Ivan Cole

Professor Ivan Cole

Professor of Engineering

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Profile photo of Ivan Cole smiling towards the camera against an out of focus background of a stone wall with large green foliage on one side.

Contact details

Programs

More information

Profile photo of Ivan Cole smiling towards the camera against an out of focus background of a stone wall with large green foliage on one side.

Contact details

Programs

More information

A leader in rapid discovery of materials applied to corrosion protection, nanostructures, and additive manufacturing, and combining computational materials discovery & analysis with high-throughput experimentation

Overview

Professor Cole's focus is on the discovery of new materials & processes using rapid & innovative methods. These methods combine computational materials modelling & high-throughput experimental research. The foci are on corrosion protection systems, biocompatible surfaces, nanostructures for sensing and catalytic activity, and both the refinement of metal additive manufacturing processes and the surface & surface functionalities of additive components. Professor Cole has over 30 years’ experience in research in Academia, Industry, and CSIRO, and is a recognised world leader in corrosion science & multiscale modelling of corrosion & inhibition. Prof. Cole formed & grew the Rapid Discovery & Fabrication Team (RDF) to provide the critical mass to drive this research agenda. As such, Prof. Cole is extremely active in higher degree supervision and in the development of research projects & programmes.

Professor Cole’s current work on corrosion focuses on the discovery of new inhibitors & microbially induced corrosion (MIC). The inhibitor work combines computational modelling with rapid experimentation, via robotic electrochemistry, to define the molecular features that promote effect inhibition and then to use these features to scan databases for new potential inhibitors. The MIC research is focused on new laboratory methods to replicate accurately the conditions that occur in service (currently for components embedded in soil), and on innovative methods such as Quorum Sensing Inhibitors to restrict biofilm growth. Parallel to this work, the RDF Team has a strong focus on the biocompatibility & degradation of human implants.

His work on additive manufacturing has two components. The first aims to integrate in-situ sensing & modelling of metal additive manufacturing to built virtual replicas of the same process that guide process settings & process feedback to maximize the quality of builds. The second studies the quality & biocompatibility of additive surfaces in order to estimate & improve the component functionality in service. The nanostructure work is focused on the design & fabrication of nano-dots whose surface properties are optimized for fluorescence-based sensing and catalytic reactions. The application of the nanostructure work is in both the environmental & biomedical domain.

As indicated above, all Prof. Cole’s work integrates computational modelling with experimentation. The modelling work focuses on multiscale modelling to integrate molecular features & structures with properties such as electrochemical activity that manifest themselves at larger-scale domains conventionally modelled using continuum viewpoints & analysis methods. A particular focus is how to bridge this nano-gap between molecular & continuum process with an emphasis on developing computational tools that fill this space and in developing machine learning or quantitative structure-activity relationships to cross the length scale gap. A second focus of the modelling work is the integration & synthesis of data-driven process models & physics-based process models.

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Industry experience

  • 1991 - 2016 - Various Positions within CSIRO, including Chief Research Scientist, Deputy Chief, and Acting Chief, during which Ivan worked with >50 local & international companies with a net external income of over $20,000,000.
  • 1988-1991 - Team Leader with Centro-Svilluppo Materiali (Centre for Materials Development). A part of ILVA, the Italian State-Owned Steel Company.
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Research

Over thirty years' experience and an internationally recognized leader in the field of life prediction, prognostics, and design of engineered structures, specializing in Computational Materials Modeling (incl. geographical information systems - GIS), impact of & adaptation to climate change, sensor systems, and corrosion science & protective coatings. His work has included the development of IT systems for damage prognostics, IT systems to predict flood damage alongside design guides to minimize such damage, the development of protective coatings for metals and the development of green alternative materials, and micro- and nano-sensing. They have led major projects in intelligent vehicle heath monitoring (IVHM) for aerospace applications, nano-sensing for water quality, development of new coatings for galvanized steel and aluminum and the consequential relationship between building design/climate and component life, and the development of performance-based guidance standards and codes for durable buildings. They have made a significant contribution to the application of building science & material science to the conservation of cultural artefacts.

