UNSW co-leading global defence research projects

Security & Defence PLuS has announced the recipients of its 2025 Seed Grant Scheme.

The flagship program of the PLuS Alliance between UNSW Sydney, King’s College London and Arizona State University (ASU), Security & Defence PLuS, is funding eight innovative research collaborations aimed at addressing urgent global security and defence challenges.

The projects span strategic areas including space, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and public opinions on nuclear policy. The collaborative research aims to produce practical, policy-relevant solutions aligned with contemporary defence priorities, including those outlined under the AUKUS partnership.

Academics from across UNSW Sydney and UNSW Canberra will co-lead the initiatives, drawing expertise from a range of disciplines including Law & Justice, Engineering and Social Sciences. 

Grant recipients will receive up to US$15,000 for trilateral projects or up to US$10,000 for bilateral projects, funded over a six month-period in the second half of 2025.

Teams will meet in person to progress their research, co-develop a white paper for submission to government and defence stakeholders, and generate broader impact through public engagement, with the potential to work towards securing external research funding in future. 

Trilateral Projects (ASU, King’s and UNSW)

UNSW researchers include: 

• Establishing Guidelines for Successful Collaboration Between the Space Industry and Indigenous Communities (Dr Adam Fish, School of Arts and Media, Arts, Design & Architecture, UNSW; Dr Amos Taylor, Law & Justice, UNSW)
• Strength and Energy Storage: Integrating Mechanical Defence Requirements into Next Generation Solid State Batteries (Professor Neeraj Sharma, School of Chemistry, Science, UNSW)
• Fortifying Defence: A Strategic Blueprint for Trusted Semiconductor Supply Chains in AUKUS (Dr Ripon Chakrabortty, School of Systems & Computing, UNSW Canberra)
• Navigating Great Power Rivalry Under the Conditions of Global Uncertainty (Dr Alexander Korolev, Arts Design & Architecture, School of Social Sciences, UNSW).

Bilateral Projects (ASU and UNSW)

• Intelligent Additive Manufacturing of Refractory Alloys via Reinforcement Learning (Dr Vitor Vieira Rielli, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Science, UNSW)
• The Evolution and Impact of Public Opinion on Nuclear Policy in the Indo-Pacific: Evidence from Australia, Indonesia, Japan and the US (Associate Professor Minako Sakai, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, UNSW Canberra)
• Promoting Election Security: Prospects for Regulating Foreign Electoral Interference in the US and Australia (Scientia Professor Rosalind Dixon, Law & Justice, UNSW)
• Enhancing AUKUS Cognitive Security in the Indo-Pacific: An AI-Powered Narrative Defence Approach (Dr Jiaojiao Jiang, School of Computer Science & Engineering, Engineering, UNSW).

Stage II Trilateral Projects (ASU, King’s and UNSW)

In recognition of strong early progress, three projects from the 2024 seed grant scheme, co-led by UNSW academics, have also received continued funding into 2025 to deepen and expand their collaborative work:

• Emerging Norms in the Space Domain – Online Database (Mr Duncan Blake, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, UNSW Canberra)
• Hacking Defence Training Simulation Architecture for Military Ethics Learning (Professor Peter-Deane Baker, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, UNSW Canberra)
• Understanding Integrated Deterrence: A Framework for the AUKUS Context (Dr Sally Burt, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, UNSW Canberra).

These grants underscore the PLuS Alliance’s ongoing commitment to fostering international academic partnerships that deliver real-world impact in defence and national security.