Hua Li

Hua Li is a Research Fellow at the School of Molecular Sciences and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation & Analysis (CMCA) at The University of Western Australia, where she has been since May 2017. Appointed SPM platform leader at CMCA in 2019, she oversees advanced microscopy facilities supporting national research infrastructure.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Applied Minerals and Materials from the Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia, followed by research associate and lecturer positions at the University of Newcastle.

Dr. Li's research centers on engineering liquid-solid and liquid-gas interfaces for industrial applications including high-performance electrolytes, advanced lubricants, and flue gas desulfurization adsorbents. She leverages CMCA's state-of-the-art video-rate atomic force microscopy and ANSTO radiation scattering facilities, with expertise spanning interfacial phenomena, nanomaterials, and ionic liquids. Her work directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals in environmental protection and clean energy.

Her 2025 publications reveal interdisciplinary impact across environmental science, physical chemistry, and tribology, with studies on coastal foraminifera recorders, ionic liquid interfacial structures, flue gas adsorption mechanisms, and superlubricity phenomena. These works demonstrate strong integration of experimental and computational approaches.

No specific scientific awards were documented, but she has supervised five research students and secured funding for three major projects: 'Unlocking new generation physical modelling' (ARC, 2024-2026), 'Turbocharging Electrolytes with Surfactants' (2020-2022), and 'Bio-inspired ionic liquid solvents for biomass refining' (2018-2019).

As SPM platform leader, she manages critical equipment including Cypher VRS AFM, Hysitron TI 950 TriboIndenter, and Keysight 5500 SPM systems, fostering collaborations with Australian and international academic and industry partners to advance interfacial science applications.