Doctor of Philosophy

Testamur Title of Degree:	Doctor of Philosophy
Abbreviation:	PhD
My University:	Engineering, Civil, Environmental, Materials, Mechanical, Mechatronic, Mining, Philosophy, Physics
Duration:	3 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Total Credit Points:	144 (48 credit points per year)
Delivery Mode:	On campus (Supervised and individual research)
Starting Session(s):	Autumn/Spring
Location:	Wollongong
UOW Course Code:	201
CRICOS Code:	001245D

Overview

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidates undertake in-depth research in order to make an original contribution to the body of knowledge in their area of interest. This qualification can lead to, or enhance, an academic career and is also highly regarded by public and private sector employers. A thesis containing the candidate's research will be presented for external examination at the end of the study.

Entry Requirements/Assumed Knowledge

Students are required to have a Bachelor degree in a relevant discipline with Honours Class II, Division 2 or higher.

For International students the English language entry criteria will be as indicated on the University website: www.uow.edu.au/prospective/international/english/index.html

Current Research Areas

Civil Engineering

• Steel and concrete structures

• Composite steel-concrete structures

• Deepwater oil and gas riser design

• Bridge engineering

• Ecologically sustainable structural design

• Solid and rock mechanics

• Foundation engineering, including railways

• Slope stability and reliability analysis

• Soft ground improvement technology

• Reinforced earth

• Dam and embankment engineering

• Finite element and other numerical methods

• Structural dynamics

• Cementitious and advanced materials for construction

• Flood studies, hydraulics and hydrology

• Water quality engineering

• Geo-environmental studies

• Flow and sediment transport in channel junctions

Environmental Engineering

• Advanced membrane treatment processes

• Agricultural waste treatment and management

• Ballast water treatment

• Bioenergy production and bioreactors

• Electrocoagulation

• Environmental geotechnology

• Environmental hydraulics and unit processes

• Environmental pollution control modelling

• Groundwater contaminant transport and modelling

• Integrated water recycling and reuse

• Recycling and solid waste management

• Remote area water treatment with renewable energy

• Removal of trace contaminants

• Risk assessment of wastewater reuse projects

• Soil erosion and sediment transport

• Supplementary water supply systems

• Treatment and drying of residuals for reuse

• Urban water quality process and modelling

• Water quality management and modelling of catchments, rivers and lakes.

Materials Engineering

Steel Metallurgy:

• Peritectic phase transformation: mechanism and kinetics

• Development of in-situ observation techniques

• Kinetics of phase transformations in zincalume alloy systems

• Property/microstructure relationships

• Process optimisation in direct reduction of iron

• Thermo-mechanical processing, including HSLA steels

• Corrosion of steelmaking refractories

• Slag properties and behaviour

Superconducting and Electronic Materials:

• Theory and mechanism of superconductors

• Phase relation, phase evolution and chemistry of superconductors

• Single crystal growth and study of intrinsic properties

• Fabrication of bulk, wires and tapes superconductors

• Critical current density, transport mechanism and flux pinning

• Studies on structure, microstructure and stability

• Colossal magnetoresistance materials

• Spintronic materials

• High energy batteries for electric vehicles

• Solid-state rechargeable lithium batteries for telecommunication and portable electronic devices

• Developing new cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries using Australian mineral resources

• Investigation of nano-materials for use in lithium rechargeable batteries

• Composite cathode materials for lithium ion batteries using chemical coating technique

• Hydrogen storage materials

• Nickel-metal hydride batteries

• Processing of thin films

• Investigation of superconductor thin films

• Nanofabrication of novel multilayer materials

• Coated conductors

• Nanostructure of electronic materials

• Ceramic and Refractory Materials:

• Sintering kinetics

• High temperature degradation

• Extrusion of resin-bonded ceramics

• Processing of refractories

• Intelligent Polymers:

• Artificial muscles

• Chemical and physical sensors

• Electronic textiles

Polymer Materials:

• Polymer coating adhesion

• Mechanical properties of polymer coatings

• Surface properties of polymers

Nano-materials:

