Research projects
Building an Indigenist Health Humanities Collective
Project contact: Professor Chelsea WategoThe research project seeks to build an intellectual collective that addresses the knowledge gap in Indigenous health inequality by centering Indigenous ways of knowing and being. The initiative promotes a sustainable, relational, and ethical approach to research, career development, and health outcomes for Indigenous peoples.
- Period: 2021-current
- Funding amount: $1.9M
- Funding source: ARC
UMe Torres Model of Care
Project contact: James TabuaiThis research project, the UMe Project, in partnership with CATSINaM and the Torres Strait Nurses Indigenous Corporation, tells the story of the Torres Model of Care through collective storytelling led by Zenadth Kes health practitioners. The project centres Indigenous people as sovereign knowledge holders, authoring their own stories to build the evidence base for the TMoC.
- Period: 2023-current
- Funding amount: $200,000
- Funding source: Lowitja Institute
NHMRC Medical Research Futures Fund Indigenous Health Grant
Project contact: Lee PokinoThis research project aims to eliminate racial discrimination and institutional racism experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Services (CHQ). The initiative focuses on staff training and development, grounded in critical race theory and the structural impacts of race, with Indigenous-led oversight to ensure cultural integrity.
- Period: 2024-current
- Funding amount: $994,963.50
- Funding source: NHMRC
Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (DECRA)
A DECRA is a prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) fellowship that supports early career researchers to build their research careers. In 2025, Dr Amy McQuire and Dr Raylene Nixon were each awarded an ARC DECRA, representing two of only five successful QUT applications.
Interrogating Institutional responses to Black Deaths in Custody in Queensland
Project contact: Dr Raylene NixonThe project examines how state institutions manage and respond to Aboriginal deaths in custody, with a specific focus on the experiences of families navigating coronial inquests.
- Period: 2026-current
- Funding amount: $519,833
- Funding source: ARC DECRA
Building Black Justice Journalism
Project contact: Dr Amy McQuireThe project is focused on building an ethical framework for Indigenous media, foregrounding Black Witnesses, and fighting for justice for First Nations people.
- Period: 2026-current
- Funding amount: $522,333
- Funding source: ARC DECRA
Further initiatives
O'Neill-Lancet Commission on Racism, Structural Discrimination and Global Health
The commission is founded on the recognition that racism, rather than race, creates and maintains unjust and avoidable health inequities in countries around the world. The commission will identify and promote the implementation of anti-racist actions and strategies by states, civil society actors, and global health institutions, in order to reduce structural discrimination through targeted research and collaborations that will foster policy dialogue within and across sectors that impact health and wellbeing. Professor Chelsea Watego is a commissioner at O'Neill-Lancet Commission on Racism, Structural Discrimination and Global Health.
Partnership for Justice in Health
This discussion paper was first prepared as a scoping paper designed to assist the Partnership for Justice in Health (P4JH) consider what is offered by existing scholarship about race and racism in the health system, and in particular, to identify a research approach to support the Australian Government's National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan's (NATSIHP) vision of 'a health system free of racism' (2013).
International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies (IJCIS)
The International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies (IJCIS) is a QUT-hosted, peer-reviewed journal showcasing critical scholarship on Indigenous issues globally. Published from 2008 to 2022, it remains an accessible archive of research exploring Indigenous knowledge, communities, and perspectives, with all articles freely available under an open-access licence.
Indigenous Australian research
Indigenous Australian research at QUT is driven by a commitment to excellence, innovation, and meaningful partnerships with communities.
Guided by our Indigenous Research Strategy, we support Indigenous-led and co-designed research, invest in emerging researchers, and strengthen capability to deliver impactful outcomes across disciplines.
Artwork: 'the point of the spear', courtesy of artist Judy Watson and Milani Gallery, Meanjin/Brisbane.
Get in touch
Send any enquiries to carumbaInstitute@qut.edu.au and your request will be distributed to the relevant officer for actioning and response.