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Ken Aldren Usman

PhD Candidate, Deakin University
I am currently a PhD candidate at the Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University under the supervision of Prof. Joselito M. Razal. Prior to joining Deakin, I have received my Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of the Philippines (UP) in 2013 and 2018, respectively. Currently, my PhD work focuses on developing “MXene”-based composite fibers, which is considered among the hottest and most-studied nanomaterials, with application in multiple fields such as energy storage, structural composites, environmental remediation and nanomedicine.

Through both of my Master’s and PhD courses, I have authored/co-authored 28 research articles. 19 of these papers where published during my Phd, including 3 first-authored journal articles, 3 first-authored review articles and 1 article as corresponding author. At the end of 2021, I received the “Excellence in Research Award” during IFM Staff and HDR Awards as a result of my outstanding research outcomes during that year. Now, I am at the tail end of my PhD and is expected to finish and submit a thesis by July 2022. As one of the seniors, I was recently assigned as the Student Representative, for our institute’s Education and Training Sub-committee, where I primarily represent IFM’s PhD students in committee meetings. This position also allowed me to get involved in creating policies and training program dedicated for developing and overseeing a younger generation of IFM students. I am hoping that after PhD, I could continue my research here and Australia and further contribute to the growing field of smart/functional textiles

Economy

China's Tariffs on U.S. Oil and LNG Could Disrupt Trade, Prompt Waiver Requests

Chinas planned tariffs on U.S. crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), set to take effect on February 10, are expected to prompt traders to seek waivers, trade sources said. Beijing announced a 15% levy on U.S. LNG and...

Domino’s Australia Stock Soars 24% After Announcing Store Closures and Profitability Boost

Shares of Dominos Pizza Enterprises (NYSE: DPZ) surged 23.8% to A$36.68 on Friday, marking their largest intraday gain ever. The rally follows the companys announcement to close 205 underperforming stores, aiming to...

Bank of Canada Warns of Economic Risks from U.S. Tariff Uncertainty

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem warned that U.S. policy shifts and President Donald Trumps tariff threats are creating economic uncertainty. Speaking at a virtual conference in Mexico City, Macklem noted that the mere...

U.S.-China Trade War Threatens U.S. Crude Exports in 2025

Rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China may push U.S. crude exports lower in 2025 for the first time since the pandemic. Analysts warn that Chinese tariffs could limit U.S. oil access to the worlds largest energy...

Stock Futures Slip as Amazon Tumbles on Weak Outlook, Eyes on Jobs Data

U.S. stock index futures edged lower Thursday evening, pressured by a sharp drop in Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) after the e-commerce giant issued a weak revenue forecast for Q1 2025. The company projected sales between $151...

Politics

Iran Condemns U.S. Sanctions on Oil Shipments to China

Iran has strongly criticized new U.S. sanctions targeting its oil shipments, calling them illegitimate and unlawful. The sanctions, announced by the U.S. Treasury on Thursday, focus on individuals and tankers involved in...

Rubio to Visit Middle East Amid Backlash Over Trump’s Gaza Plan

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel and key Arab nations from February 13-18, marking his first Middle East trip since President Donald Trumps controversial proposal to relocate Palestinians in Gaza. His...

Sara Duterte Prepares for Impeachment, Welcomes Father’s Support in Legal Battle

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said she has been preparing for impeachment since last year and welcomed her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, to join her defense team if he wished. Speaking at a press...

Trump’s Gaza Plan Faces Global Backlash and Legal Concerns

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel would transfer control of Gaza to the U.S. after the war, claiming Palestinians would be resettled elsewhere, eliminating the need for American troops. His proposal to...

Trump's Special Envoy Discusses Ukraine Conflict in Key Meeting

U.S. President Donald Trumps special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, met with Ukraines ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova, for their first official discussion. Markarova described the meeting as a...

Science

South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s

Inkathazos glowing plasma jets are shown in red and yellow. The starlight from other surrounding galaxies can be seen in the background. K.K.L Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA, CC BY You may not know it, but right...

It’s science, not fiction: high-tech drones may soon be fighting bushfires in Australia

Picture this. Its a summer evening in Australia. A dry lightning storm is about to sweep across remote, tinder-dry bushland. The next day is forecast to be hot and windy. A lightning strike tonight could spark a fire that...

Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?

Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates about legal ownership. Globally, meteorite hunting...

Most of us trust scientists, shows a survey of nearly 72,000 people worldwide

Public trust in scientists is vital. It can help us with personal decisions on matters like health and provide evidence-based policymaking to assist governments with crises such as the COVID pandemic or climate change. In...

Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon will need better boots − here’s why

The U.S.s return to the Moon with NASAs Artemis program will not be a mere stroll in the park. Instead it will be a perilous journey to a lunar location representing one of the most extreme environments in the solar...

Technology

Xiaomi Hits Record High as China’s Subsidy Program Boosts EV and Tech Stocks

Xiaomi Corp (OTC: XIACF, HK: 1810) shares surged to an all-time high on Friday, fueled by investor optimism over Chinas nationwide subsidy program aimed at boosting sales of electric vehicles (EVs) and smartphones. The...

OpenAI’s Stargate AI Data Centers Face Global AI Competition from China’s DeepSeek

OpenAI is actively evaluating U.S. states for its massive Stargate AI data center initiative, aiming to secure Americas lead in artificial intelligence against China. Chris Lehane, OpenAIs chief global affairs officer,...

Tesla Raises Model X Prices by $5,000 in the U.S.

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has increased the prices of its Model X vehicles in the United States by $5,000, according to an update on its official website. The price hike applies to both variants of the electric SUV, reflecting...

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun Signals Expansion of EV Production Capacity

Xiaomi (OTC: XIACF) is accelerating its push into the electric vehicle (EV) market, with CEO and founder Lei Jun announcing plans to expand production capacity. In a post on his social media account on Friday, Lei...

Cerebras and Mistral Achieve AI Speed Record, Challenging OpenAI and DeepSeek

Cerebras Systems, a leading AI chipmaker backed by UAE tech giant G42, has teamed up with Frances Mistral to set a new AI speed record. Mistral, an emerging player in open-source AI, aims to compete with Meta, Chinas...