Our research

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The School’s researchers are developing high-performance structural and functional materials, as well as designing new products and technologies that substantially benefit society. They achieve this by creating materials and sustainable processes that positively impact the environment, improve human health, enhance quality of life, strengthen national security, optimise vital resources, and drive economic prosperity.

Our Research Structure

The School’s research programs are organised into four interconnecting societal impact themes, as shown below. Each Theme Leader is responsible for coordinating the research groups within their respective theme, facilitating communication and collaboration among these groups, and fostering cross-disciplinary engagement across Themes, other Schools, Research Centres, Hubs, and Institutes both within and beyond UNSW.

Our enabling platform, opens in a new window supports these Themes and forms the foundation for designing and manufacturing advanced materials and products. It draws on a deep understanding of fundamental phenomena, computational methods, correlative structural analysis techniques, and the behaviour and properties of materials. At its core, advanced manufacturing plays a crucial role in creating materials that drive innovation and benefit contemporary society. The relationship between our four research themes and the enabling platform is illustrated below.

Our Research Themes

Transport & infrastructure

Primarily structural materials used expressly for creating the means of transportation, to large-scale structures and infrastructure that dominate our daily lives. These include land, sea and aerospace vehicles to buildings, superstructures, machines and any other fixed or moving infrastructure.

Biomedical & health

Structural materials exhibiting specific functionality to largely functional materials that are designed to interact with biological systems for therapeutic and diagnostic medical purposes. These materials are used in dental devices, orthopedic implants, artificial organs, implantable devices, artificial skin and drug delivery.

Energy & environment

Materials that play a critical role in the production, storage and conversion of energy, through to eco-materials, created by sustainable processes. These materials impart an overall positive impact on the environment, and are integral in next-generation fuel cells, solar devices, power generators and recycled products.

Electronics & communications

Primarily functional materials with structural requirements used in electrical, electronics and microelectronic applications. These include components and devices that comprise integrated circuits, circuit boards and visual displays, to cables, wires and optical fibres for transferring power and information.

Key Areas of Materials Expertise

Within the impact theme framework shown above, our staff bring expertise across diverse materials disciplines, driving advancements in specific materials and processes aligned with one or more of our research themes. This approach has fostered clusters of excellence, opens in a new window in the discovery, design, development, and application of materials across six main areas. The broad relationship between these materials research areas and our impact themes is illustrated below.

Engagement with Centres, Hubs and Institutes

Our societal impact framework has enabled staff to secure funding for major multidisciplinary research centres, hubs, and institutes, opens in a new window, among other initiatives. These efforts have fostered extensive collaborations with researchers from other universities, industries, and research organisations, as well as within UNSW, as shown below.

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