Student topics

In this research project, you will develop a mathematical model, known as an agent-based model, to capture the development of a brain cancer in a patient. The model will then be matched to clinical samples from patients and used to make predictions around treatment efficacy.

Study level

Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Mathematical Sciences

Research centre(s)

Centre for Data Science

This research project centers around the validation of a newly developed psychometric instrument designed to measure 'courage in followers' - a timely and underexplored construct in leadership research. The project offers a unique opportunity for a student to work directly on a publishable paper intended for submission to a top-tier leadership journal. This project will suit students interested in organisational behaviour, leadership, and the quantitative side of psychological research.You will be provided with a $2000 stipend to cover the duration …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Law

School

School of Management

Language is essential for human communication.  However, there is still a lack of clarity about how the brain attains language. This knowledge is critical for understanding both healthy and disordered language production and comprehension (aphasia). Hence, there is a need for further exploration using psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic (neuroimaging, electrophysiology and brain stimulation) techniques.

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Psychology and Counselling

As a prime advocate for plain packaging of tobacco products, Professor Matthew Rimmer is engaged in research and public policy work on tobacco control. He is interested in supervising research students working within the field of tobacco control - including in respect of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; trade and investment disputes over tobacco control; the plain packaging of tobacco products; restrictions on tobacco advertising, sponsorship, and promotions; generational limitations on smoking; spatial restrictions on smoking; and civil …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Law

School

School of Law

Research centre(s)

Australian Centre for Health Law Research

Dementia exhibits the presence of Lewy bodies in the cerebral cortex, which are composed of α-synuclein (αSYN) or Amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, as well as hyperphosphorylated tau (P-tau) tangles in various forms of dementia. The exact pathological mechanisms underlying this disease are not well understood; however, there is evidence suggesting the involvement of inflammatory activity. Microglia, macrophage cells residing in the brain responsible for clearing external pathogens and dead cells, are of particular interest.Our study aims to investigate whether Lewy bodies …

Study level

Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Biomedical Sciences

Research centre(s)

Centre for Microbiome Research

Cancer is the single biggest clinical problem facing the world and will account for half of all global deaths by 2030. Even though there have been significant advances in immunotherapy, we are still unable to cure most cancers. New therapeutic targets, individualised to patient needs, must be identified and validated in order to improve cancer outcomes.Brain cancer causes more deaths in people under the age of 40 than any other cancer and more deaths in children than any other disease. …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Biomedical Sciences

Research centre(s)

Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health

Philanthropy is a concept with many definitions, but at its core it is about private assets being given for public use and benefit. Philanthropic foundations are structures or organisations for giving. Legally speaking, foundations are trust funds, established by a deed specifying the trustee and beneficiaries (however broadly defined). The term foundation is commonly used to refer to an organisation that exists for public benefit purposes, is registered as a charity, and has its own funds often in the form …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Law

School

School of Accountancy

Philanthropy (defined here as structured giving through organisations such as foundations) is growing strongly and expected to benefit significantly from the intergenerational transfer of wealth in the coming decades. The accountability of philanthropy is a vital discussion, as criticism grows internationally of the lack of transparency, particularly for wealthy philanthropists who use their retained influence over donated and taxpayer-subsided funds to pursue their individual interests and influence public policy. There are current calls for a national blueprint or strategy for …

Study level

Master of Philosophy

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Law

School

School of Accountancy

Research centre(s)

Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies

Machine learning cluster methods are common classification methods, but methods for assessing performance are limited as are methods for explaining how they work.  Exploring methods for both assessing and explaining performance are the subject of this research with application to real-world contexts with the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Mathematical Sciences

Research centre(s)

Centre for Data Science

Outliers are anomalous observations in a data set that are "outside the norm" of what would be expected. Identifying outliers is an important part of exploratory data analysis and data analysis in general. It is often a challenging problem and calls for advanced methods and approaches, including machine learning-based tools. As methods become more and more complex, their explainability becomes more difficult and more important. This research project will look at all aspects of explainability and explore new approaches and …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Science

School

School of Mathematical Sciences

Research centre(s)

Centre for Data Science

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

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools such as chatbots and AI companions are increasingly positioned as accessible forms of mental health support. However, user engagement with these services depends heavily on trust, particularly in contexts characterised by vulnerability, stigma, and emotional risk. Trust in mental healthcare differs from trust in other service settings, raising important questions for marketing and service researchers.This project investigates how trust is formed and evaluated in GenAI‑supported mental health services from a consumer and service marketing perspective. …

Study level

Master of Philosophy

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Law

School

School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations