Cheryl Suwen Law

Dr Cheryl Suwen Law

Research Associate

Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing

Division of Research and Innovation

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


I am a Research Associate at School of Chemical Engineering (SCE) and the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) at the University of Adelaide.

My research focuses on the nanofabrication of photonics and plasmonic structures with precisely engineered properties to control light–matter interaction at the nanoscale, which can be applied in applications such as optical chemo- and biosensors, lab-on-a chip systems, iontronic sensing and energy generation systems.

I am building an international profile as an early career researcher in nanofabrication, applied photonics, optical chemical and biological sensing, iontronic systems for sensors and osmotic energy harvester.

Please check me out on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryllawsuwen/).

Nanofabrication and Nanostructures: We have developed new nanofabrication approaches to create nanoporous photonic, plasmonic, and iontronic nanostructures with precisely engineered geometric features to fine-tune their properties (i.e., optical signals and ionic conductivity) at the nanoscale.

Surface Chemistry Engineering: We have generated novel surface chemistries to control interfacial interactions for sensing and molecular transport applications, including selective immobilisation of target analytes and antifouling molecules.

Lab-on-a-chip Chemical Sensing and Biosensing: We have integrated nanoporous structures into a label-free functional sensing systems with environment and biomedical applicability. This includes the detection of heavy metal ions in environmental water sources, assessment of binding affinity of biomolecules and quantification of smoke taints in wines. 

Iontronic Systems: We have developed iontronic systems that use ions as signal carriers to generate electrical signals. The rectifying effect of nanoporous membrane in this system can be harnessed to not only generate osmotic energy but also use as sensing principle to detect target analytes.

 

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2022 - 2025 Research Associate University of Adelaide
    2020 - 2022 Research Fellow Monash University
    2019 - 2020 Grant funded researcher University of Adelaide
  • Awards and Achievements

    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2023 Award 2023 Emerging Investigator Journal of Materials Chemistry C United Kingdom -
    2022 Fellowship Future Making Fellowship University of Adelaide Australia -
    2022 Award IPAS Best Transdisciplinary Paper Institute of Photonics and Advanced Sensing, The University of Adelaide Australia -
    2021 Award Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Department of Agriculture and Water Resources Australia A$ 22,000
    2019 Award Women's Research Excellence Award The University of Adelaide Australia -
    2019 Award The William Culross Prize for Scientific Research The University of Adelaide Australia -
    2019 Award Doctoral Research Medal The University of Adelaide Australia -
    2019 Award Dean's Commendation for Outstanding PhD Thesis The University of Adelaide Australia -
    2018 Recognition Chemical Engineering Active and Productive HDR Student The University of Adelaide Australia -
    2015 Scholarship Adelaide Graduate Research Scholarship The University of Adelaide Australia -
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    2015 - 2019 University of Adelaide Australia PhD in Chemical Engineering
    2011 - 2015 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor in Engineering (Chemical and Pharmaceutical) (First Class Honours)
  • Research Interests

2022: DVCR Research Small Equipment Support Scheme (lead CI, $15,000)

2022: Australian Federation of University Women SA Inc. Trust Postdoctoral Grants (sole CI, $3,000)

2022: AgTech Growth Fund (co CI, $100,000)

2022: Future Making Fellowship (sole CI, $400,000)

2021: Sandland Bequest Fund (co CI, $25,000)

2020: Science and Innovation Awards (sole CI, $22,000)

2019: Women's Research Excellence Awards (sole CI, $5,000)

Teaching assistant for:

  • CHEM ENG 3034 - Kinetics and Reactor Design (2017–19)
  • CHEM ENG 2011 - Process Engineering Thermodynamics (2018)
  • CHEM ENG 4060 - Pharmaceutical Formulation and Dosage Manufacturing (2018)
  • CHEM ENG 1007 - Introduction to Process Engineering (2016)

 

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 Co-Supervisor Rational Design and Advanced Engineering of High-Quality Nanoporous Photonic Crystal Structures Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Jairo Alberto Baron Jaimez
    2023 Co-Supervisor Rational Design and Advanced Engineering of 1D nanoporous photonic crystals Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Zichu Zhao
    2022 Co-Supervisor Bioinspired Engineering of Iontronic Membranes for Osmotic Energy Generation Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Khanh Nhien Vu
    2022 Co-Supervisor Engineering of light-matter interactions in semiconductor structures for photocatalysis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Van Truc Ngo
    2022 Co-Supervisor Engineering of light–matter interactions in hybrid plasmonic–photonic crystal structures Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Nguyen Que Huong Tran
    2021 Co-Supervisor Harnessing Light–Matter Interactions in Nanoporous Photonic Crystal Structures for Gas Sensing Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Khoa Tran
    2020 Co-Supervisor Engineering of Nanoporous Platform Materials for Sensing Applications Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Juan Wang
  • Position: Research Associate
  • Phone: 83131260
  • Email: cherylsuwen.law@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Engineering North, floor 2
  • Org Unit: Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing

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External Profiles