PhD Scholars

Chamini Karunarathne

PhD Title: Effects of water quality on mineral hydration in industrial processes for greenhouse gas emission reduction

Chamini’s research focuses on the impact of water quality (i.e. ionic concentration and water acidification) has on industrial processes for a greener future. The processes she is investigating for the PhD research are the impact water quality has on green hydrogen production via electrolysers and the impact of water quality on reducing greenhouse gas emissions via mineral hydration. These processes share common reactive hydration pathways where the impact of water quality can have a profound impact on the long-term efficiency of each process.

Through her research, Chamini aims to contribute to eco-friendly and energy-conserving industrial production in the energy and mining industries for a brighter and green future.

Chamini is a PhD candidate at the University of Western Australia. Prior to that, she completed a Master’s by Research degree at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in 2022. She completed her B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

Paul Wright

PhD Title: Techno-economic-environmental life cycle assessments for green hydrogen road transport

Paul is undertaking a PhD at Griffith University on Green Hydrogen for Road Transport in Western Australia. Paul has studied in numerous fields and worked in a range of professions with qualifications in geology, marine biology, environmental and hydraulic engineering, and graduate certificates and diplomas in education, business and natural resources law. He has worked in much of Australia as a geologist, teacher, environmental scientist and engineer.

Most recently Paul has been an environmental manager with companies including Adbri, JBS, Remondis and QGC. He has been on research boards with the centre for Natural Gas at the University of Queensland and GISERA at the CSIRO. Paul is passionate about the global energy transition from hydrocarbon usage dependency to renewables, and is excited about being part of the FEnEx CRC research team.

Jutiporn On-nkam

PhD Title: Ontological Enrichment of Data Standards for Digital Twin Management

Jutiporn’s project concerns ontology enrichment for data standards in digital twins management. Jutiporn’s is driven by a passion for computers and technology and a curiosity about how AI can change the world.

Jutiporn completed a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Thammasat University in Thailand, as well as a Master’s degree from a university in Taiwan. Jutiporn has professional experience with data and AI, and experience working in the related technology, cryptocurrency, and energy industries.

Heshani Hettigoda

PhD Title: Green Hydrogen for Heavy Transport Applications in WA

Heshani’s research has a strong focus on the technological considerations of hydrogen production, transport, and distribution for use as transport fuel in Western Australia, aiming to pave the way for sustainable and efficient hydrogen-based solutions. As part of this research, Heshani is actively involved in the production, handling, and monitoring of dedicated hydrogen trucks, obtaining crucial real-world data from hydrogen-powered test vehicles. This project plays a pivotal role in advancing the understanding and practical implementation of hydrogen as a clean and viable fuel source for transportation.

Heshani is a PhD candidate at the University of Western Australia. Prior to this, Heshani earned a B.Sc. in Engineering in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering in 2018. Subsequently, Heshani completed a MEng in Water Engineering and Management at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, in 2020.

Paria Sadeghi

PhD Title: Application of Trapdoor Zeolites for Separation of Hydrogen and Helium from Gas Streams via Temperature-Regulated Guest Admission Process

Paria’s research focuses on helium and hydrogen recovery from gas mixtures with the novel trapdoor zeolites through an encapsulation mechanism. Cryogenic distillation and adsorption-based processes as conventional methods for helium refinement from natural gas methods are costly and energy-intensive because of sub-zero temperature requirements and the low adsorption affinity of helium on common adsorbents. These novel zeolites via the encapsulation method can explore an extreme selectivity for helium molecules over the larger gas molecules such as N₂ and CH₄. With the same concept, the developed technology can be applied to purify natural hydrogen (H₂) due to its similar size to helium.

Paria graduated with a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Curtin University.

Sam Kobeissi

PhD Title: Hydrogen Storage in Depleted Subsurface Reservoirs

Sam specialises in underground hydrogen storage in porous media (UHSP). He works on a range of projects aimed at quantifying the mixing between hydrogen gas and cushion gas mixtures. His work includes conducting core-flooding experiments and utilising novel magnetic resonance techniques, such as benchtop NMR. Through his research, Sam aims to contribute to the development of sustainable energy storage solutions that can help address the world’s energy challenges.

Sam holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and graduated in the top 5% with first-class honours from Edith Cowan University (ECU).

