which lead to environmental concerns and the loss of valuable resources. This project expects to fill the current knowledge gap in efficient recycling of rare metals in e-waste. This will provide substantial benefits both to Australia and internationally by enhancing the reuse of e-waste, minimizing landfill waste, reducing the ecological impact of mining and improving community health. Field of research: 3406 - Physical Chemistry Australia is among the world's larger producers of e-waste on a per capita basis, but only about 35% of the materials from e-waste are properly collected and recycled, with a significant portion still ending up in landfills. E-waste contains materials such as heavy metals and difficult-to-degrade plastics, which can seep into the environment, polluting soil and water supplies. Traditional techniques for rare metals recovery from e-waste such as solvent extraction and selective precipitation often suffer from low selectivity and recovery rates, significant chemical usage, and associated environmental risks. Additionally, these approaches fail to enable the simultaneous recycling of rare metals and hard-to-degrade plastics. Inspired by triboelectrification and mechano-electrochemistry at interfaces, this project aims to harness mechano-electrochemistry for the efficient one-pot recycling and repurposing of rare metals and plastics from e-waste. The experimental model described in this proposal will offer a promising technology for large-scale, efficient, and selective recovery of rare metals from e-waste, enhancing the reuse of e-waste, reducing costs, and mitigating mining’s ecological impact, for example, one ton of PCBs can recycle nearly 300 g Pd, valued at $10,000. It will also minimize landfill waste and toxic exposure, improving community health while promoting sustainability and international collaboration.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Art, politics and donor agendas in Timor-Leste Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Chiral electrochemistry with standard achiral electrodes. Many essential drugs and agricultural chemicals exist as molecular mirror images—enantiomers—one beneficial and the other possibly harmful. Current manufacturing and detection of the desired enantiomer are wasteful, energy-intensive, and costly. The project aims to develop a new electrochemistry that selects enantiomers using a minimal quantity of strategically placed insulators on standard electrodes. This will enable enhancement effects at inexpensive and readily available interfaces. By combining advances in microscopy and electrochemistry, we aim to transform synthesis and analysis for reduced waste, energy use, and costs, while advancing renewable-powered chemical synthesis and creating opportunities for high-value production. Field of research: 3406 - Physical Chemistry We will develop a revolutionary approach to chiral electrochemistry that addresses a critical gap in the global pharmaceutical, agricultural, and fine chemical industries. From pesticide action to drug efficacy, control over molecular chirality – where molecules exist as non-superimposable mirror images with dramatically different biological activities – currently relies on complex processes and generates significant waste. Frequently only one mirror form is functional, while the other is inactive or even toxic. Our innovation – strategically patterned chiral insulators on standard electrodes – will enable both efficient and selective electrochemical synthesis and detection of chirality. The project aligns with Australia’s growing status in the expanding global chiral technology market, while supporting the development of renewables-powered chemical manufacturing by developing the electrochemical science to replace conventional molecular reactants with electricity. This step-change in capability will transform the production of high-value chemicals and significantly reduce energy consumption and waste, delivering economic benefits for Australia’s manufacturing sector. Benefits include cost-efficient production of chiral pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and fragrances; environmentally sustainable manufacturing processes; and the training of a highly skilled workforce in advanced electrochemical techniques.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Carbon nanoparticles: a blessing and a curse for hydrogen production. This project investigates the fundamental mechanism of carbon nanoparticle formation during methane pyrolysis, a promising route to clean hydrogen. While these nanoparticles are a potential source of valuable carbon materials, their uncontrolled growth and deposition inside reactors hinders hydrogen production. This research will elucidate the mechanisms governing nanoparticle inception and growth, focusing on the gas-to-nanoparticle transition. The key transient intermediates will be identified, deposits characterised and a detailed mechanism generated. Success will provide fundamental insights into high-temperature carbon materials, enabling the rational design of catalysts and reactor conditions for optimised hydrogen production. Field of research: 4018 - Nanotechnology This project tackles a critical challenge for Australia's clean energy future: clean hydrogen production. Hydrogen is a promising clean fuel, but current production methods either produce significant carbon dioxide emissions or are energy intensive. Methane pyrolysis is a process that thermally releases hydrogen from methane, producing a solid carbon product. This research will investigate the fundamental mechanism of how unwanted carbon nanoparticles form during methane conversion, hindering hydrogen yields from clogging. By understanding this process at the atomic level, we aim to develop strategies to control nanoparticle formation, maximising hydrogen output. This will improve the economic viability and sustainability of hydrogen production, contributing to Australia's energy security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The knowledge gained will also have significant applications in advanced materials synthesis, benefiting various Australian industries. Controlled synthesis of carbon nanomaterials could lead to advancements in battery technology, composite materials, and electronics. Furthermore, insights into high-temperature carbon materials will contribute to cleaner combustion technologies. Research findings will be disseminated through high-impact scientific publications, industry-focused workshops, and public outreach programs. This ensures that the benefits of this research are widely accessible, fostering understanding and support for clean energy initiatives.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Mapping the Influencer Aspirations and Literacies among Australian... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

AI-Driven Sustainable Battery Adoption: Sizing, Profiling, and Recycling. This proposal aims to develop an AI-driven platform for residential battery management by integrating selection, sizing, optimisation, and end-of-life recycling into a unified framework. It addresses current lifecycle gaps by combining consumer profiling, real-time analytics, and sustainability metrics to support data-informed decisions from adoption to disposal. Expected outcomes include advanced AI models for battery sizing, predictive performance, and traceable recycling. The platform will accelerate battery uptake, enhance lifecycle efficiency, and reduce environmental impact. It will strengthen Australia’s capability in sustainable energy, support SME innovation, and advance national decarbonisation goals. Field of research: 4008 - Electrical Engineering To support Australia’s clean energy transition and net-zero targets, this project will deliver an AI-driven platform that empowers consumers and industry to make data-informed decisions across the entire residential battery lifecycle—from pre-adoption to end-of-life. Current approaches tend to focus narrowly on technical or policy aspects; this project introduces a unique, consumer-centric, and empirically grounded solution. Using large-scale data collection and advanced analytics, the platform will identify key adoption barriers and offer tailored solutions through smart battery sizing, performance optimisation, and responsible recycling pathways. A central feature is an AI-based battery sizing tool designed to help solar retailers provide customised advice, boosting consumer confidence and uptake. Expected outcomes include increased battery adoption, enhanced lifecycle performance, and improved recycling participation. The platform will support Australia's growing energy and recycling sectors, foster digital innovation in energy, and build industry skills in AI and renewables. Scalable to global high solar-penetration markets, this project positions Australia as a global leader in next-generation, consumer-led energy transition technologies—delivering economic, environmental, and societal value at scale.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

City-level structural health monitoring of bridges with drive-by sensing Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Rapidly-evolving jets at the highest angular resolution Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Chiral electrochemistry with standard achiral electrodes Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Nonlinear scheduling optimisation for green hydrogen production Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Microbial detoxification of chrysotile - Towards safe disposal of... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Coproducing biochar pellets and green chemicals via biomass pyrolysis Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Passing the Keys: Homeownership Across Generations in Australia Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research