Connal participates in Australia-China Young Researchers Exchange Program

Dr Luke Connal (centre) with veski family members Drs Matt Call and Melissa Call at 2014 veski symposium

veski innovation fellow Dr Luke Connal, a Senior Lecturer at the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Melbourne, was invited to participate in an exchange scheme for young to mid-career Australian and Chinese researchers. 

In 2013 the program supported the exchange between the two countries of 16 Chinese participants and 16 Australian participants including Dr Connal. Luke was on exchange at the time of his official announcement as a veski innovation fellow.

The Young Researchers Exchange Program (YREP) is a joint initiative funded by the former Australian Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE) and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). It is supported by the Australia-China Science and Research Fund. In Australia the program is managed by the Group of Eight (Go8) office. 

Dr Connal had intensive discussions at Peking University and offered to analyse materials to perform some super-high resolution microscopy. This will be done at the University of Melbourne because the needed specialised equipment is not available in Beijing. Results could provide Dr Connal’s counterparts new insights into their materials. This will certainly open up a door for another fruitful collaboration.

According to Dr Connal, “In 2014 Melbourne University will host, subject to funding, the second China-Australia polymer conference, with myself and Prof Greg Qiao (Melbourne University) to host a number of guests.”