The FBICRC supports selected Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students to conduct industry-focussed research projects from within our eight partner universities. The HDR students benefit from scholarships and top-ups over 3.5 years for PhD students and 2 years for Master’s students. Here are our current and completed HDR students.
Fadhil Al-Mawali
Master’s, Murdoch University, FBICRC Project 030: Beneficiation and Chemical Processing of Lithium Minerals
Fadhil Al-Mawali completed a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering at Murdoch University in 2020. His Honours project work was celebrated through being awarded the David Muir Prize in Extractive Metallurgy and the Institution of Engineering and Technology Prize.
This promoted Fadhil’s interest in the research sector of his industry. He has been involved in research work for the Hydrometallurgy Research Group at Murdoch University since his graduation and began working on a Master’s project in 2022 as part of his ongoing research interests.
Fadhil’s Master’s project explores alternative extraction methods of lithium from hard-rock minerals. He will seek to identify new process approaches to reduce energy-requirements and promote sustainability.
Geethu Asokkumar Seena
PhD (submitted 2024), The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 020: Microgrid Battery Deployment
Geethu Asokkumar Seena’s PhD focussed on the decentralised control of a cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter for the integration of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to a microgrid.
She joined The University of Western Australia (UWA) as a Research Fellow in November 2020. Prior to joining UWA, she was an Electrical Engineer for the Electricity Board of India.
Geethu received her Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2011 and Master’s degree in Power Electronics in 2014, both from India. Her research interests include Power electronics, BESS, power system stability and microgrids.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/geethu-asokkumar-seena-2b306971/
Yuik Eom
PhD, Curtin University, FBICRC Project 030: Beneficiation and Chemical Processing of Lithium Minerals
Yuik Eom completed his bachelor’s degree in Energy and Resources Engineering in 2019 from the Korea Maritime and Ocean University in South Korea.
Before joining Curtin University in 2022, Yuik worked for two years in Mexico as a technical services supervisor in a copper-cobalt-zinc mineral and metallurgical processing plant. He also conducted research for a year on vanadium recovery processes at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources.
Yuik’s PhD project is focused on lithium extraction from hard rock minerals through mechanochemical and hydrometallurgical treatments. He is pursuing his study on reducing the process’s energy consumption and enhancing lithium recovery.
Maryam Fallahzadeh
Master’s, The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 030: Beneficiation and Chemical Processing of Lithium Minerals
Maryam Fallahzadeh received a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering in 2018 and a Master’s in Structural Engineering in 2022, both from the University of Mazandaran, Iran.
Maryam worked in structural engineering companies as a structural engineer between 2021 and 2023, where she designed and supervised various residential buildings.
Her research project is focused on optimising spodumene processing to improve the recyclability of its solid wastes into construction materials and to promote its integration in the circular economy.
Maryam has research interests in the mechanics of composite material, durability of construction and building materials, and waste repurposing.
Wendong Feng
PhD, University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 006: National Battery Testing Centre
Wendong Feng received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Automation in 2017 from Central South University, Changsha, China, and his Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Central South University in 2020.
He is currently pursuing his PhD on modelling and control of battery energy storage systems using AI techniques.
He has ongoing research interests in advanced control algorithms and power optimisation in microgrids, machine learning in power electronics and batteries.
Saleh Forouhari
PhD, The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 020: Microgrid Battery Deployment
Saleh Forouhari obtained his Bachelor and Master’s degrees in electrical and electronics engineering from Yazd University, Iran, and Curtin University, respectively.
Before joining the FBICRC program to pursue his PhD degree at The University of Western Australia, he worked in power and energy consultancies as a power system engineer between 2017 and 2022.
His research interests are in power system operation, power electronics, control theory and microgrids. He is pursuing his study on the integration of battery energy storage systems with microgrids.
Gideon Gbedemah
Master's, Murdoch University, FBICRC Project 038: Development of Vanadium Electrolytes
Gideon Mawuli Kobla Gbedemah received his Bachelor’s Degree in Minerals Engineering from the University of Mines and Technology in Ghana. His research interests are in electrometallurgy, ferrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy.
