Student topics

Ultimately, the proper development of a plant and its ability to adapt to its environment is the result of how plants’ genes are expressed and interact with each other. Hence, it is of extreme importance to understand the mechanisms used by plants to regulate gene expression.Modification of the expression pattern of a gene is particularly important in modern biology. By changing the expression levels of a gene, it is possible to learn about its function, increase the production of a …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Biology and Environmental Science

Research centre(s)

Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy

This research project aims to investigate the experiences and needs of women involved in esports and gaming communities at QUT. Through observations and interviews with participants, the study aims to gain insights into improving women's sense of belongingness in these communities. The ultimate goal is to provide recommendations for university esports administration and contribute to academic publications on gender inclusivity in esports.

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Computer Science

Coral reefs face cumulative threats from climate change to shipping and the concern is that this can cause reefs to transition from coral to rubble dominated states. The formation of coral rubble is a natural part of the reef cycle, however, too much rubble can decrease the resilience of reefs and prevent recovery. A number of coral rubble stabilisation methods are being utilised globally including Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System of hexagonal metal units that are deployed on reefs with …

Study level

Master of Philosophy, Honours

School

School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Research centre(s)

Centre for the Environment

Cane sugar factories, while producing sugar and molasses, provide their own energy and power from the sugar cane biomass residue, are green house gas neutral and can export renewable electricity to the grid.  The performance of the milling train in extracting juice and dewatering the biomass bagasse residue are key components of the operation.  Understanding and modelling the process are seen as a way forward to improve the performance, for example by reducing the final bagasse moisture below the current levels.

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering

Research centre(s)

Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy

The lithium-metal battery (LMB) has been regarded as the most promising and viable future high-energy-density rechargeable battery technology due to the employment of the Li-metal anode. However, it suffers from poor energy density and safety, and improved battery design is sought. The anode-free full-cell architecture is constructed from a fully lithiated cathode with a bare anode Cu current collector. In such an anode-free lithium battery, both the gravimetric and volumetric energy densities can be extended to the maximum limit. Moreover, …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Chemistry and Physics

Research centre(s)

Centre for Materials Science

Mixed polyanionic compounds have been studied extensively as viable cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries. Mixed phosphates Na4M3(PO4)2P2O7 (M = Mn2+, Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+), provide a low barrier for Na-ion diffusion, being advantageous in comparison to phosphates and pyrophosphates. Despite being structurally similar, electrochemical performance differs for their analogues with different degrees of (de)sodiation, according to the transition element present. This project will develop series of mixed phosphates using novel rapid heating methods to achieve desired electrochemical properties.

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Chemistry and Physics

Research centre(s)

Centre for Materials Science

As social media becomes more intertwined into our daily lives, having an online presence on social media has become common not just in the private but also in the public sectors. The use of social media in local governments has shown great potential in terms of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of citizen-government communication. It has also been effective in terms of increasing citizen engagement and participation. Therefore, this research project seeks to discover how do local governments leverage the …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Architecture and Built Environment

In today's digital landscape, applications are increasingly being deployed on cloud platforms, offering benefits such as streamlined management and cost-effectiveness. However, even with the efforts of cloud providers to deliver reliable services, the risk of runtime failures and faults still exists. This project aims to address this challenge by exploring innovative approaches to detect and mitigate errors that occur during the operation of cloud-based applications. By proactively identifying and resolving runtime issues, we can enhance the overall performance, reliability, and …

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Computer Science

Bus stops are crucial touch points for a public transport system, and have the potential to impact human health and wellbeing, as well as rider experience. As a ubiquitous aspect of the urban fabric within a city, bus stops impact the character and function of the streetscape and their design can impact people’s experiences within the public realm. Yet their role in shaping everyday places is usually neglected and is under researched. In addition, with increased temperatures and extreme weather …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

School

School of Architecture and Built Environment

A convergence of virtual reality (VR) and digital twin technologies can provide multifaceted benefits like digital learning processes, generating a collaborative ecosystem between technological and human assets (Martínez-Gutiérrez et al., 2023). When digital twins are adopted, they can provide sustainable energy solutions, such as energy efficiency optimisation or renewable energy integration (Coelho et al., 2024).In this project we investigate the adoption of digital twins and how this can drive the sustainable energy transition in VR environments from a cognitive computing …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

School

School of Information Systems

Research centre(s)

Centre for Data Science

The challenge to keep global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels has become even greater due to a continued increase in greenhouse gas emissions (IPCC, 2023). One major challenge is the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy to reduce emissions (Gholami et al., 2016). The share of renewable energy in electricity generation has increased to 28.3%, however, an acceleration of the pace of the transition is required to limit global temperature rise (REN21, 2022).In this project we investigate public …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

School

School of Information Systems

Research centre(s)

Centre for Data Science

Games have become an integral part of our lives, which is why they are increasingly being used for other purposes than pure entertainment, such as learning, training, informing, or advertising (Degirmenci, 2017). While gamification uses game elements in non-game contexts, serious games are full-fledged games, both aiming to create meaningful engagement and foster desired behaviours (Degirmenci, 2023; Degirmenci and Breitner, 2023).In this project, we investigate how gamification and serious games can help to encourage behavioural change in energy consumption to …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

School

School of Information Systems

Research centre(s)

Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology