Find an expert

Dr Zhenjiang You is a Senior Lecturer within the School of Chemical Engineering. He holds a PhD in Fluid Mechanics. He conducts research on mathematical modelling, numerical simulation and experimental study of flows in porous media, and their applications in petroleum/chemical/mechanical/mining/civil engineering, energy, environment and water resources. He develops new theories and models for colloidal/suspension transport in porous media, innovative technologies for enhanced gas/oil production, and applicable tools for reservoir engineering, production engineering and geothermal industry. He has received research funding support from ARC, NERA, DMITRE, ARENA and a range of Australian and international companies. He collaborates with researchers in Australia, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, China, Russia, USA, Brazil and Iran.

His teaching contributions include Reservoir Engineering, Well Test Analysis, Reservoir Simulation, Field Design Project, Mathematical Modelling and Fluid Mechanics for Petroleum Engineers, Formation Damage, Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery, Unconventional Resources and Recovery, etc.

Professor Chengzhong (Michael) Yu is an internationally recognised expert in materials science. He is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow; a referee for more than 50 international journals; and a reviewer for the ARC and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

International links

Professor Yu has collaborations with scientists in chemistry, material science and chemical engineering from the US, Japan, Scotland, Sweden, France and China. Through these collaborations, more than 30 international journal papers have been published.

Prof Yuan received his PhD degree in aeronautical engineering in 1992 from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China. He changed research direction to wastewater management in 1994, when he took up a postdoctoral research fellow position at Ghent University, Belgium. He joined the Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), renamed as the Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology in July 2021, at The University of Queensland in 1998. He served as the AWMC Deputy Director 2001-2014, and then the AWMC/ACWEB Director in 2015 to July 2022. His research focuses on development of innovative solutions for urban water management and environmental biotechnology through effective integration of fundamental science and applied engineering. He won over $50M in government, industry and university research funding including many ARC Discovery, Linkage and Fellowship grants, mostly as the lead Chief Investigator. Prof Yuan was one of the founding members of the $117m Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities. He has published intensively both in specialised journals such as Water Research and Environmental Science and Technology, and multidisciplinary journals including Nature and Science. He is the founder of three biotechnology businesses namely SeweX, Cloevis and Lodomat, and his research has delivered documented savings of hundreds of millions of dollars to the Australian water industry. His research achievements and leadership have been recognized through major national and international awards including the 2015 ATSE Clunies Ross Award and the International Water Association (IWA) 2014 Global Project Innovation Award (Applied Research Category). Prof Yuan was named as one of Engineers Australia’s Top 100 Most Influential Engineers for 2015. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), an IWA Distinguished Fellow, and was awarded the highly prestigious ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship in 2017. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in January 2019.

Prof Firuz Zare is the Head of School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics and the University Chair of Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research and STEMM Committee at Queensland University of Technology and an Honorary Professor at UQ. He was a discipline leader of Power, Energy and Control Engineering at the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. He is also a Fellow of IEEE - the world’s largest association of technical professionals.

He has spent over 20 years in three main organisations - academia, industry and international standardisation committees as a leader, project manager and senior specialist. Prof Zare has team-building, management and leadership experience in emerging and multidisciplinary research and teaching activities, cross-institutional research and technology projects and national and international standardisation committees.

Prof Zare has been collaborating with several international research centres and industry in Australia, Europe, the USA and Japan in the fields of Energy Conversion Systems and Nanosecond Pulsed Power Technology. His core research areas are:

1) Advanced Power Converter Topology and Control in Grid Connected Renewable Energy, Motor Drives and Energy Storage Systems

2) Electromagnetic Interferences and Harmonics in Power Systems

3) Addressing Standardisation and Emerging Issues of Future Grids

4) Pulsed Power Systems for Bioelectrics and Industrial Applications

He has successfully initiated and established emerging cross and multidisciplinary research activities and groups in Nanosecond Pulsed Power fields since 2007. More specifically, he has published, supervised researchers, secured ARC, NHMRC and industry funds and collaborated with other disciplines in the following areas:

• Pulsed Power Technology and Modelling (Electrical Engineering)
• NOx, PM, Ozon applications (Chemical and Mechanical Engineering)
• Water and wastewater decontamination and pollutant control (Environmental Engineering)
• Milk pasteurisation and food processing (Biology, Food and Agriculture)
• Dewatering system and coal seam gas applications (Mining and Civil Engineering)
• Tissue and cell applications and modellings (Biomedical Engineering)
• Biofuel such as Algae and oil extraction (Biotechnology Engineering)

