PhD student and global scholarship-winner Daniel Ainalis is taking his research to Spain and beyond.

"At 16 I actually wanted to leave school – nothing 'grabbed' me. My parents made a deal with me: if I finished school I could do whatever I wanted. That same year I found my love for physics, which led to engineering.

During my honours year at VU, I decided to continue on and do a PhD.

My PhD research is focused on developing a technique to predict the vibrations generated by transport vehicles travelling on uneven roads. The outcome will assist in controlling road deterioration and reducing damage to products during transport.

My Student Research Exchange Scholarship from the International Association of Packaging Research Institutes will help fund my six-month collaboration with the Packaging, Transport and Logistics Research Institute in Valencia, Spain. In 2013 I’ll present my research outcomes at the IAPRI Symposium in Finland."

Courses studied

Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering), 2011

Doctor of Philosophy (Mechanical Engineering), current