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 58 matching student topics
Displaying 49–58 of 58 results
Mathematical modelling of spatial plant patterns in a sub-Antarctic island
Various spatial patterns naturally emerge in ecology. These include stripes, spots, hexagons, and donuts, to name just a few. However, it can be puzzling to figure out how these patterns form.Systems of partial differential equation models can be used to simulate these patterns, and thereby provide ecologists with testable hypotheses for how these patterns formed.
- Study level
- Honours, Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Mathematical Sciences
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Data Science
Centre for the Environment
Finite element modelling of 3D auxetic structures
Protection of structures has become a priority for saving lives and preventing structural collapses caused by increased natural or man-made disasters. Most injuries and mortalities in these disasters are caused due to fragmentation of structures, and therefore, structural protection through systems that can absorb more energy and effectively contain the fragments (debris) are needed. Additive manufacturing (such as 3D printing) can be used to develop special geometries called auxetic geometries and composites using sustainable bioplastics which can absorb shock energy …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy, Honours, Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Developing bacterial cell rupture model on a nanotextured surface using finite element computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique.
Nanoscale roughness on the materials as that of the cicada and dragonfly wings exhibited strongly antimicrobial properties that repel and/or kill bacteria. The nano-texture is usually produced by applying wet-chemical etching, electrochemical etching, and hydrothermal processes. Nano-textured Al 5005 and Al 6063 were tested against gram-negative Escherichia coli (E coli) bacterial cell, and observed bactericidal. In order to understand the killing mechanism and the optimum geometry of the nanotexture, computational study is often time saving and more viable than the …
- Study level
- Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Biomedical Technologies
Modeling roost selection by flying foxes in Moreton Baty region
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Accountancy
Increased heat transfer and reduced scaling of evaporator tubes through computational fluid dynamics modelling
Multi effect evaporators are a key component of industrial processing. In the sugar cane industry they provide high energy efficiency and good control resulting in good quality product.However the evaporation of water from the sugar juice results in scaling of the internal surface of the tubes, with decreasing heat transfer over a few weeks reducing throughput. A 10 hour stop is then required to clean the evaporators with chemicals.A method of increasing heat transfer and reducing the scaling rate would …
- Study level
- Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
Coarse-grained molecular dynamics modelling in expansive soil
Expansive soil/active soil has wide applications in geotechnical engineering and other engineering disciplines due to its desirable special properties - for example, low permeability and swelling pressure under saturated condition. But these materials are highly susceptible to experiencing huge volume change and even damage due to moisture content reduction. However, the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon is still not clear for geotechnical engineers. Therefore, there is no optimum solution available to solve the problem.In this project, a special modelling approach …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Conservation is a noisy business: modelling the effects of stochasticity on wildlife management decisions
To conserve species in disturbed natural environments, we need to use mathematical models to predict the consequences of different interventions. Unfortunately, these models are based on partial information of complex systems, and the systems themselves are subject to substantial observational and process noise.We often use ordinary differential equations to describe ecosystems, like the classic logistic growth model:dn/dt = r n (1 - n / k)However, these models are deterministic, and they assume we know the values of the key parameters …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy, Honours, Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Mathematical Sciences
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Data Science
Centre for the Environment
Springbrook groundwater monitoring and modelling
In partnership with the City of Gold Coast, QUT has set up water monitoring networks in the Gold Coast Hinterland to improve assessment of water and ecological resources. You will have an opportunity to carry out research that leads to improved environmental management.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours, Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Biology and Environmental Science
Discrete-event-simulation modelling in Simpy with animation
Discrete-event-simulation (DES) is a dynamic modelling technique commonly applied in areas of mining, manufacturing, services sector, transport, logistics, supply-chains and healthcare, to name a few. It provides a computerised representation of a real or proposed system which can be analysed, tested and optimised through what-if analysis. Simpy is a freely available Python package which is superior to many expensive commercially available DES software packages in terms of its flexibility to model very complex systems, and to integrate seamlessly with a …
- Study level
- Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Mathematical Sciences
Synergic identification of prestress force, moving force and interfacial force for corroborative substructural modelling
We are looking for an appropriate PhD candidate working for a recently awarded ARC Discovery Project. The PhD candidate will work on the further improvement of the previously developed Synergic identification of prestress force [1] and moving force applying to continuous supported prestressed concrete bridges using regularisation techniques [2-7] and corroborative substructural modelling.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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