DECRA fellowships awarded to UOW academics, including one on child development

Four academics from the University of Wollongong (UOW) have been awarded funding as part of the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) prestigious fellowship scheme. 

One of the projects funded is the work of early career researcher Dr Myrto Mavilidi, who will receive $487,974 for her research into the role of high-quality digital activity in supporting children’s learning and development. 

Her project will focus on the development of a robust screen time quality assessment tool for parents and educators, which will improve digital learning, self-control and physical skills of young children. Dr Mavilidi’s research will also guide the design of better technology for children. 

Other recipients of DECRA fellowships from UOW are Dr Lei Deng, Dr Xiaoning Li, and Dr Rupeng Yang, each of whom received close to $500,000 each for their respective fellowship projects, which will commence in 2025.

The dedicated funding provided to early career researchers under the DECRA scheme allows them the opportunity to focus on advancing their research and careers, benefitting from training in high-quality research environments and further developing their knowledge and research networks at UOW.

“Congratulations to the four outstanding researchers – Dr Deng, Dr Li, Dr Mavilidi, and Dr Yang – on winning a DECRA,” Professor David Currow, UOW Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research and Sustainable Futures) said.

“As anyone in the world of academia knows, these are highly competitive and coveted grants. This is a testament to the potential of your work.”

Dr Deng’s work aims to improve the working conditions and health of those who spend long periods of time in vehicles, including truck and heavy-duty vehicle drivers, by improving the comfort of vehicles through the development of a quasi-active seat suspension to reduce vehicle vibration and improve energy consumption, stability, and safety. 

Dr Li’s work is focused on improving how efficiently electrons move in certain chemical reactions by using magnetic techniques, with a view to producing green hydrogen and improving metal-air batteries, which are crucial for clean energy.

Finally, Dr Yang will be using his funding to boost research into expanding the security of watermarking, with a view to narrowing the gap between theory and practice in the field, reducing AI-assisted cyberattacks, and helping to safeguard cybersecurity for all Australians.