What Makes Me a Strong Candidate
2026 Dean's Award for Excellence in Research by a Research Fellow · Faculty of Engineering, Monash University
I am a computational materials scientist who designs the materials behind the future low-power, high-speed electronics. My work addresses one of the most emerging questions facing us today: Can we engineer materials whose electrons carry information faster, cooler, and more robustly than anything we have today?
Over the past two years, I have used my strong capability in atomistic simulation and programming to achieve outstanding excellence in basic research, grant success, mentoring, and entrepreneurship, delivering an impactful research portfolio that contributes significantly to the advancement of Australia’s semiconductor community and quantum industry.
During the last two years, I have maintained producing high-quality research in quantum materials and condensed matter physics, with outcomes appearing in prestigious journals and advancing the field by providing critical modelling insights. Highlights include:
Fundamental new knowledge in semiconductor design with the completion of my “Bismuth trilogy”, consisting of three original theory papers investigating the electronic structure of two-dimensional bismuth spanning from 2021 to 2025, published in New Journal of Physics and Materials Today Physics. These studies provide innovative perspectives on realising low-energy electronic transport through new materials architectures based on atomically thin films. They also form the theoretical foundation of my recent grant success and patent application.
Revealing new physics at materials interfaces. I have made extensive and decisive theoretical contributions to studies on tuning materials interfaces to uncover unconventional electronic transport and achieve better contacts in electronic device fabrication. These findings are critical to realising the potential of two-dimensional materials for future low-energy electronics, and have been published in high-impact journals including Nano Letters and ACS Nano.
Challenging conventional materials design principles by showing that disorder is not necessarily detrimental, but can strongly enhance device performance. Using multiscale modelling methods, I have worked with experimental collaborators to explain how disorder can be designed and incorporated to make better and cost-effective electronic devices. These investigations have led to publications in Matter and Nature Communications.
My research excellence extends beyond academic publications. In the last two years, I have achieved a rare milestone among computational materials scientists: translating innovative modelling ideas into real-world technology on a path towards commercialisation.
In 2025, I submitted a patent application (US63/848,509) with the Australian start-up TQ Transistors on a new class of two-dimensional materials structures for semiconductors, based on my modelling results. In 2026, I successfully led and secured Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite funding, ”From Lab to Fab: Advancing a New Low-Energy Transistor Towards Large-scale Manufacturing” (IG250200225), with A$650K to further develop the technology and assemble an experimental team for practical fabrication.
Recently, I also shared success with Prof. Michael Fuhrer (Physics) and Prof. Nikhil Medhekar (MSE) in their successful ARC Linkage Projects bid, ”Prototyping a Breakthrough Low-Energy Transistor” (LP250200919). I played a pivotal role in the application process and will be a key participant in this A$1.7M funding package.
Growing from computational models to a large team involving both modelling and experimental talents, I have left a strong research footprint in developing next-generation low-energy electronics in Australia.
Computing already consumes a significant and fast-growing share of global electricity. The materials I design target the root caus: the energy dissipated every time a transistor switche: offering a route to electronics that are dramatically cooler and lower-power. I make this work legible beyond academia: my research has been featured by the Australian Research Council newsletter, Materials Australia, and the FLEET Centre, and I am committed to translating dense physics into plain language for students and the public.
Over the last two years, I have co-supervised two PhD candidates, including one who has graduated. I have also been involved in the supervision teams of five other PhD candidates, including two enrolled in the IITB-Monash Program. Several of these students have gone on to publish first-author papers in high-impact journals such as ACS Nano, Nano Letters, and Nanoscale, and one graduated student is now working as a joint postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge and King’s College London.
I have also participated in the examination of two PhD students in the Department, providing guidance on their PhD progress and advice on how to make the most of their research experience. In addition, I have taken supervision roles for Engineering Master’s students.
As a Monash-CSU 2+2 program alumnus, I have also taken responsibility for supporting the development of the program by actively participating in 2+2 events and speaking with current and incoming students. In 2024, I also represented the Department in teaching a course on computational materials science at Central South University.
My impact extends well beyond my immediate group and the Department. In research, I have built long and fruitful connections with groups in the School of Physics and Astronomy, leading to both publication and grant success. Through my experience in the ARC Centre of Excellence FLEET, I have also maintained close connections with researchers at RMIT and Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. I have also actively participated in and presented at condensed matter physics workshops across Australia, including the annual Gordon Godfrey Workshop hosted by UNSW.
Beyond my immediate research portfolio, in 2024 I took a liaison role in establishing new strategic collaborations between Monash University and Jiangxi Copper, a Fortune 500 company. I organised technical exchanges between the company and academic leaders across the Faculty of Engineering, including Materials Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Chemical Engineering. Following a successful visit by a high-level delegation from Jiangxi Copper, Monash University and Jiangxi Copper signed an MoU in August 2024. The two parties are now in the process of finalising their first joint research project on advanced manufacturing.
I have also participated in receiving high-level delegations from overseas universities, including Central South University, Wuhan University of Technology, and Shanghai University, showcasing our research strength and innovation while helping bridge new collaborations among institutions.
Over the last two years, I have sharpened my ability to work with diverse groups beyond academia, including consultants, senior management, investors, and IP attorneys. I have translated my academic knowledge into industry-relevant language and, through this process, established strong connections with the emerging Australian quantum industry. Through these new networks, I have also participated in international R&D opportunities in the U.S., aiming to translate our newly discovered semiconductor technology towards commercialisation.
I have also maintained an active online presence to promote science and support open access to our research. I believe our research should serve the public and increase awareness of the latest electronic technologies under development. I am active on X and GitHub, where I share our latest research and make our codes and research data openly accessible to the community. I am also an amateur Wikipedia editor, aiming to introduce the Australian MSE and physics community to a global audience.
Over this short two-year window, I have combined exceptional, internationally peer-reviewed research with impactful research translation, while demonstrating quality leadership skills. I would be honoured to represent the Department of Materials Science and Engineering as a strong and competitive candidate for the Dean’s Award for Excellence by Research Fellow.