Study level

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

Faculty/School

Faculty of Science

School of Information Systems

Topic status

We're looking for students to study this topic.

Research centre

Supervisors

Professor Alistair Barros
Position
Head of School, Information Systems
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Science
Dr Kenan Degirmenci
Position
Lecturer in Information Systems
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Science
Professor Kevin Desouza
Position
Professor of Business, Technology and Strategy
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Business & Law

Overview

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 facilitate the transition and address a key challenge—intermittency—because the major renewable sources for electricity, in particular wind and solar, are subject to the inconsistencies of the weather (Watson et al., 2022). System dynamics is considered a powerful method to provide insights into complex interactions between subsystems and processes in the energy sector, understand the system behaviour, test policies for improvement, and assess impacts over time (Saavedra et al., 2018). Further, agent-based modelling simulates the actions and interactions of autonomous agents (e.g., individuals and organisations) to understand the behaviours of a system at the collective level and what governs its outcomes (Dong, 2022).

In this project, we explore ways to help organisations and governments develop strategies and policies to address challenges of the energy transition using system dynamics and agent-based modelling. The project is situated within QUT's School of Information Systems and School of Management, where you can expect excellent support and mentoring.

References

  • Dong, J. Q. 2022. Using simulation in information systems research. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 23(2), pp. 408-417. https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00743
  • Gholami, R., Watson, R. T., Hasan, H., Molla, A., Bjørn-Andersen, N. 2016. Information systems solutions for environmental sustainability: How can we do more? Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 17(8), pp. 521-536. https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00435
  • IPCC. 2023. AR6 synthesis report: Climate change 2023. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr
  • REN21. 2022. Renewables 2022: Global status report. https://www.ren21.net/gsr-2022
  • Saavedra M., M. R., de O. Fontes, C. H., Freires, F. G. M. 2018. Sustainable and renewable energy supply chain: A system dynamics overview. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 82, pp. 247-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.09.033
  • Watson, R. T., Ketter, W., Recker, J., Seidel, S. 2022. Sustainable energy transition: Intermittency policy based on digital mirror actions. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 23(3), pp. 631-638. https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00752

Research activities

This research involves one or more of the following activities:

  • reviewing the academic literature on the energy transition, system dynamics, and agent-based modelling
  • designing and developing system dynamics and agent-based models in the energy transition context
  • applying existing theories to solve real-world problems
  • communicating the findings in academic and/or professional publications.

Outcomes

The expected outcomes are dependent on the scope of the research and may include the following:

  • structured and systematic literature review
  • conceptual design and prototype development of system dynamics and agent-based models
  • case study analysis on real-world strategy formation and policy making
  • system dynamics and agent-based model simulation to evaluate case examples.

Skills and experience

This research requires one or more of the following skills:

  • fundamental knowledge of information systems
  • high ambition to complete a research project within a given time frame
  • strong interest in developing skills in theoretical, computational, and empirical research
  • strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
  • excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Scholarships

You may be eligible to apply for a research scholarship.

Explore our research scholarships

Keywords

Contact

If you are interested to apply for this research project, email Dr Kenan Degirmenci including your CV, academic transcripts, theses/publications, and your motivational statement for the project.