Vacation Research Experience Scheme student topics

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 …

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Information Systems

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 …

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Information Systems

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 …

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Information Systems

Queensland has committed to the rapid transformation of its energy systems in the coming years, with the 2022 Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan targeting 70% renewable energy usage by 2032 (Queensland Government, 2022). While the implementation of the plan has the potential to deliver major environmental and economic benefits for the state, it carries significant technological and social challenges.Critically, it requires effective communication with customers to ensure uptake of target consumer energy resources (CERs) like electric vehicles, home battery storage, …

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Information Systems

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 …

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Information Systems

The Australian Government has released Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy to increase the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia (Australian Government, 2023), which has the potential to reduce carbon emissions substantially, given that electricity is produced from renewable energy sources (Degirmenci & Breitner, 2017).Despite environmental benefits like reduced carbon emissions, EV owners become increasingly concerned about their privacy due to enhanced EV connectivity and increased personal data sharing through EV digital services. Edge computing, where data is processed …

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Information Systems

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 …

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Information Systems

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. …

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Information Systems

One of the more challenging aspects of modelling in fluid dynamics is the contact-line problem: how does a contact line (a junction between two different fluids and a solid) move over time? A variety of models exist, such as disjoining pressure models, Navier slip models, and the imposition of a prewetting film, to name a few.In this project we will explore the behaviour of these different contact line models in the context of closing or healing liquid films. A hole …

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Mathematical Sciences

The journey of becoming an engineer is often a long and complex process, and somewhere along this journey we each begin to recognise that “Yes, I am an engineer!”. This recognition is called your professional identity.Professional identity is an evolutionary and constantly transforming process which is influenced by technical knowledge, industry experiences, peer connections, personal values and many other factors. It involves the reconciliation of engineering expectations and responsibilities with personal identity and is one identity of numerous within each …

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics

In today's rapidly evolving world, where innovation serves as a catalyst for economic growth, understanding the dynamics between firms' skills, job hiring practices, and innovation becomes paramount. This exciting VRES project offers a unique opportunity to delve into the wealth of real-world data collected by our research team at the ARC Centre for Behavioural Insights for Technology Adoption (ARC BITA), which intertwines firms' skills and job hiring information from LinkedIn with their innovation levels, as measured by patent data from …

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Law

School

School of Economics and Finance

Research centre(s)

Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology
Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology

Bayesian inference is a popular statistical framework for estimating the parameters of statistical models based on data. However, Bayesian methods are well known to be computationally intensive. This fact inhibits the scalability of Bayesian analysis for real-world applications involving complex stochastic models. Such models are common in the fields of cell biology, ecology and epidemiology.Multifidelity estimators are a promising class of asymptotically unbiased estimators for dealing with the scalability challenges (Warne et al., 2022; Prescott et al., 2024). These approaches …

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Mathematical Sciences

Research centre(s)

Centre for Data Science