Chemical and biomolecular engineering internships

Supervisor: Dr Eric Sanjaya

Eligibility: 

• Knowledge in chemical engineering and a strong computational skills
• WAM>75.  Students applying for projects within the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering must have completed at least 72 credit points at the time of application.

Project Description:

This project investigates the feasibility of methanol production using an alternative synthesis technology, in place of conventional fossil based routes. The intern will conduct a techno economic analysis to assess the competitiveness of this technology, evaluating capital and operating costs, process efficiency and sensitivity to key input assumptions against established production pathways. The project will also explore the potential downstream use of the methanol produced, including as a chemical feedstock and as a hydrogen carrier. Tasks will include process data collection, cost modelling, benchmarking against conventional methanol production and interpretation of results to determine the conditions under which the alternative route could become commercially viable. This project suits a student with interest in process engineering, energy systems or techno economic analysis.

Requirement to be on campus: No

Supervisor:   Dr Eric Sanjaya

Eligibility:  

• Knowledge of biorefinery, chemical engineering, and strong computational skills.
• WAM>75.  Students applying for projects within the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering must have completed at least 72 credit points at the time of application.

Project Description:

This project examines the life cycle environmental performance of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) produced from emerging feedstocks. The intern will contribute to a life cycle assessment covering several candidate feedstocks, compiling inventory data, modelling greenhouse gas emissions and evaluating each feedstock against conventional jet fuel benchmarks. Tasks will include literature review, data collection from process and supply chain sources, life cycle assessment modelling and interpretation of results. The intern will also support preparation of a white paper intended for external publication. This project suits a student with interest in sustainability, chemical engineering or environmental science, and offers experience directly relevant to a research career in life cycle assessment and renewable fuels.

Requirement to be on campus: No

Supervisors: Dr Gobinath Rajarathnam, Irene Benitez

Eligibility: 

• Highly motivated and self-driven learner with strong analytical skills
• Enrolled in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science or a related program 
• Interest in AI, data analytics, engineering education and/or graduate employability
• Strong written communication and attention to detail.
• Python/data-analysis or NLP experience advantageous but not required.
• WAM>75.  Students applying for projects within the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering must have completed at least 72 credit points at the time of application.

Project Description:

This project will develop a data-driven framework linking engineering curricula with evolving employer expectations and student career preparation. Building on existing analysis of Australian chemical and environmental engineering job advertisements, the student will use AI and labour-market intelligence to identify recurring skills, tools, keywords and role requirements, then map these against current curriculum coverage. The project will investigate curriculum strengths and gaps while translating employer language into practical, ATS-aware guidance for students applying for internships and graduate roles. Outputs will support evidence-based curriculum enhancement and development of scalable tools/resources for CV optimisation and career preparation. The student will contribute to data processing, classification, curriculum mapping, validation and prototype development, gaining experience at the intersection of engineering education, AI, labour-market analytics and career development. The work will contribute to an ongoing research and publication program on curriculum-to-career alignment

Requirement to be on campus: No (Remote-friendly, with regular online and/or optional on-campus collaboration.)

Supervisors: Dr Gobinath Rajarathnam

Eligibility: 

• Highly motivated and self-driven learner with excellent attention to detail
• Enrolled in Engineering, Computer Science, Project Management, Communications or a related program
• Strong research, writing, organisation and digital skills 
• Interest in scholarly publishing, research integrity, open scholarship and/or AI-assisted workflows
• Web publishing or journal/editorial experience advantageous but not required
• WAM>75. Students applying for projects within the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering must have completed at least 72 credit points at the time of application.

Project Description:

This project will develop and strengthen the Sydney Journal of Interdisciplinary Engineering (SJIE) as a rigorous, scalable platform for publishing interdisciplinary engineering scholarship. The student will benchmark high-quality engineering journals and translate best practice into improved journal structure, author guidance, submission and peer-review workflows, digital publishing processes, quality-control systems and visibility strategies. The project will also investigate responsible opportunities for automation and AI-assisted editorial workflows while preserving academic integrity and human oversight. A major focus will be creating robust, documented processes that support efficient journal operation and future growth. Outputs will include an upgraded journal platform and documentation, standardised editorial and peer-review workflows, publication templates, quality-assurance checklists, and a development roadmap addressing discoverability, indexing readiness and research impact. The project provides practical research experience in scholarly communication, publishing systems, research integrity and interdisciplinary engineering.

Requirement to be on campus:  No (Remote-friendly, with regular online and/or optional on-campus meetings.)

Supervisor: Dr Gobinath Rajarathnam

Eligibility:

• Highly motivated, self-driven learner with strong problem-solving skills 
• Enrolled in Engineering; Chemical, Biomedical, Mechanical or related disciplines preferred
• Interest or experience in CAD and/or CFD; Creo experience advantageous but not required
• Interest in AR/VR, engineering visualisation and interdisciplinary research. • Willingness to learn PTC Creo and Vuforia
• WAM>75.  Students applying for projects within the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering must have completed at least 72 credit points at the time of application.

Project Description:

This interdisciplinary project will develop interactive augmented reality (AR) visualisations of biomedical engineering systems by integrating computer-aided design (CAD) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Working across Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, the student will adapt existing biomedical CAD models, develop CFD simulations to visualise fluid-flow behaviour and relevant in-situ applications, and translate these outputs into AR experiences using PTC Creo and Vuforia. The project will investigate how engineering geometry, simulation data and spatial visualisation can be combined to communicate otherwise difficult-to-observe physical phenomena. Where feasible, virtual reality (VR) extensions will also be explored. Outputs will include validated CAD/CFD models, an interactive AR prototype, documented development workflow, and research-ready evaluation framework. The project provides experience spanning simulation, digital engineering, immersive technologies and interdisciplinary research.

