Research programs

These flagship programs focus on bringing together reseachers from across the University to solve some of the world's largest challenges that are of a social, economic and scientific significance. The six Grand Challenge projects are: 

• Advanced Capture of Water from the Atmosphere (ACWA) 
• CO2 Zero
• Safe-by-Design Nanotechnology 
• Nanorobotics for Health
• Computational Materials Discovery 
• Unlocking the Neural Interface

Sydney Nano networks connects multi-disciplinary expertise and capabilities across the University, to create solutions for major societal, economic and scientific challenges.

Learn more about our current networks:

NanoHealth

Smart Sustainable Building

The Frontier scheme is designed to assess and develop one emerging technology platform in multiple applications to identify technology transfer opportunities over a diverse range of sectors.

Quantum Sensing

Chief Investigator: James Rabeau

Quantum technologies have reached an inflection point in terms of technological maturity and are one step closer to being used in real world applications. Quantum sensing effectively takes advantage of the inherent weakness of all quantum systems: their sensitivity to the external environment. This project will undertake a detailed survey of the application landscape for quantum sensing, and in particular, will provide opportunities to collaborate or partner with industry/research to develop focused quantum sensing devices for real-world problems.  

NanoFluidics

Chief Investigators: Stefano Palomba and Daniele Vigolo

The NanoFluidics Frontier will identify critical applications of Nanofluidics as a result of an academic and industrial mapping, particularly in the area of NanoHealth and sensing. Nanofluidics studies the behaviour of fluids at a very small scale where fluid mechanics allows, for example, high molecular or charge selectivity. This project will identify key players and engage with academic and industry partners to build its portfolio.

The Catalyst scheme underpins Grand Challenges or encourage new ways of thinking about research. It aims to bring together researchers from Social Sciences, Design, Law and the Business School with scientist from Science, Health Sciences, Medicine and Engineering.

Engaged Innovation Scholarship for Impact

Chief Investigators: Steven Maguire, Eric Knight

This transversal program aims to bring innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking and sustainability to each of the Grand Challenge projects. This includes integrative cross-cutting research from The University of Sydney Business School and is for anyone interested in studying the innovation and commercialisation of nanoscience technologies ‘in the making’ by offering the opportunity to be engaged in a multidisciplinary team.

NanoResonance

Chief Investigators: Diana Chester, Ben Carey, Liam Bray, Luke Hespanhol

This Catalyst project will use data collected from a research initiative at Sydney Nano to develop a creative arts project using virtual reality and spacialied audio. The key objectives of the project are, 1) to bring better visibility to collaborative possibilities between Sydney Nano and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; 2) to use visual and sonic data visualisation capabilities to make sense of data generated in a nano environment and to share it with an audience; and 3) to increase the impact of Sydney Nano research by making it visible to a broader audience through creative outputs.

Nanosonic Stories

Chief Investigators: Alice Motion, Chiara O’Reilly, Naseem Ahmadpour, Daniel Yeadon

This catalyst project will research effective ways to communicate nanoscience through sound. Using original compositions of music, soundscapes and aural storytelling, this project aims to both find new ways to audibly illustrate scientific concepts and articulate emotions inspired by science at some of the smallest scales. Alice and her collaborators will explore the ability of music and sound to reach new audiences and connect people with science and develop a program of expertise in audio science communication to inform and contribute to science podcasts and immersive experiences that will also make science communication more inclusive.

Developing Interdisciplinary Expertise

Chief Investigator: Lina Markauskaite, Peter Goodyear

The aim of this catalyst is to improve the understanding of how our research nodes and networks create multidisciplinary knowledge and how they learn to function effectively. In addition, the team investigates what it takes for individuals to develop the resourcefulness needed to tackle interdisciplinary challenges. For more information click here.

Nano-Economy-Society

Chief Investigators: Maria Rumyantseva, Ali Abbas, Susan Park

Enhancing the commercialisation of nano technologies through a better understanding of innovative methodologies for the assessment of the interdependencies between a technology, the economy and the society.

The Kickstarter projects are precursors for Grand Challenges and must comprise of a multi-disciplinary team with researchers from across at least two Faculties, with humanitarian or environmental impact.

Nano4Parkison

Chief Investigator: Carolyn Sue

The kickstarter aims to engineer nanoparticles to target dopaminergic neurons and deliver agents as a form of treatment for Parkinson's disease. The project will confirm mitochondrial localisation and enhanced mitochondrial function in in vitro models of Parkinson's disease, so that the development of a neuroprotective treatment for Parkinson's disease in humans can proceed.

