Scholarship details
Study levels
Postgraduate
Student type
Future students and Current students
Study area
Science, technology and engineering and mathematics
Eligibility criteria
Academic performance
Citizenship
Australian or New Zealand and International
Application dates
- Applications close
- 15 December 2026
How to apply
The first step is to email Professor Cheng Yan via email c2.yan@qut.edu.au or Professor YuanTong Gu via email yuantong.gu@qut.edu.au providing a CV detailing your academic performance (GPA), research experience and skills, publications/reports, and English language test result if you are an international student.
If supported to apply, you will then submit an expression of interest (EOI) following the advice at how to apply for a research degree.
About the scholarship
The candidate will be supervised by Professor Cheng Yan, Prof YuanTong Gu and an expert team to conduct innovative research on the structure-property relationship of next generation construction materials, using advanced material characterization and numerical modelling technologies.
In Australia, brick production has been a major manufacturing sector with a projected market value of $668.7M in 2025, producing over 600 million bricks annually. However, formulation design and quality control in the brick industry still largely rely on empirical, trial-and-error methods, resulted in high defect rates, considerable economic losses and unnecessary CO2 emissions due to wasted energy during production.
Under the support of Australian Research Council (ARC) and local industry, this project will revolutionise the brickmaking industry by investigating the role of material composition, microstructure and processing parameters in dictating the overall performance of bricks. Advanced material characterization techniques such as quantitative X-ray diffraction (Q-XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) will be used, together with advanced numerical simulation including machine learning and AI-driven modelling to understand the underpinning mechanisms.
On top of new scientific discoveries, the outcomes will directly support Australian manufacturers through improved quality control and production efficiency, data-driven innovation, and more sustainable, scalable production of one of the world’s most essential construction materials.