Linkage grant success highlights focus on research with impact

Western Sydney University researchers will promote the future of Antarctica as a common territory and develop safer water networks after securing prestigious Australian Research Council Linkage Grants worth $1.1 million.
 
ARC Linkage Grants support collaboration with industry and community partners, with the successful projects highlighting Western Sydney University's focus on research that achieves impact.
 
Linkage Grant recipient, Associate Professor Juan Salazar, from the Institute for Culture and Society and the School of Humanities and Communication Arts, will lead a research team to investigate the future of Antarctica as a global commons, in association with partners in Tasmania, New Zealand and Chile.
 
The research project will investigate how five Antarctic 'gateway cities' interact with each other and the continent, and develop new tools to create a more robust Antarctic custodial network.
 
The other successful project will be led by Associate Professor Arumugam Sathasivan, from the Institute for Infrastructure Engineering, and the School of Computer, Engineering and Mathematics.
 
Associate Professor Sathasivan will collaborate with local and US-based researchers along with industry partners, including Sydney Water and four Queensland-based utilities, to develop cutting edge tools to better manage the water utility networks.
 
Not only will this new knowledge and control system improve the safety of drinking water, it will also be more cost efficient in the face of a warming climate and the increasing demand from a growing population.  
 
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Development) Professor Scott Holmes says the Linkage grants success is particularly pleasing, as they support collaborative projects with external partners.
 
"These successful projects showcase Western Sydney University's commitment to producing research with immediate and significant practical impact," he says.
 
"The fact they involve researchers from across the University's Institutes and Schools, highlights Western's Sydney University's capacity for multi-disciplinary engaged research.
 
"On behalf of the University, I congratulate our researchers on their success."

Ends

6 May 2016

Amanda Whibley - Manager, Media and Public Relations