UNSW Engineering

UNSW tops the nation in social impact and environmental rankings The University is the top-ranked institution in Australia in the new QS World University Rankings: Sustainability.

🏆 We're 1st in the Australia, and equal 7th globally, in the 2026 QS World University Sustainability Rankings.

UNSW ranked 1st worldwide in the Social Impact category with a perfect score of 100, an Environmental Impact score of 94.4 and a Governance score of 97.7.

Australia must hone its green-metals edge, or risk losing it, says expert Australia can't afford to miss its green metals opportunity, says a UNSW expert speaking at COP30 in Brazil.

Australia has an early advantage in the race for green metals – but the nation’s real opportunity lies not in what it digs up, says UNSW’s Dr Rahman Daiyan, but in what it can transform.

Record $30 million donation to establish residential college for women The partnership between the H.S. Chau Foundation and UNSW reflects a shared vision to support leadership, innovation and equity in STEM.

🙌 A new residential college dedicated to women studying #STEM will be established at UNSW Sydney, thanks to a record $30 million donation from the H.S. Chau Foundation in Hong Kong.

UNSW innovation could slash solar manufacturing cost by billions Researchers will work with UNSW spinout company BT Imaging to accelerate the commercialisation of solar cell defect detection technology, thanks to a $1.4m commercialisation project.

@unsw.edu.au engineers are taking an innovative solar cell inspection technology to market, thanks to a grant from the Trailblazer Recycling & Clean Energy Fund and investment by their industry partner, BT Imaging.

The tool is expected to save the solar manufacturing industry $US1.4 billion a year.

Innovation starts with people.

In our latest Engineering the Future podcast, @unsw.edu.au's Prof. Rita Henderson, and Kath Richards, Chief Engineer of Engineers Australia, dive into how diversity, inclusion and leadership can shape the future of engineering. ✨

🎧 Listen now: unsw.to/etf-leadership

A pipeline of sustainable solutions: UNSW co-hosts critical conversation in Timor-Leste A major international symposium addressed urgent environmental and societal risks facing small communities in the Southeast Asian nation.

@unsw.edu.au and the Dili Institute of Technology have co-hosted a two-day forum to address some of Timor-Leste's environmental challenges.

The symposium brought together researchers, policymakers, practitioners and leaders to chart future pathways using Nature-based Solutions in local communities.

👏 @unsw.edu.au's Prof. Martin Green has been awarded the Faraday Medal - the UK's most prestigious engineering honour.

Awarded by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the medal recognises his outstanding achievements in solar photovoltaics.

Read more 🔗 www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/new...

#Cyberattacks are rising – is your data safe? 🔐

🎙️ On the Engineering the Future podcast, @unsw.edu.au's Dr. Hammond Pearce, and Director of InTune AI, Sharat Madanapalli, break down how cybersecurity is evolving and what you can do to stay protected.

Listen now 🎧 www.unsw.edu.au/engineering/...

Deforestation can cause eight-fold increase in flood event risk, says report New research, based on forest fires in Australia, proves there is a significantly higher risk of large-scale flooding when major deforestation has occurred in catchment areas.

🌳💧 Deforestation can increase risk of #flooding by up to 700%, says new research led by @unsw.edu.au's Prof. Ashish Sharma.

The loss of forest canopy has long been linked to more flooding - but actually proving it has been difficult, until now.

UNSW researchers recognised by the world's leading Earth and space science association Two UNSW academics were honoured by the American Geophysical Union for their work in water resource management and urban climate systems, respectively.

👏 Prof. Ashish Sharma has been elected a Fellow of the @agu.org, the world's largest Earth and space science association.

Prof. Sharma studies how extreme floods and droughts are changing with our climate, and what that means for rural and regional communities.

🌟 Energising conversations, big ideas, and new collaborations!

In partnership with the UNSW Energy Institute, our latest Empowering Excellence Breakfast brought students and industry leaders together to share insights on clean energy, innovation and net-zero.

Quantum computer chips clear major manufacturing hurdle UNSW startup Diraq’s quantum processors consistently perform with exceptional accuracy in industrial production environment.

💡 Big step for quantum computing!

@unsw.edu.au spin-out Diraq, working with imec, has shown that silicon-based #quantum chips can be industrially manufactured with over 99% accuracy.

This breakthrough means scalable, real-world quantum computers are closer than ever.

A/Prof. Murad Tayebjee has been named as the faculty's new Associate Dean (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion).

🙌 We're pleased to announce that A/Prof. Murad Tayebjee has been named as the faculty's new Associate Dean (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion).

Passionate about equity in education, A/Prof. Tayebjee champions opportunities for disadvantaged high schoolers through community engagement.

Two UNSW academics elected Fellows of ATSE UNSW Sydney Professors Maurice Pagnucco and Yansong Shen are named 2025 Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

👏 Congratulations to Prof. Maurice Pagnucco and Prof. Yansong Shen who has been appointed Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering.

The researchers are recognised for their work in advancing the field of artificial intelligence and creating sustainable technologies.

Engineers develop spray to make clothes more fire-resistant The innovative solution could help reduce the risk of burns by delaying how quickly cotton materials catch fire.

A team of @unsw.edu.au engineers have developed a spray that could slow the rate at which cotton materials catch fire – and reduce risk of burning. 🔥

The water-based spray coats fabric with a virtually invisible layer of protection without altering the fabric’s softness or breathability.

