About Us
Even though the NEMCAT Group was officially named in 2020, the foundations of the group were established in 2010 when Dr. Koshy and Prof. Sorrell started to work together. Prof. Sorrell had already established himself as Australia’s leading expert in lab-scale and commercial-scale processing of ceramics materials and was at the forefront of the development of technologies in superconducting materials and water splitting.
This led to the diversification of the research areas and expansion of the capabilities of the research team. Initial research focus was on utilisation of industrial by-products through the partnership with Vecor as well as ARC projects on photocatalytic materials development for water and air purification.
Further expansion of the research portfolio was seen through the initiation of funding partnerships with ACARP and ARC discovery projects on nanomaterials for biomedical applications in 2016-2017. At the same time, the partnership with Vecor was further strengthened through the first set of patents on material development as well as ARC linkage projects on fabrication of high-temperature materials using fly ash.
Since 2017, there has been further growth in the team’s experience and expertise in the development of advanced nanostructured materials for energy storage and sustainable fuels (green hydrogen) through the work of Dr. Mofarah and Dr. Jiang and the resulting patents and publications. This has been supported by the diversification of Vecor Pty. Ltd. into the development of these green technologies. At the same time, long-term research partnerships were established with Brickworks, ANSTO, Cochlear, CSIRO, BHP, and POSCO on a wide-ranging list of research programs and/or Honours and postgraduate student partnerships.
Even with the rapid growth of the group over the years, this focus has continued on enforcing the foundational principle of helping individuals and industries, by not forgetting the fundamental objective of being an academic, which is to use one’s knowledge and experience to help and educate staff and students to grow and develop professionally and make a positive contribution to society. This has been the hallmark of all activities and has led to the establishment of long-term successful partnerships with industries and placing high value on student outputs and their growth.
our timeline
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2010
Initial partnership
Koshy and Chris commence research partnership
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2010
First industrial collaboration
Vecor commences long-term collaborative research program with priority on mullite production from fly ash
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2014
ARC Discovery project
on X-ray activation of catalytic coatings on implants
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2015
ARC Linkage grant
with Vecor on alumina-zirconia-silica refractories from fly ash
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2016
ACARP grant
for scoping study on high-temperature testing of cokes
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2017
ACARP grant
for high-temperature testing of low-quality cokes
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2017
ARC Discovery grant
on nanoceria fabrication for biomedical and energy applications
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2017
ARC Linkage grant
with Topfibre Pty Ltd. on metal matrix composites from topaz mineral precursor
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2018
ACARP grant
on coke blend quality on properties at high-temperatures
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2019
ACARP grant
on coke blend quality on corrosion with molten metal
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2020
ARC Linkage grant
with Vecor on zirconia stabilisation using industrial-by products
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2021
Dedicated Vecor space
Co-location of Vecor to dedicated laboratory space on UNSW campus
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2022
ACARP grant
for scoping study into biomass blending with coals for sustainable cokemaking processes
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2023
ATRaCe funding
Australian Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (ATRaCe) funding with Vecor for research into three key areas of energy and environmental technologies
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2023
ARC Linkage grant
with Vecor on development of novel sodium ion battery cathodes
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2024
ACARP grant
for improving biomass addition to cokes
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2024
Koshy receives ARC Industrial Mid-Career Fellowship
ARC Industrial Mid-Career Fellowship for Koshy with Vecor on development of coatings to tune the optical properties of ceramic pigments from fly ash
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2024
ARENA funding
on sustainable steelmaking processes with focus on biomass addition to cokes
why choose us
Extensive experience and expertise in processing and characterisation of different material types
Highly experienced in fabrication of materials (ceramics, composites, polymers, nanomaterials) using diverse conventional and advanced techniques and their characterisation using different spectroscopy and microscopy methodologies
Strong reputation for delivering practical and value-added research outcomes for local and international industries
Numerous successful and long-term research partnerships with large and small-scale industries both in Australia and overseas on a wide range of topics, ranging from lab-scale material analysis to industrial-scale product and technology development
High-quality supervision and mentoring of research staff, postgraduates and Honours students
High importance placed on enhancing and valuing the student experience in the team and their contributions in order to provide them the opportunity and mechanism to grow skills both professionally and personally
Strong commitment to research ethics and principles
All research is carried out to the highest standards and in an ethical and responsible manner with emphasis on respecting team members and external stakeholders and delivering data that is reliable and repeatable
Wide network of research partnerships and collaborations globally
In addition to the expertise of the personnel in the team, additional experience and expertise and access to facilities can be leveraged through the high number of collaborations in different universities and organisations