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 31 matching student topics
Displaying 13–24 of 31 results
Critical evaluation of Star Formation Rate estimators in galaxies
This project aims to assess the reliability, accuracy, and limitations of various Star Formation Rate (SFR) estimators used in extragalactic astronomy. By leveraging multi-wavelength data from the ZFOURGE survey, the project will explore how well SFR indicators derived from UV, optical (Hα), infrared (IR), and radio observations compare to SED-fitted SFRs from CIGALE. The project will focus on understanding discrepancies, particularly in dusty star-forming galaxies and AGN hosts, and provide recommendations for improving SFR estimates in future research.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
Australia's urban and regional atmosphere: investigating influences on air quality
Global concern about urban air quality has been steadily increasing in recent years. However, most studies on the factors influencing air quality have focused on heavily polluted regions or locations in the Northern Hemisphere, where weather patterns, industrial activity, and vegetation differ significantly from those in Australia.Historically, urban areas in Australia have enjoyed relatively good air quality. Yet, rising population density, deforestation, and land use changes are placing increasing pressure on this status. Furthermore, the natural emissions from Australian vegetation …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Assessing visual acuity errors in pre-school children (CVER01)
Measuring visual acuity is in preschool children is challenging. In particular, young children will be prone to making mistakes in identifying symbols on eye charts, even when they can see what those symbols are, so called “false negative responses”.This project uses an established vision assessment protocol, EVA testing, and assesses the extent of false negative responses in this task. The protocol assesses the effects of an intervention, pointing to the target on a card, which may decrease false negative responses. …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Health
- School
- School of Clinical Sciences
- Research centre(s)
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Centre for Vision and Eye Research
Identification of novel melanoma biomarkers using exosomes
Tumour cells excrete exosomes, membrane vesicles (30-150 nm diameter) that encapsulate and transport proteins, metabolites and genetic material. They mediate intercellular communication within the tumor microenvironment, metastasis formation via circulation, and development of drug resistance. Circulating tumor-derived exosomes can be isolated from blood patients as a non-invasive liquid biopsy.The chemical composition and overall properties of the exosomal membranes are expected to be similar to those of parent cell membranes and to modulate blood circulation time, and uptake and targeting of …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Health
- School
- School of Biomedical Sciences
Motivation to exercise: how does a virtual cycling stimulus influence performance on a stationary bicycle?
This research project will use Zwift exercise bikes at the QUT Gardens Point Campus to investigate how different sources of visual information influence physiological (e.g., RPE, HR) and psychological variables (e.g., engagement, enjoyment, motivation, immersion). The visual information will be presented on a large screen in front of the rider. The rider will view themselves on a virtual cycling course where inclines and declines will be mapped to the resistance the rider experiences through the pedal cranks. There is a …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Health
- School
- School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
Promoting incidental physical activity and social interactions in public space
The World Health Organisation recently raised the alarm on the critical importance of physical activity and social interactions for mental and physical health, highlighting the need for active environments that support people to engage in healthy activities. In order to address the high-rates of physical inactivity and social isolation, we need additional research evidence to design high-quality public spaces that promote health and wellbeing for all ages. This study lies at the intersection of built environment, human behaviour, and health …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Architecture and Built Environment
Maxwell's Demon revisited: Molecular simulations as a statistical physics learning tool
In his 1871 'Theory of Heat', James Clerk Maxwell introduced a fictitious being who can violate the second law of thermodynamics by following the trajectory of every molecule within a gas.The being, later dubbed 'Maxwell's Demon' by Lord Kelvin, would operate a small trapdoor in a partitioned container to allow hotter and colder molecules of the gas to pass to opposite sides of the container. The Demon would be able to raise the temperature of the gas in one half …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
Time-series analysis of 2D diffraction patterns for Synchrotron rock physics
The interaction between deformation, fluid flow, chemical reactions, and heat flow in rocks constitutes a research frontier in the Earth Sciences. In addition to fundamental academic interest in this subject, there are many applied industrial problems, which require a sound understanding of this coupling. Examples include: the long-term sequestration of carbon dioxide in rocks, the energy-efficient processing of future-mineral resources, the design of unconventional geothermal-energy operations, and the prediction of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.The advisory team pioneered new methods for …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Data Science
Natural disaster (landslide, earthquake) mitigation using remote sensing, geophysics, and site monitoring
Extreme weather events can exacerbate slope and dam stability issues. Risk mitigation, stabilisation works, and engineered solutions to slope or dam failure require detailed site and subsurface characterisation – generally undertaken after a failure, but often resulting in unacceptable delays to remediation, impacting communities, transport, and water resources.This project will develop pre-emptive risk mitigation measures for at-risk sites, utilising remote sensing, geophysical, and monitoring approaches.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Advanced materials for supercapacitors
Energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors, play an increasingly important role in our daily life as a reliable energy supplier. Supercapacitors are a type of energy storage system that possess merits of rapid energy storage and release (high power density) with a cycling lifetime of ten thousand or more. Nevertheless the energy density of conventional electrochemical capacitor is quite low.This project aims to enhance the energy density of supercapacitor by designing and synthesising nanostructured materials using transition metals.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Centre for Clean Energy Technologies and Practices
Advanced materials for perovskite solar cells
Solar cells using metal halides perovskite materials to absorb light is one of the most important scientific discoveries. These cells have the potential to provide cost-effective solar electricity in the future. In the last decades, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) demonstrated unprecedented progress towards this goal. This technology holds the world record for energy conversion efficiency and is comparable to commercial crystalline silicon, but at a much lower cost.Currently their instability and use of toxic lead are key issues that restrict …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Centre for Clean Energy Technologies and Practices
Metal polymer batteries and supercapacitors for renewable energy storage
Australia boasts rich wind and solar energy resources. To avoid fluctuations placing severe burden on the power grids, a reliable and efficient battery storage is required.The present technology based on lithium-ion batteries suffers from high manufacturing costs, poor safety and short life-span. Metal-polymer batteries are expected to overcome the storage and the charging speed of the traditional batteries in the near future, opening new avenues for renewable energy resources …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Centre for Clean Energy Technologies and Practices
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