QUT offers a diverse range of student topics for Honours, Masters and PhD study. Search to find a topic that interests you or propose your own research topic to a prospective QUT supervisor. You may also ask a prospective supervisor to help you identify or refine a research topic.
Found 238 matching student topics
Displaying 25–36 of 238 results
Glassy 2D molecular materials
Modern semiconductor technologies are based on crystalline materials with well-defined physical and electronic structures.However, molecular materials, such as organic semiconductors, may present interesting opportunities through disordered structures.The focus of this project will be on conjugated 2D materials without long-range order: molecular glasses. Through control of the chemical composition, atomic bonding motifs, and lateral size, we will be able to modify the properties of these materials.Our focus will be on synthesising and studying these new materials to better understand the relationship …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Avatar customisation for diversity training in virtual reality
Avatar representation is found to be crucial for user engagement in various types of applications and user identifications with avatars. This project aims to design and develop an environment where users can customize their avatars by looking at a virtual mirror. In this project, where users will be trained in diversity awareness, it is crucial for them to feel like the character who is in the scenario. The outcome of the project will be used in experiments to test the …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Computer Science
Mathematical and statistical methods for change point detection in precision fermentation
Precision fermentation uses microorganisms such as yeast to produce valuable biological products for food, biotechnology and synthetic biology. A major challenge is that microbial growth and production can change when cells switch between different metabolic regimes. These changes may occur because of nutrient depletion, stress responses, dilution conditions, or shifts in how cells allocate resources between growth and product formation.This PhD project will develop new mathematical and statistical methods for detecting these metabolic change points from experimental data. The project …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Mathematical Sciences
Detecting metabolic regime switching using dilution-resolved growth data: mathematical modelling, statistical inference and uncertainty quantification
Microbial populations rarely grow according to a single fixed physiological program. As nutrients are consumed, waste products accumulate and environmental stress changes, cells can transition between distinct metabolic regimes associated with growth, maintenance, fermentation, respiration and survival. These transitions are biologically important and industrially relevant, but they are often difficult to detect directly from standard growth curve summaries such as maximum growth rate, lag time, carrying capacity or area under the curve.This project will develop new mathematical and statistical methods …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Mathematical Sciences
Volcanic stratigraphy of mineralised Precambrian terranes
This research examines the geological evolution of mineralised terranes, with a particular focus on the stratigraphic, volcanic, and tectonic controls on mineralisation. By reconstructing the geological history of mineral systems, I seek to improve exploration models.These projects are done in collaboration with industry partners and supported through industry-sponsored projects, providing opportunities to address both fundamental scientific questions and applied exploration challenges.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Energy transitions in the food sector: how AI shapes consumer behaviour over time
Energy transitions are often studied in sectors such as transport (e.g. electric vehicles) and housing (e.g. solar panels, batteries), where decisions are relatively infrequent, highly deliberative, and associated with clear long-term payoffs. In contrast, food consumption represents a fundamentally different energy-relevant sector: decisions are made daily or even multiple times per day, involve low deliberation, and prioritise immediate outcomes such as convenience, cost, and taste (Reisch, 2021). These characteristics make food systems particularly susceptible to short-term decision-making, where long-term energy …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Future Enterprise
Energy Transition Centre
Acceptance and adoption of ambient assistive technologies
Vision-based technologies offer new possibilities to assist individuals with cognitive disabilities to live independently. Ambient assistive technologies, such as smart mirrors and social robots, enable new ways to interact at home with AI technologies that can see.How can we ensure the social acceptance and support the adoption of ambient assistive technologies?Technologies that support independent living are about much more than fulfilling a particular task. They alter how people perceive themselves and how they engage with others. Students in this project …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Computer Science
Respectful ambient interactions with vision-based assistive technology
Vision-based technologies offer new possibilities to assist individuals with cognitive disabilities to live independently. Ambient assistive technologies, such as smart mirrors and social robots, enable new ways to interact at home with AI technologies that can see.How can we design respectful ambient interactions that balance assistance and privacy?Students in this project will develop a method and theory of interactive intent for people with cognitive disabilities. The theory will be established through an exploration of the new types of interactions made …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Computer Science
Co-designing ambient assistive technologies
Vision-based technologies offer new possibilities to assist individuals with cognitive disabilities to live independently. Ambient assistive technologies, such as smart mirrors and social robots, enable new ways to interact at home with AI technologies that can see.How can we engage people of all abilities in co-designing ambient assistive technologies?Participation in design is often defined on a spectrum where stakeholders can be categorised as simple informants (surveyed at the start of a project), evaluators (involved in trial iterations of a design), …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Computer Science
Exploring the accessibility needs of visually impaired peer workers in digital employment support platforms
This project will explore how blind and visually impaired (VI) peer workers use digital platforms in their day to day practice, with the aim of identifying or co-designing a platform that is accessible, JAWS compatible and aligned with the requirements of industry partner Chapter1’s peer-led employment services.
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Computer Science
Supporting Boundary Management in Young People’s AI Companion Interactions
We invite applications for a PhD position within an interdisciplinary research team examining how young people engage with AI companion chatbots (e.g., Character.AI, Replika) and how they manage risks and boundaries in these interactions.AI companions have grown in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic and are increasingly used by young people seeking connection. This trend raises important concerns, including exposure to harassment, misinformation, and self-harm, as well as the potential impact on human relationships when reliance on AI companions becomes significant.This …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Computer Science
Physics informed machine learning for energy forecasting
Accurate forecasting is at the heart of many modern industries from energy and transport to retail, supply chains, finance, climate, and health. This research project explores deep learning approaches for time-series forecasting, investigating how modern architectures such as recurrent neural networks, LSTMs, Temporal Convolutional Networks, transformers, and multimodal foundation models can shape the next generation of forecasting systems.The overarching goal is to develop robust, interpretable, and scalable forecasting models that outperform classical methods and work effectively in real-world settings, including …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Mathematical Sciences
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Data Science
Energy Transition Centre
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