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School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences |
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Biography
- Born in Singapore 1966
- BSc(Hons with University Medal) 1989, University of Queensland
- Postgrad Dip Ed 1991, National Institute of Education, Singapore
- Taught at Townsville Institute, Singapore, 1992
- PhD, 1996, University of Queensland
- Employed by UNSW@ADFA since 1996 as an Associate Lecturer (Feb 1996 - Dec 1998), as a Lecturer (Jan 1999 - July 2003), as a Senior Lecturer (July 2003 - Dec 2007) and as an Associate Professor from Jan 2008.
Teaching
PhD Scholarhip available - "Analysing instabilities in Complex Models for Different Geometrical Configurations"
- Engineering Mathematics
- Differential Equations
- Nonlinear Dynamics
Research
- Combustion: combustion waves, critical initial conditions, spontaneous ignition, reduced kinetics, exothermic reactions, continuously stirred tank reactors, chemical kinetics, safe and optimal strategies for combustion processes, combustion in polymers, flame balls.
- Industrial Mathematics: heat and mass flow problems.
- Oceanography: estuarine dynamics - box models.
- Biology: population and ecological modelling.
- Other: (use of technology in Mathematics), misconceptions in Mathematics, modelling juvenile delinquency
- Bioreactor Engineering including waste water treatment
Research Collaborators
Rodney Weber (UNSW@ADFA), Geoff Mercer (UNSW@ADFA), Mark Nelson (University of Wollongong), Belinda Barnes (ANU), Vladimir Gubernov (Moscow State University), Dong Chen (University of Auckland), Simon Watt (UNSW@ADFA), Nadeem Ansari (UNSW@ADFA), Adesoji Adesina (UNSW)
Publications
Grants
Honours & Awards
- J.H. Michell Medal (1999) - Australian and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics Award for Outstanding New Researcher. The following citation was read at the Awards Ceremony
At the ceremony (10 Feb 1999), the Chair of the Selection Panel read from the citation: ......."Dr Sidhu has, since enrolling for his Ph.D. in 1993 at the University of Queensland, completed original work in the modelling of oscillating and chaotic chemical reactions. He has shown how to use periodic driving forces in order to influence reactant selectivity (where more than one reaction product exists, with one desirable and the other or others are undesirable). This topic has been considered from time to time by chemical engineers for over 30 years, but Dr Sidhu's careful approach has made much more significant progress.
He has shown, not only that significant increases in selectivity are possible in reactions which exhibit Hopf bifurcations by selecting the correct frequency of the driver, but also the existence of a large range of nonlinear phenomena which had not yet been observed and analysed systematically in chemical reactor theory. This work will impact on future reactor design. Recently he has done signoficant work in the occurrence of combustion waves.
In his work, which includes 9 refereed journal articles, 6 refereed conference proceedings, and many in press, he has shown that he has mastered all the areas of nonlinear dynamics, chaos theory, roots to chaos, diffusive waves, etc. - both the analysis and numerics thereof. He has done this ease and is now one of the best equipped young applied mathematician in Australasia. Clearly he is a very worthy recipient of the inaugural award of the J.H. Michell Medal: ANZIAM AWARD for Outstanding New Researchers. As the recipient of ANZIAM's premier award for new researchers, Harvinder has demonstrated an outstanding research capacity which is expected to further develop as his career prpgresses. As the Michell Medal's first recipient, he has established a high standard of achievement for others to emulate."
- University of Queensland Medal (1989) - For outstanding academic performance during BSc (Honours).
- UNSW@ADFA Rector's Commendation for Excellence in Teaching (2005)
Memberships
Australian Mathematics Society
Australian and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ANZIAM)
Member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers