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 41 matching student topics
Displaying 13–24 of 41 results
Voluntary assisted dying, medical practitioners and conscientious objection
Should legislation permitting Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) provide medical practitioners with a right to conscientiously object to VAD and, if so, what should the scope of that right be?Should it include a right not to give a person asking about VAD any information about it? In Victoria the legislation provides an unrestricted right to conscientiously object whereas in Western Australia the right to object is qualified by a requirement to give the patient information about VAD. Which position is most …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
- Research centre(s)
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Australian Centre for Health Law Research
Testing AI-generated judicial personas
This project explores the growing use of artificial intelligence in the legal profession to create “personas” of judges. These systems are trained on past decisions, legal reasoning, and perceived judicial attitudes to simulate how a judge might respond to a case. Lawyers can then use these simulated responses to test arguments and refine litigation strategy.The project examines how these tools work in practice, what assumptions they rely on, and how accurate or useful they truly are. It also considers broader …
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
Medical litigation, medical law and compensation for medical negligence
Tina Cockburn is interested in supervising PhD students in the area of patient safety law — focusing on medical litigation and compensation for medical negligence, communication of information to patients (including consent and post treatment open disclosure), regulation of health care professionals and the regulation of innovative medical treatment and new technologies.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
- Research centre(s)
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Australian Centre for Health Law Research
Greenwashing
This project is exploring the regulation of greenwashing in Australia, and elsewhere. It is investigating the environmental, sustainability and climate claims made by companies in a variety of industries including energy, vehicles, household products and appliances, food and drink packaging, cosmetics, clothing and footwear. It is exploring the impact of misleading environmental and sustainability claims on consumers. It is compiling a database of disputes and controversies over greenwashing. This project is analysing various modes of regulation of greenwashing. It highlights …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
- Research centre(s)
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Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology
Data Management and Privacy Law for Transnational Corporate Entities
Dr Lucy Cradduck is looking for PhD/MPhil candidates wishing to examine cross-jurisdictional data management and privacy concerns for transnational corporations, particularly comparing EU, South East Asian nations and Australia. Candidates with an interest in approaching the topic through empirical approaches involving interviews and stakeholder engagement are particularly encouraged. This topic is led by the QUT School of Law within the Datafication and Automation of Human Life research group.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
Corporate Law, Innovation and the Rise of Fintech
Dr Anne Matthew is interested in talking to students wishing to undertake research in the areas of corporate law and access to finance. This research will focus on the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship in access to finance, including for example the rise and early experiences of innovators, investors and/or fundraisers with fintech platforms. Projects may take comparative, theoretical and/or empirical approaches. This topic is led by the QUT School of Law within the Consumer Policy and Regulation research group. …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
Corporate Law, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Dr Anne Matthew is interested in talking to students wishing to undertake research in the areas of corporate law and innovation. This research will focus on the flexibility and agility of corporate law to respond to change in the business environment, and its capacity to support innovation and entrepreneurship. Projects may include a focus on the constraints of the corporate form, access to finance, and/or abuse of limited liability. Projects are likely to involve a comparative approach. This topic is …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
VRES: The High Court and the legal treatment of blockchain in the Block Earner case
This project examines the High Court of Australia’s decision in ASIC v Web3 Ventures Pty Ltd (Block Earner)—one of the first times the High Court has directly engaged with blockchain-based financial products. In June 2026, the Court unanimously held that Block Earner’s fixed-yield crypto product was a financial product requiring a licence, confirming that existing financial services laws apply to digital assets.This decision raises important questions about how the law understands blockchain technology. The Court emphasised that financial regulation is …
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
The Challenge of Neural Interfaces to Law
Dr Scott Kiel-Chisholm is looking for PhD/MPhil candidates considering the legal dimensions from the development and adoption of neural interfaces. We are interested in looking for candidates looking at civil and criminal implications, comparative legal analysis and the legal and quasi-legal implications of neural interfaces for supra-legal institutions like the WTO and the EU. This topic is led by the QUT School of Law within the Datafication and Automation of Human Life research group.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
Sentience and the law (plants and animals)
For centuries the law has operated under the assumption that plants and animals are inert and material objects without the ability to meaningfully determine their future or engage with other living or material things. Plants constantly communicate with each other through fungal (mycorrhizal) networks in the soil and have up to 20 senses as opposed to the five that human beings have. New ways of thinking about plants and animals raise important and deep possibilities for law reform. The supervisors …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
Legal Approaches to Conservation Conflicts and Land-Use Conflicts
Conservation and land-use conflicts arise when people have different needs and interests concerning a protected area or land space. The management of these types of conflicts often has to broach disciplinary divides to ensure that appropriate consideration is given to the many complex and diverse issues that surround them, such as social justice, food production, biodiversity, the history of a place, and the attitudes and values of local stakeholders. The Law School invites students to express an interest in research …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
Feminist Approaches to Environmental Governance
Feminist approaches to environmental guidance consider a whole-of-systems approach and acknowledge that the domination of the environment and oppression of women and other groups in society are interlinked. Dr Katie Woolaston and Dr Rowena Maguire are interested in talking to students who are considering using feminist or alternative theories to analyse environmental governance. Particular areas of interest include wildlife and conservation, methods of collaboration, waste management, and the circular economy.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
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