News
Tom Roads awarded Treloar Poster Prize at the 39th Australasian Polymer Symposium 2025
December 2025
Tom was awarded the Treloar Prize for his poster presentation at the 2025 Australasian Poster Presentation. This event welcomes both national and international researchers and industrial professionals to contribute towards the development of frontier polymer research.
Tom’s presentation titled “Investigating the Role of Hydrophobicity in Antimicrobial Peptide Star Polymers” detailed his work in the synthesis and testing of Structurally Nanoengineered Antimicrobial Peptide Polymers (SNAPPs) and the observed differences between hydrophobic and hydrophilic structures. He presented his work with a rapid-fire oral presentation alongside his poster.
2025 Cross-Faculty Seed Funding Scheme Winners
The Graeme Clark Institute Cross-faculty Seed Funding Scheme is created in partnership with the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS), and Faculty of Science (FOS) to provide financial support to early to mid- career researchers who are employed by the University of Melbourne. The funding is for small to medium sized projects within the biomedical engineering and medtech research fields.
The Graeme Clark Institute is pleased to announce the following project as one of the winners of the 2025 Cross-Faculty Seed Funding Scheme!
Tailored Degradation, Targeted Growth: A Novel Approach to Bone Implant Fatigue Protection
Up to half of patients undergoing bone reconstruction surgery after tumour removal experience complications that require revision surgery, implant removal or even limb amputation. While reducing implant stiffness with lattice structures can improve bone-implant integration, it also increases the risk of implant fatigue, which has limited their clinical use. To address this, this project proposes a novel bioactive lattice filler that degrades at the rate of bone growth and releases small amounts of a growth factor to accelerate osteointegration, protecting the implant from fatigue. The filler uses a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based hydrogel to deliver recombinant human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in a sustained-release system, promoting rapid and complete bone healing even in patients with impaired recovery due to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Project Members: Dr Reza Sanaei (FoS), A/Prof Charles Pagel (FoS), Dr Paul Gurr (FEIT), Prof Greg Qiao (FEIT)
Kvan Jelodare awarded the 2025 Clive Pratt Scholarship
Congratulations to our PhD candidate Kvan Jelodare, who has been awarded the 2025 Clive Pratt Scholarship. This scholarship honours the legacy of Henry Reginald Clive Pratt, a distinguished chemical engineer and University of Melbourne alumnus, to support outstanding graduate researchers in the field of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Offered as a one-time payment of up to AUD 9,500 to the highest-ranked graduate researcher in a competitive selection process.
Kvan’s research focuses on autonomous polymer synthesis and characterisation systems. By combining automation with machine learning, his work is opening new possibilities for faster discovery and smarter design of advanced materials with tailored properties.
Rayland Low awarded the Eugen Singer Award 2025
Congratulations to Mr Rayland Low, who has received the prestigious Eugen Singer Award 2025 from the faculty of Engineering and IT of the University of Melbourne.
Rayland’s PhD project focuses on oxygen tolerant polymer synthesis using Reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) . The aim of his work is to investigate the viability of achieving well controlled open-air polymerisation that can be controlled using irradiation of light. The success of this project can lead to many novel applications such as Direct Light Patterning 3D printing technique that is well controlled to increase printing resolution which leads to high mechanical consistency and improved material property.
The award was established by Mrs Josephine Singer in commemoration of her late husband, Eugen Singer, who distinguished himself as a chemical engineer working in the field of precision engineering associated with the production and processing of polymers. The award thus recognises the academic excellence of research higher degree students engaged in the study of polymers, including their production and processing."
Amal Jayawardena awarded Best Oral Presentation by a PhD Student at the Victorian Annual Scientific Meeting 2025
Congratulations to Amal Jayawardena who has been awarded Best Oral Presentation by a PhD Student at the ASMR Victorian Annual Scientific Meeting 2025, held in Melbourne recently.
The ASMR Victorian Annual Scientific Meeting, hosted by the Australian Society for Medical Research, is a leading event that showcases innovative biomedical research conducted by postgraduate students across the state. This award recognises excellence in research communication, scientific originality, and impact.
