Innovation
Expanding All Horizons
Experiment-Led
Frontier Technology
Built To Ship
Our Story
Monash Nexus for Emerging Technologies (MNET) is Monash University's student team for emerging simulation technologies - virtual, augmented and extended reality, digital twins, motion capture, quantum computing and the web frontier. From our home in the Digital Makerspace, we design and build experimental projects that shape Monash's digital ecosystem.
Four departments make it happen: Projects drives what we build, Education trains the team and the next generation, Marketing carries the story to the world, and Operations keeps the whole nexus running. Members work hands-on with industry-grade XR hardware, ship real software, and take their work to conferences and showcases - bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world implementation.
Our History
2022
The METTA era
The team begins as METTA - Monash Emerging Technology Themes and Applications - incubated under eSolutions VARS, Monash's virtual and augmented reality services group.
July 2024
METTA becomes MNET
After a ground-up rebuild, the Faculty of IT approves our new name on 4 July 2024: Monash Nexus for Emerging Technologies. A nexus between students, researchers and industry.
Mid 2024
First workshops
MNET x MAC: we teach the fundamentals of 3D with Spline alongside Monash's largest IT student club, and run immersive VR demos for Mac.Robertson Girls' High School at MonLEE - the education program begins.
Oct 2024
SXSW Sydney
Representing the Faculty of IT at SXSW Sydney with a 360° robot dog and the Globes App - historic maps in Apple Vision Pro, built with the Embodied Visualisation group and Stanford University, later demoed to the Education Ministers of Australia and India.
15 July 2025
A new generation - and Mepo
Our founder hands over the reins, and the team names its platypus mascot: Mepo - one letter from each department. Marketing, Education, Projects, Operations.
2025
The collaboration era
The team grows to 70 members. Digital prototyping with MBEST, digital twins with MPP, Tech Futures Industry Nights with MDN and MAC, Bali temple heritage with EmVis and the Indonesian government, and awards entries at AWE and the SXSW XR Showcase.
2026
Growing the nexus
CampusGuessr, BrainXR, quantum computing and Platypus Forest push the portfolio wider - while O-Week stalls, Tech Futures and this WebXR site bring the work to everyone else.
Our Values
Collaboration
One Tight-Knit Team
Across Disciplines
Open To Everyone
Grow Each Other
Excellence
Industry Standard
Hands-On Craft
Real-World Impact
Leave It Stronger
Meet Mepo
Our mascot is Mepo the platypus - named on 15 July 2025, the day our founder handed the team to its second generation of leads. The name takes one letter from each of our four departments: Marketing, Education, Projects, Operations.
Why a platypus? MNET is about the crossing from the digital ocean to the physical landscape - and no animal moves between worlds like the platypus. It senses electricity with its bill, chews with gravel, sweats milk and glows under UV. A dozen strange talents in one creature, just like the dozen technologies in one team.
You'll find Mepo wandering through our projects - most literally in Platypus Forest, our virtual home for showcasing what the team builds. (In our members database, The Platypus is listed as a Team Lead. We don't make the rules.)
Our Ethos
Expanding all horizons.
We push each other outside our comfort zones in a supportive environment. Leadership isn't an exclusive club - prove yourself and join us at the table. And when we leave, we leave the team stronger than we found it.
The Team
Academic Advisors
The mentors who guide us toward the tech frontier.
Dr Thomas Chandler
Academic Advisor
Dr Tim Dwyer
Academic Advisor
Dr Thomas Chandler
Academic Advisor
Dr Tim Dwyer
Academic Advisor
Leads
The Torchbearers of MNET
Nicole Ellis
Team Lead
Abyead Safwan Enan
Project Lead
Sylene Dinh
Operation Lead
Pia Perral
Marketing Lead
Nevis Kawatra
Marketing Lead
Nicole Ellis
Team Lead
Abyead Safwan Enan
Project Lead
Sylene Dinh
Operation Lead
Pia Perral
Marketing Lead
Nevis Kawatra
Marketing Lead
Meet the Team
Team Leads
Nicole Ellis
Eunice Yap
Marketing
Naailah Taqui Hasan
Annabelle Tjoa
Afraz Kalappatt
Jack Mow
Angela Gamito
Margarita Kuzminykh
Divija Malhotra
Ivy Ho
Christina Wang
Charlie Imbert
Simon Wu
Pia Perral
Cathy Ma
Meagan
Phi Vu
Nevis Kawatra
Edwin Kun
Preetish Choudhary
Clare Ahn
Mia Sudianto
Eunice Yap
Suraj Nukala
Ken Ming Dong
Rohan Kalanje
Operations
Sofia Verches
Garuthya Gamage
Aaron Rath
Shshank Jha
Derek Cui
Lea Fong
Kal Leong
Chloe Galinato
Matthew Lau
JP Ma
Sylene Dinh
Hamish Welte
Eunice Yap
Rohan Kalanje
Education
Aaron Yulong Woo
Edmund Filbert Priyono
Aaron Poon
Nicole Ellis
Hayden Donald
Anthony Kynan Adhiarsa
Rick Liu
Rohan Kalanje
James Chea
Projects
Naz Zarkalam
Billy Hristoglou
Joshua Wong
Anthony Taing
Oskar Videll-Jane
Reece Harrison
Munkhjin Byambasuren
Kenneth Law
Liam Quinn
Adheena seju
Anthony Wilson
Krittapong Tiankarot
Zaina Rehman
Abyead Safwan Enan
Debbee Chin
Clarisse Tandra
Sota Kawasaki
Nicole Ellis
David Lie
Ange
Richard Viera
Madison Chung
Jae Park
Jason Joy Manoj
Amanda Jong
Jaylen Navurunnage
Hasee Meegahawattage
Anthony Kynan Adhiarsa
Rohan Shetty
Luke Downward
Renee McMillan
Oscar Boulter
Suraj Nukala
Rohan Kalanje