The University of Sydney’s Faculty of Engineering and
Information Technologies and Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Singapore College of Engineering have entered
into a faculty-to-faculty partnership to explore new research opportunities.
Engineers from the two institutions are collaborating on
research in diverse areas ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) and food
technology to clean energy and waste management.
A potential project for collaboration is the development of
an autonomous wall-climbing robot that is capable of welding large engineering
structures, and that can conduct inspections and clean the surfaces of large
engineering structures.
The University of Sydney and NTU also aim to build on their
existing research collaboration in food technologies, including fermentation
technology and intelligent packaging.
The partners also plan to explore collaboration
opportunities in the following areas:
- Chemical
engineering, with a focus on materials - Civil
engineering, with a focus on materials, concrete and steel - Cloud
computing, ‘Internet of Things’ and data science - Membrane
technology - Photonics
and telecommunications and networks - Transport engineering
- Space
engineering - Robotics
In the long term, the partners also plan to explore other
collaborative pursuits which may include inter-country visits, guest lectures
and workshops for students, and opportunities for PhD students from both
institutions to work on joint projects.
Faculty of Engineering and IT Interim Dean Professor Kim
Rasmussen and engineering researchers from Sydney visited NTU last week to
discuss collaborative research opportunities.
Professor Rasmussen said, “This is the Faculty of
Engineering and IT’s first strategic partnership with a Singaporean institution
and we are delighted to be joining forces with one of the world’s largest and best-known
engineering colleges.”
University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr
Michael Spence welcomed the new partnership, saying, “Higher education is
inherently global, and universities contribute through networks and
partnerships with collaborators and colleagues around the world. This new
partnership will help our engineering researchers make a difference, locally
and globally.”
The University of Sydney is ranked first in Australia for
mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering, according to the 2018
QS Subject Rankings.
NTU Singapore is well known for its strengths in
engineering, and was placed fifth in the world for engineering and technology in
the 2018 QS Subject Rankings. NTU is a top university for AI research in global
rankings compiled
jointly by Nikkei and Elsevier, based on measurement of research citations
between 2012 and 2016.
Cutting-edge technologies, which include AI-based solutions
jointly developed with top industry partners such as Singtel, Paypal, and
Chinese technology giant, Alibaba
Group, are being test-bedded in the NTU
Smart Campus.
Professor Louis Phee, Acting Dean, College of Engineering at
NTU Singapore, said, “With two-thirds of the world’s population expected to be
living in cities by 2045, this collaboration aims to develop sustainable
technologies that will shape smart cities of the future.”
“The University of Sydney is known for its research in areas
such as civil and structural engineering. Together with NTU, which is globally
recognised for its strengths in engineering and AI, this partnership will also
open new doors in translational research and set sail into new frontiers of
technological innovation. These and other cutting-edge technologies will be
developed on NTU’s lush 200-hectare Smart Campus, a hotbed for tech-enabled
solutions aimed at enriching and improving the way people live and work,” he
added.