Amal’s presentation, titled “Decoding the Mode of Action of Antimicrobial Star Peptides Against Multi-Drug-Resistant Bacteria Using Atomistic Simulations,” explored how atomistic molecular dynamics simulations reveal the mechanistic basis by which star-shaped peptide antimicrobials interact with and disrupt bacterial membranes. His research highlights a promising direction for integrating machine learning, optimisation techniques, and molecular modelling in future efforts to rationally design next-generation peptide-based therapeutics against drug-resistant pathogens. This work contributes to the broader goal of developing targeted strategies to address the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance.
Prof Greg Qiao awarded the 2025 FEIT Excellence Award in Outstanding Graduate Researcher Supervision
July 2025
In recognition of outstanding achievements in supervision and development of the next generation of Australia's scientific researchers.
Professor Greg Qiao has contributed his time significantly to graduate researcher supervision. He is deeply committed to research excellence and training the next generations of scholars, while fostering a dynamic and supportive environment through regular meetings, project discussions, and individual mentoring sessions. These regular interactions not only help guide students on their research journey, but also support their personal development and career planning goals. <
As a supervisor, Greg promotes international engagement such as participating in major conferences, summer schools, workshops, and lab exchange visits. Drawing on his vast experience, he also imparts his knowledge in critical academic skills like journal article reviews, research proposal writing and research presentations. Under his dedicated supervision, most of his PhD student have published high-impact journal articles and have garnered international recognition, with many receiving prestigious awards nationally and internationally.
Tom Roads awarded the 2025 Ingenium Scholarship and Chemical Engineering Final Year Prize
April 2025
Congratulations to Tom Roads who was recently granted the 2025 Ingenium Scholarship, awarded in recognition of both academic excellence and ambassadorial potential. The Ingenium Scholarship is funded by the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology to help develop a cohort of future Australian research leaders by providing funding for professional training and mentorship. In addition to a top-up scholarship, the Ingenium scholars are granted an annual fund of $10,000 for professional development and travel opportunities.
Tom’s research on SNAPPs, aims to develop a new class of antibacterial peptide polymers, which may solve the issue of antibacterial resistance. Tom’s work will focus on developing a cell-free method of testing the SNAPPs to allow for automated synthesis and optimisation with Artificial Intelligence, as well as developing a new method of forming SNAPPs with precise chemical structures to allow more targeted testing and formation.
Tom Roads was also awarded the Chemical Engineering Final Year Prize for 2024. This award recognises his outstanding academic merit for successfully completing his Masters of Chemical Engineering at the top of his cohort.
Kvan Jelodare awarded the 2024 Rowden White Scholarship
November 2024
Congratulations to PhD candidate Kvan, who has been awarded the esteemed 2024 Rowden White Scholarship. This prestigious award recognises his outstanding academic achievements and research potential.
Established through a generous donation by Sir Alfred Edward Rowden White, a medical practitioner who graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1906 and held senior positions in several Melbourne hospitals. The scholarship supports graduate research students across various faculties at the University of Melbourne, including the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, with a one-time grant of $6,500. The scholarship is awarded based on academic merit, research potential, and contributions to the candidate’s field of study.
Kvan’s cutting-edge research focuses on developing an autonomous closed-loop polymer synthesis and analysis system powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). His innovative approach shows the potential of AI and Automation in batch polymerisation. We are proud of his success and look forward to the continued impact of his work as he represents the excellence of the Polymer Science Group and the University of Melbourne.
Amal Jayawardena Awarded the 2024 Borland Research Forum Award
October 2024
Congratulations Amal Jayawardena who was awarded the 2024 Borland Forum Award for his oral presentation titled “Novel Anti-Microbial Agents vs Superbugs: Molecular Simulations Reveal Bacterial Cell Death Mechanism".
The Borland Research Forum, hosted annually by the Victorian Branch of the Institute of Materials Engineering, brings together the best postgraduate researchers from universities across Victoria. It showcases some of Victoria’s top PhD students, who present the highlights of their research projects. Named in honor of Dr. Doug Borland, who makes significant contributions to materials engineering education, the forum provides a platform for emerging scientists to present their research to academic peers, industry leaders, and researchers. The event highlights cutting-edge developments in materials science and engineering, with the best presenter awarded the prestigious Borland Forum prize.
