Background

Soniya is a device physicist with extensive experience in fabricating flexible electronic devices for various applications. At QUT, Soniya’s work is focussed on optoelectronic and bio-electronic interface devices for developing sensors including biosensors for bioelectronic and bionic applications. Before joining QUT, Soniya worked as a post-doctoral researcher with Prof Paul Burn at Centre for Organic Photonics and Electronics, University of Queensland. In 2015, Soniya was awarded QUT’s Vice Chancellor’s Research Fellowship in Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics and in 2018 Soniya transitioned to a faculty position at QUT. Soniya completed her Ph.D. at the University of Houston (UH), Texas, USA and she also holds two Master degree in Physics; one from UH and another from University of Delhi, India.

Soniya is also a passionate science communicator and engages in various engagement and outreach activities such as hosting high school students for QUT’s VC STEM Camps, visiting regional QLD for science activities as part of National Science Week and inspiring school students at The ConocoPhillips Science Experience, etc.

Research areas

• Bioelectronics and biosensors – organic thin film transistors for bio-interface electronics for applications in bioelectronics and biosensors.
• Organic optoelectronic devices – device physics and applications.
• Organic light emitting diodes as wearable light sources for various medical and biomedical applications. https://www.qut.edu.au/institute-for-future-environments/about/news/news?news-id=102564
• Electronic devices for non-invasive sensing technologies.

Organic electronics device laboratory Soniya’s projects are focussed on organic/thin film devices for applications in energy and biomedical applications and therefore infrastructure or fabrication and testing of these devices are critical. After joining QUT, she worked on establishing a device fabrication and testing facility and benchmarked it against performances for standard devices. The device laboratory at QUT is now fully functional for fabrication and testing of organic electronic devices including organic solar cells, organic light emitting diodes and organic thin film transistors.

Awards and recognitions       

• 2017                                   QUT IHBI MCR Grant
• 2017                                   QLD Star, Catch a Rising Star, National Science Week
• 2016                                   QUT VC’s Performance Award
• 2015                                   QUT VC’s Travel Fund (For travel in 2016)
• 2015-2018                        QUT Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowship
• 2013                                   UQ DVC (Academic) funding for Grad. Cert. in Higher Education
• 2012                                   UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
• 2008-2011                       Graduate Assistant Teaching Fellowship
• 2010-2011                        Texas Public Educational Grant for International Students
• 2007                                  Summer Internship for Indian students, National University of Singapore

Career history

• 2018-ongoing                 Lecturer in Physics
• 2015-2018                        Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow, QUT, Australia
• 2012-2015                        Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UQ, Australia
• 2011-2010                        Doctoral Research, UH, USA