Dr. Liming Dai stands as a preeminent leader in advanced materials research with a distinguished career spanning three decades. He currently holds the prestigious positions of Scientia Professor, Australian Laureate Fellow, and SHARP Professor at the University of New South Wales, where he also directs the Australian Carbon Materials Centre. Prior to his appointment at UNSW in 2019, Professor Dai held significant academic positions including the Kent Hale Smith Professorship at Case Western Reserve University and the Wright Brothers Institute Endowed Chair Professorship at the University of Dayton. His foundational research journey began with a decade-long tenure as a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO, establishing his expertise in polymer science and carbon materials. With academic appointments across Australia, the United States, and collaborations worldwide, Professor Dai has cultivated a global perspective on materials innovation.
Professor Dai's pioneering contributions to carbon nanomaterials have fundamentally transformed the landscape of sustainable energy technologies and advanced materials science. He is widely recognized as the originator of metal-free carbon electrocatalysts, a breakthrough that has eliminated the need for expensive noble metals in fuel cells and energy conversion systems. His innovative work on vertically aligned carbon nanotubes has enabled revolutionary applications in miniaturized touch sensors and flexible electronics, while his discovery of the rubber conduction mechanism has paved the way for wearable electronic devices. With over 500 highly influential publications accumulating more than 88,000 citations and an impressive h-index of 148, his research has established foundational principles for carbon-based materials design. Professor Dai's early career innovations also include co-invention of patents for extended-wear contact lenses and security features in polymer banknotes, demonstrating the remarkable breadth of his materials science expertise.
As the founding Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation, Professor Dai has established a national research program dedicated to advancing carbon technologies for emissions reduction. His leadership extends to editorial roles as Associate Editor of Nano Energy and service on the boards of numerous prestigious journals, shaping the discourse in advanced materials research. Professor Dai's exceptional contributions have been recognized through his election as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the US National Academy of Inventors, the European Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. He continues to mentor the next generation of materials scientists while driving forward his research group's multidisciplinary work on carbon-based catalysts for renewable energy applications. Professor Dai's current research focuses on developing next-generation carbon nanomaterials with precise atomic structures to address global challenges in clean energy production and environmental sustainability.