This year’s winner, Amal Jayawardena from the University of Melbourne, delivered an exceptional presentation titled Novel Anti-Microbial Agents vs Superbugs: Molecular Simulations Reveal Bacterial Cell Death Mechanism”. His research uses advanced molecular dynamics simulations to reveal the atomistic details of how novel antimicrobial agents, such as SNAPPs (structurally nanoengineered antimicrobial peptide polymers), target and destroy bacterial cells. Jayawardena's talk also emphasized how integrating molecular dynamics (MD), machine learning and optimization techniques can improve the design of these agents, making them more effective in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria—a critical global health challenge.
Effort to cure corneal blindness globally welcomes $35 million support
6 February 2024
University of Melbourne researchers addressing the global challenge of corneal blindness – caused by disorders that damage and scar the transparent layer of our eyes – have welcomed a $35 million grant from the Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to support the development of a world-first tissue engineered cornea.
The funding has been awarded to BIENCO, which is working to cure one of the most common causes of blindness in the world by developing cost effective, individually tailored, superior corneas. Currently, donor corneas are available for only 1 in 70 patients globally, with 53 per cent of the world’s population unable to access this tissue.
Dr Paul Gurr was live on 3RRR discussing the Hygelix™ solution to corneal blindness.
February 2024
As a guest on Triple R’s Dr Shane’s Einstein a-go-go, Polymer Science Group’s Dr Paul Gurr discussed the collaborative efforts between the Polymer Science Group, The Centre for Eye Research and Eversight (USA based Eyebank).
The product referred to as Hygelix ™ aims to support the delicate Descemet’s Membrane tissue during surgical replacement of a patient’s damaged cornea. This work originally funded by the Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund (VMRAF), has been awarded further funding within the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), a $35 million project, led by the University of Sydney with The University of Melbourne, The Centre for Eye Research Australia, The University of Wollongong, Queensland University of Technology, and the NSW Organ and Tissue Donor Service.
The consortium known as BIENCO aims to deliver a fully synthetic cornea aimed at alleviating the world shortage in donor corneal tissue.
Vianna Jafari Awarded Best Poster Presentation at the Inaugural FEIT GR Showcase 2023
November 2023
Vianna has received the Inaugural FEIT Graduate Research Showcase award for Best Poster by the academic and industry judges. This interactive event, showcasing the work of top graduate researchers, provided an opportunity for an industry and academic audience to explore the breadth of engineering and IT innovation at the University of Melbourne.
Vianna’s research presentation entitled “The Power of Automation in Polymer Chemistry: Automated Synthesis of Complex Polymeric Materials with High Precision” highlighted the importance of automation and machine learning for scientific discoveries, with a focus of her PhD project on automated synthesis of highly complex polymeric materials to produce reliable databases with an outlook for the incorporation of these databases into AI-driven material discovery platforms.
Shirin Nour Awarded the Eugen Singer Award 2023
October 2023
Congratulations to Miss Shirin Nour, who has received the prestigious Eugen Singer Award 2023 from the faculty of Engineering and IT of the University of Melbourne.
Shirin’s PhD project focuses on developing peptide-functionalized low-fouling and amphiphilic polymeric biomaterials to be used as a molecularly engineered bio interface. The aim of her work is to reveal the complex interplay between the physicochemical properties of the polymer and cellular behaviour as well as providing a useful platform for growing muscle-like tissues to help better treatment of muscular diseases.
The award was established by Mrs Josephine Singer in commemoration of her late husband, Eugen Singer, who distinguished himself as a chemical engineer working in the field of precision engineering associated with the production and processing of polymers. The award thus recognises the academic excellence of research higher degree students engaged in the study of polymers, including their production and processing.
In more recent news, Shirin has won the best poster award entitled “Developing peptide-functionalized low-fouling and amphiphilic polymeric biomaterials as an engineered biointerface for improving muscle cell response” at the 2023 Meeting of the Australian Society for Mechanobiology, which was held at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute.
Zahra Mossayebi Awarded Best Oral Presentation Award at Materials Oceania Conference 2023
September 2023
Zahra has received the Materials Futures Oral Presentation Award at the Fourth International Conference on Materials Science and Engineering (Materials Oceania 2023), which was held at Nagoya University in Japan from September 26 to 29, 2023. This conference was organized by the Australia-Japan Foundation (AJF) and gathered a diverse group of scientists and engineers from around the world. The conference was highlighted by vibrant discussions, insightful presentations, and the exchange of valuable knowledge, making it a truly enriching experience to witness the wide range of perspectives and expertise that each participant brought to the table. Zahra's presentation, titled "Reduced Ice Adhesion Using Amphiphilic Poly (Ionic Liquid)-Based Surfaces," introduced an innovative polymeric stimuli-responsive coating designed to mitigate ice build-up on various solid surfaces, particularly in the aviation industry. This work was a part of her Ph.D. project focused on developing amphiphilic/ambiguous surfaces via controlled and surface-initiated polymerizations. Her presentation left a profound impression on industry representatives throughout the conference.
