Some of the most valuable research begins with a deceptively simple question: could we find a better way? For National Industry PhD candidate Reza Behboodian, that question initially centred on the design, fabrication and testing of nanosensors for methane detection. It sought to overcome one of the major barriers preventing nanosensing technologies from being translated into practical applications: detecting very small quantities of methane over hydrogen, carbon dioxide and other potential interfering gasses while maintaining sufficient selectivity, reproducibility and reliability. Working with Professor Noushin Nasiri and the NanoTech Laboratory at Macquarie University, alongside Dr Bronwyn Darlington and industry partner Agscent Pty Ltd, Reza Behboodian has now completed his NIPhD project, ‘Highly sensitive nanosensors for the detection of trace gases in air-based gas mixtures.’
This project began with an ambitious agricultural application of reducing the cost of measuring methane in cattle which is a lead indicator of feed efficiency, is heritable and is a handbrake on climate change. Ultimately it became a broader investigation into one of the fundamental challenges facing advanced gas-sensing technologies: how do you move from a promising laboratory result towards something sufficiently selective, reliable and practical to have real-world potential? The answer has generated new research, new technical capability and a researcher equipped to work confidently across both academic and industry environments. It has also provided valuable lessons about the opportunities, and difficulties, involved in translating research towards practical application.
The original project grew from an existing collaboration between Macquarie University and Agscent. The vision was to combine Macquarie University’s expertise in nanosensing with Agscent’s livestock sampling technology and industry knowledge, with the goal of developing a portable sensing device that could reduce the cost of methane measurement in cattle. Cattle produce methane as microorganisms break down feed in their digestive systems. What isn’t converted to energy is released through belching. The amount produced varies according to factors including genetics, diet, feed intake, animal size and digestive processes.
For researchers, measuring those differences provides clues about how efficiently individual animals use feed to make milk or increase weight. For farmers, the attraction is the possibility of understanding more about an individual animal's performance without relying on estimates or industry averages. The challenge in scaling current methane sensing technologies has been the cost of the sensors. The proposed approach offered the potential for a much more cost-effective tool that could be used in a much larger range of farming environments.
At the heart of that ambition, however, was a difficult scientific challenge. For a sensor to be useful beyond the laboratory, detecting a gas is only part of the problem. It must be able to distinguish the gas of interest from others, perform reliably and repeatedly, operate under practical conditions and ultimately be capable of integration into a usable device. These practical considerations became increasingly important throughout the PhD and helped shape both the research and Reza Behboodian’s development as a researcher. Over the course of the project, the research explored ways of improving the detection of hydrogen and methane, two gases with important potential applications across areas including clean energy, industrial safety, environmental monitoring and agriculture.
Rather than simply looking for the strongest laboratory response, the team investigated the characteristics that matter if sensing technologies are ultimately going to be useful: selectivity, repeatability, operating temperature and the ability to produce consistent results. There were significant advances along the way. The research demonstrated ways to improve methane selectivity, reduced the operating temperature of the methane sensing platform from 250°C to 50°C and broadened the methane concentration range tested to 40–4,000 ppm.
The project also delivered a completed PhD thesis, a conference presentation, two papers in ACS Sensors and a third manuscript prepared for submission. The broader micro-structured nanomaterial platform associated with the collaboration is protected through a patent application and was licensed by Macquarie University to Agscent in July 2024 for farming applications. But perhaps just as importantly, it created a stronger body of evidence about what is needed to take the technology further.
One of the defining features of a National Industry PhD is that the candidate develops within both academic and industry contexts, learning to think like both a scientist and an industry researcher. For Reza Behboodian, that experience changed the way he thought about what constitutes a successful research result. “During the project, I learned to move between fundamental materials research and practical sensor-development questions.” The partnership with Agscent encouraged him to consider what would happen beyond an ideal laboratory experiment: “This changed the way I assessed results.” Instead of focusing on sensitivity alone, Reza Behboodian began considering selectivity, repeatability, operating temperature, response and recovery, compatibility with potential devices and what further evidence would be required to progress the technology. “The experience has given me a stronger understanding of how rigorous academic research can support industry decision-making and future technology development.”
