ARC Discovery Early Career Research Awards 2021
The Minister for Education, The Hon Dan Trehan has this week announced new grant outcomes under the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme.
The University of Adelaide submitted 38 Future Fellowships proposals and received funding for 4 awards (totalling $1,674,218), with 2 in ECMS, giving the University a success rate of 10.5%.
The University of Adelaide is placed equal 9th nationally (and equal 7th of Go8) for the number of DECRA awards received this year.
The 2 successful ECMS awards announced are as follows:
Dr Xiaoguang Duan
School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials
Functional carbon hybrids for green catalysis and clean water – $450,948
This project aims to develop a family of structure-tailored, robust and metal-free carbon hybrids and environmental-benign processes for catalytic degradation of emerging microcontaminants in water. Innovations are expected in the design of reaction-oriented nanocarbons, new concept in atomic level carbocatalysis from computation and in-situ characterisation, advanced purification technology, and breakthroughs in material engineering. The anticipated outcomes will be the scientific basis for functional nanomaterials, nanotechnology, and green remediation technologies. Success will provide significant benefits in securing a sustainable future for Australia, with clean water and strategies for advanced manufacturing in related areas.
Yujie Chen
School of Mechanical Engineering
Ultra-tough coatings via materials engineering – $375,000
This project aims to develop new generation coatings that combine highly controlled compositions and bio-inspired microstructural characteristics for safety-critical applications. This is made possible through smart materials design, multi-scale modelling and novel fabrication technique. The new coatings are expected to offer exceptionally high toughness underlain by a unique combination of various strengthening modes at multiple length scales. The application of the coatings will enhance the performance and safety of mechanical components in engineering applications, reduce associated costs. In doing so, this project will bring substantial benefits to advanced manufacturing, mining and aerospace sectors.
The DECRA scheme provides focused research support for early career researchers in both teaching and research, and research-only positions funded for three consecutive years on a full-time basis.
The ARC received a total of 1179 applications for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for funding commencing in 2021, of which 200 were approved for funding commencing in 2021.
Congratulations to our ECMS researchers who have successfully received funding.
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