Charles Sturt University’s Data Science and Engineering Research Unit (DSERU), led by Professor Lihong Zheng, has been honoured with the Australia Learning & Development Innovation of the Year – Education award at the Asian Innovation Excellence Awards 2025. The ceremony, held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, celebrated organisations delivering measurable impact through innovation across the Asia-Pacific region.
The award acknowledges DSERU’s pioneering work in applying artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computer vision and data analytics to address national challenges in agriculture, health and education. Reflecting on the achievement, Professor Zheng said:
“This recognition means a great deal, not only to me but also to the incredible team at DSERU and the University. It’s a reflection of our shared commitment to advancing innovation that delivers real-world benefits.”
Under Professor Zheng’s leadership, DSERU has secured more than 25 external research grants and produced over 360 publications, including 118 papers ranked in the top 10 per cent of global journals. These outputs have attracted more than 216,000 citations, underscoring the unit’s international impact.
Collaboration is central to DSERU’s success. The unit works closely with Cooperative Research Centres such as CyberSecurity-CRC, Soil-CRC and FoodAgility-CRC to develop commercial prototypes and promote knowledge transfer in agribusiness, regional planning and energy sectors. Notable projects include Securing Critical Agriculture Technology, which safeguards agricultural digital systems from cyber threats, and TRAKKA, a real-time data exchange platform designed to transform the red meat supply chain.
Professor Zheng emphasised the collective effort behind these achievements:
“Awards like this remind us that success is never achieved alone. It’s the result of collaboration, perseverance and a shared passion for making a difference.”
Pictured above | Charles Sturt alumni Edwin Song , Professor Graham Brown, Professor Anna Shillabeer and Professor Lihong Zheng. Copyright 2025: Linkedin (Graham Brown)
Since 2023, Charles Sturt University has earned more than 30 national and international awards for research excellence, reinforcing its reputation as a leader in applied innovation and learning.