Requirement to be on campus: No (remote project, regular collaboration/testing may require some on-campus activity but not essential).

Supervisor:  Dr Gobinath Rajarathnam

Eligibility:

• Highly motivated and self-driven learner
• Enrolled in Engineering, Computer Science, Design, Education Technology or a related program
• Strong written communication, organisation and analytical skills
• Interest in digital education, AI-supported learning or user-centred design. 
•  Web/content-development experience is advantageous but not required.
• WAM>75. Students applying for projects within the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering must have completed at least 72 credit points at the time of application.

Project Description:

This project will develop and evaluate an interactive digital textbook designed for contemporary chemical engineering education. The student will help transform existing teaching resources into a structured, accessible and reusable digital learning environment integrating explanatory content, worked examples, engineering visuals, interactive elements and AI-supported learning features where appropriate. The research will examine how digital textbook design can improve navigation, engagement, conceptual understanding and independent learning while maintaining academic rigour. Activities will include benchmarking leading digital learning approaches, content architecture and prototyping, usability testing, quality assurance, and development of a scalable workflow that can be extended across chemical engineering units. Outputs will include a functional minimum viable digital textbook, documented design framework, evaluation results and recommendations for further development and research publication. The project combines engineering education research, digital transformation, user-centred design and educational technology.

Requirement to be on campus: No (Remote-friendly, with regular online and/or optional on-campus meetings.)

Supervisors:  Dr Aditya Putranto

Eligibility: 

• Minimum second year student 
• WAM>75.  Students applying for projects within the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering must have completed at least 72 credit points at the time of application.

Project Description:

Transition of first year students to the university is vital to increase the students’ retention rate, enhance their performance, satisfaction and sense of belonging. Most of the first-year engineering units at the University of Sydney are large units and thus developing interactive units is essential to attain high engagement. Nevertheless, several units have records of nonoptimal students’ engagement, high failure rates, and inability of the students to grasp the key concepts. Based on the analysis, they are mainly due to characteristics of first year students, typical unit contents and delivery style. Therefore, it is crucial to improve first year engineering teaching considering the first-year students’ characteristics to allow their smooth transition to the university. In this project, the effective ways to design first year engineering units will be investigated. The project will focus on seeking the effectiveness of contextuality approach to maximise first year students’ learning experience. The outcomes of this study will be used as fundamentals of recommendations for revamping first year engineering units as a faculty-wide strategy to achieve University of Sydney’s transformational student-focused education.

Requirement to be on campus: No

Supervisors: Prof Tim Langrish

Eligibility:

• 2nd or 3rd year chemical, mechanical or civil engineering
• WAM>75.  Students applying for projects within the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering must have completed at least 72 credit points at the time of application.

Project Description:

This project applies environmental engineering principles to develop more resource-efficient food drying technologies. Conventional spray dryers are energy-intensive and require large industrial infrastructure. The proposed research investigates spray fluidised bed drying using pulses such as chickpeas, lentils and faba beans as functional carrier particles. Rather than using synthetic inert materials, the process utilises edible, protein-rich agricultural materials that can contribute nutritional value to the final product. From an environmental engineering perspective, this approach supports sustainable manufacturing, process intensification and circular resource use. A critical barrier to broader adoption of spray fluidised-bed drying has been the absence of suitable food-grade particle substrates, with previous studies relying on materials such as glass beads, polymers and other non-food solids. The innovation in this project lies in replacing non-food carrier particles with beneficial agricultural materials while improving heat and mass transfer efficiency through fluidised-bed operation.

Requirement to be on campus: Yes *dependent on government’s health advice.

Supervisors: Prof Tim Langrish

Eligibility: 

• 2nd or 3rd year chemical, mechanical or civil engineering
• WAM>75.  Students applying for projects within the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering must have completed at least 72 credit points at the time of application.

Project Description:

This project will develop new spray-dried antioxidant powders by combining sugar-rich extracts from citrus waste with protein-containing foods, such as pectin. This combination allows improve a new spray dryer design using Computational Fluid Dynamics and experimental testing. The project will use our understanding of fluid and particle mechanics to continue developing the design of an already-existing pilot-scale spray dryer to minimize the deposition rate of particles on the walls of the spray dryer. Applications include the development of future food materials through advanced food engineering and the production of new particles of Metal Organic Frameworks for Direct Carbon Capture of carbon dioxide. An interest in fluid and particle mechanics and experimental testing would be very helpful for this project.

Requirement to be on campus: Yes *dependent on government’s health advice.

Supervisor:  Prof Tim Langrish

Eligibility: 

• 2nd or 3rd year chemical, mechanical or civil engineering
• WAM>75.  Students applying for projects within the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering must have completed at least 72 credit points at the time of application.

Project Description:

The key theme of the advanced food engineering pilot plant is the creation of an integrated, university-designed, leading-edge, set of food engineering unit operations for pilot-scale production of innovative food products (1-10 kg/h). We currently have an advanced design for spray and fluidised-bed dryers, and the aim of this project is to operate and optimise a semi-batch solid-liquid extraction system for the extraction of valuable nutrients, in liquid form, from solid fruit and vegetable wastes. This extraction system will feed a solution of valuable soluble solids, with a high antioxidant and nutritional content, into the spray dryer and will be located close to the spray dryer. The specific aim will be to maximise the concentration of soluble solids extracted from orange peels into water at a range of water flow rates to match the ranges of water flow rates for the downstream spray dryer.

Requirement to be on campus: Yes *dependent on government’s health advice.