MATERIALS AUSTRALIA
Profile: Tzu-Ying (Sandy) Liao
PhD candidate, Swinburne University of Technology, SEAM Her work has been trialled on the Plasma Giken PCS 1000 fullscale industrial cold spray system (at CSIRO Lab 22) to great success. The outcomes of Tzu-Ying's research have shown effective control over biointerfacial interactions, showcasing the potential for improved biomedical devices for in vitro and in vivo applications. Tzu-Ying has published seven research papers in prestigious journals and has presented her work at the renowned international conferences of 64th TwIChE Annual Meeting (Taiwan in 2017), MISE (Melbourne in 2020), ACSSSC (Adelaide in 2022), ASBTE (Melbourne in 2022), and Steven’s conference (USA in 2023).
(L to R): Dr Helmut Thissen (Team Leader for Biomaterial Surfaces and Devices, Director of Biomedical Materials Translational Facility, CSIRO); Tzu-Ying Liao (PhD student, SEAM, Swinburne University of Technology); Dr Peter King (Team Leader for Deposition and Additive Structures, CSIRO); and Professor Peter Kingshott (Deputy Director of SEAM, Swinburne University of Technology).
Tzu-Ying is a PhD candidate with the Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM) Australian Research Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation Training Centre at Swinburne University of Technology. Tzu-Ying completed her Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (2016) and Master of Chemical Engineering (2019) at National Taiwan University. Throughout the course of her career, Tzu-Ying has gained skills in coating manufacture, polymer synthesis, and chemical and mechanical characterisation methods. She has specialised in combining these skills with biological research and development, using eukaryotic cells, bacterial cultures, and animal studies. Tzu-Ying commenced her career as an interns at the Chinese Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Training Centre in Taiwan where she first experienced industrial-scale science. This internship sparked her interest in industrial-scale problem solving and inspired Tzu-Ying to move to Melbourne for a six month internship with CSIRO for the final year of her Masters to work on coatings for biosensors. Combining functional engineering with biological science for a real-world application was a game-changer. Tzu-Ying wanted to peruse this type of R&D and so began her PhD journey at Swinburne University and SEAM in November 2019. Tzu-Ying’s current PhD research is in collaboration with CSIRO (Lab 22)—renowned as Australia's leading centre for innovation in metallic additive manufacturing. Her PhD is focused on the development of antimicrobial thin films using cold spray to control infections in polymer-based biomaterials. Cold spray is a solid-state coating process that deposits particles onto a substrate at supersonic speeds to achieve surface functionalization.
24 | JUNE 2023
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At CSIRO, she has been involved in several commercial projects and collaborated with team leaders, senior research scientists, and postdoctoral researchers. The real-world problems Tzu-Ying works on at CSIRO aren’t confined to a single discipline. As such, Tzu-Ying uses her strong technical expertise in biology, engineering, chemistry and manufacturing to work within multi-disciplinary teams on these multi-discipline problems. To build on her technical expertise, Tzu-Ying has learned to coordinate multiple projects, engage in strategic planning and adhere to strict timelines to ensure the timely delivery of highquality outcomes, particularly during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tzu-Ying's academic journey and experiences reflect her passion for advancing the field of materials science, specifically in the development of functional coatings for antimicrobial applications. As a female scientist and engineer, Tzu-Ying is paving the way for greater diversity and encouraging future generations of women to pursue a successful career in STEM. Tzu-Ying's involvement in International Women's Day reflects her commitment to creating a more diverse scientific community. With her expertise and ongoing research efforts, she is ready to make significant contributions to the field by addressing critical issues in the biomedical sector and furthering our understanding of surface engineering with the use of advanced materials. Acknowledgement: This work has been supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC). The ARC Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials, SEAM, has been funded under Award IC180100005. The additional support from industrial, university and other partners is critical for our success.
For more information about SEAM, please visit www.arcseam.com.au/ or email seam@swinburne.edu.au
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