Prof Zare is an academic staff at the University of Queensland in Australia and has published over 280 peer-reviewed journal & conference papers, 40 technical reports and five patents in the area of Power Electronics and Pulsed Power. He has supervised 13 PhD, 10 M.Sc and M.Eng and a high number of B.Eng students to completion. He has mentored and supervised 14 post-docs and research engineers in the field of energy conversion systems. Prof Zare established a joint chapter of the IEEE Power Electronics/Industrial Electronics/ Industry Applications Societies in Queensland in 2017 and has supported the chapter as a committee member till the present.

He has secured several research funds including eight ARCs, one NHMRC and one Danish Research Council competitive research fund and 20 industry-based projects, over AU$ 10M since 2007.

• First Chief Investigator, ARC Linkage grant (2018-2021, LP170100902)
• First Chief Investigator, ARC Linkage grant (2017-2020, LP160101675)
• First Chief Investigator, ARC Future Fellowship (2016-2020, FT150100042)
• First Chief Investigator, ARC Discovery grant (2007-2009, DP0774497)
• First Chief Investigator, ARC Linkage grant (2007-2009, LP0774899)
• One of the Chief Investigators, ARC LIEF grant (2008, LE0883074)
• First Chief Investigator, ARC Discovery grant (2009-2011, DP0986853)
• Second Chief Investigator, ARC Discovery grant (2010-2013, DP0774092)

• First Chief Investigator, the Danish Innovation Fund (2014-2017)

• One of the Chief Investigators, NHMRC Idea Grant (2020-2023, APP1182038)

• One of the Chief Investigators, Global Innovation Linkage (GIL) Fund (2020-2023)

Prof Zare has received several awards such as:

• A paper award in the IEEE 3rd International Conference on “Sustainable Energy and Future Electric Transportation” (SEFET-2023)
• The IEEE Industrial Drives Committee Transactions Paper Awards, which recognise the best papers reviewed by the Industrial Drives Committee and published in IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications in 2022
• Star Associate Editor Award (2020) by the Editorial Board of the IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics
• Certificate of Appreciation for Lead Editor Services and Contributions towards the advancement of IEEE Access and the Engineering Professions (April 2020)
• One of the high-quality journal papers of May 2019 nominated by the IEEE Power Electronics (TPEL) Committee
• The 2015 Innovation and Excellence Awards (the 3rd place) under the 10th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship ECIE 2015, Italy.
• Pasteur Program 2015 leadership program, Harvard Business School in Boston, USA and Denmark, Jan-Dec 2015
• Innovation Competition at Danfoss Company in 2015.
• Recipient of the National Safe Work Australia Award by Queensland Government, (2011)
• Dean’s Commendation Award for high-quality supervision of two PhD graduate students (2011)
• Recipient of the Australian Academy of Science International Linkage Fellowship (2010)
• Recipient of a prestigious QUT Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowship (2009)
• Recipient of the John Madsen Medal from the Australian Institute of Engineers for the best journal paper (2009)
• Certificate of Appreciation for an outstanding contribution to symposium workshops and tutorials at Asia-Pacific Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility in conjunction with the 19th International Zurich Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility (Singapore, 2008)
• Recipient of QUT Early Career Research Award (2007)
• Awarded the Australian Academy of Technological Science Symposium Fellowship by the Australian Academy of Technological Science (2001)
• Awarded Cigre student paper prize at AUPEC 2000 conference in Australia (2000)

National and International Assessor:

• Australian Research Council
• Chilean National Research Agencies
• Czech Science Foundation
• Dutch Research Council; Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) - Applied and Engineering Sciences (AES)
• Kyoto Prize Nominator (Lifetime achievement in: Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences and Art; rewards: 100 million yen and a 20-karat 250 g gold medal)

Editorial Membership:

• Editor in Chief of International Power Electronics Journal, July 2016 - August 2019
• Senior Editor of IEEE Access journal, Jan 2021- present
• Associate Editor of IEEE Journal of Emerging Topics in Power Electronics, Sep 2014 -present
• Associate Editor of IEEE Access journal, Dec 2015-Dec 2020
• Associate Editor of IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution, March 2020 -present
• Associate Editor of MDPI Journal of Electronics, April 2020 -present
• Editorial Board member of an International Electronic Engineering Journal (AIMS Press), Sep 2017- present
• Editorial Board member of International Power Electronics Journal, August 2019 - present
• Guest Editor, IEEE Journal of Emerging Topics in Power Electronics, SPECIAL SECTION on Modelling and Analysis of Interaction between Grids and Grid-Connected Power Electronics Converters in Distribution Networks (2020)
• Guest Editor, IEEE ACCESS SPECIAL SECTION on POWER QUALITY AND HARMONICS ISSUES OF FUTURE AND SMART GRIDS (2018)
• IEEE Journal of Emerging Topics in Power Electronics SPECIAL SECTION EDITORIAL Board Member: on Harmonics Stability and Mitigation in Power Electronics (2016)

Memberships

• IEEE Fellow for contribution to power converters and leadership role in standardization
• Member of Danish Standardization Committee (2013-2016)
• Member of International IEC Committee Working groups 1, 8 and 9 (2013-Present)
• Member of Australian Standardization Committee (2017-present)

Leadership Training

- Management Essentials, Harvard Business School (Oct-Dec 2020)

Management Essentials provides participants with key tools and techniques to become more effective managers and get things done.

- Technology Leadership, Harvard Business School (Jan-Dec 2015)

Prof Zare has a leadership certificate from Harvard Business School, Boston, USA (Jan-Nov 2015). He was awarded a technology leadership program by the Danish Innovation Council, to attend one year program delivered by Harvard Business School. The goal of this program was to educate innovators on how to develop new technologies. In his leadership roles, he has explored and discussed many challenging issues from project management to academic staff interaction and from different disciplines to maintain and expand collaborations relevant to these themes:

- Strategy & Innovation

- Negotiations, Organizations and Markets

- Commercialising Science

- Project Management

- Leadership & Networking

- Technology Leadership in Denmark (2014)

Industry project management and leadership training - from Lab to Product. Supported by Man on the Moon program at global Danfoss Drive research and development centre.

- Ethos Leadership Program (Feb-Dec 2009)

He has also an Academic Leadership certificate from Ethos Australia.

Dr. Xiangkang Zeng is an ARC DECRA Research Fellow at the UQ Dow Centre within the School of Chemical Engineering at The University of Queensland. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Monash University, Australia, in 2017. Prior to that, he pursued his studies at Jiangnan University in China, attaining a Master's Degree in Fermentation Engineering in 2012 and a Bachelor's Degree in Biological Engineering in 2010.

Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Zeng conducted postdoctoral research training at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) from 2017 to 2018. Subsequently, he held the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Monash University, Australia, from November 2018 to July 2022.

Dr. Zeng's current research endeavors center around the development of two-dimensional functional photocatalysts, such as graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs). His primary focus lies in exploring their applications in solar-to-chemical energy conversion, water treatment, and antibacterial purposes.

As a testament to his contributions, Dr. Zeng has authored over 35 papers in prestigious journals, including Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Catalysis, Angewandte Chemie, Applied Catalysis B, Water Research, Chemical Engineering Journal, and Green Chemistry, both as the first author and co-author.

Professor Mingxing Zhang’s research interests are in the additive manufactruring of metals and MAX phase mateirals, high entropy alloys, new alloy design through machine learning and application of crystallography to engineering materials, surface engineering of metals, and grain refinement for cast metals.

Prof Zhang is a world leader in the area of crystallography of phase transformations and its applications in engineering materials, and is recognised as one of the top researchers in the areas of phase transformations, grain refinement for cast metals, additive manufacturing of metals, and surface engineering.

Prof Zhang obtained his Bachelor of Engineering from the Inner Mongolian University of Science and Technology and Master of Engineering from Northwestern Polytechnical University, China. In 1997 he was awarded his PhD degree by The University of Queensland. His research expertise and interests include crystallography of phase transformations, grain refinement and alloy development of aluminum and magnesium alloys, surface modification and coatings, bainitic transformation and bainitic steels.

Prof Zhang’s research hopes are to apply his fundamental research results to develop new generation metallic materials and to improve the current materials processing techniques. His research outcomes will also offer materials scientists a totally new way to undertake surface treatment for metallic materials, therefore to significantly improve the surface durability of this type of materials. For example, the recently developed new packed powder diffusion coating technique for titanium alloys will enable the replacement of the highly costive superalloys with Ti alloys. The research also hopes to enhance Australia’s competitive ability in international markets in light metals and contribute significantly to material science with the study of the mechanism of phase transformations in solids.

