2022 Laureate Profile: Professor Nicolas Voelcker

Professor Nicolas Voelcker

Administering Organisation: Monash University

Fellowship Project Summary

FL220100185 – Nanostructured Silicon-Based Wearable and Implantable Biosensors

Current wearable sensors (e.g., fitness trackers) measure physical parameters such as temperature, heartbeat and movement. This project will design advanced sensors that allow monitoring of more detailed biological signals for long periods, either inside the body, or as a patch on the skin. The sensors would measure changes in the skin to help with decisions about a person’s health or performance. The expected breakthroughs will enable Professor Voelcker to build these sensors into new wearable devices that can continuously monitor human performance. The new wearables would be more comfortable to wear and better able to detect much more useful information than current devices. Such wearables could monitor health indicators, elite sports performance, as well as performance in high-risk environments (examples include glucose levels for people with diabetes or stress levels for soldiers and astronauts). The new knowledge and prototype devices will be of interest to existing industry partners to develop and manufacture wearable biosensors in Australia, accessing a $150 billion market.

Australian Research Council funding: $3,269,608

Find out more information about Professor Nicolas Voelcker and their research areas of interest to date by visiting their profile page here: Nicolas Voelcker — Monash University

For further information about this funding scheme, please visit the Australian Laureate Fellowships page.

Image credit: Monash University