That shift captures something fundamental about industry-engaged research. A scientifically interesting result matters, but translating it towards real-world use requires researchers to ask a different set of questions too.
From the university perspective, Professor Noushin Nasiri saw that development taking place throughout the project. She describes Reza Behboodian as developing from a capable experimental researcher into “an independent investigator able to connect materials design, device fabrication and sensing mechanisms.” Importantly, that development extended beyond technical capability. “Reza developed the communication and mentoring skills expected of an emerging research leader.” Through publications, peer review, presenting his research, completing his thesis and assisting junior students, Reza Behboodian developed capabilities that Professor Noushin Nasiri believes provide “a strong foundation for future leadership in industry R&D or applied academic research.”
For industry supervisor Dr Bronwyn Darlington, one of the most valuable aspects of Reza Behboodian’s development was learning how research has to be assessed when practical application is the goal. “From an industry perspective, Reza approached the project with a clear understanding that a promising sensor must be reproducible, selective and practical to operate, not simply show a strong laboratory response.” She also highlighted his ability to communicate complex results, respond to feedback and adapt experimental plans as evidence and practical constraints emerged. “His combination of technical rigour, communication skills and awareness of application requirements is directly relevant to industry R&D and also supports a future academic research career.”
Together, these perspectives demonstrate the value of placing a PhD candidate at the intersection of two environments that can approach research very differently but have much to gain from working together.
The collaborative model created benefits well beyond the individual research outcomes. Macquarie University contributed specialised expertise and infrastructure for nanomaterial synthesis, sensor fabrication, controlled gas testing and advanced characterisation. Agscent brought the industry perspective: helping connect the science to practical gas-monitoring requirements and the questions that influence future technology development. The collaborative model gave each party access to expertise and perspectives that would not have been available through a university-only project.
For Macquarie University, that meant a stronger application context for its research and deeper understanding of the performance and validation requirements that influence industry decisions. For Agscent, it meant access to new material concepts, comparative data and scientific analysis without having to reproduce the university’s full experimental capability internally. And for Reza Behboodian, it meant learning to communicate with people who have different priorities, respond to practical constraints and understand the distinction between an academically interesting finding and evidence strong enough to justify the next stage of technology development.
Importantly, the collaboration has not ended with the thesis. Research translation is rarely a straight line from discovery to product. Understanding what works, what does not yet work and what evidence is still needed can significantly improve the decisions that come next. The partnership between Macquarie University and Agscent has helped support further collaborative activity, including the ARC Industry Fellowship From Lab to Field: Smart Sensing Technologies for Future Farming and participation in the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub MOBIUS. Potential next steps identified through the partnership include device integration, testing in humid and mixed-gas environments, long-term stability studies, field-relevant trials and further student projects and internships. It is a reminder that the legacy of an Industry PhD can be broader than a single research outcome. It can create knowledge, capability, relationships and a much clearer understanding of the next questions that need to be answered.
That broader legacy speaks directly to what the National Industry PhD Program is seeking to achieve nationally. The Program brings universities and industry together around research challenges with practical relevance, while developing PhD candidates who can operate effectively across both environments. In this project, that combination supported research relevant to advanced manufacturing, clean-energy technologies, environmental monitoring and stronger university-industry collaboration. For its partners, the project has generated knowledge, strengthened research capability and established foundations for further work. For Reza Behboodian, it has also influenced where he wants to take his career next, “My preferred destination is an R&D role in the private sector, particularly in advanced materials, sensors, process development or environmental technology. I would like to apply the experimental and analytical skills developed during the PhD to problems that have a clear path toward practical use.” And perhaps his reflection on the experience best captures the value of an Industry PhD: “The National Industry PhD showed me that industry-facing research requires both scientific depth and disciplined execution.”
Australia needs both.
It needs outstanding researchers capable of advancing fundamental knowledge, and it needs people who understand how that knowledge can connect with the problems, constraints and opportunities facing industry. This project has helped develop a researcher capable of doing both.