Funding boost for groundbreaking research

PhD student Nathan Manthey

When USQ PhD student Nathan Manthey first applied for a Smart Futures PhD Scholarship last year he did so with little hope that he would actually receive one of the highly sought after awards.

'I wasn’t confident going in to the application process,' he said.

'Initially I didn’t think I had won an award because I thought I was going to be told by December, which I hadn’t.'

Nathan was eventually notified however earlier this year and when he was announced as one of only 18 winner’s state wide he could hardly believe it.

'I was ecstatic to be honest.

'This scholarship means that I will be able to complete my PhD at USQ and without it there was no way I would be able to undertake my research.'

Providing funding for outstanding approved PhD research, the Queensland Government Smart Futures PhD Scholarships award winning students grants of $8,000 per year for three years and will allow Nathan to undertake a groundbreaking study which could have widespread ramifications across industry.

'Last year I was doing some work at the Centre of Excellence in Engineered Fibre Composites (CEEFC) with hemp oil and combining it with natural fibres to create bio-composites.

'At present petroleum based resin is used, which isn’t sustainable.

'Through this PhD scholarship I want to continue this work and aim to replace the petroleum based resin in these products with plant-oil based resins, which would be a much more sustainable option.'

Although Nathan’s only received the scholarship in January his research is already well underway.

'I am developing bio resins at the moment under the guidance of Dr Francisco Cardona (CEEFC) in the hope that I can create a more sustainable material for use in structural components such as construction beams.

'It is only initial testing at the moment but it is looking really positive.'

Contact Details:
Josh Ada, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2559 or 0400 025 429