UNSW researchers investigating medical pathology and electric currents in quantum devices have won prestigious awards from Australia’s National Measurement Institute (NMI).

Associate Professor Graham Jones from UNSW Medicine was awarded the Barry Inglis Medal, and Dr Alessandro Rossi, a research fellow from the UNSW School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, was the winner of the 2015 NMI Prize. 

graham_jones.jpg

Associate Professor Graham Jones

The Barry Inglis Medal, named after the first CEO of the NMI, honours outstanding career achievements in measurement research in Australia while the NMI prize goes to an early career scientist.

Dr Rossi, who is working on quantum electronics under the guidance of Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, recently designed, manufactured and operated a new silicon nano-transistor that can generate currents by controlling the transfer of individual electrons.

“It’s very hard to directly measure electrical current to high accuracies. Right now it’s done indirectly by measuring voltage and resistance,” explains Dr Rossi. “We demonstrated the most accurate measurement of an electric current ever achieved in a silicon-based device.”  

Their new device, which was described in 2014 in the journal Nano Letters, could revolutionise the international system of units for transistors made from silicon – a material already widely used by computing and electronics industry. 

Associate Professor Jones, who is based at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, was recognised for his work to improve the accuracy and reliability of chemical pathology testing.  His work has improved diagnosis and monitoring of patients with liver diseases and diabetes.