Prior to enrolling at Murdoch University, Gideon worked as a research assistant at the University of Mines and Technology and, subsequently, at Pensive Research Consultancy. During his time as a research assistant, he was involved in gold extraction and stress corrosion cracking of austenitic stainless-steel research.
Gideon’s Master’s project is focused on Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) electrolyte stabilisation. His research will use electrochemistry to investigate the effects of additives on VRFB electrolytes.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gideon-gbedemah-903b56164/
Maria George completed her Master’s in Chemistry in 2016 from School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, India. She worked as a project assistant between 2016 and 2018 at the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc, Bangalore), on the fabrication of solar cells and electrochemical gas sensors.
Maria’s PhD explores the structure, electrochemistry and interface formation of graphite-based anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, and their improvement by electrolyte design.
Tamsa Hans
PhD, The University of Adelaide, FBICRC Project 028: Assessment, Design and Operation of Battery-Supported Mining Vehicles and Machinery
Tamsa completed a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronic and Communication Engineering in 2018 and a Master of Technology degree in 2020 both at Punjabi University Patiala, India.
Currently, she is pursuing her PhD studies on the mine haul electrification project mainly focussing on electric mining truck modelling and making systematic comparisons with diesel trucks.
Tamsa’s ongoing research interests are in power electronics and optimisation.
Behnam Hashemian Ataabadi
PhD, The University of Adelaide, FBICRC Project 028: Assessment, Design and Operation of Battery-Supported Mining Vehicles and Machinery
Behnam Hashemian Ataabadi graduated with a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Isfahan University of Technology in Iran in 2018. His project focused on power systems and led him to work for three years as a power systems expert in several electrical consulting engineering companies in Iran.
in June 2022 Behnam commenced his PhD studies on the mine haul truck electrification project.
His research interests are on transportation electrification, and power and energy systems’ optimisation, operation and planning.
Zachary Hearne
Master’s, Murdoch University, FBICRC Project 023: Battery Materials for a Circular Economy: Advancing Certification and Improving Life-Cycle Impacts for Market Advantage
Zachary Hearne is currently the Processing Superintendent at IGO Nova. He has held previous roles at IGO, including as a Metallurgist at the Jaguar Copper-Zinc and Nova Nickel-Copper-Cobalt operations, a Project Metallurgist on the IGO Nickel Sulfate PFS, and as the Lead Technical Services Metallurgist providing technical assistance to the Business Development team.
Zac graduated in 2014 from Curtin University with a Bachelor’s double degree in Chemical Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy. He is now completing a postgraduate research degree on nickel and cobalt processing at Murdoch University in Perth.
Marc Henderson completed both his BSc and MSc in Engineering at The University of the Witwatersrand, in South Africa. His MSc focused on the development of a supercritical fluid extraction method that could be used to extract gold from low-grade, refractory mine tailings.
Before joining the FBICRC program to pursue his PhD at Curtin University, Marc worked as a junior software engineering consultant in the smart mining and manufacturing industry.
His PhD research aims to develop scalable hydrometallurgical recycling and recovery technologies that are capable of extracting materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and graphite from mixed chemistry end-of-life batteries.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-henderson-870a55162/
Liang Hong
Master's (submitted 2024), University of Technology Sydney, FBICRC Project 031: Cathode Precursor Production Pilot Plant
Liang Hong has a Bachelor’s Degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Science and Technology of China.
His Master’s researched ternary lithium-ion battery cathode materials and single-crystal lithium-ion battery cathode materials. Liang is committed to researching high-capacity ternary lithium-ion battery cathode materials with high nickel content.
In addition, he is also investiagted the sintering process and coating method of lithium-ion battery cathode materials, committed to improving battery capacity, capacity retention and environmental protection of lithium-ion batteries.
Aron Honra
PhD, Murdoch University, FBICRC Project 027: Development of a Trusted Supply Chain for Australian Battery Minerals and Products
Aron Honra earned his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of the Philippines and his Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Western Australia.
His previous research projects investigated the UV-assisted photocatalysis of dye wastewater adsorption, a supply chain analysis of locally produced water treatment chemicals in Australia and the optimisation of reaction parameters for a laboratory-scale annamox reactor.