UNSW Sydney inks Australia’s biggest ChatGPT Edu deal with OpenAI UNSW has signed an enterprise agreement with OpenAI to give 10,000 staff access to the secure and advanced capabilities of the ChatGPT Edu platform.

💻 ChatGPT is coming to @unsw.edu.au!

In the biggest education deal in Australia with OpenAI, the agreement will enable researchers, educators and professional staff to harness advanced AI tools on a secure platform.

Image of Lauren Kark and Kathryn Currow

🩺 Not all healthcare is created equal.

In this episode of Engineering the Future, A/Prof Lauren Kark and Dr Kathryn Currow explore how we can build fairer, more accessible healthcare systems - no matter your postcode, income or identity.

🎧 Listen now: unsw.to/ETF-Equitable-healthcare

👏 Congratulations to Prof. Nicholas Ekins-Daukes on his appointment as the new Head of School for Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering.

He joined @unsw.edu.au in 2017 and leads a large R&D program to improve the efficiency of silicon solar cells.

Read more: www.unsw.edu.au/news/2025/09...

And that's a wrap on Open Day! 🙌

We had a blast welcoming students and their families to campus to explore what UNSW Engineering is all about.

And a huge thank you to our amazing staff and student ambassadors who made it all happen! 💛

Rachel Gray receiving her 3 Minute Thesis runner-up award

🥈 Well done to PhD candidate Rachel Gray who was runner up in @unsw.edu.au's 3 Minute Thesis finals earlier this week.

Rachel presented on smarter radar systems that cut through sea clutter to improve real-time target detection, with applications in maritime search and rescue.

📸: Isabella Moore

Dr Hasindu Gamaarachchi from UNSW Computer Science and Engineering sitting in front of a computer.

🏆 A big congratulations to Dr Hasindu Gamaarachchi who has won the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher.

Dr Gamaarachchi has developed scalable, efficient computing that makes genomic sequencing more accessible in fields such as agriculture, medicine and ecology.

Onwards and upwards as Sunswift finishes fifth in Bridgestone World Solar Challenge UNSW’s student solar racing team suffers technical problems during epic 3000km race across the Australian desert.

The Sunswift team have finished 5th in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge after suffering from technical problems early on in the race.

While it's not the result they hoped for, team principal Richard Hopkins says he's proud of the team's hard work in the gruelling race across the desert.

Hands-on engineering hits the road with UNSW Makerbus New mobile workshop filled with tools and equipment is designed to spark interest and curiosity in STEMM with young people.

We’re taking our Makerspaces off campus and into the community! 🚌🔧

Currently in the Northern Territory visiting rural schools and community centres, the UNSW Engineering Makerbus is filled with a range of tools and equipment designed to give young kids hands-on STEMM experiences.

🔋🌱 Solar & wind can power our homes in a Net Zero way, but what about aviation, shipping & heavy industry?
Enter green fuels.
On this ETF podcast, Dr Emma Lovell & Constantine Tsounis explain how these eco-friendly fuels cut emissions in hard-to-abate sectors.
🎧 www.unsw.edu.au/engineering/...

A nuclear future is here: UNSW hosts international experts in Australia-first strategic dialogue World-leading nuclear experts convened at UNSW Sydney in a first-of-its-kind discussion on the future of nuclear technologies in Australia and globally.

@unsw.edu.au brought together global experts, industry leaders and government to explore the future of #nuclear technology in Australia.

The event also launched Australia’s first undergraduate degree in Nuclear Engineering, preparing the next generation for roles in clean energy, AUKUS and beyond.

UNSW quantum computing spinout wins industry award Diraq, a startup founded by UNSW Sydney’s Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, has been recognised at the 2025 NSW iAwards.

UNSW spinout company Diraq has won the Technology Platform category at the prestigious NSW iAwards, hosted by the Australian Information Industry Association.

Founded by Prof. Andrew Dzurak, Diraq aims to redefine scalable #quantumcomputing and bring practical commercial applications to the world.

Predicting beach changes: models just as good as satellites A global benchmarking competition finds shoreline models are ready for real-world coastal planning.

📡 “Our results indicate that certain beaches can be modelled nearly as well as they can be remotely observed."

A global benchmarking study, led by Dr Yongjing Mao from @unsw.edu.au's Water Research Lab, has found that models are just as effective as satellite images at forecasting beach changes.

🙌 Congratulations to Xiaojing Hao, Hasindu Gamaarachchi, Yansong Shen and Ned Ekins-Daukes who have been named as finalists in the @eurekaprizes.bsky.social.

The award recognises academic excellence in research & innovation, leadership and science engagement.

🔗 www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/new...

‘Are you joking, mate?’ AI doesn’t get sarcasm in non-American varieties of English There is still a long way to go until the promised benefits of AI are enjoyed by all, no matter the type or variety of language they speak.

🤖💬 Can AI understand sarcasm? Not quite—especially if you're not American.

New research from @unsw.edu.au shows that large language models struggle to detect sarcasm in non-American varieties of English.

A patient with scoliosis is breathing much better thanks to a team of engineers from Tyree IHealthE who created an exact replica of his trachea.

The model was used to help clinicians determine the safest way to insert a breathing tube ahead of surgery.

Read more: news.unsw.edu.au/en/solving-c...