Ngo Minh Phuoc

PhD Title: Eliminating Hydrogen Back-Diffusion in Electrochemical Hydrogen Compressors

Minh Phuoc Ngo’s research area is in inorganic materials, gas and water treatment, functional nanomaterials, capacitive deionization and energy generation current. Most recently he has been focussing on researching electrochemical hydrogen compressors and membrane technologies.

Minh Phuoc Ngo is a Chemical Engineer/Chemist with experience in research and development. Phuoc has experience working in the international environment and is passionate about using science and technology to decrease the energy intensity of industry and secure a clean energy future.

Deepak Uniyal

PhD Title: An Automated System of Social Media Mining for Cross-Linguistic Natural Language

Deepak Uniyal’s project at The Queensland University of Technology aims to build a (semi-)automated system to analyse and understand people’s perceptions, sentiments, and behaviour towards emerging trends and issues on social media platforms with respect to Australia, considered a Hydrogen export industry. This project aims to collect a cross-linguistic dataset to compete with market leaders, considering the significance of discerning what people across the globe think. This would be helpful in comprehending the market dynamics of the hydrogen energy industry using cross-linguistic and multi-view databases extracted from social media and ultimately developing novel methods for cross linguistic analysis.

Deepak Uniyal graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India with a Master of Technology (Computer Science) in 2014. Subsequently, he worked as a Software Engineer for two years and took over teaching as a full-time profession for 6 years.

His recent works on COVID-19 namely, ‘Identifying COVID-19 prominent disseminators harnessing Twitter data’ and ‘Identifying local influencers using multi-lingual data’ were published in IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence, a top-leading Q1 Journal (H-index 25), in 2021 and the workshop SoGood 2021, organized in association with ECML-PKDD 2021, respectively.

Bruno da Silva Falcao

PhD Title: Liquid Hydrogen Reactor Design – Conversion of ortho- to para-Hydrogen

Bruno started working on the this project as a PhD student at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in 2021. This research project aims to design and commission an ortho-para hydrogen conversion reactor to study this reaction, especially its kinetics. The conversion is essential prior to liquifying and storing hydrogen due to its exothermic nature, which can cause both safety issues and economic loss.

Bruno has completed a Master by Research degree at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in 2021, which was a collaboration with CSIRO (Energy BU – Kensington). He obtained his B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from the North Fluminense State University (UENF), Brazil, in 2019.

Thilini Thathsara

PhD Candidate, Swinburne University of Technology

Thilini Thathsara is a PhD candidate at Swinburne University of Technology. She specializes in the design and fabrication of novel hydrogen gas sensors for real-world applications. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka (2014) and an M.Phil. in Chemistry from USJP, Sri Lanka (2018). With expertise in physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, and materials engineering, her current research involves developing low-power hydrogen gas sensing materials that operate at or near room temperature using advanced nanomaterials.

Johann Visser

PhD Title: Digital Transformation for the New-Energy Sector: Workforce readiness to acquire new skills.

Johann Visser’s research focuses on analyzing the factors driving workforce change-readiness to acquire new digital skills for Australian energy companies entering the New-Energy Sector. Digital innovations are increasingly pervasive across industries, including energy, necessitating effective utilization of digital technologies to achieve efficiencies throughout the value chain.

Johann aims to assess the current digital skills within an existing Energy Operator’s workforce and correlate these skills with their preparedness to acquire additional skills relevant to the New-Energy context. Examples of these emerging skills include AI/ML, Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), and Digital Analytics.

Johann holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of Pretoria and a Master’s degree in Business Leadership.

Setareh Elyasi

PhD Title: Improving the Hydrogen Storage Devices for E-Mobility

Setareh’s research at Swinburne University of Technology aims to develop advanced hydrogen storage devices using graphene-based hybrid materials for the practical use of mobility and become economically reliable to convert the transport system to a fully electric one.

Setareh graduated in BSc, Material Engineering (Industrial Metallurgy).

Navin Bhardwaj

PhD Title: Analysis of Physicochemical Processes for Low Levelised Cost of Renewable H2

Mark Barwood

PhD Title: Solid formation kinetics in energy production and cryogenic liquefaction processes

Mark works on a range of nucleation projects to characterise formation likelihood for a variety of solids relevant to the LNG industry. Alongside continuing these projects, the goal of his research is to extend these innovative approaches to quantify impurity freeze-out likelihood for hydrogen liquefaction to reduce the cost of safe liquefaction plant design and operation.