Aron’s PhD research will involve the use of geochemical methods to examine the isotopic signatures of lithium-containing compounds as they undergo various chemical processes with an ultimate goal of establishing a provenance database for lithium minerals and products.
Shah Islam
PhD, University of Adelaide, FBICRC Project 028: Assessment, Design and Operation of Battery-Supported Mining Vehicles and Machinery
Shah Mohammad Mominul Islam did his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering at Multimedia University, Malaysia, and his Master’s degree by research at Monash University’s Malaysia campus. His Master’s research focussed on designing grid-connected solar PV systems for charging electric buses and its techno-economic feasibility assessment.
Shah’s PhD project is currently focused on designing energy infrastructure models that consist of renewable energy sources for supplying uninterrupted electricity for charging electric trucks and associated mining machinery.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shah-mohammad-mominul-islam-07825584/
Nusrat Jahan Mim completed her Bachelor’s degree in 2022 within the Building Engineering and Construction Management (BECM) department of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh. Her undergraduate research focused on incorporating Banana Leaf Ash (BLA) into concrete as a cement replacement, and measuring its performance in terms of fresh, mechanical, durability and microstructure analyses.
Nusrat’s current Civil Engineering Master’s research project will centre on the use of copper heap leach residues in concrete, aiming to explore innovative ways to enhance concrete properties while reducing environmental impact. By seeking to optimise the concrete’s performance and reduce waste, she aspires to create a positive impact on the environment and help shape a greener and more efficient future for the civil engineering domain.
Fubing Jin
PhD, The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 006: National Battery Testing Centre
In 2021 Fubing Jin completed a Master of Professional Engineering with distinction, specialising in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, at the University of Western Australia (UWA). Prior to that, he graduated with Bachelor’s degree in Automation Engineering from Southwest University, Chongqing, China, in 2019.
Currently, Fubing is pursuing his interests in power electronics, control algorithm and artificial intelligence through a PhD at UWA. His research project explores novel power converter design and control to improve the reliability of battery systems.
Sanjida Khair completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Civil Engineering at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh. Her MSc research used multivariate statistics and geo statistical analyses to focus on the assessment of metal elements in soil at waste disposal sites.
Before coming to Australia to pursue her PhD, Sanjida worked as an assistant professor at North Western University, Khulna, Bangladesh.
Her research investigates the use of copper heap leach residue as supplementary cementitious material and filler material. The research aims to identify novel materials to optimise engineering designs while also sustainably reducing the cost of disposing of copper extraction wastes.
Shayan Khakmardan
PhD, University of Melbourne, FBICRC Project 023: Battery Materials for a Circular Economy: Advancing Certification and Improving Life-Cycle Impacts for Market Advantage
Shayan Khakmardan’s tertiary education journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering.
Since then, he has progressed through four Master’s programs, including in Geo-Metallurgy (Liege University, Belgium), in Earth Science Engineering (Lorraine University, France), in Mineral Processing Engineering (Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran), and in Mechanical and Process Engineering (The Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany).
In addition to his extensive university studies, Shayan also has more than six years of industry experience as a mining technologist engineer, and a research and development specialist.
The emphasis of his doctoral work is on battery minerals’ life cycle assessments.
Deepak Kumar
PhD, Curtin University, FBICRC Project 031: Cathode Precursor Production Pilot Plant
Deepak Kumar received his Bachelor of Technology degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Agartala (India) in 2014 and a Master of Technology degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad (India) in 2017.
Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering on the fluid dynamic modelling of precursor reactive precipitation process in stirred vessels.
Deepak’s research will look to fundamentally understand the process through modelling. Models will be tested and calibrated with actual pilot plant results. The primary focus will be to understand the effect of the injection point and agitation on the growth and composition of crystals.
Arron Lee
Master's (Completed 2024), Queensland University of Technology, FBICRC Project 006: National Battery Testing Centre
Arron Lee has a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Queensland University of Technology and joined the National Battery Testing Centre as a Master’s research student in November 2021. He is a power electronics design and research engineer with more than a decade of industry experience.
