Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career
Section: Overview
Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career

Key details

Areas of expertise

  • Organic/polymer syntheses and characterisation
  • Combustion chemistry and toxicity
  • Chemical modification of polymers to confer flame retardance
  • Recycling of plastics and cellulosic materials; energy from waste; greener technologies
  • Combustion of ligno-cellulosic materials and bush fire

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

About Paul Joseph

Paul is a chemist specialising in polymer science and combustion chemistry, with more than 20 years of research experience. He has an international reputation in the field of polymer/material science, with a track record of publishing research and securing external and internal research funding.

After obtaining his PhD in Polymer Science from Lancaster University, UK, Paul worked at Lancaster and Sheffield Universities as a Research Associate in area of polymer science before taking up a research fellowship at University of Ulster, UK. Subsequently, he was promoted to Lecturer, and then Senior Lecturer, before securing the current position of Associate Professor in Material Science at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.

Paul has obtained external research funding from highly competitive sources, including the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK. While at Sheffield University, he was instrumental in attracting two EPSRC grants (a total of £225,627), and at Ulster Paul was the principal investigator in an EPSRC project, both in the area of functional polymeric materials (£320,000). He was also lead academic supervisor for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project worth £107,000, relating to devising environmentally-friendly means of removing unspent polymeric products from components of injection moulding machines. In addition, Paul was a co-investigator on another EPSRC program (£970,514), that investigated the integrated safety strategies for on-board hydrogen storage systems. While at Ulster he also attracted various small- to medium-size grants through internal bids (totalling about £70,000).

Since joining Victoria University, he has secured the following research grants:

  • VU Industrial Postdoctoral Fellowship with the Defence Science and Technology Group: 'Experimental and numerical investigations on the efficacy of water mist systems for active suppression of fires involving lithium-ion batteries in enclosure', AUD $350,000 (2017- 2020)
  • Victoria University Research Infrastructure Grant Scheme: 'Fire Emissions Mitigation System (FEMS)', AUD $300,000 (2016-2017)
  • Victoria University Capital Expenditure Grant: 'Pyrolysis Combustion Flow Calorimeter (PCFC)',  AUD $50,000 (2015).

 

To date, Paul has co-authored about 120 research outputs, including 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and nine invited book chapters. He has been actively involved in research students’ supervision at four different universities dotted across the world. Currently, he supervises four PhD programs at Victoria University.

Qualifications

  • PhD (Polymer Science), Lancaster University, UK
  • MSc (Hydrogen Safety Engineering), Ulster University, UK
  • PgCHEP, Ulster University, UK
  • MSc (Applied Chemistry), Cochin University, India
  • BSc (Chemistry), Kerala University India

Key publications

Year Citation
2017 Kim, Y., Makarov, D., Kashkarov, S., Joseph, P., & Molkov, V. (170316). Modelling heat transfer in an intumescent paint and its effect on fire resistance of on-board hydrogen storage Paper presented at International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (pp. 7297-7303).

doi: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.02.157

Year Citation
2019 Solorzano, J. AP., Moinuddin, K. AM., Tretsiakova-McNally, S., & Joseph, P. (191101). A study of the thermal degradation and combustion characteristics of some materials commonly used in the construction sector. Polymers, 11(11),

doi: 10.3390/polym11111833
2019 Ghiji, M., Goldsworthy, L., Garaniya, V., Brandner, P. A., Hield, P., Novozhilov, V., Moinuddin, K., & Joseph, P. (190401). Effect of residual air bubbles on diesel spray structure at the start of injection. Fuel, 241 (25-32).

doi: 10.1016/j.fuel.2018.12.013
2018 Jones, M., Bhat, T., Kandare, E., Thomas, A., Joseph, P., Dekiwadia, C., Yuen, R., John, S., Ma, J., & Wang, C. H. (181201). Thermal Degradation and Fire Properties of Fungal Mycelium and Mycelium - Biomass Composite Materials. Scientific Reports, 8(1),

doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-36032-9
2018 Tretsiakova-McNally, S., & Joseph, P. (180130). Thermal and calorimetric evaluations of polyacrylonitrile containing covalently-bound phosphonate groups. Polymers, 10(2),

doi: 10.3390/polym10020131
2017 Wadhwani, R., Sutherland, D., Moinuddin, K. AM., & Joseph, P. (171201). Kinetics of pyrolysis of litter materials from pine and eucalyptus forests. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 130(3), (2035-2046).

doi: 10.1007/s10973-017-6512-0
2017 Fateh, T., Kahanji, C., Joseph, P., & Rogaume, T. (171101). A study of the effect of thickness on the thermal degradation and flammability characteristics of some composite materials using a cone calorimeter. Journal of Fire Sciences, 35(6), (547-564).

doi: 10.1177/0734904117713690
2017 Smith, G. N., Hallett, J. E., Joseph, P., Tretsiakova-Mcnally, S., Zhang, T., Blum, F. D., & Eastoe, J. (171001). Structural studies of thermally stable, combustion-resistant polymer composites. Polymer Journal, 49(10), (711-719).

doi: 10.1038/pj.2017.44
2017 Fateh, T., Richard, F., Zaida, J., Rogaume, T., & Joseph, P. (171001). Multi-scale experimental investigations of the thermal degradation of pine needles. Fire and Materials, 41(6), (654-674).

doi: 10.1002/fam.2407
2017 Fateh, T., Guillaume, E., & Joseph, P. (170901). An experimental study of the thermal performance of a novel intumescent fire protection coating. Fire Safety Journal, 92 (132-141).

doi: 10.1016/j.firesaf.2017.05.021

Research funding for the past 5 years

Please note:

  • Funding is ordered by the year the project commenced and may continue over several years.
  • Funding amounts for contact research are not disclosed to maintain commercial confidentiality.
  • The order of investigators is not indicative of the role they played in the research project.

Review and report on a document from Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB).
From: Australian Building Codes Board
For period: 2017-2017
 $8,661
Review and report on a document from Australian Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW).
From: Fire & Rescue NSW
For period: 2017-2017
 $8,672
Experimental and numerical investigations on the efficacy of water mist systems for active suppression of fires involving lithium-ion batteries in enclosures.
From: Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Australia
Investigators: Aspr Khalid Moinuddin, Prof Vassili Novozhilov
For period: 2017-2020
 $263,065

Calibrating EPA Particle Monitors (CALPAM)
From: Environment Protection Authority Victoria
Investigators: Prof Vassili Novozhilov
For period: 2016-2016
 Not disclosed

Supervision of research students at VU

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

Currently supervised research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
2 PhD Principal supervisor
1 PhD Associate supervisor

Currently supervised research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (2) Principal supervisor
PhD (1) Associate supervisor

Careers

Details of this Researcher's career are currently unavailable.