Monash Science

Last week, Kim Aitken, Jacinta Stocks and I had a great time at the final event of the year, Change Day, with our fantastic Monash Science student ambassadors. Alannah Hunt, Ashlee Collett, Ayla Edwards, Arvin H., Cindy Mao and Abeer Sherife thank you for all of your hard work and enthusiasm this year, you have all been amazing.

Celebrating Excellence in Synchrotron Science 🌟 Congratulations to Dr Mark Edmonds, recipient of the 2024 Australian Synchrotron Early-Mid Career Researcher Award! 🎉 Dr Edmonds is internationally recognised for his pioneering research into topological materials, which have the potential to revolutionise next-generation electronic components with high performance and low energy consumption. His achievements include an ARC DECRA and Future Fellowship, as well as over 40 high-impact publications that leverage advanced synchrotron facilities. Dr Edmonds has been instrumental in developing angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, leading a major upgrade of the Toroidal instrument through an ARC infrastructure grant, and supervising collaborative research projects. 🙌 #SynchrotronScience #AustralianSynchrotron #ResearchExcellence https://lnkd.in/g22MiMWZ

Season's greetings to our entire community - students, staff, alumni, and collaborators. Thank you for being part of our journey this year! ✨ Our Faculty offices will be closed from 21 December 2024 to 2 January 2025, but we'll return energised and ready to tackle 2025's grand challenges. #MonashScience #MonashUni #MonashBiol #MonashChemistry #MonashEAE #MonashMaths #MonashPhysicsAstronomy

Australia’s recent extreme heatwave showcased just how far weather forecasting has advanced. From early warnings to accurate predictions, meteorologists nailed the timing, intensity, and duration of this heat event. Associate Professor Ailie Gallant and Dr Michael Barnes from Monash University's ARC Centre of Excellence for Weather of the 21st Century explain how this precision reflects decades of research and technology improvements. These forecasts aren’t just about science—they save lives and help communities prepare. 🌡️ #ClimateScience #WeatherForecasting #ExtremeHeat #MonashUniversity

The death toll from Vanuatu’s earthquake disaster continues to rise, with international search and rescue operations underway to help people hit by the initial quake and its aftershocks. In this The Conversation Australia + NZ piece, earthquake scientist and School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment affiliate, Dr Dee Ninis, explores what we might see next. #Earthquake #MonashEAE https://lnkd.in/gixz7NBH

Congratulations to our team members attending the Hypertension Australia ASM who were named finalists or won awards 🤩 Dr Joanne O'Donnell - winner of the Judith Withworth Award for highest ranked abstract by a female first author (3rd time we win this award 🤩) Evany Dinakis - winner of the Student Oral Award (project funded by Heart Foundation) Chaoran Yang - finalist for the Student Poster Award (presenting work accepted this week for publication in Gut Microbes) Also fantastic invited talk by Dr O’Donnell and excellent talks selected from abstract from Dr Rikeish R Muralitharan and Dr Dr Matthew Snelson, AdvAPD, PhD Congrats team, I’m really proud of all of you Monash University Monash Science Mike Ryan Monash Victorian Heart Institute

Almost a week ago I had the joy of graduating from my PhD after 4 dedicated years within the School of Chemistry at Monash University! This day has felt like a long time in the making and something I will take with me is the spirit and importance of scientific collaboration. So many people across different departments and institutions generously helped in providing resources, in the design and running of experiments and shared their expertise and mentorship through the highs and lows of the research projects that formed by final thesis making new contributions in the field of polymer nanodiscs. Thank you, I will try to pay this forward.  

Is the climate changing faster than expected? In a new briefing note, Professor Andrew Pitman, AO, FAA, Professor Nerilie Abram, Professor Julie Arblaster, Professor Jason Evans, Professor Neil Holbrook, Dr Martin Jucker, Dr Andrew King, Professor Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, Professor Steven Sherwood, and Dr Anna Ukkola explore whether global temperatures are rising beyond expectations and discuss potential explanations for these increases. While limiting warming to 1.5°C is no longer realistically achievable – the remaining carbon budget for this target will be exhausted within just a few years – stabilising the climate at well below 2°C of global warming remains possible. Achieving this will require significant, sustained year-on-year cuts in emissions, culminating in net zero emissions within the constraints of an increasingly limited carbon budget. Despite the challenges, there is both hope and an urgent need for action. Global carbon dioxide emissions remain high, with 2023 likely seeing another increase from fossil fuel sources. However, the world may be approaching peak emissions, and there is optimism that they could soon begin to decline. How we act on this knowledge now will shape our future. Key takeaways include: ⏺️  Global surface temperatures are close to longstanding predictions despite the unusually high global temperatures of 2023/2024. ⏺️ A more reliable indicator of lasting change is the rate at which energy accumulates in the global system, which has accelerated over the last two decades. ⏺️ There are aspects of the climate system where changes seem to be accelerating, including short-duration rainfall intensification, sea ice loss around Antarctica and increasing heatwaves on land and in our oceans. ⏺️ The impacts of global warming are increasing; to reduce them, we require a deep and rapid cut in greenhouse gas emissions. See the briefing note here: https://lnkd.in/gKR9G4mX Download the full PDF here: https://lnkd.in/gwYRNH_Q A big thank you to our Engagement and Impact team – Angela Kaplish, Alice Wilson, Georgina Harmer, and Victoria Tichá – for putting this together. The Centre's final briefing note is on its way – stay tuned!

Thrilled to share our new paper in Nature Magazine ! Congratulations to Saliha Saher who did most of the research here and to Douglas MacFarlane and Jenny Pringle for collaboration 🥳🥳🥳 Perfect Xmas Gift 😆 #ThermalEnergyStorage for #renewables Monash University Monash Science Monash Chemistry

Monash Chemistry researchers, led by Dr Karolina Matuszek, have made a breakthrough in energy storage technology that could significantly advance the global shift away from fossil fuels. The discovery, detailed in a study published today in Nature, involves a new thermal energy storage material that could help harness renewable energy more effectively and efficiently. “This material represents a major leap forward in thermal energy storage,” said Dr Matuszek. “By integrating three distinct forms of energy storage into one material, we’ve achieved a level of efficiency and performance that was previously unattainable,” she said. Nature Magazine #ThermalEnergyStorage Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/gtAck4Cj