Working at companies like Tritium – where he was the Power Electronics and Magnetics technical lead for several years – Arron has taken many products from concept through to commercialisation.
Arron possesses a wide range of skills and experience focused on Power Electronics, and has developed project, interpersonal and leadership skills by working within, as well as by leading, teams. His project explored enhanced bidirectional DC/DC converter topologies for interfacing with battery energy storage systems.
Courtney-Elyce Lewis
PhD, Queensland University of Technology, FBICRC Project 022: Electrochemical Testing of Li-Ion Battery Materials in Standard Cell Formats
Courtney-Elyce Lewis completed her Bachelor’s in Chemistry and her Master’s in Chemistry at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where she focussed on materials sciences and electrochemistry. She is now a PhD student at QUT’s Centre for Materials Science while also working part time as a Research Assistant at the National Battery Testing Centre.
Courtney’s project focuses on the characterisation of impurities in lithium-ion battery materials throughout the cell recycling process, seeking to bridge the gap between industry and academia.
Dongfang Li
PhD, University of Technology Sydney, FBICRC Project 031: Cathode Precursor Production Pilot Plant
Dongfang Li was awarded a Master of Philosophy degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from The University of Sydney. His Master’s research topic was to enhance the performance of Metal-Organic-Framework (MOF) materials in the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction to obtain hydrocarbons.
Dongfang’s PhD studies will keep focusing on the MOFs combining with electro-catalysis as well as on batteries. Leveraging his industrial background and knowledge, he is seeking to realise industry-level utilisation contributing to zero net carbon emissions.
Ran Li
PhD, The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 039: Stationary Mine Electrification
Ran Li graduated with high distinction from his Master’s of Professional Engineering (Electrical and Electronics) program at The University of Western Australia (UWA) in December 2021.
Ran started his PhD at UWA in March 2022, focussing on highly reliable converter designs and controls for mine site microgrids.
Ran’s expertise includes the design of permanent magnet synchronous motors and reluctance synchronous motors, the design of power DC-DC converters, and artificial intelligence-based control engineering.
Zifan Lin
PhD, The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 020: Microgrid Battery Deployment
Zifan Lin received a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Science from The University of Western Australia (UWA) in 2017 and a Master’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from UWA in 2019. Both degrees were awarded with Distinction.
Zifan is currently pursuing a PhD related to multi-terminal DC/DC power converters for DC microgrids. His ongoing research interests include power electronics, memristive systems, and microgrids.
Yulin Liu
PhD (Completed 2024), The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 039: Stationary Mine Electrification
Yulin Liu completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Southwest University, Chongqing, China, in 2018. He completed his Master’s Degree in Professional Engineering from The University of Western Australia in 2020.
Yulin’s PhD studies explored artificial intelligence-based monitoring, control and health diagnoses for mine site energy storage.
He has ongoing research interests in advanced model-based control and artificial intelligence control in energy storage systems.
Danni Luo
PhD, The University of Melbourne, FBICRC Project 030: Beneficiation and Chemical Processing of Lithium Minerals
Danni Luo’s PhD focuses on improving the flotation of fine valuable lithium minerals through the formation of small hydrophobic flocs.
She received her Bachelor’s degree in Science in 2019 and her Master’s degree in Chemistry in 2022, both from the University of Melbourne. As part of her master’s degree, she spent a year at the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing.
Prior to joining the FBICRC, Danni was a team member working in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science. There, she studied nanoparticle synthesis and the use of SERS substrates for point-of-care analyte sensing.
Joseph Nsiah
Master’s, Murdoch University, FBICRC Project 030: Beneficiation and Chemical Processing of Lithium Minerals
Joseph Nsiah completed a Bachelor’s degree in Minerals Engineering at the University of Mines and Technology, Ghana in 2020. His research interests are in electrochemistry, zero-waste metallurgical processes and water quality.
Joseph worked as a graduate metallurgist at the Minerals Commission of Ghana before enrolling at Murdoch University. During his time with the Minerals Commission, he provided training and consultancy to small-scale miners on sustainable mining practices, most especially in the gold extraction sector.