Mark graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2021 with a Master of Professional Engineering (Chemical Engineering) with Distinction.

Razeen Hashmi

PhD Title: Design and development of digital twin platform for enhancing safety and production efficiency of renewable plant of the future

Razeen Hashmi’s research focusses on designing and developing Digital Twin for renewable energy plant through Realtime data collection and optimisation to assist plant operation management. As the worldwide hydrogen production is expected to expand over the next five years, the risk associated with its production and handling may increase if new solutions are not implemented. Therefore, having a Digital Twin for hydrogen plant will provide real-time insight and maximise Renewable Energy plant processes and efficiency.

Razeen graduated from Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne with a Master’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering. Razeen is currently a PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology.

Bithiah Esabunor-Nukie

PhD Title: Solutions to green Hydrogen gas transport – quantifying and qualifying existing material restrictions and issues, metallurgical requirements, transport studies and pipeline conversion

Bithiah is a PhD candidate specializing in materials science and engineering, with a focus on advancing sustainable energy solutions. Her research is dedicated to the development and optimization of materials for hydrogen gas pipelines, a crucial element in the expanding field of green hydrogen transportation and hydrogen-natural gas blending. Her work explores the feasibility of converting existing natural gas pipelines or manufacturing new ones, with a strong emphasis on preventing leaks and mitigating hydrogen embrittlement. She conducts in-depth analyses of transport properties such as diffusion and permeability within material structures to identify the most suitable materials and implementation methods for safely and efficiently transporting hydrogen gas under various pipeline conditions.

Shinghon (Shane) Wong

PhD Title: Utilisation of cold energy and recovery of higher hydrocarbons during LNG regasification: process synthesis, analysis and optimisation

Shinghon’s PhD research focusses on the utilisation of cold energy and recovery of higher hydrocarbons such as ethane and propane in liquified natural gas (LNG) during LNG regasification. While LNG is one of the most convenient ways to export Australia’s natural gas, the enormous cold energy is often wasted during regasification at the receiving ports. In this research, Shane aims to configure and evaluate suitable thermodynamic cycles for power generation and simultaneous recovery of higher hydrocarbons to enhance the productivity and value of exported LNG.

Shinghon commenced his PhD at the UWA Centre for Energy after graduating with a Master of Professional Engineering degree from The University of Newcastle, NSW.

Praveen Selvakumar

PhD Title: Novel Approaches for Hydrogen Production through Methane Pyrolysis on Carbon Catalysts

Praveen’s primary research focuses on understanding the fundamentals of methane pyrolysis, a process that dissociates methane into clean hydrogen and solid carbon at high temperatures, without emitting any carbon dioxide. Praveen’s work involves employing both computational and experimental methods to investigate the role of important carbon formation molecules at the molecular level. This in-depth understanding of carbon formation mechanisms will help to diminish the barriers involved in scaling up hydrogen production from the methane pyrolysis process.

Praveen has completed his Master’s degree in Materials Engineering from Monash University, Melbourne, and is currently a Ph.D. student at Curtin University.

Nghia Nguyen

PhD Title: Fully DC Micogrid for green hydrogen production

Nghia Nguyen’s research is focusing on design a fully DC microgrid for Green hydrogen production. New high power DC-DC converters are being developed to power electrolyser by solar energy with high efficiency and low cost.

Nghia Nguyen has graduated from the Swinburne University of Technology with a master’s degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering. He has three-year experience in electronic, electrical system design for industrial baking machines at a Brisbane company.

Jia Ming Goh

PhD Title: Gas storage within porous materials

Jia Ming’s research work focuses on hydrogen storage through encapsulation of high-pressure gas within the pores of nanoporous materials. Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier in substituting the role of fossil fuels in future energy systems. However, it is not widely used now because of its very low volumetric density posing a challenge to its storage and transportation. Her research aims to alleviate the need for high pressure vessels and extreme low temperature conditions to store hydrogen, ultimately to allow for safe handling in a more energy efficient way.

Jia Ming is a graduate from The University of Melbourne with a master’s degree in chemical engineering.

