SolarAndNanotechnologyResearch Group
at The University of New South Wales

Solar And Nanotechnology @ UNSW Home

You've found Dr. Robert Taylor's group website. Here you can read about all the exciting work that is going on with us at UNSW and with our collaborators. In addition, it should be noted that this is the world's best, most official, and certainly most colorful site dedicated to this topic. Of course the number of competive websites are not as large as they could be...i.e. they can be counted on one finger. Let's not split hairs, though, a #1 website is a #1 website, so please read on...

Who We Are...

Dr.Taylor joined Australia's University of New South Wales in 2011 and has been working since then to build an expert team of dedicated students and collaborators. The group's work centers around the idea of bringing new materials to solar systems - particularly solar thermal systems. Several innovative, multidiciplinary ideas are being developed through this group - only some of which are showcased on this site. If you are interested in any particular aspect of this work and/or want to get involved, please contact Dr. Taylor.

News

Several new and exciting research papers were recently published this year! Congrats to the students and collaborators who made this possible! Please use the following link to see our publication activity:

UNSW Research Gateway

In April, 2012, we held a highly successful International Collaborative Sustainable Energy Workshop at UNSW. This short-course workshop provided an immersive, active-learning environment where the engineering aspects of renewable and sustainable energy concepts (with a focus on solar energy) were studied. The workshop included expert guest speakers, hands-on interaction with equipment, and field trips to renewable energy sites around Sydney. During the workshop, Indian Institute of Technology (Ropar) fellows teamed up with peers from UNSW. These students will now continue working collaboratively on these projects for the remainder of the year (via teleconferencing and email). This has proven to be a very exciting way of bringing students with diverse backgrounds and skills together around 'hot' solar energy projects!

 

Micro Urban Solar Integrated Concentrators (MUSIC): Our team, funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, is seeking postdoctoral and postgraduate researchers at RMIT, ANU, and UNSW, some of Australia's best universities, to help develop 'next generation' solar thermal collectors. Successful candidates will work in an internationally collaborative, multi-University, multi-disciplinary team to develop solar concentrators, control mechanisms and storage systems which that can be easily integrated on urban rooftops. Competitive applicants for the available positions must have engineering or physics degree(s) and considerable experience in one or more of the following research areas: optics, solar technology, nanotechnology (preferably nanofluids and/or nanostructured surface fabrication), CFD, heat transfer. Preference will be given to postdoctoral applicants who can demonstrate a strong track record of academic publication. Successful postgraduate applicants should have an average mark of > 85/100 on their undergraduate degree to be eligible for a scholarship.

- Professor Gary Rosengaten at RMIT University

- Professor Andrew Blakers at ANU

- Dr Robert A. Taylor at UNSW

- For RMIT and general applications/inquiries, please email: Matthew.Bryson@RMIT.edu.au

- For applicants interested specifically in ANU or UNSW, please email: Andrew.Blakers[at]ANU.edu.au or Robert.Taylor[at]UNSW.edu.au

A 2012 ECR grant proposal entitled, 'Volumetrically Absorbing Nanofluids for High Temperature Solar Thermal Harvesting' was Awarded. The general concept behind this idea is shown below

Nanofluids Boiling projects continue into 2012 in collaboration with Arizona State University - contact Taylor

Upcoming Projects...

Several further funding proposals are currently under preparation or review. More updates will be made if/when funding for these topics is awarded.

Excellent people enable excellent research. Thus, Dr. Taylor would like to gratefully acknowlege the help of each and every collaborating researcher!   

Updated by Taylor  • March 2013