Nine Adelaide University projects have received grants through the National Industry PhD (NiPhD) Program.
As part of the program, PhD candidates will undertake co-designed industry-focused research in a range of areas such as renewable energy, sustainable water infrastructure, digital financial services, and online extremism.
"Industry connections supported by the NiPhD program will help to equip our academics with the knowledge and skills to better translate university research into commercialisation outcomes that will have far-reaching positive impact on society,” said Adelaide University Deputy Vice Chancellor - Research and Innovation, Professor Anton Middelberg FTSE FNAI.
The nine PhD candidates will commence their projects in 2026 after Adelaide University opens its doors. They will be supervised by some of the leading experts in their fields.
Professor Simon Lucey, Director of the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML), and colleague Dr Hemanth Saratchandran will supervise four candidates. The candidates’ projects will use AI to improve the management of financial services in Australia. The projects will build on the existing partnerships between the University and the Commonwealth Bank through the CommBank Centre for Foundational AI Research at AIML.
Dr Jared Dmello will supervise a candidate at the School of Society and Culture who will partner with the South Australian Department of Human Services to investigate how vulnerable Australians are manipulated by extremist online communities.
At the School of Civil Engineering and Construction, Dr Wei Zeng’s candidate will partner with Adelitics Pty Ltd on a project that will explore the use of machine learning to detect water leaks. The project will build upon the partnership between the University’s Smart Water Research Team and Adelitics – a successful University of Adelaide spinout company – and advance the automation of smart water networks.
The School of Computer Science and Information Technology’s Professor Frank Neumann will supervise a candidate who will work with Optimatics Solutions Pty Ltd on optimising water infrastructure.
Professor Anthony Finn’s candidate will work at School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering with industry partner EvoSonic to enhance acoustic signals for underwater communication and sonar.
Dr Feifei Tong’s PhD candidate from the School of Civil Engineering and Construction will work with Aurora Offshore Engineering Pty Ltd on improving undersea cabling for offshore wind projects.
For a full list of winners, visit the NiPhD website.