Yuhong Fu

PhD Title: Digital Technologies and Interoperability

Yuhong Fu’s research work is focussed on developing new data management methods for the establishment of interoperable analytics in industrial data ecosystems in the oil, gas and energy industry. It will develop models and methods for reasoning about analytics capabilities in industrial plants for the energy and other sectors. In his work, his target is to develop a semantic enrichment approach for existing data model standards such as CCOM and the required metamodelling technology for effective code-free implementation.

Yuhong Fu is a graduate from the University of South Australia with a Master degree in Information Technology.

Umar Memon

PhD Title: Open Analytics Interoperability

Umar’s research interest is in the field of Open Analytics Interoperability and he aims to develop novel methods and models for describing, defining, and reasoning about analytics capabilities, leading to an open specification for industry adoption.

Umar graduated from Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok with a Master’s degree in Information Management. He has 5 years of academic and 10 years of industry experience in Data Analysis, Reporting, ETL, and Data Warehouse Development. He has worked in the healthcare, financial, education as well as the manufacturing industry and has extensive knowledge and experience in interpreting data and producing analytical reports and dashboards.

Princy Agrahari

PhD Title: Caprock integrity and sealing capacity during underground hydrogen storage

Princy is currently a PhD candidate at Curtin University, Western Australia. Prior to that, she worked as a postgraduate intern at CSIRO, where she conducted multiple laboratory experiments on basaltic rocks from the Deccan Volcanic Province, India. She completed her master’s from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, India, in 2023 by successfully defending her dissertation work, which focused on developing a Python-based 1D Geomechanical Model (GEM) of Mallowa salt, a potential storage site for liquid hydrogen. For her PhD, she is going to investigate caprock sealing capacity and storage integrity during underground hydrogen storage in porous media. Through a combination of experimental, analytical, and numerical approaches, Princy aims to identify and mitigate risks associated with storage integrity during hydrogen fast cyclic loading. Princy’s research expects to enable underground hydrogen storage as a safe and cost-effective means, developing sustainable solutions for efficient and effective hydrogen value chain development.

Yuki Rhee

PhD Title: Effects of hydrogen storage on the technoeconomic analysis of hydrogen supply chains

Yuki’s research focuses on optimising various hydrogen supply chains in its entirety via techno-economic assessments (estimation of the cost, technical readiness and carbon intensity), exploring dynamic renewable energy modelling with large scale hydrogen storage and experimental investigation of the para-ortho hydrogen conversion phenomena.

Yuki completed a Master of Professional Engineering (Chemical) with Distinction from the University of Western Australia.

Minzhen (Jenney) Li

PhD Title: Optimization of Thermodynamic Models for Hydrogen Mixtures and Hydrogen Supply Chain Modelling

Minzhen’s research aims to advance the development of thermodynamic models for hydrogen mixtures used in industrial contexts such as storage, transportation, and transformation. The project plans to utilize a combination of experimental data and real-world operational data to enhance the accuracy of predictions regarding the behaviour of hydrogen under various conditions. These improved models are expected to lead to safer and more efficient practices in handling hydrogen, supporting its adoption as a sustainable energy carrier.

Minzhen graduated with a Master’s degree in Geophysics from Curtin University and a Master’s in Data Science from UWA. She is currently pursuing her PhD at UWA, focusing on the development of advanced thermodynamic models for hydrogen mixtures in industrial applications.

Jialiang Xu

PhD Title: Single Particle Reaction Modelling of Hydrogen and Ammonia Direct Reduction Iron: Reaction Behaviour, Kinetics, and Mechanisms

Jialiang’s research focuses on the behaviour and mechanisms of iron ore direct reduction by ammonia and hydrogen. His research will use numerical simulation to investigate gas-solid reactions between ammonia, hydrogen and iron ore through the evolution of detailed transport phenomena, reaction kinetics, and phase changes. The goal of his research is to contribute to the application of a decarbonised and sustainable ironmaking method.

Jialiang is a graduate of Nanjing Agricultural University with an MRes (Master of Research, Distinction) degree in Engineering. Now, he is pursuing his PhD at the University of Western Australia under the supervision of Dongke Zhang from the Centre for Energy.

