STAFF PROFILE
Professor Sumeet Walia
Professor Sumeet Walia is an innovator, research leader and serial inventor passionate about using technology as a vehicle to make people's lives better.
Professor Sumeet Walia has built a strong capability in engineering new material systems and nanoelectronic/photonic devices for addressing critical technological bottlenecks particularly in healthcare, energy and manufacturing. This has enabled a wide range of partnerships with industry to translate cutting edge research into real world impact.
He has published over 125 peer-reviewed journal articles. His work appears in the highest quality outlets including Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, among many others. He is a named inventor on ten patents covering multi-sector technological innovations and products.
Professor Walia is an award-winning researcher who has served on multiple boards with extensive contributions towards Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access in the STEM sector. He has built strong national and international partnerships with stakeholders to drive common goals.
Research
Prof Walia's research is highly multidisciplinary underpinned by a strong focus on ultra-thin (only few atoms thick) materials that show quantum-confinement induced properties and device engineering. His research is focused on creation and development of new miniaturised technology through discoveries at the interfaces of materials science, nano/optoelectronics, device engineering, artificial intelligence and biology.
Examples include creating miniaturised technology that will help overcome Moore's Law in electronic transistors, high-speed imaging sensors embedded with artificial intelligence (neuromorphics) to mimic human vision, ultra-thin functional coatings for energy efficient windows, sensors (light, environment, chemical, bio) and new materials integrated into medical devices to tackle antimicrobial resistance. Prof Walia's research uses a combination of materials engineering, nanoelectronics and optics to create technology platforms with desired function.
- 2013: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD., Electronic Materials), RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
- 2009: Bachelor of Engineering (BEng., Electronics with 1st Class Honours), RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
Awards and scholarships
- 2023 India Australia Business & Community Alliance (Australia India Science, Research & Development Award) (Finalist)
- 2022 3M Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science
- 2021 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians Award in Science & Medicine category. ANU Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership, PwC, Johnson Partners and Asialink.
- 2020 Australian Academy of Science EMCR Fellowship
- 2018 Royal Society of Victoria Phillip Law Award for Physical Sciences
- 2018 Australia's Most Innovative Engineers 2018 by Engineers Australia
- 2018 Victoria Fellowship, Victorian Government
- 2017 MIT Technology Review Top 10 Technology Innovators under 35 in Asia Pacific
- 2017 Victorian Young Tall Poppy Award for Excellence in Science and Communication (Australian Institute of Policy and Science)
- 2017 Victorian Young Achiever of the Year for Research Impact – Victorian Government
Professional Activities and memberships
- Co-Chair, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Science and Technology Australia (2020 – Current)
- Advisory Board, Elevate Program, Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (2022 – Current)
- Project Governance Board of the Victorian Government International Education Recovery Plan (2021 – 2023)
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low Energy Electronics Technologies (2020 – Current)
- Founder and Chair, IEEE Nanotechnology Council's Victoria Chapter (2019)
- Executive Board member, Science and Technology Australia (2018-2020)
- Australian Academy of Science Early-mid Career Research forum
- Royal Society of Victoria (RSV)
- Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Society
- Australian Nanotechnology network (ANN)
Editorial roles
- Book Editor - CRC Press (1. ISBN 9781138587984, 2. ISBN 9781138710368)
- Guest Editor, Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology – Special Issue on 2D Materials
Assessor for grants and international peer-reviewed journals
- Australian Research Council – Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards, Discovery Projects, Linkage Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities Grants, Future and Laureate Fellowships
- Netherlands body of Scientific Research,
- German Research Foundation
- Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia
- Peer-reviewer for >30 international journals (Selected examples): Energy and Environmental Science, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, ACS Nano, Nanoscale).