Joseph’s Master’s project investigates the effects of impurities on lithium hydroxide monohydrate production from lithium sulfate using electrodialysis.
Bernardo Mendonça
PhD, University of Technology, Sydney, FBICRC Project 023: Battery Materials for a Circular Economy: Advancing Certification and Improving Life-Cycle Impacts for Market Advantage
Originally from Recife in Brazil, Bernardo Mendonça has a mixed background in civil engineering and urban development. He has worked primarily with the development of water and waste management systems for social housing in Brazil, Netherlands, and Kenya.
For the past three years Bernardo worked as a solutions engineer for a start-up in Melbourne before moving to Sydney to start his PhD. Bernardo’s research explores the intricacies of lifecycle analysis in certifying responsible minerals for a transition towards a low-carbon society.
Jandré Nel
Master's (submitted 2024), Curtin University, FBICRC Project 029: Hydrometallurgical Processing for Nickel and Cobalt Ores, Concentrates, Tailings, Wastes
Jandré Nel completed a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa, in 2020. His Honours project was to create a statistical model, using Bayesian statistics, to predict the vapour-liquid equilibrium characteristics using a non-random two-liquid model as a basis.
Before the fourth year of Jandre’s university course, he participated in an internship at PROXA Water, a water purification company focussing mainly on membrane technologies such as reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. During that internship he was engaged in multiple projects including working on the design and commissioning of small RO plants.
Jandré’s Master’s project explored sulphide precipitation as a recovery option for nickel and cobalt (Ni-Co) from a glycine leachate.
Philipa Amoakoa Opoku
Master’s, Curtin University, FBICRC Project 030: Beneficiation and Chemical Processing of Lithium Minerals
Philipa Amoakoa Opoku holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering obtained in 2020 from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Ghana. She also completed a Master of Science in Energy and Sustainable Management in 2023.
Prior to joining Curtin in 2023, Philipa worked for three years as an Operations Engineer at the Ghana National Gas Company.
Philipa’s current research is concentrated on the coarse particle separation of lithium ores, with a primary objective of developing enhanced processes for the beneficiation of hard rock lithium ores. The emphasis of the project lies in addressing existing technological challenges and exploring alternative processing options that offer reduced capital and operating costs. Moreover, the research aims to contribute to solutions with a diminished environmental impact.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipa-a-o-003440144/
Kittikhun Pakdeewanish-sukho
PhD, Murdoch University, FBICRC Project 029: Nickel and Cobalt Extraction
Kittikhun (Kit) Pakdeewanishsukho has a Master’s degree in polymer science and two Bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and in extractive metallurgy-chemical engineering.
Before migrating to Australia, Kit worked in industry roles in Thailand and Japan. Since 2010, he has been working as an applied engineering lecturer in Australia.
Kit has a strong belief in teamwork as it brings the best solutions for society, the economy and the environment. His PhD project applies advanced technologies and materials – such as nanopore ceramic filters and commercial ion-exchange resins – to recover nickel and cobalt from glycine solutions. Through this research he seeks to improve the extraction of these valuable battery minerals from their ores.
Kade Parascos
PhD (Completed 2024), Queensland University of Technology, FBICRC Project 006: National Battery Testing Centre
Kade Parascos was a PhD student within Queensland University of Technology’s School of Chemistry and Physics. His research explored the synthesis, characterisation and application of advanced solid-state electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries.
The outcomes from his project were targeted at the construction of prototype high energy and power density solid-state batteries.
Kade’s research, and his recent collaborations with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have helped him gain experience in materials synthesis, physical characterisation, and in-situ neutron diffraction techniques.
Donghyuck Park
PhD, The University of Melbourne, FBICRC Project 022: Electrochemical Testing of Li-Ion Battery Materials in Standard Cell Formats
Donghyuck Park received a Bachelor’s of Science in Manufacturing Systems and Design Engineering (MSDE) from Seoul National University of Science and Technology (Seoultech), South Korea. He also has a Master’s of Science from Seoultech, with his research focussing on nanoparticle and polymer composites.
