Dr Cheryl Law Awarded 2025 DECRA for Shark-Inspired Remote Sensors

Congratulations Dr Cheryl Law for the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Award, receiving $456,691 in funding. This award will support her groundbreaking project, "Shark-Inspired Remote Sensors," which aims to revolutionise remote sensing technology by mimicking the extraordinary capabilities of shark skin.

The development of more effective remote sensing technologies is needed to overcome the limitations of current systems. Existing sensors often lack adaptability and precision, which hinders their ability to effectively address global challenges in critical areas such as space exploration, personalised healthcare, climate change monitoring, and national security.

Dr Cheryl Law’s project seeks to develop innovative, shark-inspired sensors that can detect objects based on their unique electrical, optical, and thermal fingerprints. By mimicking the specialised receptors found in shark skin, these next-generation sensors will be capable of remote detection with unprecedented accuracy.

To achieve this, the project will integrate advanced materials into smart architectures, creating nanoscale structures tailored for exceptional sensitivity. This multidisciplinary approach in bioinspired engineering pushes the boundaries of current sensor technology, leading to breakthroughs in how we detect and understand our environment.

The impact of this research could be profound, providing Australian scientists and industries with cutting-edge tools, and delivering transformative benefits on a global scale.