University of Melbourne researchers awarded more than $11.5m in Future Fellowships scheme
Ten projects from the University of Melbourne have been awarded more than $11.5 million through the Australian Research Council’s 2025 Future Fellowships scheme.
The Future Fellowships program supports outstanding mid-career researchers to progress quality research in areas of national and international benefit.
The projects span a wide range of disciplines and address pressing global challenges, from strengthening national resilience, to shaping a net zero future, to advancing health, technology and society.
The successful projects were:
Enabling thin air fuels
Associate Professor Gang Li, Department of Chemical Engineering
This project aims to deliver a technology to produce carbon neutral fuels from thin air by extracting CO2 and H2O directly from the atmosphere and converting them into fuels using renewable energy.
Informational foundations of monopoly power in the digital age
Professor David Byrne, Department of Economics
This project aims to understand how digital information sharing affects demand, pricing and competition, using the retail fuel industry as a real-world laboratory.
New causal foundations for space and time
Associate Professor Samuel Baron, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies
This project aims to address a philosophical challenge arising from physics: how to conceptualise scientific experimentation when space and time may not exist at fundamental scales. It hopes to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration between philosophy and science.
Purpose beyond profit: modernising corporations law
Professor Rosemary Langford, Melbourne Law School
This project aims to clarify the scope of directors’ duties in addressing social, environmental and cultural concerns, enabling corporations to pursue purposes beyond profit
Unlocking hydrogen storage potential in australian depleted gas reservoirs
Dr Samintha Perera, Department of Infrastructure Engineering
This project aims to advance underground hydrogen storage by generating new knowledge on the mechanical stability of depleted gas reservoirs and their caprock.
Anticipating impacts and improving response to HPAI in australia
Dr Michelle Wille, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
This project aims to shift Australia’s avian influenza preparedness from reactive to proactive by using advanced environmental surveillance to identify at-risk wild bird species and high-risk periods for outbreaks.
Enhancing ethical design and use of data in child tracking apps
Associate Professor Bjørn Nansen, School of Computing and Information Systems
This project aims to improve the ethical design and use of child tracking apps through co-design with children and analysis of digital, social and regulatory contexts.
Understanding the role of microscale fluid dynamics in biology
Dr Douglas Brumley, School of Mathematics and Statistics
This project aims to develop mathematical models and experimental tools to visualise and predict microscopic fluid flows in biological systems. It aims to support new strategies in coral reef conservation, agriculture, healthcare and biotechnology.
Balancing autonomy and control in interactive social agent design
Associate Professor Wafa Johal, School of Computing and Information Systems
This project aims to develop a framework for designing AI-driven social agents that align with human values and roles.
Understanding the cell and molecular processes directing memory T cell fate
Dr Pirooz Zareie, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
This project aims to define the key cellular processes driving effective T cell-mediated immunity by dissecting how memory T cell subsets form and function. It hopes to accelerate discovery in T cell biology, with broad implications for life sciences, conservation, biosecurity and agriculture.
Learn more about Future Fellowship recipients here.