- Vashishtha, P.,Dash, A.,Kumar, K.,Prajapat, P.,Kumar, M.,Walia, S.,Gupta, G. (2024). Self-powered, thermally stable Sb2Se3-based high-performance broadband photodetector In: Optics and Laser Technology, 169, 1 - 9
- Aggarwal, V.,Gautam, S.,Yadav, A.,Kumar, R.,Pradhan, B.,Yadav, B.,Gupta, G.,Muthusamy, S.,Walia, S.,Kushvaha, S. (2024). Enhanced photoresponsivity in Bi2Se3 decorated GaN nanowall network-based photodetectors In: Materials Research Bulletin, 171, 1 - 13
- Dakic, K.,Al Homssi, B.,Walia, S.,Hourani, A. (2024). Spiking Neural Networks for Detecting Satellite Internet-of-Things Signals In: IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 60, 1224 - 1238
- Vashishtha, P.,Prajapat, P.,Kumar, K.,Kumar, M.,Walia, S.,Gupta, G. (2023). Multiband spectral response inspired by ultra-high responsive thermally stable and self-powered Sb2Se3/GaN heterojunction based photodetector In: Surfaces and Interfaces, 42, 1 - 10
- Elango, P.,Dhanabalan, S.,Robel, M.,Elango, S.,Walia, S.,Sriram, S.,Bhaskaran, M. (2023). Dry electrode geometry optimization for wearable ECG devices In: Applied Physics Reviews, 10, 1 - 18
- Dong, D.,Dhanabalan, S.,Elango, P.,Yang, M.,Walia, S.,Sriram, S.,Bhaskaran, M. (2023). Emerging applications of metal-oxide thin films for flexible and stretchable electronic devices In: Applied Physics Reviews, 10, 1 - 35
- Farooq, S.,Krishnamurthi, V.,Walia, S.,Aygur, G.,Della Gaspera, E.,van Embden, J. (2023). Solvent Dopant-Regulated Grain Formation for Bismuth Iodide Thin-Film Photodetectors In: ACS Applied Nano Materials, 6, 19661 - 19670
- Guo, X.,Nguyen, C.,Syed, N.,Ravindran, A.,Cao, K.,Mazumder, A.,Xu, C.,Walia, S.,Scholten, S.,Robertson, I.,Healey, A.,Tetienne, J.,Elbourne, A.,Daeneke, T.,Holland, A.,Russo, S.,Li, Y.,Zavabeti, A., et al, . (2023). Multi-Functional Atomically Thin Oxides from Bismuth Liquid Metal In: Advanced Functional Materials, , 1 - 13
- Verma, A.,Jain, S.,Johari, K.,Candolfi, C.,Lenoir, B.,Walia, S.,Dhakate, S.,Gahtori, B. (2023). Approaching the minimum lattice thermal conductivity in TiCoSb half-Heusler alloys by intensified point-defect phonon scattering In: Materials Advances, 4, 6655 - 6664
- Alijani, H.,Reineck, P.,Komljenovic, R.,Russo, S.,Low, M.,Balendhran, S.,Crozier, K.,Walia, S.,Nash, G.,Yeo, L.,Rezk, A. (2023). The Acoustophotoelectric Effect: Efficient Phonon-Photon-Electron Coupling in Zero-Voltage-Biased 2D SnS2 for Broad-Band Photodetection In: ACS Nano, 17, 19254 - 19264
18 PhD Current Supervisions and 1 Masters by Research Current Supervisions19 PhD Completions and 1 Masters by Research Completions
- ARC Research Hub for Future Digital Manufacturing (externally administered by Swinburne University). Funded by: ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub via other University Grant 2019 onward from (2024 to 2029)
- Bioinspired photoreceptor and smart neural mimicking technologies. Funded by: ARC-Discovery Projects from (2024 to 2027)
- CSIRO Data61 Program Funding Agreement - Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Secure Signal Processing and Connectivity for Autonomous Sensors. Funded by: CSIRO - Next Generation Graduates Programs from (2024 to 2029)
- Neuromorphic vision sensor for real-time detection and tracking PhD Student: Daniel Jesus Correa (PhD top up). Funded by: Defence Science Institute Research Higher Degree Student Grant 2023 from (2024 to 2027)
- Spiking Neural Networks for Neuromorphic Tracking Sensors PhD Student: Damian Duric (PhD Top-up). Funded by: Defence Science Institute Research Higher Degree Student Grant 2023 from (2024 to 2028)