Research keywords

Computational Materials, Life Prediction, Corrosion, Inhibitors, Nanostructures, Sensing, Surfaces, Coatings, Additive Manufacturing, Biocompatibility

Research output summary

432

Publications

~23,000,000

Grant Income

14

Awards

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Supervisor interest areas

  • Corrosion & Corrosion Protection including Corrosion Modelling, Oxide Formation and Passivation, Inhibitor Discovery and Mechanism, and Microbially Induced Corrosion
  • Nano-Structures including Nano-dots as sensors and catalysts
  • Additive Manufacturing including an emphasis on the use of sensing to refine the additive process, surface properties, and biocompatibility
  • Modelling with a focus on multiscale modelling for rapid discovery and life prediction

Supervisor projects

Corrosion & Corrosion Prediction

As Principal Supervisor

  • Discovery of New Corrosion Inhibitors - Effect of Droplets - Chathumini Samarawickrama
  • Fast discovery of green inhibitors for Zinc - Qiushi Deng
  • Corrosion Inhibition Studies of 6xxx Aluminium Alloys & Mechanisms of Film Formation - Jakeria Mohd. Rafiuddin
  • Rapid evaluation assessment of corrosion inhibitors - Karim Gamaleldin

As Associate

  • A Semi-Solid Agar Based Test System Mimicking Soil Environment for Studies of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) of Pipeline Steel - Kai Rui Wang
  • Design & Development of Corrosion-Resistant & Antibacterial Coatings upon Mg alloys for Orthopaedic Applications - Ming-Shi Song
  • Stress Corrosion Cracking of Additively Manufactured Passive Metals for Biomedical Applications - Shrinivas Kulkarni
  • Development of Antibacterial Coatings with Ingredients from Herb Pharmacy - Vijay Sisarwal
  • MIC in soil using agar system - Asma Lamin

Additive Manufacturing

As Principal Supervisor

  • Cutting Tool Development Using a Novel Non-traditional Manufacturing Process - Aaqil Sameem
  • Additively Manufactured Titanium Complex Structures - Magdi Morks
  • In-situ Monitoring of Laser Metal Deposition for Additive Manufacturing - Jiayu Ye

As Co-Supervisor

  • Towards the Fabrication of Aerospace Components using Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing - Felix Lomo
  • Defects in Additive Manufacturing - Sana Awan
  • Measurement of Powder Spreadability in Electron Beam Melting (EBM) Powder Bed Fusion(PBF) Systems - Tanushi De Silva
  • Vision-Based Process Control in Robotic Metal Additive Manufacturing - Subash Gautam
  • 3D Transient Thermal Finite Element Modelling of AlSi10Mg Alloy to Develop Correlations Between Process Parameters & Microstructural Evolution - Muhammad Azhar Shahzad
  • Exploratory Analysis of the Use of Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) during Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing - Sun Yeang Chew

Nanostructures

As Principal Supervisor

  • Synthesis of dots from biowaste for nanobioremediation - Sabrina Beker
  • Nanostructures for enhancing photocatalytic activity - Jiajia Zhao

As Associate Supervisor

  • Fabrication of Multifunctional Fluorescent Quantum Dots of Silicon Carbide for Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Biological Samples - Ahmed Fahad M Almutairi

Modelling

As Principal Supervisor

  • Prediction of Electrochemical Processes at Aqueous-Metal Interfaces from a Molecular Viewpoint - José María Castillo Robles
  • Conformal Tooling via Additive Manufacture - Neil Wilson

As Associate

  • System Integration to Ensure Workplaces Safe from Airborne Pathogens - Ayush Ranjan

Feature publications

Tunable Photoluminescence Across the Entire Visible Spectrum from Carbon Dots Excited by White Light

Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 54(10), 2970-2974, 2015

Prof. Shengliang Hu,Dr. Adrian Trinchi,Paul Atkin, Prof. Ivan Cole. (2015).