Dulani Liyanage

PhD Title: One-dimensional nanofiber based chemiresistive gas sensors for high performance hydrogen sensing applications

Dulani is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) in Melbourne. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Technology and Master of Science degrees in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology from Uva Wellassa University and the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka, respectively. Prior to beginning her Ph.D., she served as a lecturer in the Department of Engineering Technology at the University of Ruhuna in Sri Lanka. The primary focus of her research is the synthesis, characterize and  analysis of one-dimensional nanomaterials for hydrogen gas sensing applications.

Kaijie Li

PhD Title: Understanding the Characteristics of Pilbara Iron Ore during H2 and NH3 Direct Reduction Ironmaking

Kaijie’s work focuses on understanding the characteristics of ore minerals, physical parameters, and impurities, and their implications in in the H2 and NH3 DRI processes and final products. This research will provide new information on iron ore direct reduction using carbon-free and renewable H2 and NH3 which will help optimize the iron ore reduction process and improve the product quality of directly reduced iron.

Kaijie graduated with a master’s degree in Geological Engineering from the Taiyuan University of Technology. He is currently pursuing his Doctor of Philosophy under the supervision of Dongke Zhang at the Centre for Energy of The University of Western Australia.

Aneeka Patel

PhD Title: Optimising the regeneration of sodium borohydride for solid-state green hydrogen

Aneeka graduated with a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham, and is currently a PhD candidate at Curtin University.

Aneeka’s research focuses on the regeneration of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) for solid-state green hydrogen export. Sodium borohydride has a high hydrogen content and is a powder at room temperature, making it safe to export. Once the sodium borohydride is at its destination, water can be added in the presence of a metal catalyst to release hydrogen and a by-product, sodium metaborate (NaBO2), which can be returned via ship to Australia. Aneeka’s work investigates cost-effective regeneration of NaBH4 from NaBO2 to successfully close the loop and reduce the raw material requirements. These regeneration systems would be powered by renewable energy sources to eliminate the emission of greenhouse gases to ensure that green hydrogen is exported.

Mengqing Zhao

PhD Title: Evaluation of Opportunities and Pathways for Large-Scale Utilisation of Renewable Hydrogen in Mineral Processing and Metal Refining of Selected Minerals in WA

Mengqing Zhao’s research aims to identify and evaluate the opportunities and pathways for large-scale utilisation of renewable hydrogen in mineral processing and metal refining in WA and, through process modelling and value-chain analysis, identify suitable technologies and demonstrate utilisation pathways towards decarbonisation of the mining and minerals industry.

Mengqing Zhao is pursuing her PhD at the Centre for Energy of the University of Western Australia.

Jiaou Song

PhD Title: Kinetic and State Modelling of Cryogenic Hydrogen Mixtures Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Jiaou Song’s research delves into the complexities of cryogenic hydrogen mixtures, specifically focusing on the homogeneous nucleation rate modelling for cryogenic oxygen and nitrogen using molecular dynamic simulations. Additionally, Jiaou investigates the thermophysical properties and equation of states (EOS) modelling for cryogenic hydrogen mixtures. His work involves the development of novel mixed refrigerant cycles to optimize hydrogen liquefaction, aimed at reducing energy consumption and improving safety for domestic and global supply chains. 

Jiaou aims to contribute to the development of efficient and safe hydrogen liquefaction processes, enhancing the reliability of cryogenic plant designs and contributing to a sustainable energy future. 

Jiaou is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, supervised by Dr. Eirini Goudeli and Dr. Joseph Berry. He completed his Master of Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Chemical Systems at the same university. His research has been published in prestigious journals, and he has presented his findings at various conferences and symposia. 

Wanying Wu

PhD Title: Solid-Fluid Equilibrium and Solid Formation Kinetics in Cryogenic Processes

Wanying’s started working on this project as a PhD student at the University of Western Australia in 2023. She has studied in the solid-fluid equilibrium for the benzene-methane-nitrogen ternary mixture and will extend this work to other impurities commonly present in natural gas or hydrogen. The goal of her work is to develop thermodynamic and kinetic models which can help liquefaction plant operators better characterise the process conditions.

Wanying completed a Master of Chemical Engineering with Distinction from the University of Melbourne.