• Synthesis and characterisation of carbon nanotubes

• High energy ball milling

• Structure and properties of nanocrystalline materials

Welding and Joining/Surface Engineering:

• Structure and properties of welded metals

• Weld metal cracking

• Post weld heat treatment

• Weldability of creep resistant steels

• Brazing and diffusion bonding

• Fusion welding of coated steels

• Surface engineering of materials

• Wear and surface property testing

• Physical vapour deposition processing of metals

• Ion implantation

• Microwave processing of materials

• Solidification

• Welding automation

• Welding process control

• Welding fume dispersion and control

• In process monitoring

• Laser hybrid welding

• Magnetically impelled arc butt welding

Special Materials Research and Technology

• Nanostructural and high surface area materials produced by mechano-chemical methods

• Plasma assisted mechano-synthesis and processing

• Solid/solid, solid/liquid and solid/gas reaction chemistry

• Super-hard materials, glassy metals and metal matrix composites

• Synthesis of MEMS materials by advanced processing techniques

• Electric discharge assisted, rapid reduction processes

• Plasma assisted synthesis of metal hydrides

• Iron-based shape memory alloys

• Copper based shape memory alloys

• Crystallography of martensitic transformations

• Microwave synthesis of non-oxide functional ceramics

• High temperature materials processing

• Rapid solidification processing

Mechanical Engineering (includes Mechatronics)

Applied Mechanics:

• Bio-mechanics

• Solid mechanics

• Computational fluid mechanics

• Jet cooling in industrial applications

• Finite element analysis

• Natural and hybrid ventilation of buildings

• Industrial ventilation systems

• Renewable energy systems

• Wave energy conversion

• Offshore structures

• Small wind energy systems

• Mechanical engineering design

• Heavy vehicle and rail dynamics

• Railway engineering

• Rolling mill technology

• Solar thermal system analysis and design

• Solid mechanics of elastic and magneto- elastic bodies

• System identification and control

• Tribology-bearing friction and wear

• Alternative fuels

• Novel IC engines

Manufacturing and Mechatronics:

• Sensors and actuators

• Smart materials and structures

• MEMS and Nanotechnology

• Laser welding and surfacing

• Automated pipe welding

• Robotic repair technology

• Novel control of arc processes

• Virtual reality weld simulator

• Magnetic impelled arc butt-welding

• Automated QC and reliability engineering

• Chip control in automated manufacture

• Expert/knowledge system in automated machining

• Intelligent manufacturing systems

• Monitoring/diagnosis of manufacturing processes and machinery conditions

• Integrated CAD/CAM

• Maintenance management

Bulk Materials Handling:

• Prediction of bin wall loads and flow rates

• Feeding and discharging systems including pressurised systems

• Dust and fume control

• Pneumatic conveying

• Computer simulation of discrete particles

• Biomass handling and feeding systems

• Fluidisation and deaeration

Mining Engineering

• Rock mechanics

• Mine simulation, planning and design

• Mine safety and mine ventilation

• Geostatistics

• Computer applications in mining engineering

Physics

• Astronomy and astrophysics

• Observational studies of star formation

• Comparative planetology: Mars and Venus

• Asteroid and cometary mining

• Laser spectroscopy

• Scattering of light by solids

• Solid state spectroscopy of impurities in semiconductors

• Studies of electronic wave functions in solids

• Theoretical astrophysics - galaxy formation, gas dynamics

• Terahertz optoelectronics

• Spintronics

• Thermionics

• Quantum transport in nanostructures

• Resonant tunnelling

• Far-infrared spectroscopy

• Thermal transport in layered structures

• Many body theory

• Zeeman spectroscopy

• Piezo spectroscopy

Medical Radiation Physics:

• Semiconductor radiation detectors

• Radiation transport and dosimetry

• Radiation therapy

• Medical imaging and radiology

• PET and SPECT instrumentation

• High Energy Physics Detectors

• Proton Therapy

Other Information

Further information is available at http://coursefinder.uow.edu.au/ or email: engineering@uow.edu.au