CDU innovation showcase connects students and academics to defence in the north

Charles Darwin University (CDU) academic staff and their PhD students showcased their latest innovations at this year’s CDU Innovation in the North Coffee Catch Up.

The event explored emerging capability needs and opportunities for further collaboration, helping to strengthen local industry participation and build the sovereign capability Australia required.

Industry partners gained insight into live projects led by CDU academics, while students were given the opportunity to present their contributions to research and early-stage prototypes.

These included AI-powered mobile applications designed to measure stress levels in agricultural workers and detect mental health misinformation.

Students led interactive demonstrations of their projects, creating valuable opportunities to engage directly with industry partners. 

These interactions highlighted the strong capacity of CDU research students to deliver tangible outcomes across industry projects and defence innovation.

 A series of presentations by academics reinforced CDU’s ability to support defence in the north through applied research, technical expertise and workforce capability. 

 
Featured presentations included: 

 
• Operational Readiness in Prehospital Care: A Paramedic Approach – Paul Grant 
• Building a Defence Drone Ecosystem for Northern Australia – Hamish Campbell 
• Technology for Better Asphalt and Roads – Ali Rajabipour 
• AI for Real-World Impact Across Critical Sectors – Sami Azam 
• Future Made in Materials and Manufacturing – Krishnan Kanoorpatti