Nguyen Cao

PhD Title: A technical, economic and environmental assessment of clean marine fuel options and industries for Australia

Nguyen is a PhD researcher at the University of Melbourne, specialising in the examination of alternative fuels and propulsion systems for marine applications from technical, economic and environmental perspectives.

Before commencing PhD, Nguyen earned his Master of Energy Systems from the same university. During this period he participated in the Zero Emission Energy Laboratory Program, focusing on modeling solar photovoltaic energy systems. This valuable experience was made possible through a collaboration between the Melbourne Energy Institute (MEI) and their industry partner, Ekistica.

Prior to his master’s degree, Nguyen worked as an engineer specialising in solar photovoltaic energy systems. He commenced his academic journey by completing a Bachelor of Engineering Honours in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sydney.

Waqar Khan

PhD Title: Contextualised Digital Twin Platform for Sustainable and Resilient Renewable Energy Plants

Waqar Ali Khan is a PhD candidate in School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies at the Swinburne University of Technology. His research focuses on developing a contextualised Digital Twin platform to enhance the sustainability and resilience of hybrid renewable energy systems.

Waqar’s work involves simulating real-time energy operations using historical and live data to optimize the integration of solar, wind, and hydrogen resources while minimizing costs and CO2 emissions. A key focus of his research is on scalable optimisation and contextual data filtering techniques, enabling improved performance and adaptability of energy systems under variable environmental and operational conditions. His project also explores the role of Digital Twins in supporting energy decision-making and future-ready infrastructure for climate-resilient communities.

Waqar holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunication and Networks from Iqra University, where he was awarded a Silver Medal, and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, where he received a Gold Medal. He has over 16 years of teaching and development experience and currently serves as a Sessional Academic in the School of Computer Science at Swinburne University of Technology.

David Michael Holder

PhD Title: The Role of Hydrogen in Decarbonising Ports

David Michael Holder is undertaking a PhD at the Swinburne University of Technology within the School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, and the Victorian Hydrogen Hub with the CSIRO.

His career has covered renewables power, utility networks, energy management, thermal processes, and refrigeration systems.  A significant component has been the application of energy engineering together with field testing. This knowledge set is being used to guide his PhD project for assessing the replacement of diesel fuelled port vehicles by hydrogen based technologies.

David is a Chartered Engineer with a Masters Degree in Renewable Energy Systems Technologies and a Degree in Chemical Engineering.

Siripond Mullanu

PhD Title: Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Analytics Framework for Hydrogen-enabled Intergraded Energy Systems

Siripond is undertaking a PhD at Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia, where she also completed her Master of Information Technology. Her research focuses on developing a framework with broad applications, including the integration of AI and hydrogen, to promote sustainable transportation. Siripond worked as a software engineer for around four years and has an extensive background in information technology, particularly web application development and data management. She is also interested in machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies.

Guinevere Sellner

PhD Title: Microwave Resonators for Cryogenic Hydrogen Property Measurement

Guinevere’s research focuses on the development of a novel sensor for the measurement of quantum properties of hydrogen at conditions relevant for hydrogen liquefaction. The sensor is based on the principle of a microwave resonant cavity that utilises the dielectric properties of a contained fluid to determine density and even spin-isomer (ortho-para) hydrogen composition. The new sensor is intended for eventual use in real-time hydrogen liquefaction plant operation where it will be able to both monitor and quality assure outputted liquid hydrogen streams. As well as the development of this sensor, Guinevere’s work also includes the measurement of new high accuracy hydrogen property data in order to improve on the current hydrogen equation of state which falls short when predicting hydrogen properties at the low temperature used in liquefaction.  

 Guinevere graduated from the University of Western Australia (UWA) with a Bachelor of Philosophy (Hons) in Chemical Engineering and Applied Mathematics and has continued her Honours research as a current PhD candidate at UWA as part of the Fluid Science & Resources research group. As well as her coursework, Guinevere has also had previous research experience as a research assistant for the Fluid Science & Resources group working on projects related to hydrogen enriched natural gas. 

