Yifan Wang has achieved a national milestone, becoming the first National Industry PhD Program candidate in Australia to submit his PhD thesis.
Yifan submitted his thesis in May 2026, marking an important milestone for the Federal Government’s National Industry PhD Program and demonstrating the impact of industry-engaged research partnerships that connect UNSW researchers with innovative Australian companies.
His thesis, TeraStream: Analysing Network Traffic at Terabit Speed using Artificial Intelligence, was completed through UNSW Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications under the supervision of Professor Vijay Sivaraman.
Yifan was part of the first cohort of National Industry PhD candidates awarded in 2023 and the first candidate from UNSW Engineering to receive an Industry Linked award through the program.
“The National Industry PhD Program gave me the opportunity to align my research with genuine industry needs,” Yifan said. “It has been highly rewarding to see my research outcomes deployed in production networks and to gain experience translating research into commercial products while working closely with the team at Canopus Networks.”
His industry partner, Canopus Networks, is a UNSW spinout founded on research led by Professor Vijay Sivaraman. The company applies artificial intelligence to network traffic analysis, helping organisations improve the performance, security and efficiency of digital networks. The partnership demonstrates how industry-engaged PhD research can contribute simultaneously to academic knowledge, commercial innovation and economic impact.
UNSW has performed strongly across the program, with 29 projects awarded across seven rounds since the program launched in 2023. Alongside Canopus Networks, industry partners have included Boeing Australia, Nutromics, the Sydney Swans, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Sanitarium, Zurich Cover-More and the Australian Council for Educational Research, among others. These collaborations demonstrate the breadth of industry-engaged research taking place across the University and the growing role of industry partnerships in translating research into real-world outcomes.
Expressions of interest open now
With Round 8 approaching, UNSW researchers and industry partners are encouraged to start developing applications now. Expressions of Interest are due by 10 July, ahead of the Round 8 application period from 13 July to 21 August 2026.
Anyone interested in applying or exploring an industry-engaged HDR opportunity should contact the Graduate Research School Industry HDR team at industryHDR@unsw.edu.au.
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