The science of pipe corrosion: A review of the literature on the corrosion of ferrous metals in soils

Corrosion Science, 56, 5-16 , 2012

Cole, I.S. and Marney D. (2012).

Multiscale modelling of the corrosion of metals under atmospheric corrosion

Electrochimica Acta 56(4), 1856-1865

Ivan S Cole, TH Muster, NS Azmat, MS Venkatraman, Anthony Cook. (2011).

Key publications by year

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Feature projects

Next-Generation Inhibitors for Protection of Galvanised Steel and Cold-Rolled steel

Funding - BASF/RMIT Collaborative Project, $753,000

3.5 years

Digitization for Safe Workplaces

Funding - Victorian Government, $1,495,300 

1 year

Additive Subtractive Manufacturing for Surface Control

Funding - ARC Training Centre - 'SEAM', Project 6, $665,405

5 years

Key projects by year

  • Digitization for a Safe workplace
    Funding - Victorian Government, Budget $1,495,300
    Lead Chief Investigator
    2021-2022

  • Development of ZN ion absorption materials for monitoring total heavy metal ions in water resources
    E-Micromaterial Technology Pty Ltd, Budget $420,000
    Chief Investigator
    2019-2021

  • Additive Subtractive Manufacturing for Surface Control
    Funding – ARC Training Centre - 'SEAM', Project 6, Budget $665,405
    Chief Investigator
    2018-2023

  • Prediction of Microclimate in Unsensed Spaces in Aircraft 
    Funding - BAE Systems collaborative project, Budget $140,000
    Chief Investigator
    2017-2019

  • Development of FASTER - Robot for High Throughput Electrochemistry
    BOEING Collaboration, Budget $200K
    Chief Investigator
    2013-2016

  • Computational Design of Inhibited Paint Films
    BOEING Collaboration, Budget $1.2M
    Chief Investigator
    2012-2016

  • Non-Chromate Primers & Sealants
    BOEING Collaboration Budget $2.3M
    Chief Investigator
    2010-2016
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Awards

A photo of Ivan Cole standing at a podium on stage in front of a crowd. A banner of the association sits in the middle of the stage while a projector next to it displays the words 'Corrosion Medal' with logos of the event and association in the upper corners.

Australian Corrosion Association - Corrosion Medal

Award date: 2019

Recipients: Ivan Cole


CSIRO Medal for Lifetime Achievement Award

Award date: 2016

Recipients: Ivan Cole

Monash University Engineering Alumni of the Year

Award date: 2009

Recipients: Ivan Cole

BAE Systems Chairmans Award for Innovation - Silver Winner

Award date: 2002

Recipients: Ivan Cole

Key awards by year

  • Australian Corrosion Association - Corrosion Medal

  • CSIRO Lifetime Achievement Award

  • Best Paper in NACE Corrosion

  • CSIRO CMSE Chief Award For Science

  • Kruger Visiting Chair , University of Virginia –School of Material Science

  • CSIRO Newton-Turner Award (for exceptional Senior scientists at CSIRO)

  • Monash Materials Engineering, Alumni of the Year

  • Royal College of Engineers (UK), Distinguished Visiting Fellow
  • Silver Boeing Performance Excellence Award (Team award)

  • Forestry Products Society (US), Wood Engineering Achievement Awarda

  • UK Institute of Metals, Minerals and Mining, Guy Bengough Award for Contribution to Corrosion Science

  • BAE Systems Chairman’s Award for Innovation, Silver Medal

  • ITDI (Philippines), 60th Anniversary International Collaboration Medal

  • CIB WG80, Best Paper Award
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Grants

  • Digitization for Safe Work Places, Lead CI Ivan Cole, Funded by: Victorian Government VHESIF Pool A, $1500,000 from (2021 to 2022)
  • Next generation Inhibitors for Protection of Galvanised Steel & Cold Rolled Steel, CI's I.S. Cole (RMIT) and Patrick Keil (BASF), Funded by: BASF/RMIT Collaborative Project $753,000 (3.5 years)
Web
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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.

aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.