Student topics

I am seeking research students (either MPhil or PhD) wanting to undertake research into the innovation systems that support society wide technological innovations and subsequent industrial development. For example, Australia, like many countries, is attempting to develop new industries in clean energy. For each of these, the pathway from innovation to a viable, self-sustaining industry is difficult. I am interested in exploring the barriers that prevent successful development of the innovation system in which each technology operates.Battery industries, with industry …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy

Faculty

QUT Business School

Lead unit

School of Management

The research project is two-fold. First, it incorporates quantitative and qualitative data to measure the performance of airlines (mainstream and budget carriers) using a supply-chain performance evaluation model such as Network Data Envelopment Analysis. Second, the project aims to quantify sources of inefficiencies and provide recommendations to policy makers and operations in ways to raise their efficiency levels.

Study level

PhD

Faculty

QUT Business School

Lead unit

School of Economics and Finance

The aim of this project is to engage with families with young children to design technologies that promote physical activity spread across the day. To promote healthy growth and development, children aged 1-5 years should be physically active for at least three hours each day. This may include running, jumping and playful activities. In this project we will explore how parents currently promote an active lifestyle, the technologies that they use, and the obstacles they may face to find the …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours, Vacation research experience scheme

Faculty

Science and Engineering Faculty

Lead unit

School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Every day in Australia, 50,000 people are suffering with a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), 1,000 are in hospital because of DFU, 12 will undergo an amputation and four people will die with DFU. People with a DFU typically require frequent and intensive weekly treatment at a multi-disciplinary diabetic foot clinic to effectively heal their DFU over a period of multiple months, to avoid infection, hospitalisation and amputation. A key challenge to healing DFUs is effectively engaging people in their independent …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Science and Engineering Faculty

Lead unit

School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Many physical processes can be modelled using time and space dependent partial differential equations. The solution of these equations provides researchers/industry with valuable insight into the underlying process and can often be used to explain phenomena that has been observed experimentally. However, due to the complexity of these processes and the irregular geometries on which they apply, exact analytical solutions to the governing equations are almost always not accessible. In such cases, numerical solution methods must be called upon to …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Science and Engineering Faculty

Lead unit

School of Mathematical Sciences

Lipids are among the most structurally diverse of all the biomolecules and thus deciphering their many functions requires bio-analytical technologies capable of uniquely identifying and quantifying individual molecules in a milieu of many thousands of analogues. Mass spectrometry is the pre-eminent technique for contemporary lipid analysis but is challenged by the preference of certain lipids to ionise with a polarity that affords sensitive detection but does not permit detailed structure elucidation. This project will develop advanced instrumentation capable of on-demand …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours, Vacation research experience scheme

Faculty

Science and Engineering Faculty

Lead unit

School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering

The gas-phase chemical reactions of organic peroxyl radicals control the combustion efficiency of engines and influence the chemical and physical composition of the Earth’s atmosphere. Despite their central importance, these reaction intermediates have proven elusive; with limited experimental observations of the radicals themselves and the complex reaction networks governing their formation and fate. This study will deploy two advanced mass spectrometric methods to isolate and interrogate the chemical and photochemical reactions of peroxyl radicals in the gas phase. Direct measurement …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours, Vacation research experience scheme

Faculty

Science and Engineering Faculty

Lead unit

School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering

Worldwide transportation fuel production is currently circa 100 million barrels per day with the vast majority from fossil fuel sources. Pyrolysis and liquefaction are potential promising thermochemical technologies for producing renewable fuels and chemicals from biomass, however, the resultant biocrude/bio-oil has many complex properties inherited from the characteristics of the original feedstock, which make it a generally low-grade fuel alternative. Upgrading of the bio-oils are necessary to produce higher quality products and challenges exist to cost-effectively achieve this target. There …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Science and Engineering Faculty

Lead unit

School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this research is to explore the roles played by uncertainty and investor sentiment in explaining financial market anomalies documented in the existing literature. The financial market anomalies of interest include, but are not limited to, the size effect, the value effect, the momentum effect, asset-related anomalies, investment-related anomalies, etc. 

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

QUT Business School

Lead unit

School of Economics and Finance

In Oct 2013 WHO and their International Agency for Research on Cancer classified particulate matter and outdoor atmospheric pollution as carcinogenic to humans. The main contributor to high atmospheric pollution episodes in urban environments are secondary organic aerosols (SOA), or photochemical smog, generated in the atmosphere through oxidation of reactive volatile gasses, primarily coming from traffic.Estimates point out that diesel vehicles are responsible for 65% to 90% of the secondary pollution formed from vehicle emissions. The origin of 75% of …

Study level

PhD, Honours

Faculty

Science and Engineering Faculty

Lead unit

School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering

Elder abuse is topical with the recent Australian Law Reform Commission Inquiry and Final Report into the growing incidents of elder abuse both in Australia, and internationally.Compounding the rise in incidents is the rate of ageing - we are living longer but are often unable to continue to manage our finances, and vulnerable to financial abuse.This project seeks to explore the incidents of elder financial abuse in Australia, with a focus on the ability to access 'justice'. The research will …

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Queensland University of Technology

Lead unit

Australian Centre for Health Law Research

Computer vision has developed to a point where machines using artificial intelligence are better and faster than humans at performing many vision-related tasks.For example, we are now often processed through customs based solely on face recognition software. Add to this the fact that the average Australian is photographed on CCTV cameras around 75 times per day.Commercial applications of face recognition technology include Microsoft's Face Application Programming Interface that can be used to classify face images based on gender, age and …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy

Faculty

Faculty of Law

Lead unit

Commercial and Property Law Research Centre