Swinburne recognised as a national leader in research excellence and sustainability impact

Swinburne University of Technology has been named Australia’s top research institution in four fields in The Australian 2026 Research magazine - Automation & Control Theory, Computer Hardware Design, Film, and Optics & Photonics. 

Six Swinburne researchers also feature in Australia’s list of the top 250 researchers:

• Professor Qing Long Han leads in Automation & Control Theory

• Professor Jay Sanjayan in Civil Engineering 

• Professor Damien Hicks in Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors

• Professor Tonghua Zhang in Nonlinear Science

• Professor David Moss in Optics & Photonics

• Dr Krzysztof Dembek in Ethics 

“At Swinburne, our research & innovation is developing purposeful technologies to shape the industries of tomorrow. I'm incredibly proud of our research community, whose insight, ambition and collaborative spirit drives truly outstanding work,” says Swinburne Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Professor Karen Hapgood. 

“These results reflect Swinburne's leadership across diverse fields and the genuine impact our researchers are creating in Australia and around the world”

Swinburne has also been named one of Australia’s top five universities for research supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Affordable and Clean Energy. Swinburne recently became one of the first universities in Victoria to be certified carbon neutral, and continues to identify new ways to reduce its impact on the environment.  

While rankings are just one measure of success, this achievement acknowledges Swinburne’s leadership in research and innovation.

The Australian 2026 Research magazine ranks the world’s leading research institutions and individual scholars across 250 specialised fields. The rankings draw on citations of papers published in each field’s top 20 journals over the past five years, highlighting those making the greatest impact in their fields.