On Thursday 13th July, the University of Queensland (UQ) hosted QDSA and State Government representatives for a tour of their facilities and to learn about the latest research and innovations with Defence potential.
The tour was packed with exciting research, deep insights, and Defence potential.
Attendees included:
- Stuart Blackwell – QDSA
- Dr Roger Stuckey – QDSA
- Joanne Lubke – QDSA
- Don Roach – DSDDILGP
- Alejandra Cattan – DES
- Kenneth Sauer – UQ
- Eloise Larsen – UQ
- Emilyn Tan – UQ
- Catherine Johnson – UQ
- Stewart MacIntyre – DES
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology (EAIT) and Dow Centre
Dr Eloise Larsen took us for a tour through the School of Chemical Engineering and Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation. Here we viewed the microbrewery, labs, and the current projects underway in the centre, including:
- GetCO2
- NetZero
- harnessing hydrogen as renewable energy source
- ARC Centre for Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation of Carbon Dioxide
Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI)
Prof Maureen Hassall is the Director of the Sustainable Minerals Institute’s Industrial Safety and Health Centre at UQ.
She shared her research into risk management, safety engineering and human factors with a focus on automation and fatigue. She specifically mentioned mining, however both automation and fatigue management have applications in Defence.
At QDSA, these parallels between industries and intra industry connections are our bread and butter.
Queensland Brain Institute (QBI)
Prof Helen Cooper, Prof Bruno van Swinderen and Dr Barry Dickson presented ‘Implications of their research for AI and robotics – Roundtable Discussion’.
They touched on using AlphaFold (software to predict the 3D structure of proteins) to investigate the evolution of proteins; decision making and sleep; and autonomous neural circuits.
UQ Physics Lab
Prof Tom Stace and Ass. Prof Arkady Fedorov’s work is in quantum computing and processing.
They’ve developed a quantum computer with 1 million circuits with a processor that can run signals from 5-10 gigahertz. The pair and their team are working on miniaturising the machine.
This research will have implications for radio frequency and communication.
School of Psychology
Dr Estrella Paterson, Prof Jason Tangen, Prof Andrew Neal all presented from the Human Factors team.
- Dr Estrella Paterson
- Dr Estrella Paterson, her PhD supervisor Penelope Sanderson, and Clinical Excellence Queensland, are looking into patient coordination across healthcare systems, and how to create their own, improved framework. This will be highly adaptable for healthcare in all industries.
- Prof Jason Tangen
- Prof Jason Tangen has been collaborating with major policing and security agencies (AFP and FBI) in his research on decision making, cognitive science and forensics.
- His area of focus is improving performance, reducing examiner training times and helping industries understand the biases behind our decisions.
- Prof Andrew Neal
- Prof Andrew Neal expertise lies in human performance, safety, and crewing.
- His research has revealed insights into attention control-performance and modelling in complex environments such as air traffic control and emergency response. However, the aim is to create an analogue to use within a war environment and Defence training.
UQ ITEE Labs August 2023
Building upon the July UQ tour, QDSA embarked on a lab tour at the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE), UQ, hosted by Bassem Henin and Joseph Zhou on the 23rd of August.
Hertz Lab, Level 4, General Purpose South
This photonic lab is engaged in cutting-edge research on skin cancer at the cellular level and innovative detection methods. The collaborative effort between UQ and the USA Joint Funding Project has entered its second stage, with prototypes in production ready for hospital testing.
Intelligence Equipment Diagnostic Lab, Level 4, General Purpose South
Housing a 50-year-old, 250 KVM impulse generator, the IED Lab serves as a training ground for 4th year and post-grad students in high voltage equipment usage and properties. UQ’s collaborations extend to Energex and QLD Police.
Level 5, Hawken Engineering Building
This hub houses a microwave and antenna room, accommodating head scanners, skin scanners, and fatty scanners. Ongoing projects include collaborations such as the ‘Clay Tests Project with Port of Brisbane’, a project with the Dental School, and exploration into the ‘Characteristics of Blood and DNA’.
We cannot wait to see what collaborative opportunities will emerge and how the research being undertaken at ITEE could translate into future defence capability.
UQ Lab Tour
The UQ lab tour was an incredible opportunity to connect with university partners and researchers.
As we move forward, QDSA remains committed to fostering these connections, driving innovation, and charting a path towards a safer, resilient future.
QDSA Upcoming Events and Opportunities
QDSA has many upcoming events and opportunities, with more being added each week. Want to find out what is on the horizon? Check out our News section on our website here or subscribe to our e-newsletter here.
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The Queensland Defence Science Alliance (QDSA) is a university-led initiative to grow and connect an agile Defence innovation ecosystem, leveraging Queensland’s strengths, to deliver trusted solutions to meet Defence requirements.
