QUT offers a diverse range of student topics for Honours, Masters and PhD study. Search to find a topic that interests you or propose your own research topic to a prospective QUT supervisor. You may also ask a prospective supervisor to help you identify or refine a research topic.

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Found 13 matching student topics

Displaying 1–12 of 13 results

Investigating integration of climate change adaptation policies across government levels

Climate change poses an unprecedented global challenge, and its impact is profoundly felt at the local level. The pressing need for effective adaptation strategies requires a nuanced understanding of how local governments navigate and integrate policies at various administrative tiers. Our research project delves into the pivotal question of how local governments align with regional, state, and national climate change adaptation policies, offering a crucial lens into the challenges and opportunities that emerge at the intersection of policy and planning.This …

Study level
Honours
Faculty
Faculty of Engineering
School
School of Architecture and Built Environment

Housing and older people

Associate Professor Tina Cockburn is interested in supervising students who wish to undertake research about housing and older people (including assets for care arrangements, retirement villages and aged care facilities). Safe housing is a human right not enjoyed by all, particularly for older women who may have experienced financial insecurity throughout the life course. This is a significant issue facing modern Australian society, particularly in light of an anticipated economic downturn and increasing unemployment. Please contact the supervisor if you …

Study level
PhD, Master of Philosophy
Faculty
Faculty of Business and Law
School
School of Law
Research centre(s)

Australian Centre for Health Law Research

Financial security and ageing

Dr Kelly Purser is interested in supervising students who wish to undertake research about estate planning, financial security and ageing. Financial security as people age is something that is determined by the whole of life course, not just what people do as they near retirement. It is therefore important to consider the implications of future planning on the life able to be led 'post-retirement'. This includes not only estate planning tools such as wills and enduring documents, but also financial …

Study level
PhD, Master of Philosophy
Faculty
Faculty of Business and Law
School
School of Law
Research centre(s)

Australian Centre for Health Law Research

Human rights and ageing

Dr Bridget Lewis is interested in supervising students who wish to undertake research about human rights and ageing. There has been increasing focus on the importance of recognising, promoting and protecting the human rights of older people. This has been brought into sharp focus in recent times by, for example, the COVID-19 pandemic. Please contact the supervisor if you are interested in undertaking a PhD in this area. This topic is led by the QUT School of Law within the …

Study level
PhD
Faculty
Faculty of Business and Law
School
School of Law
Research centre(s)

Australian Centre for Health Law Research

Capacity, decision making and ageing

Dr Kelly Purser is interested in supervising students who wish to undertake research about capacity, substitute decision making and ageing, including how and when capacity is determined, and by whom. As people age they may not retain the capacity to be able to make legally recognised decisions giving rise to questions around who can determine what happens when someone can no longer make their own decisions, how and when this should be determined as well as what is the outcome …

Study level
PhD, Master of Philosophy
Faculty
Faculty of Business and Law
School
School of Law
Research centre(s)

Australian Centre for Health Law Research

Elder financial abuse

Tina Cockburn is interested in supervising students who wish to undertake research about elder financial abuse. Elder financial abuse is a hidden but growing phenomenon within modern society. We are looking for students to undertake research into elder financial abuse, particularly in relation to the obligations of financial institutions and actors in identifying, responding to and preventing elder financial abuse. Please contact the supervisor if you are interested in undertaking a PhD in this area. This topic is led by …

Study level
PhD, Master of Philosophy
Faculty
Faculty of Business and Law
School
School of Law
Research centre(s)

Australian Centre for Health Law Research

Investigating factors impacting urban heat vulnerability in subtropical cities

In recent years, with the rise in climate change impact, urban heat has become a major issue for many cities to tackle consequently. Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, which has directly caused a substantial increase in heat-related morbidity and mortality. This indispensably puts an extra burden on medical systems and national finance. Meanwhile, the urban heat island effect has been exaggerating the consequences caused by the increased extreme heat in metropolitan areas. …

Study level
PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
Faculty
Faculty of Engineering
School
School of Architecture and Built Environment

Understanding responsible deployment of computer vision for urban planning

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) offer urban planning practice many novel prospects. By the responsive use of AI, planners can effectively analyse data, improve processes, increase efficiency, and prioritise human-centric aspects of planning to develop sustainable cities. Computer vision is one of the key areas where responsible AI is applied in urban planning to revolutionise the analysis and interpretation of visual data, like images and videos captured in cities to aid decision and plan making processes. While the potential impacts …

Study level
PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
Faculty
Faculty of Engineering
School
School of Architecture and Built Environment

2032 Brisbane Olympic Games: how can we achieve climate-positive urban objectives?

Brisbane is the first host city to be contractually bound to deliver a climate-positive Olympic Games in 2032 (Queensland Government, 2023). Most of the 8,000-megawatt coal plants are expected to close by 2032, which requires a viable and sustainable transition to renewable energies (Simshauser, 2024).In this project, we investigate how digital energy services and analytics (DESA) can help a sustainable energy transition for a climate-positive 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.ReferencesQueensland Government. (2023). All Queensland. All in. 2032 procurement strategy. https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/404030/Q2032-procurement-strategy.pdfSimshauser, P. …

Study level
PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
Faculty
Faculty of Science
School
School of Information Systems
Research centre(s)
Centre for Data Science

Understanding urban complexity for climate resilience

Addressing the urgent need for community resilience amid escalating climate risks, including floods, extreme heat, and bushfires, is crucial for burgeoning cities. These cities comprise intricate networks of social, ecological, physical, and technological subsystems with structural and functional interdependencies. Understanding this complexity is vital for evaluating a city's resilience to climate risks and formulating effective policies and planning strategies. By applying complexity science principles, researchers can illuminate the dynamic relationships within these networks, revealing opportunities for sustainable urban development and …

Study level
PhD
Faculty
Faculty of Engineering
School
School of Architecture and Built Environment
Research centre(s)

Centre for the Environment

Empowering communities with DataCare: ethical data practices for smart cities

Smart cities hold immense potential for progress, but their success hinges on citizen empowerment and ethical data practices. Our research initiative, DataCare, aims at reshaping the landscape of smart cities by prioritising citizens, communities, and small businesses. This project, developed in collaboration with Brisbane Residents United (BRU), focuses on transforming smart cities from profit-driven entities to community-led developments.BRU is a community association serving as a vital grassroots advocacy and peer support network for suburban and local resident groups across Greater …

Study level
PhD, Master of Philosophy
Faculty
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice
School
School of Design
Research centre(s)
Digital Media Research Centre
Design Lab

Reimagining air travel passenger experience

Air travel is poised for systemic transformation due to the advent and implementation of emerging technologies. For example, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft have the potential to deliver sustainable, efficient, and fast, short-range mobility in urban environments. Advances in fuel and propulsion systems, such as those used in hydrogen electric aircraft, could have broader impact, delivering aspirations of zero carbon aviation.Given the nascent qualities of such technology advances, it is unclear how they will affect passenger experience. Currently, air …

Study level
PhD
Faculty
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice
School
School of Design
Research centre(s)

Design Lab

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