Faculty of Life and Physical Sciences

UWA is one of Australia's leading research-intensive universities and the premier research institution in Western Australia. Research within the Faculty crosses a number of different fields of science and needs: 

Business

If you have an issue that requires specialised research and development expertise, or you would like to develop a joint research arrangement with UWA, the Office of Industry and Innovation can help.

International

We maintain a database of international linkages and the research areas and expertise of our staff. The international linkages are used by the Faculty to improve international research collaborations, networking, communication and to assist in facilitating international opportunities for our staff.

Study

• Research and other postgraduate courses are available by thesis or a combination of thesis and practice-based research.
• Research degrees are managed by the Graduate Research School, but we can also provide advice and assistance.

Our research achievements

• Gravity gradiometer - developed an airborne gravity gradiometer for mineral exploration which measures gravity gradients from an aircraft with higher sensitivity than other gradiometer systems.
• Sapphire microwave oscillators - created the technology that enables systems developers to build radars that can see further, with higher resolution, at a lower cost.
• Nanotechnology - researched spinning disk processing and applications for drug delivery, medical imaging , treating cancers, tissue repair, cosmetic formulations, smart polymers, magnetic memory devices and catalysts for hydrogen generation. Get more info at the Centre for Strategic Nano-Fabrication.
• Breast-milk bank - studied the mechanisms of breast-milk removal and developed the first breast milk bank in Australia.
• Atomic clock - the Frequency Standards and Metrology Research Group is the first southern hemisphere user group for the European Space Agencies Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space mission.
• Anti-cancer agent - discovered a blood vessel growth inhibitor (called Ang001) with significant potential as an anti-cancer agent, with implications for treatment of disease including cancer, arthritis and diabetic blindness.
• Iron concentrates MRI scan - developed a non-invasive method to measure iron concentrates in the liver using magnetic resonance imaging technology called Ferriscan.
• Spin bowling - investigated the art of spin bowling for Cricket Australia, providing the first quantitative research on this technique in the world.