Computer Science PhD student Elena Kelareva has been awarded the 2013 NASSCOM Student Innovation Award for her work on DUKC® Optimiser at the CeBIT ICT Celebration Dinner last week.
The DUKC® Optimiser automates the process of determining a ship’s sailing time so as to maximise the amount of cargo the ships can safely carry. An analysis of its installation in 2012 at Port Hedland indicated a potential multi-million-dollar annual revenue increase for cargo shippers.
Elena developed the DUKC® Optimiser as part of her PhD at ANU and her sponsored work for National ICT Australia Ltd (NICTA), and maritime engineering company OMC International.
DUKC® Optimiser is currently being trialled by the Port Hedland Port Authority and is part of an important upgrade to the DUKC® software that has helped to set a record for loading at Australia’s largest port.
“When the opportunity to do a scheduling project came up, I jumped at the chance,” Elena said. “Many cargo ports could improve their capacity by improving the efficiency of their scheduling and the DUKC® Optimiser can help do that.”
Elena’s PhD supervisors are all researchers in NICTA’s renowned Optimisation Research Group.
“ANU has world-class computer science researchers, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to learn from them and follow in their footsteps. Both my supervisors and ANU in general have been very supportive throughout my PhD, and it’s great that I was able to work on a project with strong ties to industry.”