New research grants to address teacher shortage, digital compliance, and renewables
QUT research to address skills shortages in the teaching profession, new approaches to digital compliance and developing a new manufacturing process for biodegradable plastic from sugar are among the latest projects awarded funding from the Australian Research Council.
The projects are among the latest round of Linkage grants, totalling $952 285, announced by the Federal Government this month to enhance innovation and partnerships between researchers and industry.
As Australia faces a teacher shortage crisis, QUT researchers will examine how best to retain career change teachers in the profession longer than five years.
Professor Martin Mills from QUT’s School of Teacher Education and Leadership and The Centre for Inclusive Education said attracting people into teaching from other professions was a priority but studies showed they did not stay long.
“Career change teachers are often aged over 25 and there is little evidence on how their retention in the school system can be enhanced,” he said.
“Our research aims to better understand their experience, examine expectations and explore support to ensure young people are not disadvantaged by high teacher turnover.”
Joining Professor Mills (pictured middle below) will be Professor Simone White ; Associate Professor Terri Bourke (pictured right below); and Dr Reece Mills (pictured left below); all from the School of Teacher Education and Leadership; and Dr Craig Wood from the Queensland Teachers’ Union.
Project partners include the Queensland Teachers’ Union, Queensland College of Teachers, the Queensland Department of Education, The Queensland Catholic Education Commission, Metropolitan Region, and Independent Schools Queensland.
Improving digital compliance processes and reducing risks to users of financial services is the subject of new research by QUT law experts Associate Professor Anna Huggins (pictured left below) and Associate Professor Mark Burdon (pictured right below).
The project, including Professor Lizzie Coles-Kemp from Royal Holloway University of London and Mrs Síobháine Slevin from Realta Logic Proprietary Limited, aims to develop a new approach to optimise digital compliance processes in Australian financial services firms.
Assoc Prof Huggins said the research responds to the growing complexity of legal requirements, and aims to reduce regulatory burden and societal risks.
“The project will result in a range of new digital compliance strategies and tools that help firms to improve compliance, reduce costs and ensure that the public interest goals of law and regulation are promoted,” she said.
Research in developing a green process feasible for industrial-scale production of a platform chemical and a feedstock for producing biodegradable plastics, FDCA, is the subject of another project involving QUT’s Professor Huai-Yong Zhu (pictured left below); Associate Professor Eric Waclawik (pictured right below) and Dr Sarina Sarina (pictured centre) from the School of Chemistry and Physics and Centre for Materials Science.
Building on previous lab-based research, the linkage project makes FDCA from a compound derived from completely renewable source, plant sugars, at room temperature.
The US Department of Energy has classified FDCA as one of the 12 priority chemicals for establishing the “green” chemistry industry, as it can serve as a substitute for natural gas processing and crude oil refining feedstocks that are currently used in the production of plastics and fine chemicals.
The technology will also promote the production of biodegradable plastics from the sustainable carbon hydrate source reducing intractable plastic pollution.
The technology has considerable commercial prospects in Australia and internationally since converting sustainable biomass to high-value chemicals via green and effective processes have attracted global effort, and Australia has abundant biomass resources.
Partner investigators include Mr Chong Yew Chua from BJP Laboratories Pty Ltd Australia.
CONTACT: media@qut.edu.au