NanoEnergised

Chief Investigator: Ali Abbas

This kickstarter researches the development of novel nano phase change materials (nano-PCMs) for energy harvesting and storage of low and ultra-low temperature heat for a myriad of applications. Its initial focus is on a high-efficiency heat battery devices for solar roof structures and biomedical wearable technology.

NanoCardio

Chief Investigators: David Martinez Martin, Corinne Caillaud

High blood pressure (BP) is a major leading risk factor for disability, cardiovascular disease and kidney chronic disease, which is linked to 1 in 5 of all deaths. The lack of suitable technologies to reliably track and communicate BP to patients contributes to have a large number of undiagnosed cases which prevents such patients from receiving existing effective treatments and better lifestyle recommendations. The goal of the project is to develop the scientific and technological grounds to accurately and non-invasively track the BP of patients in real-time and over a period of hours to days. To do that, two different strategies will be pursued: Heart Sound and Continuous Unobtrusive Monitoring of BP with ultrasensitive optical fibres.

Organs-on-chips: Tissues-in-fibres

Chief Investigator: Stuart Fraser, Marcela Bilek

The modelling of biological processes is moving away from animal experimentation due to ethical and species-dependent concerns. The field of "organs-on-chips" or engineered, stem cell-derived complex cellular interactions grown in vitro is expanding rapidly. The team assembled has the ability to generate highly specific engineered biofunctionalised 2-D and 3-D surfaces to combine with stem cell differentiation to form mature functional tissue-like structures in the dish as well as tissue-like structures in biofunctionalised fibres. This project aims to focus these efforts to generate experimentally and potentially therapeutically useful biological structures in a highly engineered, reproducible manner.

NanoVision

Chief Investigators: Mark Gillies, Wojciech Chrzanowski, Ling Zhu

This project aims to transform treatment of blindness by harnessing the combined advances in nanomedicine engineering and synthetic biology to manipulate the genetic code that enables the blind to see. Through nanotechnology, we can revolutionise the delivery of drugs to treat retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR), which are leading causes of blindness.

GeneNano

Chief Investigator: Robyn Jamieson

This project aims to provide new approaches in therapies for genetic retinal disorders using novel carbon nanoparticle carriers. Novel carbon nanoparticles offer a promising solution for gene therapy and other genetic modification clinical trials. The carbon-based nanoparticles created in plasma have tuneable size, shape, charge, surface chemistry and scalable cost-effective production. They covalently immobilise functional macromolecules on contact and readily enter multiple cell types, with no toxicity, effectively carrying siRNA, plasmid DNA cargo and antibodies to cells of interest.

• DNA origami robots - Ali Abbas, Shelley Wickham
• Developing analysis methodologies for atom probe microscopy - Anna Ceguerra
• Engineered quantum molecular systems - Ivan Kassal
• Extracellular vesicles - Georges Grau
• Hybrid plasmonic waveguide for on-chip photonic devices - Stefano Palomba, Alessandro Tuniz, Martijn de Sterke
• Inhaled phage therapy - Hak-kim Chan, Yoon Kyung Chang
• Integrated microwave photonics - Xiaoke Yi
• Linking fundamental to applied photonics - Benjamin Eggleton
• Measurement and control at the nanoscale - David Reilly
• Molecular simulation of polymeric nanoparticles - Ahmad Jabbarzadeh
• Multifunctional polymer nanostructures - Markus Muellner
• Nano safety and sustainability - Wojciech Chrzanowski
• Nano-engineered reversible energy storage - Thomas Maschmeyer
• Nanoscale fluid flow at solid surfaces - Luming Shen
• Nanoscale photonic circuits - Benjamin Eggleton
• Nanotechnology for sustainable energy - Anita Ho-Baillie
• New insights into disease and drug targets - Georges Grau, Peter Lay, Nicholas Jonathan Cole King
• Quasielastic neutron scattering - Chris Ling
• Quantum control with trapped ions - Michael Biercuk
• Self-assembled protein nanocompartments - Yu Heng Lau
• Semiconducting nanowires - Rongkun Zheng
• Silicon photonics nanofabrication - Benjamin Eggleton
• Special wettability nanostructured surfaces - Chiara Neto
• Tailoring carbon nanomaterials - Yuan Chen