Curtin University delivers high-impact research across four areas of strength:
• Resources and energy
• ICT and emerging technologies
• Health
• Sustainable development
These areas capture the multidisciplinary nature of the University’s research programs, which are accessible across all of its four academic faculties – Science and Engineering, Health Sciences, Humanities and Business.
RESOURCES AND ENERGY
Curtin’s pragmatic approach to international linkages demonstrates how China’s emergence as a science and engineering powerhouse naturally complements Australia’s leading role in energy resources production and related research. In particular, Curtin’s new partnerships with Chinese research institutions demonstrate confidence in the ability of the two nations to lead in the development of new, ‘green’ energy technologies.
During 2009, Curtin’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Jeanette Hacket visited China to establish formal research linkages in the area of energy research. The first of the agreements reached was with the Institute of Process Engineering within the prestigious Chinese Academy of Sciences. The two institutions will jointly undertake research in areas such as biomass and coal gasification, carbon capture and storage, and the development of fuel cells.
Another key achievement of Professor Hacket’s visit to China was the establishment of the Curtin–Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) Joint Research Laboratory for Coal and Biomass Utilisation, which unites the Curtin Centre for Advanced Energy Science and Engineering (CCAESE) with the State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion at HUST.
The Joint Research Laboratory is progressing projects that focus on harnessing new (biomass) energy sources, and developing technologies to reduce emissions from coal combustion. One of the biomass projects focuses on advanced biomass co-firing in conventional coal-fired power stations. The project is being funded under the Australia–China Special Fund for Science and Technology Cooperation, established by the Federal Government and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
These collaborations will greatly contribute to the development of advanced clean coal and biomass technologies in Australia and China.
CURTIN RESOURCES AND CHEMISTRY PRECINCT
Curtin’s leading role in resources and energy research is also clearly demonstrated by the new Curtin Resources and Chemistry Precinct at the University’s Bentley Campus. The $116 million development is funded by Curtin, BHP Billiton, ChemCentre (WA’s flagship chemical science facility) and both the Federal and Western Australian governments.
During 2009, Curtin research teams have been relocating to the precinct, and will soon be utilising its advanced laboratories. These include the Nanochemistry Research Institute, the WA Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre, the Curtin Water Quality Research Centre, and the WA Corrosion Research Group. ChemCentre has also relocated to the precinct, adding to the hub of expertise for collaborative research. Ultimately, more than 200 professional scientists, engineers and staff will occupy state-of-the-art facilities for chemistry and energy-related research.
Further endorsement of Curtin’s research capabilities in resources and energy-related fields was seen recently with the announcement of the Cooperative Research Centre for Deep Exploration Technologies. Curtin’s involvement in the CRC will be through its Centre for High Definition Geophysics, where research focuses on developing new seismic technologies to detect mineral resources.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Sustainable development is a strategic priority for Curtin, and renewable energy is one area in which the University continues to strengthen its research contribution.
Reflecting this, the Federal Government recently awarded Curtin $2.5 million to investigate the sustainable production of high quality second-generation transport biofuels from mallee biomass. The program will be conducted at the Curtin Centre for Advanced Energy Science and Engineering (CCAESE), which is one of 16 centres under the research umbrella of the Australian Sustainable Development Institute (ASDI) at Curtin.
Curtin was the only WA university to receive funding from the Government’s $15 million Second Generation Biofuels Research and Development Program, and it confirms the University’s role – and that of the CCAESE specifically – in the development of renewable energy sources that reduce CO2 emissions.
ICT AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Curtin has continued to build impressive capabilities in radio astronomy, and develop advanced projects for the highly coveted international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.
Through the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy (CIRA), the University is positioning radio astronomy as a science and technology strength for WA. CIRA is jointly led by Premier’s Research Fellow Professor Steven Tingay (astrophysics and technical astronomy research) and Professor Peter Hall (engineering research and industry collaboration), who is the only Chair in Radio Astronomy Engineering in Australia.
In August, WA Premier Colin Barnett launched the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) in Perth – a $100 million joint venture funded by the WA Government, Curtin and The University of Western Australia, with CSIRO and iVEC as collaborating partners. ICRAR’s leadership team, drawn from both universities, includes Professors Tingay and Hall.
Complementing the ICRAR initiative, the new Pawsey Centre for High-Performance Computing and SKA Science was launched in September by the Federal Minister for Science and Innovation Kim Carr, at Perth’s Technology Park, adjacent to Curtin’s Bentley Campus.
The $80 million Pawsey Centre is funded under the Government’s Super Science program. At the launch, Senator Carr emphasised the Pawsey Centre’s focus on radio astronomy that will help demonstrate Australia’s readiness to host the SKA, and its close linking “with the leading-edge Australian SKA Pathfinder radio-telescope being built in WA as a precursor to the SKA project”.
At CIRA, Tingay and Hall are now coordinating several key pathfinder radio telescope projects; foremost among these is the Murchison Wide-field Array (MWA). Resulting from a major collaboration between Australia, the US and India, the MWA will survey the entire sky at a far greater speed than existing instruments, and reveal new information about the Universe and its radio phenomena.
The development of next-generation information and communication technologies remains an area of exciting opportunities for researchers.
For example, an inspirational collaboration between WA’s Main Roads authority and two Curtin research teams will realise a next-generation traffic management and control system. The project involves the Digital Ecosystems and Business Intelligence Institute (DEBII), the Planning and Transport Research Centre (PATREC) and Main Roads WA.
DEBII’s research expertise lies in determining how to process and utilise data, and how best to derive meaning and provide context to information. Technical innovations being designed and developed by the DEBII team for the project are considerable, and will exploit the capabilities of the next-generation internet, known as the ’Web of Things’.
The new devices will collect traffic data, via compact sensors implemented through programmable logic arrays, encapsulated and deployed as monitors. Each will have an IP address, providing it with a logical location aligned with a geographical location (supplied by GPS), and therefore have the flexibility to be either stationary or mobile monitors. Relevant data will then be transmitted wirelessly to monitors at Main Roads’ control centre. Benefits for road-users will be reduced congestion, a shortened travel time, a safer road environment, and less pollution as result of vehicles being on the road for less time. The Australian Research Council is supporting the research with a three-year Linkage Project grant.
HEALTH
Chronic conditions now dominate health-care spending in Australia. Accordingly, health research must look closely at preventative care and long-term health maintenance. To address the issue, Curtin has established an integrated health research institute – the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI).
CHIRI’s programs respond astutely to the shifting health care patterns of ageing populations, and of societies that suffer from chronic illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Curtin is providing more than $60 million for new infrastructure, and research programs for evidence-based solutions to contemporary health challenges. CHIRI’s outstanding capabilities are drawn from respected research groups in the Faculty of Health Sciences. These include the Centre for Research into Ageing, Centre for Developmental Health, Centre for International Health and the National Drug Research Institute.
EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH
These examples demonstrate Curtin’s commitment to providing outstanding opportunities for researchers seeking to engage in and advance both academically rigorous and internationally relevant research. This commitment attracts many high-calibre researchers to Curtin’s centres and institutes, and enhancing the University’s vibrant research culture that is characterised by dedicated research staff, their programs, and our partnerships.
