About The Wark
The
Ian Wark Research Institute (The WarkTM), at the University of South
Australia, is named in recognition of eminent Australian scientist, Sir Ian William
Wark. We are a multi-disciplinary institute with a prized
international reputation for fundamental and applied research and
postgraduate education.
The Wark also holds a unique position in the
Australian research scene as the government-sponsored Australian Research
Council (ARC) Special Research Centre for Particle and Material Interfaces.
This status was awarded to The Wark by the ARC in October 1999.
The Institute currently comprises over 140 staff and postgraduate students,
representing 40 different nationalities. It has an annual total operating
budget of approximately AU$20M with an extensive range of state-of-the-art
instrumentation, currently worth in excess of AU$45M.
The Wark is a major contributor to UniSA's research in the areas of chemical
sciences and physical chemistry, both of which received rankings of 5 in the
2010 Excellence in
Research for Australia (ERA) assessment, confirming outstanding
performance well above world standard in these areas. The Wark will also
play a central role in the recently completed AU$73M
Materials and Minerals Science Learning and Research Hub at the Mawson Lakes Campus.
With a focus on research in areas such as bio and polymer interfaces,
colloids and nanostructures and mineral processing, The Wark aims to both
develop new technologies for use in industry and improve upon existing
processes. A major function of the Institute is the education of graduate
students and The Wark has a highly prized international reputation in
postgraduate education with an outstanding graduate employment record.