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Engineering researchers lead on $13 million in ARC Discovery Project Grants

29 November 2024
This year, the Faculty of Engineering has secured ARC Discovery Project Grants funding on 24 projects – 22 of which are led by researchers from the faculty.

Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering have been awarded over $13 million across 24 projects in 2025 ARC Discovery Project Grants funding round – almost tripling the respective number of projects and funding success from the previous year and showcasing the breadth of research expertise.

The projects span artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, industrial applications of materials and more, with 22 out of 24 funded from the faculty being led by engineering researchers.

Professor Hesham El Gamal, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, commended all the successful academics from the faculty.

This remarkable success is yet another evidence of the faculty’s talent, dedication, and outstanding capacity to excel.
Professor Hesham El Gamal, Dean

“Needless to say, this success was enabled by a team effort," he said. "And I am grateful to our faculty, centre research portfolios, peer reviewers, mentors, and school leadership for all their positive contributions.”

Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Research) Professor Julie Cairney, and School of Aeronautical, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering professor, also offered her congratulations to the successful applicants.

“The ARC Discovery Projects scheme is incredibly competitive, and it’s fantastic to see so many projects from the University of Sydney recognised in the latest round,” Professor Cairney said.

The full list of academics from the faculty and their projects are:

School of Aeronautical, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering

  • Professor Julie Cairney (with Dr Ranming Niu, Associate Professor Patrick Burr), $1,020,143 – Developing Safe Alloys for Hydrogen-Rich Environments
  • Professor Qing Li (with Dr Jianguang Fang), $734,581 – Designing Flexible Metamaterials with Exceptional Mechanical Properties
  • (with Professor Jian Wang), $627,538 – Unraveling Mechanical Behaviors of Metallic Materials at the Atomic Level
  • Professor Assaad Masri (with Associate Professor Agisilaos Kourmatzis), $618,677 – Creating Optimal E-Fuel Blends for Clean and Efficient Combustion
  • Professor Stefan Williams (with Associate Professor Thierry Peynot, Dr Donald Dansereau), $523,011 – Enhancing Robotic Perception in Challenging Environments

School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

School of Biomedical Engineering

School of Civil Engineering

School of Computer Science

School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

  • Professor Yonghui Li (with Dr Wanchun Liu, Professor Daniel Quevedo, Professor Karl Henrik Johansson), $627,136 – Advancing Wireless Human-Machine Collaboration for Industry 5.0
  • Professor Xiaoke Yi (with Professor Shujuan Huang, Dr Binesh Puthen Veettil), $594,127 – Dynamics of microwave processing to grow high-quality, stable semiconductor crystals

School of Project Management

  • Associate Professor Petr Matous (with Professor Michele Ford, Associate Professor Aim Sinpeng, Associate Professor Jie Yin, Dr Kriangsak Teerakowitkajorn, Assistant Professor Benjamin Velasco, Assistant Professor Estu Putri Wilujeng), $561,608 – Role of Generative Artificial Intelligence in digital attacks on freedom of association

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