Student topics

Bacteriophage therapy is an attractive innovative treatment for infections caused by extensively drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, for which there are few effective antibiotic treatments remaining.Capsular polysaccharide (CPS) is a primary receptor for lytic bacteriophage, thus knowledge of the chemical structures of CPS produced by the species underpins the identification of suitable phage for therapeutic cocktails.As many phage depolymerases cleave a specific CPS linkage formed by either a glycosyltransferase or polymerase enzyme, characterisation of these proteins are essential.However, these remain largely …

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Biomedical Sciences

Research centre(s)

Centre for Immunology and Infection Control

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cause of death from cancer in women, with a five-year survival rate of less than 45 per cent. However, there is emerging research that shows the benefits of exercise therapy during recovery following certain cancer treatments, and how exercise can improve and extend the lives of women with ovarian cancer.This project is a collaboration exploring these health and survival outcomes in ovarian and other gynaecological cancers, and in particular how new diagnostic testing …

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Biomedical Sciences

Dementia is the greatest cause of disability in Australians over the age of 65 years. In the absence of a significant medical breakthrough, more than $6.4 million Australians will be diagnosed with dementia in the next 40 years. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease (AD), accounting for 60-80% of cases. The pathogenic process of AD begins decades prior to the clinical onset, so it is likely that treatments need to begin early in the disease process to …

Study level

Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Biomedical Sciences

Bacterial sepsis is second only to ABO incompatibility as a cause of death from transfusion. Bacterial contamination of platelets is recognised as the most significant residual infectious risk of transfusion in developed countries. Bacterial Contamination Screening (BCS) has been required for testing of pooled and apheresis platelets manufactured by the Blood Service since April 2008. International microbiological culture studies suggest that the incidence of bacterial contamination ranges from 1:3000 to 1:1000 units of apheresis platelets and 1 in 600 to …

Study level

Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Biomedical Sciences

This project aims to determine the relationship of childhood social-emotional competencies (particularly those developed by school-based social-emotional learning programs) with adolescent health, education, and justice outcomes. The project uses data from the NSW Child Development Study, a longitudinal study following the development of 91,597 children in NSW from birth.

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Psychology and Counselling

Chronic wet cough is among the commonest symptoms of chronic lung disease. In Australia, the most common cause of childhood chronic wet cough is protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB), a clinical entity we first described. It has now been shown to be a precursor to bronchiectasis, which causes substantial morbidity and mortality, especially from acute respiratory exacerbations. Lung inflammation in children with persistent chronic wet cough is an important driver of ongoing and progressive tissue damage, leading to bronchiectasis, highlighting the …

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Public Health and Social Work

Research centre(s)

Centre for Healthcare Transformation
Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation

Supercapacitor is a promising energy storage device with advantages of high power density, fast charging/discharging rate and long cycling life. However, the energy density of supercapacitor is relatively low as compared to that of other devices such as lithium-ion battery. To improve the energy density, new electrode materials including graphene and metal oxides have been explored for supercapacitor electrodes.Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures recently offered a compelling solution to enhance the performance of supercapacitors by combining more than one components into a …

Study level

PhD

School

School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering

Our built environment changes our brain function. There is considerable interest from many research fields upon the positive and negative health and wellbeing effects of our environments. This research area explores how architectural environments and spaces impact experience and mood using wearable brain-imaging technology.

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy

School

School of Architecture and Built Environment

Deep learning is a mainstream to increase the capability of industry systems, particularly for those with massive data input and output. It is seen that many tools are now claimed to be freely available and could facilitate such process of development and deployment significantly with scalability and quality.However, limited attention has been on developing reproducible and productive workflows to identify the tools and their values towards large-scale industry systems. In this project, we will explore how to design such a …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Computer Science

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

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Biology and Environmental Science

A post-antibiotic era—in which common infections and minor injuries can kill—far from being an apocalyptic fantasy, is instead a very real possibility for the 21st century.’ - WHO, 2014 (1). Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health priority. If no action is taken, AMR is predicted to kill more people than cancer and diabetes combined by 2050, with 10 million deaths estimated each year and a global cost of up to 100 trillion USD. New therapies to tackle multidrug …

Study level

Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Biomedical Sciences

Radiation exposure can be damaging, but at the right dose it can also have health benefits. An example, while ultraviolet (UV) light can cause skin damage and melanoma, it is also necessary for Vitamin D production. The key is knowing what dose we are receiving and when we have had too much. In this collaborative project with the School of Design, we are developing new wearable sun sensors that are sensitive to UV radiation, but also fashionable and desirable to …

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Chemistry and Physics

Research centre(s)

Centre for Materials Science