The future is brighter, but not necessarily warmer, thanks to Senior Lecturer and Mechanical Engineer Dr Hooman Mehdizadeh-Rad, the 2023 Emerging Professional Engineer of the Year.
A well-known figure in the Northern Territory’s engineering scene, Hooman focuses on efficient and effective ways to cool tropical cities with sustainable engineering. He is examining the design of zero-energy buildings and counteracting the effects of urban heat islands. Darwin’s hot and humid environment makes it the ultimate test subject.
“My main research goal is to investigate ways of making Darwin and other areas of the Northern Territory a cooler and greener place to live, particularly through solar energy advancements, zero energy buildings and heat mitigation," he said.
It’s Hooman’s advancements in solar energy research and in particular, thin film solar cells, that have the advantage of being light weight and lower in cost. While completing his PhD, he fabricated the first organic solar cell in the Northern Territory and set up the first solar cell lab at Charles Darwin University.
He has researched and examined cutting-edge technologies such as smart windows, new types of coating with high reflectance for the envelope of the buildings, phase change materials and different shading devices – to learn how these techniques can reduce the cooling load and subsequently the energy consumption of the buildings in the Northern Territory.
My primary research goal is to enhance the liveability of Darwin and the Northern Territory while mitigating the impacts of global warming.
As his own thesis explains, “research activities in organic and perovskite solar cells have recently been growing very fast due to their merits such as low cost of fabrication processes, flexibility, light weight and large-scale production.”
The highly decorated engineer has even demonstrated his work to the world stage. Hooman travelled to Rome in 2019 where he won the best poster prize at the Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV19) conference.
His contributions to this field saw him awarded the Engineers Australia Emerging Professional Engineer of the Year in late 2023. The judges remarked on Mehdizadeh-Rad’s active leadership and research excellence.
“Hooman has successfully navigated the pathway between academia and industry, with his research into solar cell technology and zero energy buildings being widely published with practical applications for policy writers and manufacturers,” the judges said.
“He demonstrates his contribution to the engineering profession through his active leadership on technical and industry committees and [the] college board, and his lobbying for grant funding has realised improved advanced manufacturing facilities for Charles Darwin University students.”
Not only is his research and innovation generating zero energy solutions, he is also a passionate teacher and industry leader inspiring the next generation of mechanical engineers. He believes the Emerging Professional Engineering Award being given to a Northern Territory engineer is excellent motivation for his students and engineers working in the region.
“It’s very exciting. My personal view is that it’s a very meaningful decision to have someone from the Northern Territory, of all the states and territories in Australia, win the award,” he says.
“A student residing in Darwin can now recognise that, through diligence and community service, they can achieve remarkable success. I hope this accomplishment motivates the talent that exists within our region, inspiring local students to aspire to greatness and make positive contributions to their community and beyond.”
Hooman started as a student himself at Charles Darwin University. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in late 2023 and looks forward to becoming an Associate Professor sometime in the future while continuing his advocacy for engineering in the top end.
“We have a lot of engineering opportunities and engineering challenges here in Darwin, and those challenges should be solved by local engineers.”