Lachlan Dann

PhD Title: Innovative Sensing Technology for Hydrogen Sensing using Nanomaterials and Ultra-High Radio Frequency

Lachlan is pursuing a PhD at Swinburne University of Technology, focusing on developing UHF-RFID sensors integrated with advanced nanomaterials to enhance the safe storage and transit of hydrogen gas. With a background as a Research Assistant, where he successfully built a portable hydrogen sensing prototype, and as a Clinical Engineer at Monash Health ensuring the safety of medical equipment, Lachlan is excited by the opportunity to tackle the challenges of hydrogen sensing. His research aims to create a cost-effective, safe, and reliable solution for hydrogen detection, facilitating the transition to a greener. more sustainable future.

Lachlan completed his Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) at Swinburne University in 2023 and is driven to contribute to the advancement of hydrogen technologies, aligning with global efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and improve energy storage systems.

Sandun Ranasinghe

PhD Title: Design and development of an innovative low-power hydrogen sensing platform

Sandun Piyumal Ranasinghe is a biomedical engineer and lecturer with extensive experience in medical instrumentation, signal processing, and IoT. He served as a Lecturer-on-Contract at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, and has previously worked as a Visiting Student at the Instituto di BioRobotica in Italy, an Engineer Intern in Germany, and a Research Assistant in Sri Lanka. He holds an M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from Universität zu Lübeck, Germany, and a B.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka. His research focuses on electronic instrumentation and machine learning for different applications including energy, with multiple scientific publications in these areas.

His current project focuses on developing a framework for a smart hydrogen gas sensor system to enhance accuracy, reliability, and real-world performance. Since hydrogen is a key renewable energy carrier but highly flammable, existing sensors often struggle with accuracy due to environmental variations. Therefore, his research aims to overcome these limitations by implementing a hybrid system consisting of hardware and AI/ML algorithms for improved detection and monitoring.

Truong Giang Vu

PhD Title: AI Supported Sustainable Standards-Based Interoperability

As a senior ERP solution architect with over 15 years of experience, Giang brings a wealth of technical expertise and strategic vision to the workplace and the industry. With a proven track record of designing and implementing complex enterprise solution architectures, Giang has a deep understanding of industry best practices and emerging technologies.

Giang possesses a strong background in solution design & architecture, systems integration, and cloud technologies, as well as expertise in security, data architecture, and performance optimisation in ERP solutions, specialised with SAP S/4HANA Cloud and SAP Technology Platform.

Giang’s research area explores the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), in supporting sustainable, standards-based interoperability. The focus is on how LLMs can be employed to connect with external data sources, enhancing the integration of systems through open standards and innovative technologies like MIMOSA data exchange and SAP API technology via the API hub. The final outcome of the project could potentially be a Digital Assistant for Software System Interoperability which could automate the process of translating data formats, protocols, or APIs between disparate systems, reducing manual effort and speeding up workflows.

Chenglong Li

PhD Title: The role of interfaces and system size in gas hydrate formation kinetics

Chenglong’s research focuses on improving safety and efficiency in LNG production. His research explores how system size and interfaces influence gas hydrate formation, helping to predict and manage hydrate-related risks in subsea energy developments. Alongside his PhD, Sam contributes to key fugitive emissions projects aimed at quantifying methane emissions across LNG facilities. These efforts support the development of effective monitoring and reduction strategies—lowering costs, improving safety, and reducing the carbon intensity of energy production.

Chenglong completed a Master of Professional Engineering (Chemical) with Distinction from the University of Western Australia

Catherine Sampson

PhD Title: High-resolution Optical Detection of Cryosolids

Catherine’s project focus was understanding the kinetic and thermodynamic behaviour of solids in liquefied natural gas processing. To this end, Catherine commissioned a new visual microscopy-based cryogenic apparatus for the observation of solid formation from mixtures containing trace quantities of impurities commonly found in natural gas.

Catherine joined the group in 2019 after graduating from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering.

Roman Weh

PhD Title: Recovery of Dilute Helium from Natural Gas Sources

Roman’s work focussed on the separation of helium from natural gas by dual reflux pressure swing adsorption. Helium is an important but scarce commodity, and the developed process allows for its recovery from unconventional sources at low-cost.

Roman is a Graduate from the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Germany, with a master’s degree in chemical engineering. He joined the University of Western Australia in 2018 and has finalised his Ph.D. project.

