Dr Sumeet Walia
Recognised as one of Asia’s top 10 innovators (under-35), Dr Sumeet Walia’s work in electronic memories is an important step towards curing brain-related disorders.
nanoelectronics, metal oxides, artificial memory, flexible electronics, transistors
Dr Walia researches the fabrication of ultra-thin coatings (up to 10,000 times thinner than a human hair) of functional materials and implementing these for application in wearable electronics, artificial electronic memories and high-speed transistors.
His work in electronic memories, in particular, is an important step towards one day developing a bionic brain. Here, a small electronic chip is able to mimic the ability of the human brain insofar as storing and recalling events from the past.
This research is an important pre-cursor for devices that could help understand the human brain better so that researchers can design cures for brain related disorders. These devices could also shrink the size of current USB sticks while enhancing their storage capabilities.
Dr Walia also researches the development of wearable sensors that alert users to harmful levels of UV radiation and gases commonly found in pollution generated by automobiles and industrial settings.
Dr Walia earned his PhD in 2013 at RMIT in the multidisciplinary field of functional materials and devices. He was recognised as one of the top 10 innovators under-35 in Asia by the MIT Technology Review for his research into oxides-based energy sources and electronic memories. Dr Walia specialises in using metal oxides for a range of electronic technologies.
Dr Walia was awarded a Vice-Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in 2017 and is based in the School of Engineering.