Curtin researchers have secured more than $4.6 million in funding through the latest Australian Research Council (ARC) Mid-Career, Early Career, Future Fellowship and Linkage Project rounds. The grants will support a diverse range of research tackling structural, environmental, and scientific challenges with real-world impact.

• Professor Jun Li (Centre for Infrastructural Monitoring and Protection-CIMP, School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering) was awarded $1,160,200 through the ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowships 2025 round 1 to advance digital twin models and computer vision techniques for monitoring the health of ageing bridges, improving safety and preventing catastrophic failures.
• Professor Morten Allentoft (School of Molecular and Life Sciences) received $1,284,184 through the ARC Future Fellowships 2025 round 1 for the SCALES of Evolution project. The research will use environmental and ancient DNA and genomics to investigate the formation, distribution and resilience of Australian reptile diversity, generating new knowledge and evolutionary insights to support species conservation.
• Dr Peter Spackman (School of Molecular and Life Sciences) was awarded $792,390 through the ARC Future Fellowships 2025 round 1 to develop new computational methods for predicting crystal structures and properties. This work will also support cross-disciplinary research into prebiotic chemistry on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.
• Dr Holly Bradley (School of Molecular and Life Sciences) secured $511,467 through the ARC Early Career Industry Fellowships 2025 round 1 for research focused on transforming more than 80,000 abandoned Australian mines into functional ecosystems. The project will help establish best-practice standards for mine site rehabilitation that supports native animal populations.
• Dr Andrew Lacey (Centre for Infrastructural Monitoring and Protection-CIMP, School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering) received $500,109 through the ARC Early Career Industry Fellowships 2025 round 1 to design a modular construction system featuring advanced composite panel technologies with multi-hazard resistance. The system aims to improve safety, resilience and environmental performance in buildings across sectors such as disaster relief, defence and mining.
• Dr Danqi Li (WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering), Professor Wensu Chen (Director of Centre for Infrastructural Monitoring and Protection, School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering), John Curtin Distinguished Professor Hong Hao (Centre for Infrastructural Monitoring and Protection, School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering), and alumnus Mr Wei Lin (Norton Gold Fields) were awarded $359,160 through the ARC Linkage Projects 2024 round 2 for a study into Basalt Fibre Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) rockbolts. The project will examine their effectiveness in reinforcing underground rock masses and improving infrastructure safety and cost-efficiency.

Well done to all involved on this outstanding recognition of Curtin research excellence.