Electrical engineer Dr Jan Ostergaard has been honoured with an international award for his research into the complex operating systems used in the industrial, manufacturing and scientific sectors.

Dr Ostergaard is researcher in the University's Australian Research Council (ARC) and Priority Research Centre (PRC) for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control. He has received the Danish Council for Independent Research's highly prestigious 'Young Elite Researcher Award'.

Dr Ostergaard said he was currently using computer tools to tackle communication problems in network control systems, such as power plants.

"If a plant is to be controlled from a remote location it is necessary to transmit control signals back and forth using one or more communications channels.

"Problems occur when these channels are unreliable. The challenge is to develop systems to improve safety and reliability by avoiding breakdowns and delays in communication.

"This means less down time for the power plant, resulting in greater cost efficiencies," Dr Ostergaard said.