About the institute

Our mission

At the Institute for Future Environments (IFE) our mission is to find ways to make the world more sustainable, secure and resilient.

Hundreds of QUT researchers and students from across science, engineering, law, business, education and the creative industries collaborate at the IFE on large-scale research and development projects.

We study how our natural, built and virtual environments interact, change and converge, and work with partners in the public and private sectors to apply our research.

Interdisciplinary research

The IFE is leading a shift to interdisciplinary integration and collaboration.

We bring together experts from diverse fields who research in the following interdisciplinary themes:

• Future energy systems and clean technologies
• Geosystems and resources
• Healthy ecosystems and environmental monitoring
• Intelligent environments
• Maths, computation, simulation and e-research
• Secure and resilient infrastructure
• Sustainable tropical and subtropical production

Future energy systems and clean technologies

Clean technologies are essential for our energy industries and many other industries, including agriculture, water and wastewater treatment, waste recycling, transport and manufacturing.

Our researchers are exploring how to transform centralised power grids into efficient networked grids using:

• widespread local power generation
• new energy technologies, including solar photovoltaics and biofuels
• energy control and storage systems that support renewable technologies
• equipment monitoring to manage peak demand and reduce network costs.

We're investigating clean technology including generating power and solar fuels from concentrated solar thermal systems, new plasma-generation methods that consume waste products, and effective low-cost water treatment.

Theme Leader: Professor Gerard Ledwich

Geosystems and resources

The geosystems field covers the disciplines of geology and geomorphology and the study of geomaterials, including their provenance, properties, formation and evolution.

Our researchers are developing better methods to identify, evaluate and visualise natural resources, so they can be used more efficiently and sustainably.

One of our major focus areas is groundwater systems. We can model and evaluate subsurface data on the chemistry, quality, connectivity, depth and location of groundwater associated with Queensland’s sedimentary basins to assess how extracting resources affects groundwater use and resupply.

Theme Leader: Professor Peter McCabe

Healthy ecosystems and environmental monitoring

To protect the planet’s ecosystems we need to know how human activity and the climate influence carbon, nutrient and water cycles, and how ecosystems operate at field, landscape and regional scales.

Our researchers monitor soils, waters and atmospheres to assess the impact of climate changes on plants, animals, air, water and ecosystems.

We acquire and analyse environmental data using innovative methods like:

• acoustic and video sensors
• trace gas and particulate analysis at nano-scale
• unmanned aerial vehicles and autonomous robots
• GIS and simulation modelling.

Theme Leader: Professor Peter Grace

Intelligent environments

Intelligent systems and machines are responsive to their environments and learn from experience. Our researchers are studying:

• the application of intelligent systems and machines in many areas, including airports, transport networks and corporations
• the use of networked robots and machines to monitor oceans, coastlines and infrastructure
• vulnerability, coping capacities and adaptation responses of humans and systems
• the convergence of the natural and built environments.

Using virtual models and scenarios and drawing on our knowledge of human responses, we can design intelligent systems that help communities develop sustainable living and working conditions.

Theme Leader: Professor Peter Corke

Maths, computation, simulation and e-research

Many practical problems arising from complex systems, decisions and data sources can be solved through mathematical or computational analysis.

Our researchers are working on solutions to real-world problems involving:

• global changes in demographics and climate
• resource management and environmental impacts
• changes in the service industries (particularly health, finance and information)
• efficient planning and management of the built environment
• capturing, analysing and delivering large data sets.
  

Theme Leaders: Professor Peter Bartlett and Professor Kevin Burrage

Secure and resilient infrastructure

Secure and resilient infrastructure is critical to individual, group and organisational wellbeing.

Our researchers model and analyse physical, social and virtual infrastructure systems to optimise their performance and security.

We study how infrastructure systems respond to disturbances like natural disasters and attacks, and how they can be made more secure and resilient through better design, construction and management.

Systems we're studying include:

• utilities, transport systems and urban communities
• businesses and their processes
• buildings in tropical and subtropical environments
• information and communication networks, including the World Wide Web.

Theme Leader: Professor Colin Boyd

Sustainable tropical and subtropical production

Australia is the only developed country located predominantly in the tropics or sub-tropics.

Our researchers are studying tropical crops including pulses, sugarcane and bananas, and their related pests. We're also studying tropical livestock including fish, crustaceans and other farmed species.

Our current research includes:

• genetically manipulating crops and livestock to improve nutritional value, increase disease resistance and improve stress tolerance
• developing advanced techniques to diagnose and control diseases
• restricting exotic pest entry and managing pests (including tropical fruit flies and invasive weeds)
• developing diverse products from particular crops, boosting the economic sustainability of these industries.

Theme Leader: Distinguished Professor James Dale