Hoseong Han Awarded Best Oral Presentation Award at ICOM2023
July 2023
Hoseong has been awarded the World Association of Membrane Societies (WA-MS) Oral Presentation Award at the 13th International Congress on Membranes and Membrane Processes (ICOM2023) in Chiba, Japan. The award is supported by Aseanian Membrane Society (AMS), European Membrane Society (EMS), and North American Membrane Society (NAMS). ICOM is one of the largest and most prestigious international membrane conferences held every three years. Her presentation entitled “Importance of comprehending the chemistry of pre-crosslinking, in designing multilayered structures and its superior CO2 gas permeance”, highlighted a significant advance in gas separation membrane fabrication and may lead to reducing CO2 emissions from the atmosphere.
Second Place at 2023 Emory Global Health Case Competition (EGHCC)
Yurong Zhang, along with five teammates, proudly represented The University of Melbourne at the prestigious 2023 Emory Global Health Case Competition (EGHCC) held in Atlanta, GA, United States. In a fiercely competitive environment featuring 30 teams from renowned universities around the globe, the team distinguished themselves by achieving an impressive 2nd place. Furthermore, they were honoured with the prestigious Participants' Choice award, recognizing them as the best team as voted by the audience and their peers.
New Materials for Windows of the Future - Phase 2
February 2023
Professor Greg Qiao and Dr Joel Scofield from the Polymer Science Group, in collaboration with Ultimate Windows, have started a new research project to develop a novel hard coat for plastic double-glazed windows. New Materials for Windows of the Future – Phase 2 is part of the Building 4.0 CRC and will run for two years.
The project is focused on providing a critical assessment of the opportunities to apply new materials and coatings to reduce the cost, and improve the performance and ease of installation of double-glazed windows.
Zahra Mossayebi awarded the 2023 Stawell Scholarship
Zahra has been awarded the 2023 Stawell Scholarship from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology of the University of Melbourne. The scholarship has been made possible by Sir William Foster Stawell in 1873, for the encouragement of the school of engineering by supporting graduate researchers in the field of Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.
In 2023, only up to two awards have been offered so Zahra is incredibly honoured to be a recipient of this award, and she will use this opportunity to make a positive impact in her field.
Shirin Nour awarded Conference Attendance & Conference Travel Award
Shirin has received the Graduate Research Conference Attendance Award from the Dept of Biomedical Engineering as well as a Conference Travel Award from the Australian Society for Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering (ASBTE), which she used to present a part of her PhD research at the Annual ASBTE Conference, 12-14 April 2023 in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Evaporation reduction technology at the Irrigation Australia Conference
October 2022
Professor Greg Qiao of the Polymer Science Group presented the latest findings from field trials of the evaporation barrier technology at the Irrigation Australia Conference hosted in Adelaide. This technology was developed by the Polymer Science Group in collaboration with the Fluid Mechanics Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Melbourne as part of the Smarter Irrigation for Profit – Phase 2 program. Through this program the Project, lead by Professor Qiao, developed the technology from concept to a prototype on a farm dam with good evaporation savings. This technology has also ben granted a provisional patent. The conference was also attended by Dr Joel Scofield and Dr Will Lee who were researchers helping to developing the technology.
A new technology to improve outcomes for corneal transplant patients
July 2022
A new patented technology with potential to improve outcomes for people undergoing corneal transplant surgery has been developed by polymer researchers at the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with medical specialists.
3D Nanoprinting via spatially controlled assembly and polymerization
April 2022
Collaboration between the Polymer Science Group and the University of California Davis has resulted in a new development of a 3D nanoprinting technology that allows polymer materials to be printed with nanoscale spatial accuracy. This paper is published by Nature Communication and highlighted in the following media:
Nature Review Materials on 27 April 2022: Pinpoint 3D Printing (Nature Reviews Materials volume 7, page336 (2022)
Azo Nano: Step Forward for 3D Printing at the Nanoscale
Material People Network in Weixin of a Chinese Media