Robert Niven

Associate Professor Robert Niven is a distinguished academic at UNSW Canberra's School of Engineering and Information Technology, where he has established himself as an internationally recognized research leader in thermodynamics, probabilistic inference, and environmental contaminants. With a career spanning over two decades, he has secured significant research funding and developed impactful technologies with real-world applications.

His educational background includes a BSc(Hons) and The University Medal in Chemistry and Geology from UNSW Sydney (1991) and a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UNSW Sydney (1998).

Niven's research interests span three primary areas: (a) Thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, particularly entropic insights into dimensional analysis, generalized conservation laws, and Lie symmetries; (b) Probabilistic inference in data science, including maximum entropy analysis and Bayesian inference applications; and (c) Environmental contaminants and impacts, especially PFAS contaminants and related policy. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in environmental remediation and engineering systems.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on applying entropy-based methods to fluid dynamics problems, developing Bayesian approaches for environmental assessment, and creating innovative solutions for PFAS contamination. His research demonstrates consistent integration of theoretical frameworks with practical engineering applications, particularly in water treatment technologies.

• Churchill Fellowship (1998)
• Fulbright Fellowship (2003)
• JSPS Fellowship (2006)
• Marie Curie Incoming International Fellowship, Denmark (2007-08)
• Endeavour Fellowship (2010)
• Isaac Newton Institute Fellowship (2010)
• Editorial Board Member of Entropy (since 2007)
• Editorial Board Member of Stat (since 2019)

Niven has secured over A$4.501 million in research funding from diverse sources including ARC Discovery Project grants, an ARC SRI PFAS grant (A$1.364 million), and industry partnerships. He has successfully supervised numerous undergraduate thesis, Masters, and PhD students while also hosting visiting scholars. His PFAS remediation project has led to significant commercialization, with 34 water treatment plants manufactured and exported globally.

He leads a major research initiative on PFAS contaminants across UNSW Canberra and Macquarie University, with manufacturing facilities established in Australia and the USA. His work bridges academic research with industrial application, demonstrating strong translational impact in environmental engineering.