Dr Yan Zhao is a dedicated researcher in the field of agricultural systems, utilizing remote sensing observations to unveil spatial and temporal patterns and advance earth observation techniques and modelling. He is an integral member of a multi-disciplinary predictive agriculture research group based at QAAFI.

Currently, Dr Zhao's focus lies in the intricate integration of spatial technologies, crop modelling, and climate forecasting systems at various scales. His primary objective is to leverage remote sensing and crop simulation techniques for a comprehensive understanding of Australia's dryland cropping system. In pursuit of this goal, he has successfully developed pipelines for handling volumetric spatial datasets and delivering crucial information on crop types, production, and phenology, spanning from local to national scales.

Engaging actively with agri-business companies, government departments, and local growers, Dr Zhao collaborates closely with stakeholders to validate and implement his research findings in practical applications.

Dr Zhao earned his Doctoral Degree in Natural Science, with a specialized focus on Cartography and Geographic Information Systems. He completed his doctoral research at the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2013.

Biography:

John Zhu is currently a Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering, UQ. He is also the inaugural Director of Carbon Energy Research Centre. He received his PhD in Chemical Engineering, UQ in 2002, then worked as a lecturer in Curtin University of Technology from 2002 to 2004. He moved back to UQ at the end of 2004 and has been working in the same school until present. He is the recipient of a number of awards and fellowships, including RK Murphy Medal 2013, Freehills Award IChemE 2011, runner up of Innovator of the Year Award International IChemE 2011, the University of Queensland Foundation Research Excellence Award 2007, an ARC Future Fellowship from 2013 to 2016, an ARC Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship from 2008 to 2012, an ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship from 2003 – 2005. In May 2012, John Zhu’s long term collaborative research with Eden Energy was recognised by Thomson Reuters Innovation Award for Innovative Collaboration between the University of Queensland and Eden Energy.

Research:

John Zhu’s research interests and expertise exist in advanced catalysis, gas adsorption and separation, direct carbon fuel cells and solid oxide fuel cells with strong application focus on clean energy and environment. His current projects include research into scale up of direct carbon fuel cells, next generation solid oxide fuel cells, hierarchically-structured bulk materials for gas storage and catalytic reaction, carbon nanotubes/MOFs composite membranes, carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composites for automotive applications, advanced plasma-assisted catalytic processes for clean energy production and air pollution control.

Teaching and Learning:

John has taught several engineering courses including Research Methods (CHEE7200), Heat and mass transfer (CHEE3002), and Engineering investigation and analysis (CHEE3010). He is currently lecturing a third year course, Reaction Engineering (CHEE3005).

Projects:

1. Transport Processes in Flexible Porous Materials for Gas Separation and Storage, ARC DP

2. Prototype test of Direct Carbon Fuel Cells, QLD Research Partnership Program

3. Carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composites for automotive applications, ARC LP

4. Development of a Novel One Step Process for Gas Conversion to Liquid, ARC LP

5. Fundamentals and practical applications of hierarchically-structured bulk materials, ARC Future Fellowship

6. Development of novel cathodes for next generation solid oxide fuel cells, ARC DP

Jin Zou is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering (Materials Engineering) and an affiliated Professor in the Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis at the University of Queensland, Australia. Professor Zou earned his Master’s degree from the University of Science and Technology, Beijing in 1985 and PhD from the University of Sydney in 1994. Through his postgraduate studies, Professor Zou was trained as a transmission electron microscopist. After his PhD, he worked in the Australian Key Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis at the University of Sydney for 10 years with several Australian fellowships, including an Australian Postdoctoral fellowship and a Queen Elizabeth II fellowship. Professor Zou moved to UQ to take up a teaching-and-research position from July 2003. In 2009, Professor Zou won an inaugural ARC Future Fellowship (FT3 - Professor level). In 2021, Professor Zou became an Emeritus Professor.

Over the years, Professor Zou's research interest has been focused on the understanding of the evolution of advanced, smart and nano-scaled materials and the understanding of fundamental properties of these materials through detailed correlating their fabrication and demonstrated properties with their morphological, structural and chemical characteristics (determined by electron microscopy); and on the formation of high-performance functional nanomaterials and their advanced applications, particular in the fields of energy and environmental protection. So far, Professor Zou published over 750 SCI articles with most of them published in leading international journals, which have attracted over 41,000 citations and led to an H-index of 101.