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Organisation of the Faculty

School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences

The School comprises the Departments of Civil Engineering and Physical Sciences (Bendigo Campus), Computer Science and Computer Engineering (Bundoora and Bendigo campuses), Electronic Engineering, Physics, Mathematics and Statistics (Bundoora and Bendigo campuses).

Department of Civil Engineering and Physical Sciences

The Department is based at the Bendigo Campus and offers engineering, geology and physics subjects for civil engineering, science, business, information technology and education courses. The Department also offers many industry sponsored and university scholarships available for both commencing and continuing students.

Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering

In addition to traditional undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with relevant professional society accreditation, there are special graduate programs that allow qualified persons from other disciplines to retrain as information technology professionals.

The Department offers a wide range of challenging postgraduate courses tailored to meet the phenomenal expansion in the demand for computer technology graduates.

Department of Electronic Engineering

The Department emphasises teaching and research in the fields of biomedical engineering, circuits and instrumentation, communication systems, control systems, microelectronics, photonics, quantum and solid-state electronics, signal processing and telecommunications.

The Department offers a range of challenging postgraduate coursework programs. These programs are Master of Biomedical Engineering; Master of Electronic Engineering; Master of Electronic Systems and Network Engineering; Master of Microelectronic Engineering; Master of Telecommunication Engineering; Master of Telecommunication and Network Engineering; Postgraduate Diploma in Electronic Engineering; Postgraduate Diploma in Microelectronics and Graduate Certificate in Microelectronics. Research programs leading to Master of Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy degrees are available to suitably qualified students.

Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Mathematics – Melbourne (Bundoora)

Active research is conducted in the following areas:

• Dynamical Systems including chaotic and integrable systems
• Numerical methods
• Differential Geometry
• General Algebra
• Noncommutative dynamical systems
• Approximation theory
• Statistical Mechanics
• Graph theory
• Topological Dynamics.

The department offers thesis supervision towards the PhD and MSc research degrees in the above areas. These degrees are completed solely by submitting a thesis on the candidate’s research, conducted under the direction of a supervisor. The department places a high priority on supervision of research students and offers a supportive research environment. Research students are expected to be active participants in the research activity of the department, including attending seminars.

Entry to the MSc program requires an Honours degree or equivalent. Completion of the MSc within two years is encouraged. Entry to the PhD program normally requires a first class Honours degree or equivalent. The equivalent can be achieved in the Postgraduate Diploma in Science program. Completion of the PhD within three years is encouraged.

Potential applicants should consult the research interests of individual staff members and then contact a possible supervisor. Up-to-date information on staff members’ research interests and their email addresses may be obtained from the departmental web page, www.latrobe.edu.au/mathstats/maths/

Statistics – Melbourne (Bundoora)

Statistics actively promotes research, with major current activity in the following broad areas:

• theory of statistical inference
• statistical model selection
• biostatistics
• dimension reduction
• foundations of statistical inference
• exact confidence intervals from count data
• time series analysis
• robust statistics.

Thesis supervision towards the PhD and MSc research degrees in these areas is offered.

The Master of Statistical Science by Coursework degree consists of coursework, a training program in statistical consulting and the completion of a minor thesis on some applied problem, written under supervision.

Mathematics and Statistics – Bendigo

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Bendigo offers supervision of research Masters and PhD degrees in several areas of pure and applied mathematics and statistics, including analysis, geometry, demography (spatial modelling analysis) and healthcare management. More information on the department’s research interests and current projects can be found at www.latrobe.edu.au/maths

Department of Physics

The Department has a strong research tradition emphasising space physics, materials and surface science and x-ray science. Brief details of each area follow. Additional information may be obtained from the staff members associated with each topic area or from the Head of Department. Applications are invited from suitably qualified graduates wishing to enrol in either a Masters or a Doctoral program.

Space physics

Research programs are conducted in space physics with an emphasis on solar–terrestrial physics, the ionosphere and ionospheric radio propagation, the thermosphere and the mesosphere. Many projects include collaboration with the Australian Antarctic Division and industry. A field station is operated at Beveridge, north of Melbourne, and instruments are located elsewhere in Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica.

Projects are available in:

• experimental studies of the ionosphere, thermosphere and space weather
• radio wave propagation
• TIGER radar
• observations of airglow and auroras.

Materials and surface science

Projects are available in the following areas:

• new semiconductor materials
• surface studies of oxides and mineral materials
• micro-contact printing for biodevice fabrication
• molecular surface engineering of semiconductors
• surface modification and characterisation of polymeric materials
• optical properties of sapphires and related gemstones
• electronic band-structure determination of metals and semiconductors
• topology of the Fermi surface of metals and alloys
• phase changes in ferromagnetic materials
• low dimensional conducting structures.

X-ray science

The x-ray science group conducts research into methods in x-ray imaging and applications. Many projects include access to synchrotron facilities in Australia and overseas as well as our own laboratory equipment. Applications include imaging of biological and materials samples in collaboration with research institutions and industry. Projects are available in the following areas:

• X-ray optics
• X-ray phase imaging
• X-ray tomography
• X-ray coherence
• Coherent diffractive imaging
• Microfabrication of x-ray optics and samples
• Interactions of x-rays with matter.