Study level

  • PhD
  • Master of Philosophy
  • Honours
  • Vacation research experience scheme

Faculty/School

Faculty of Science

School of Mathematical Sciences

Topic status

We're looking for students to study this topic.

Research centre

Supervisors

Dr Vivien Challis
Position
Senior Lecturer in Applied and Computational Mathematics
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Science
Professor Tony Roberts
Position
Head of School
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Science

Overview

Piezoelectricity, which translates to “pressure electricity”, is the phenomenon in which certain materials convert mechanical energy to electrical energy, and vice versa. Such materials are common-place and are used in a variety of applications including sensor, actuator, and energy harvesting technologies. 

The capabilities of such piezoelectric materials have not yet been fully realised. We plan to use computational structural optimisation to design new piezoelectric materials and components that may contribute to novel sensing technologies for robotics applications. Essentially, robots need stress sensors so they can determine how to move without damaging their components. This is the robot equivalent of humans being able to sense pain when they are over-stressing their body.

We will develop computational methods for the optimisation of piezoelectric materials and components for robotics sensing applications and are looking for students with an interest in computational modelling to undertake novel research in this area. 

Research activities

You can expect to:
  • read recent publications to gain an understanding of current research in the field
  • develop your understanding of solid mechanics and a range of numerical methods
  • undertake pen and paper derivations
  • develop and run research code including on high performance computing infrastructure
  • communicate your work in written form
  • meet regularly with your supervisor(s) to discuss ideas and research direction, as well as to receive feedback.

Outcomes

The specific project aims can be tailored to your study level whether you are an undergraduate (VRES), Honours, Masters or PhD student. The topic can also be personalised to suit your individual interests and skills, ranging from numerical methods and high performance computing (including GPU programming) to more of a focus on applications in robotic sensing. For HDR students, it is expected that collaboration with robotics researchers from CSIRO may form part of the project. 

Any novel techniques or results developed during your project will be published in peer-reviewed international journals. This outcome is particularly important for Masters or PhD students.

Skills and experience

Ideally, you'll have some prior experience with MATLAB or other programming languages (Julia, Python, C or C++) and will be keen to learn more about material modelling, computational methods and robotic sensing.

Scholarships

You may be eligible to apply for a research scholarship.

Explore our research scholarships

Keywords

Contact

Contact the supervisor for more information.