Donghyuck’s PhD is being conducted within the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Melbourne and investigates the cathode and electrochemical testing of novel lithium-ion batteries.
Kiet Pham
Master's (Completed 2024), The University of Melbourne, FBICRC Project 019: Super Anode
Kiet Pham’s Master’s project investigated the fabrication and characterisation of silicon/graphite composite anodes.
He already had a Master’s degree from the Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Soonchunhyang University, South Korea. That project investigated the development of silicon-graphite composite materials for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.
Kiet has extensive expertise in electrode fabrication and analysis. He also has advanced industry skills relevant to the upscale of graphite/silicon anodes.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuan-kiet-pham-5b0957110/
John Pulgarin
Master’s (submitted 2024), Curtin University, FBICRC Project 029: Hydrometallurgical Processing for Nickel and Cobalt Ores, Concentrates, Tailings, Wastes
John Pulgarin is a graduate chemical engineer from the National University of Colombia. There he also did a university internship with Multimensionales SAS working in materials development.
Upon moving to Australia, John worked in Kalgoorlie as a laboratory technician for Bureau Veritas Minerals. There he used AAS methods to determine gold and copper concentrations in soil and solution samples.
John’s Master’s research focussed on the extraction from laterite ores of nickel and cobalt. A bioleach method was used as it presented an environmentally friendly and highly selective alternative to conventional hydrometallurgical methods to make battery grade cathode precursors.
Tianhao (Steward) Qie
PhD, The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 020: Microgrid Battery Deployment
Tianhao (Steward) Qie received his Bachelor’s Degree in Automation Engineering from Southwest University, Chongqing, China, in 2020 and his Master’s with Distinction in Professional Engineering (Electrical and Electronics) from The University of Western Australia in 2021.
He is currently pursuing his PhD degree on artificial intelligence-based control and monitoring of batteries in microgrids and his ongoing research interests are in advanced control algorithms, power electronics and microgrids.
In December 2020 Ramon Skåne completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) with High Distinction at Murdoch University.
He has extensive practical experience in the water and waste industries and has worked in numerous projects including the development of an Eco-Concrete product and facility design in Western Australia’s Southwest region, hydraulic and transient pressure analyses of water distribution networks throughout Australia, hydrological soil assessments in WA’s Wheatbelt and on PVRO water purification operations in Southern India.
Extremely passionate about green circular economy frameworks, Ramon’s PhD explores the development of geopolymer products using synergistically-located resources.
Rachel Taylor
Master’s, Curtin University, FBICRC Project 029: Hydrometallurgical Processing for Nickel and Cobalt Ores, Concentrates, Tailings, Wastes
Rachel Taylor completed a Bachelor’s degree in Advanced Science Chemistry at Curtin University in 2022. She graduated with First Class Honours and as a member of the Vice Chancellor’s List.
With her background in chemistry, Rachel is now exploring her interest in large scale reactions in the context of metallurgical engineering. Her Master’s project is focused on the optimisation of a hydrometallurgical process to produce battery-grade nickel and cobalt from low grade ores and tailings. This project will include the operational understanding of a pilot plant used to test the proposed process’ viability.
Georgina Thompson
Master's, Murdoch University, FBICRC Project 038: Development of Vanadium Electrolytes
Georgina Thompson is a passionate minerals engineer holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Minerals Engineering from the University of Mines and Technology, Ghana.
After graduating, she worked as a laboratory and research assistant at the Minerals Engineering Department. During this period, she was engaged in several research projects, including one on copper electrowinning. She also gained hands-on experience in conducting various test works, including on carbon quality assessment and gold leaching, for leading mining companies in Ghana.
Georgina’s research interests are in electrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy and waste recycling. Her Master’s research project will focus on investigating the effects of various concentrations of impurities in the electrolyte of a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB).
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgina-thompson-0a2472209/
Julius Kim Tiongson achieved his Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of the Philippines-Diliman (UPD) in 2017. Before that, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in 2012 from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.
