Student topics

The adage “united we stand, divided we fall” has frequently guided leadership practice – that is, for one to lead others effectively, one first needs to unite them. However, large groups of people often comprise smaller subgroups with distinct identities. How, then, does the leadership process look like when these smaller subgroups are polarised into conflicting factions that cannot simply be united under a common superordinate identity?This research broadly examines the process of leadership within teams and organisations where there …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Law

School

School of Management

Research and practice often focus on how leadership is successfully developed or built. Little attention is given to the factors that may undermine leadership. Understanding these factors may help shed light on how effective leadership is sustained through challenges and setbacks.Taking a social identity approach to leadership, this research may investigate:the potential destabilisers of leadership within teams and organisationsthe lifecycle of leadership within groupsthe factors that turn followers away from their leader.

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Law

School

School of Management

Broadly, this research theme looks into the effects of leader transgressions (e.g., misconduct, misbehaviour, deviance) on workers within organisations.More specifically, adopting a social identity approach, projects within this theme may examine the following questions:How does the organisational level of the leader influence the effects of their transgression on workers?How do workers'  identity configurations affect whether they respond to leader transgressions?How does the type and target of the leader transgression influence the way workers respond to the transgression?

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Law

School

School of Management

Our cellular DNA is constantly under threat from both exogenous and endogenous factors. DNA repair pathways function to maintain genomic stability, preventing deleterious mutations that may ultimately lead to cancer initiation. When a tumour forms, it becomes genetically unstable, allowing environmental adaptation. This genetic instability can also result in gene mutations and protein expression alterations that can be targeted to induce cancer-specific cell death (phenomenon also known as synthetic lethality). For example, it has been shown that cells deficient in …

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Biomedical Sciences

Data generated in the lab has identified a novel DNA repair protein previously described as a key protein in HSP70/90 complexes. Many pathways of tumourigenesis are mediated by Heat Shock Proteins and HSP70/90 are found significantly upregulated in ovarian cancers. The targeting of HSP70/90 are an emerging therapeutic avenue for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Supporting this, an inhibitor of HSP90 has been shown to sensitise breast cancer cells to PARP inhibitors and paclitaxel.Our preliminary data indicates that this new …

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Biomedical Sciences

The genome of our cells is damaged multiple times each day, by various factors including sunlight and reactive oxygen species. In order for the DNA damage response to be efficient, our cells utilise highly coordinated repair pathways that function accurately and rapidly throughout the damaged cell. Cells that do not repair DNA damage correctly will accumulate damage and display increased genomic instability, which is a key hallmark of cancer cells, promoting their survival and rapid growth. DNA repair pathways are …

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Biomedical Sciences

Underwater ecosystems, including coral reefs and seagrass meadows, play a critical role in maintaining marine biodiversity, providing coastal protection, and supporting fisheries and tourism economies that millions depend upon globally. These habitats are increasingly vulnerable to climate change, pollution, and other anthropogenic impacts, demanding urgent efforts to monitor and restore them. Accurate scene understanding of underwater imagery enables fine-scale ecosystem monitoring across spatial and temporal scales, supporting essential activities such as habitat and biodiversity assessment, validation of aerial and remotely …

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics

Research centre(s)

Centre for Robotics

Institutions of higher learning are essential for supplying any economy with high-quality labour and innovations. Also, these institutions are crucial to actively achieving the objectives of inclusive and sustainable development. These organisations have adapted more inclusive and sustainable development practices over time; particularly, the leadership team now has a higher percentage of female members. Rarely is there literature on how adjustments to these strategies and leadership have an impact on institutional performance. This study fills in this knowledge gap to …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Law

School

School of Economics and Finance

Identify the specific competencies and skills that leaders need to effectively lead AI adoption initiatives in organisations. Research can focus on areas such as data literacy, AI literacy, critical thinking, decision-making, and the ability to manage and interpret AI-driven insights. Develop frameworks for assessing and developing these competencies in leaders.

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Information Systems

Research centre(s)

Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology

Examine how the introduction of AI technologies reshapes traditional leadership roles and organisational structures. Investigate the evolving nature of leadership in decentralised, AI-driven decision-making processes and explore how leaders can effectively adapt to new leadership paradigms.

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Information Systems

Research centre(s)

Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology

Iron is an element essential for virtually all life forms; aberrant iron metabolism is linked to many diseases. These include cancers, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, iron overload and iron deficiency disorders, iron-loading anaemias, and the anaemia associated with chronic disease. Central to proper iron regulation is the appropriate expression and activity of the liver-expressed regulatory peptide, hepcidin, and the iron exporter, ferroportin (FPN). Modulating the expression and activity of hepcidin and FPN, and their interaction is …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Biomedical Sciences

Sub-Antarctic islands have unique ecosystems and landscapes under increasingly pressure from climate change. In many cases this is compounded by the introduction of invasive species since their discovery by humans in the 1800s.Understanding ecosystem and environmental responses to climate change and separating them from human-induced causes of change is essential for their future protection. To do this requires quantifying long-term, natural rates and variability of change, establishing the ‘baseline’ status of ecosystems and the environment prior to human arrival, and …

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Biology and Environmental Science

Research centre(s)

Centre for the Environment