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.
Found 13 matching student topics
Displaying 1–12 of 13 results
Sustainable energy transition with system dynamics
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).New energy policies are needed to …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
Climate justice: analysing eco-equity in the energy market
Climate justice aims at sharing the benefits and burdens of climate change equitably between individuals and communities, regardless of their socioeconomic status, geographic location, or other demographic factors (Upham et al., 2022). Yet, ethnic minority populations are disadvantaged, for example, with rising energy costs and limited access to renewable energy sources, such as African Americans in the United States (Nature Energy Editorial, 2020) or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia (Cain, 2024).In this project, we analyse eco-equity as a …
- 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
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
Trust in renewable energy
Trust is a complex, multi-dimensional concept that plays an essential role in any context where there is interaction among different parties. Three dimensions are integral for a profound understanding of trusting beliefs: competence, integrity, and benevolence (Mayer et al., 1995). Due to the contingencies and dynamics of the renewable energy transition, trust is a critical factor in communities (Walker et al., 2010).In this project, we investigate the multiple dimensions of trust in the context of renewable energies and provide recommendations …
- 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
Understanding energy demand behaviours in Internet of Vehicles (IoV) systems
The internet of vehicles (IoV) plays an important role in the internet of things (IoT) value system. IoV enables vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications through enhanced connectivity and data-driven decision-making. However, given the importance of energy infrastructures in IoV systems (Shen et al., 2021), the role of energy demand behaviours is yet overlooked.In the context of electric vehicles as low-emission consumer energy resources (Degirmenci & Breitner, 2017), V2V and V2I networks improve the communication with other vehicles and charging …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Data Science
Is battery storage overrated? Achieving grid equilibrium through digital energy services and analytics
The share of renewable energy in electricity generation has globally increased to 28.3%, however, an acceleration of the sustainable energy transition is required to limit worldwide temperature rise (REN21, 2022).Energy storage offers various benefits, such as balancing the mismatch between electricity supply and demand; however, due to its charge/discharge inefficiencies (energy storage results in a loss of at least 10% of electricity in the charge/discharge process), digital solutions are needed to manage grid equilibrium effectively (Watson et al., 2022).In this …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Data Science
Artificial intelligence (AI) to balance fluctuations of intermittent renewable energy sources
Artificial intelligence (AI) can play a significant role in analyzing and predicting energy consumption and production patterns from renewable sources such as solar and wind (Lyu & Liu 2021). This is particularly important due to the key challenge of intermittency, where major renewable sources for electricity, such as solar and wind, are subject to the inconsistencies of the weather (Watson et al., 2022).In this project, we investigate how AI and machine learning algorithms can optimize smart grids and other components …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Data Science
Understanding public perceptions of the sustainable energy transition: a social network analysis
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
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Data Science
Advanced numerical modeling to study dust deposition mechanisms on photovoltaic panels for the agrivoltaic industry.
The increase in global energy demand necessitates further advancement in photovoltaic (PV) systems. Advancements in PVs could potentially play a role to help meet the Paris Agreement of limiting global temperature increase to below 2 degrees Celsius. In conjunction with the rising demand for clean energy production, the global agricultural industry needs to keep pace with rising food demand which is expected to increase by 50% by 2050 to feed over a projected 10 billion people. The scarcity of fertile …
- Study level
- PhD, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
Do people really intend to adopt renewable energies? Exploring the consumer adoption paradox
Consumers generally express positive attitudes towards renewable energies, recognizing system values such as environmental benefits and sustainability advantages (Zhang et al., 2024). However, the actual adoption and use of renewable energy services may not align with their expressed preferences.This paradox stems from various customer value-related barriers, such as high upfront costs, limited awareness, and concerns about reliability or convenience, which hinder widespread consumer adoption of renewable energy solutions (Jridi et al., 2016).In this project, we analyse the consumer adoption paradox …
- 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
Spatio-Temporal Forecasting of renewable energies
This project aims to develop short-term (up to 24 hours ahead) forecasting models that take into account the spatial as well as temporal information in wind farms and solar farms. Such models are useful for operational planning in farms and stabilising the network.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Mathematical Sciences
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Data Science
Low cost, long life metal-ion capacitors and supercapacitors for renewable energy storage
Australia boasts rich wind and solar energy resources. To avoid fluctuations placing severe burden on the power grids, a reliable and efficient battery storage is required.The present technology based on lithium-ion batteries suffers from high manufacturing cost, poor safety and short life-span.A new kind of storage devices, metal-ion capacitors (MICs), are expected to overcome the storage and the charging speed of the traditional batteries in the near future, opening new avenues for renewable energy resources. The basic structure of MICs …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Contact us
If you have questions about the best options for you, the application process, your research topic, finding a supervisor or anything else, get in touch with us today.