December 9, 2024

New PhD research targets coastal erosion, digital records, and green mining

UOW secures three successful projects in National Industry PhD program

Rising sea levels, extreme storms, and increased erosion all pose a threat to our vital coastal environments.

Now, a collaboration between researchers from the University of Wollongong (UOW) and the State Government will develop a blueprint to help local governments understand this threat and improve coastal management into the future.

It is one of three University of Wollongong (UOW) projects funded as part of the Federal Government’s National Industry PhD Program, announced last week (28 November).

The National Industry PhD Program is part of a $296 million government initiative to bring together trained researchers to solve industry problems across agriculture, food production, medical research, environmental sustainability, manufacturing and AI.

There are two streams to the program. Industry Linked PhDs, in which outstanding PhD candidates undertake research projects co-designed by university and industry, and Industry Researcher PhDs, in which industry professionals are supported by their employers to undertake PhD projects in partnership with a university while retaining their role.

Of the 68 successful projects, UOW has been awarded two Industry Linked PhDs and one Industry Researcher PhD.

UOW Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research and Sustainable Futures) Senior Professor Eileen McLaughlin congratulated the researchers on the outcomes.

“The National Industry PhD Program is an outstanding initiative that reflects the importance of universities and industry collaborating to bring big ideas to life. Each of these unique, but vital projects will make a difference in their fields and have a wider impact on society,” Professor McLaughlin said.

Improving coastal management in NSW using the sediment compartment approach

Professor Kerrylee Rogers (pictured above), from UOW’s School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, will partner with Senior Scientist, and UOW alumni, Thomas Doyle from the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Biodiversity, Conservation and Science Group on an Industry Linked PhD project.

Under this collaboration, the scientists will develop a novel approach to predict the volume, movement and distribution of sediment along the NSW coast, working on sites from Manning River in the north to Broulee in the south.

To manage the significant hazards of sea-level rise, extreme storms, and coastal erosion, local governments must develop reliable coastal management plans that inform coastal actions and decisions.  The project will enable local governments to project the effects of coastal hazards, in Australia and globally, improving coastal management at a time when coasts are dynamic because of climate change.

Green manufacturing of high-performance thin bimetals for lightweight mining equipment

Working in partnership with Azure Mining Technology, Distinguished Professor Zhengyi Jiang, from UOW’s School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, will develop water-based nanolubricants for use in mining as part of the Industry Linked PhD project. Many mining activities have a negative impact on the environment, including the use of traditional lubricants, harmful chemicals, and emitting significant greenhouse gases.

To address these problems, mine operators need to use lighter and more robust bimetal materials—materials that bind two separate materials. These bimetals consume reduced energy, diminish pollution to the environment, and are lighter, more robust, and more malleable.

This project is designed to create these bimetal materials. UOW will collaborate with Azure Mining Technology to develop water-based nanolubricants that circumvent the use of traditional lubricants during the rolling process, diminishing the release of damaging chemicals.

Design and develop a secure Digital Employment Medical Passport

Ensuring the health and safety of employees is crucial for any organisation. Pre-employment and regular medical assessments are required for occupational health and safety for many industries, yet current employment medical assessment systems are paper-based, not informative and not easily accessible. 

There is an urgent need to create a digital system in which the results of employment medical assessment can be securely shared with employees, employers and medical service providers according to their consent. Such a system would provide unprecedented access to health data sets that previously was not possible.

Thus, the aim of the study is to design, develop and implement a secure digital Employment Medical Passport application that will address these deficiencies and act as a standard across multiple Australian industries. Professor Khin Than Win, from UOW’s School of Computing and Information Technology, will work alongside industry partner Sample Assist, a company developed as part of UOW business incubator iAccelerate, on the Industry Researcher PhD project.          

The Digital Employment Medical Passport will provide increased workforce movement through trusted and streamlined verification of individuals, increased trust in work, regulatory and membership checks, reduced liability for the organisation and increased public safety.