During his Master’s program, Julius concentrated on the synthesis and study of novel and known ionic liquids for carbon capture purposes. Additionally, he served as a research assistant at the Institute of Chemistry, UPD, focusing on materials for anti-corrosion and electrolytes for dye-sensitised solar cells applications, resulting in publications in reputable journals. Julius also worked from 2018 to 2022 in the energy industry as a chemist and product analyst.
His PhD research seeks to comprehend the interactions and dynamics of functionalised ionic liquid electrolytes for lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery applications.
https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/julius-tiongson-078b6510b
Tawfique Uzzaman
PhD, The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 039: Stationary Mine Electrification
Tawfique Uzzaman was born in Netrokona, Bangladesh, in 1995. He received his B.S. degree from the Green University of Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2017, and his M.S. degree from Soongsil University in Seoul, South Korea, in 2021.
He then joined Seoul company ADTechnology as a full-time Research Engineer. He worked with the company through to July 2022, mainly conducting industrial research on motor drive systems incorporating inverters.
Tawfique is currently pursuing his PhD with principal interests in the design of hardware and controls for inverter development, and in renewable energy interfaced power converter technologies for mine site electrification.
Hao Wang is passionate about storage systems and clean energy development. He desires to develop long-term renewable energy applications by connecting the research outputs with industrial applications.
His PhD project addresses battery energy storage systems and energy management systems. There he is working on the Redox Flow Battery management system development, including Vanadium Redox Flow Battery modelling and future exploration of the battery management system.
Hao’s ongoing research interests focus on battery modelling optimal control for redox flow batteries.
Muhammad Waqas has four years’ hands-on international experience in the fields of electrical power and renewable energy.
In March 2022 Muhammad started his PhD in Micro/Smart Grid with Murdoch University. He is working to develop the intelligent control of interconnected microgrids, which will enable a local business to develop a modular and parallel operation of multiple energy system units within a microgrid.
Muhammad’s major research interests are in Smart grids, grid integration and stability, and energy management systems.
Dilmi Wijewardhana
PhD, Murdoch University, FBICRC Project 027: Development of a Trusted Supply Chain for Australian Battery Minerals and Products
Dilmi Wijewardhana completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Mineral Resources and Technology, specialising in Mineral Processing Technology at Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka. Her undergraduate research was focussed on upgrading ilmenite by ball milling-induced carbothermic reduction.
Dilmi was able to pursue her Master’s of Philosophy at the same institution in the discipline of earth sciences while working as a full-time research assistant in a World Bank-funded AHEAD/DOR project. Her Master’s research focussed on coastal environmental changes along the eastern coast of Sri Lanka and the resulting value addition to coastal mineral resources.
Dilmi’s PhD aims to understand the factors affecting the quality of lithium chemicals.
Jianwei Zhao
PhD, The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 039: Stationary Mine Electrification
Jianwei Zhao completed a Bachelor’s degree in Automation at South West University, Chongqing, China. In 2023 he received a Master of Professional Engineering in Electrical and Electronics Engineering degree from the University of Western Australia.
Jianwei is currently pursuing a PhD on the condition monitoring and control of key devices in mine site microgrids.
His research focus remains on advanced control algorithms, machine learning in power electronics and batteries, and the optimisation of microgrids.
Chengyan Zheng
PhD, The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 039: Stationary Mine Electrification
Chengyan Zheng received her Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and Automation in 2017 from Central South University, Changsha, China and her Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Central South University in 2020.
She is currently pursuing her PhD degree on the state of charge estimation based on artificial intelligence methods and estimations of other parameters for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries. She has ongoing research interests in advanced control algorithms in microgrids and artificial intelligence control in energy storage systems.
He Zhou
PhD, The University of Western Australia, FBICRC Project 023: Battery Materials for a Circular Economy: Advancing Certification and Improving Life-Cycle Impacts for Market Advantage
He Zhou achieved Master’s degrees both with The University of Western Australia (UWA) and with the China University of Mining and Technology. He also participated in several coal mine shaft wall deformation testing projects, where he worked as a project assistant, and on a research study related to the adverse effects of water infiltration in pavements.
He commenced his PhD at UWA in October 2021 where he is focusing on the sustainability assessment of recycled by-products recovered during the processing of lithium-ion battery minerals.