Higher Degree Research Projects for 2013 / 2014

This page lists the Higher Degree Research Projects which are currently available. Please contact the academic listed against each project if you are interested in undertaking research on this project.

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

Power Electronics and Electrical Machines

• Small scale wind turbine systems and control. Contact: Assoc Prof Nesimi Ertugrul
• High efficiency variable speed motor/generator design and control. Contact: Assoc Prof Wen Soong
• Electrically controlled water pump systems. Contact: Assoc Prof Nesimi Ertugrul
• Photo voltaic systems. Contact: Assoc Prof Nesimi Ertugrul
• Distributed generation technologies. Contact: Assoc Prof Wen Soong
• Electrical vehicle energy storage and drive systems. Contact: Assoc Prof Nesimi Ertugrul

Power Systems

• Modelling and control of transmission and distribution networks. Contact: Dr Rastko Zivanovic
• Measurements and protection in transmission and distribution networks. Contact: Dr Rastko Zivanovic
• Planning and optimization of network infrastructure and operation. Contact: Dr Rastko Zivanovic
• Smart grids. Contact: Dr Rastko Zivanovic

SENSING AND PROCESSING

Applied Electromagnetics

• Wearable and flexible polymer antennas. Contact: Dr Christophe Fumeaux
• Dielectric antennas. Contact: Dr Christophe Fumeaux
• Optical nano-structures. Contact: Dr Christophe Fumeaux
• Metamaterials and plasmonics. Contact: Dr Withawat Withayachumnankul,

Biomedical Signals and Systems

• Signal processing for clinical applications. Contact: Dr Mathias Baumert
• Multiscale cellular processing: from protein interactions to molecular neurocvbernetics. Contact: Dr Nicolangelo Iannella
• Building the brain: from silicon to autonomous systems. Contact: Dr Nicolangelo Iannella
• Wireless controlled stent for cardiovascular disease using MEMS technology Contact: Dr Said Al-Sarawi

Complex Engineering Systems

• Complex engineering systems: through-life governance and safety. Contact: Prof. Lincoln Wood
  • Complex engineering systems - such as energy and water supply and distribution systems, telecommunications, transportation fleets and national defence systems - usually carry with them very high safety, environmental, technical and business risks. There are many stakeholders in these systems, and the solutions must be co-designed with them. Social accountability demands credible governance of these systems. This project will investigate existing governance regimes and propose governance models for integrated technical and business systems.
• Characterising careers of engineering leaders. Contact: Prof. Lincoln Wood
  • Although there have been many studies of leaders across many domains - especially politics and business - there have been relatively few studies of leaders in engineering, especially in Australia. The close links of engineering to both science and business leads to significant career diversity. This project will examine the careers of a selection of leaders to characterise the key factors, especially decision points (bifurcations), in their careers.

Control

• Networked control systems - Stability analysis and performance synthesis. Contact: Prof Peng Shi
• Network-based fault reconstruction and fault-tolerant control design. Contact: Prof Peng Shi
• Stability analysis and control of fuzzy control systems. Contact: Prof Peng Shi

Microelectronics

• Digital architectures for AI. Contact: Dr Braden Phillips
• Memory architectures for chip multiprocessors. Contact: Assoc. Prof. Mike Liebelt
• High dynamic range broadband and signal delta pipeline ADC using adaptive off-band signal calibration technique;Contact: Dr Yingbo Zhu
• Integrated RF systems. Contact: Dr Braden Phillips

Radar

• Analysis and modelling of monostatic and bistaticsea clutter.  Contact: Dr Waddah Al-Ashwal
• Low cost W-band passive radar imaging systems for mining safety. Contact: Mr Matthew Trinkle
• Improved ship-board man overboard search and track systems. Contact: Dr Derek Rogers
  
  • One of the sensors on many naval vessels is an Infra-Red Search and Track (IRST) system
    IRST systems are often used for missile detection but can also be used for main overboard detection and tracking.  When placed on a ship though a sensor has to contend with roll/pitch/yaw of the ship, various sea states and often a very small target (the person overboard) to try and detect and track. 
  • The intent of the PhD would be to look at ways of improving IRST systems in the context of man overboard detection and tracking, taking into account the mounting on a ship and the maritime environment. ‘Improving' means increased probability of detection and tracking under adverse conditions: Sea state, atmospheric conditions, solar conditions
    
    
    

Terahertz Technology

• Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Contact: Dr Withawat Withayachumnankul
• Terahertz plasmonics. Contact: Dr Withawat Withayachumnankul
• Terahertz metamaterials. Contact: Dr Withawat Withayachumnankul
• Biosensing with terahertz waves. Contact: Dr Withawat Withayachumnankul
• Terahertz near-field microscopy. Contact: Dr Withawat Withayachumnankul
• Modelling telahertz channels for wireless communications. Contact: Assoc Prof Cheng-Chew Lim