Vincent Jusko

PhD Title: Understanding and predicting boil-off from cryogenic liquids

Vince’s research focussed on the prediction of boil-off from cryogenic liquids. Boil-off occurs when liquid hydrogen or natural gas stored at extreme low temperatures evaporates, causing both economic loss and potential safety risks. Current methods of boil-off prediction rely on either empirical correlations or prohibitively resource-intensive computational fluid dynamics. Vince’s work aimed to develop a robust boil-off model and implement it in a freely-available software package available to industrial end-users.

Vince is a graduate of The University of Western Australia with an MPE (Chemical Engineering).

Liam Tenardi

PhD Title: Advancing Vapour Liquid Equilibrium Measurement with Microwave Resonators

Liam Tenardi is a graduate from The University of Western Australia with a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on expanding the applicability of microwave resonator technology to vapour-liquid equilibrium characterisation of hydrocarbon mixtures. Novel microwave sensors are being developed to enable in-situ and non-invasive measurements of fluid mixture density, composition and phase behaviour, which will be used to monitor processes in real time and generate data for the development of accurate predictive models for industrially important fluid mixtures. These sensors and models will ultimately enable industry to significantly improve process design, optimise efficiency, and reduce environmental impacts

Lucie Desage

PhD Title: Thermochemical Battery using Metal Carbonates for Energy Storage

Lucie’s research focusses on building thermochemical battery prototypes and testing different heat extraction units with these systems. Thermochemical batteries store and release heat, therefore it is crucial to combine an efficient heat carrier with the battery reactor to run the heat engine that ensures heat conversion into electricity. Her project also covers energy storage materials development and characterisation, such as metal carbonates and metal hydrides. The integration of thermochemical batteries into the power production grid will have a significant impact on the energy sector.

Lucie graduated from CPE Lyon, France, with a Master’s degree in Chemistry and Process Engineering, and is currently a PhD candidate at Curtin University.

Libin Liu

PhD Title: Development of Zeolite-based Adsorbents & Processes for Natural Gas Separation

Libin Liu’s research focussed on developing novel adsorbents for natural gas separation and designing adsorption based separation processes. In this project, he worked to evaluate the performance of different adsorbents for helium recovery from natural gas.

Libin as a PhD candidate within the Fluid Science and Resources (FRS) division at The University of Western Australia (UWA) after graduating with a Master of Chemical Engineering degree from Xiangtan University, China.

David Zhu

PhD Title: Advanced Modelling for Solid Phase Equilibria in Complex Hydrocarbon Systems for Industrial Applications

David’s work focussed on improving phase equilibrium models for hydrates and heavy hydrocarbons/waxes by enhancing the physical basis of the models, reducing associated uncertainty, and/or decreasing the number of required adjustable parameters. David’s work applies to predicting the freezeout of cryogenic solids, a critical consideration in LNG production.

His research aimed to develop tools that enable more accurate prediction of solid freezeout for various fluid compositions and conditions. These tools will be implemented in the UWA-developed software ThermoFAST to improve existing models for heavy hydrocarbon freezeout in industrial applications across the entire LNG supply chain.

David graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2019 with a Master of Professional Engineering (Chemical Engineering) with Distinction. He also completed a Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) in 2018 with First Class Honours.

Ainee Ibrahim

PhD Title: NaBH4 for Solid-State Green Hydrogen Export

Ainee’s research uses sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) for large-scale green hydrogen export. Hydrogen can be released from NaBH₄ by adding water, and the by-product can be shipped back for recycling via renewable energy sources. Her research is focussed on optimising the recycling of NaBH₄ (based on energy and cost) and on a new method to chemically compress hydrogen gas to over 1000 bar for use at hydrogen fuel stations.

Ainee graduated from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Science in Physics and is currently a PhD candidate at Curtin University.

Sam Holden

PhD Title: An analysis of NH3 Dissociation and Oxidation with associated NOx Emission in Flow, Fixed-Bed, and Fluidised-Bed Reactors

Samuel Holden’s work focusses on the dissociation and oxidation or combustion of ammonia in empty-bed (flow), fixed-bed, and fluidised-bed reactors as a means to realise and understand improved reaction efficiencies associated with burning ammonia in the presence of solid media. This research will determine the suitability of ammonia as a fuel for combustion in fixed- and fluidised-bed reactors for zero-carbon emission power generation.

Samuel is currently pursuing his Doctor of Philosophy under the supervision of Professor Dongke Zhang at the Centre for Energy of The University of Western Australia.