Charles Sturt University has been recognised for its pioneering contributions to sustainability and innovation, securing the prestigious Australia Learning & Development Innovation of the Year – Education accolade at the Asian Innovation Excellence Awards 2025.

The award ceremony, held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, celebrated organisations driving measurable impact through innovation across the Asia-Pacific region. 

The award highlights the transformative work of the University’s Data Science and Engineering Research Unit (DSERU), part of the School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering. 

Led by Dr Lihong Zheng, DSERU has spearheaded national initiatives that harness artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computer vision and data analytics to address Australia’s most pressing challenges in agriculture, health and education. 

“This recognition means a great deal, not only to me but also to the incredible team at DSERU and the University,” said Dr Zheng. 

“It’s a reflection of our shared commitment to advancing innovation that delivers real-world benefits.” 

The unit has secured over 25 external research grants and produced more than 360 publications, including 118 papers ranked in the top 10 per cent of global journals. These works have garnered over 216,000 citations, underscoring the unit’s global impact. 

DSERU collaborates with leading Cooperative Research Centres including CyberSecurity-CRC, Soil-CRC and FoodAgility-CRC to develop commercial prototypes and promote knowledge transfer in agribusiness, regional planning and energy sectors. 

Among the standout projects it has worked on are: 

• Securing Critical Agriculture Technology and Emerging Solutions: A national collaboration safeguarding agricultural digital systems from cyber threats 

• TRAKKA: A real-time data exchange platform which aims to transform the red meat supply chain by developing a self-sustaining data sharing platform that enables data (and consequently, value) to flow in all directions along the supply chain. 

“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,” Dr Zheng said. 

Since 2023, Charles Sturt University has earned over 30 national and international awards for research excellence, reinforcing its reputation as a leader in applied innovation and learning.