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 542 matching student topics
Displaying 97–108 of 542 results
From feedback loops to actionable insights: system dynamics modelling for sustainable energy systems
Energy systems are becoming increasingly complex, shaped by fluctuating renewable supply, evolving user behaviour, and dynamic market structures. To navigate this complexity, system dynamics (SD) modelling (Sterman, 2000) offers a powerful lens to understand and influence the behaviour of energy systems over time. By visualising and simulating feedback loops, stock–flow structures, and interdependencies (Fang et al., 2018), SD modelling can help generate actionable insights for designing resilient, adaptive, and user-centred energy solutions.This project explores how SD modelling can support innovation …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
-
Energy Transition Centre
International policy approaches to food sovereignty
This project will be a desktop document review of international policy preferences to food sovereignty.Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to health and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It incorporates the intergenerational transfer of cultural knowledge through food which is fundamental to maintaining identity, connectedness and traditional practices. The concept has traction in Canada, USA, and Aotearoa, but is only starting to gain …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Health
- School
- School of Public Health and Social Work
Leveraging AI-driven cognitive computing for energy systems innovation
The transition toward a more sustainable energy system is generating vast volumes of data from distributed sources such as smart meters, energy sensors, and user-end devices. Energy informatics highlights the crucial role of information systems in optimising both energy supply and demand (Watson et al., 2010). In this project, we explore how cognitive computing systems (CCS), integrating artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive psychology, and neurobiology, can strategically transform energy informatics by creating adaptive, explainable, and human-aligned energy solutions.Leveraging advances in CCS …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
-
Energy Transition Centre
Intergenerational responsibility of the sustainable energy transition: rethinking socio-technical systems through Indigenous knowledge
As the global community works to limit global warming to 1.5°C, accelerating the transition to sustainable energy systems remains a pressing challenge (IPCC, 2023). This transition is not only technical but deeply social, with intergenerational equity emerging as a critical concern. Decisions made today regarding infrastructure, resource use, and system design will have lasting consequences for future generations (UN, 2021). Indigenous knowledge systems, which emphasise long-term stewardship and relational accountability, offer valuable insights into rethinking socio-technical systems for sustainable futures …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
-
Energy Transition Centre
Understanding trust in renewable energy in online communities
The challenge to keep global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels has become even greater due to a continued increase in greenhouse gas emissions (IPCC, 2023). One major challenge is the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy to reduce emissions (Gholami et al., 2016). The share of renewable energy in electricity generation has increased to 28.3%, however, an acceleration of the pace of the transition is required to limit global temperature rise (REN21, 2022).Due to the contingencies and dynamics …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
-
Energy Transition Centre
Habitable water infrastructures
This project explores buildings, public/civic spaces, and landscapes as water infrastructure. Water is integral to human survival; hence, understanding buildings and urban spaces as habitable water infrastructure has the potential to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis, navigate too much water (floods), and too little water (drought), and offer new modes of occupation.With increasing rainfall intensities, floods, rising sea levels, and drought, the pervasive dichotomy between habitable spaces and water infrastructures can no longer hold. The two can't be …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Architecture and Built Environment
Designing infrastructure for AVs in rural and remote Australia: built environment futures
As automated vehicles (AVs) begin to operate beyond controlled industrial environments and into the complex realities of rural and remote public roads, existing infrastructure must evolve to support their safe, reliable, and socially accepted deployment. From road geometry and signage to connectivity, rest stops and ecosystem interfaces, the built environment will play a critical role in enabling AV integration. However, rural infrastructure is often underfunded, poorly maintained, or not designed with automation in mind. Working within the ARC Training Centre …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Future Mobility/CARRSQ
Design Lab
Co-designing community support systems for autonomous vehicles in rural and remote Australia
Automated Vehicles (AVs) hold promise for addressing transport challenges in regional and remote Australia, including workforce shortages, road safety, and supply chain disruptions. However, community acceptance and social licence remain critical hurdles to widespread deployment. Past experiences with new technologies in rural settings have shown that top-down approaches often fail to account for local values, concerns, and lived realities. This project recognises that the successful integration of AVs into public life requires trust, transparency, and tangible community benefit. Working within …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice
- School
- School of Design
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Future Mobility/CARRSQ
Design Lab
Joint PhD QUT/Münster: Digital innovation in battery energy storage systems
Queensland is a global leader in residential solar photovoltaic adoption, yet battery energy storage uptake is comparatively low, constraining the full potential of decentralised battery energy storage systems (BESS). Similarly, in Germany, battery storage adoption remains limited and regionally concentrated, despite strong national policy support and technological advances in battery manufacturing.This project investigates the behavioural and systemic barriers to BESS adoption and explores how digital solutions can influence energy decisions. It forms part of a broader international collaboration between QUT, …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
-
Energy Transition Centre
Novel tricuspid valve design and heart pump
Without proper treatment, patients with tricuspid valve regurgitation are at high risk for developing lethal complications, including heart failure or atrial fibrillation (AFib), and disorder heart's rhythm. Currently, open chest surgery is commonly performed to address tricuspid regurgitation. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an alternative approach involving the design of a transcatheter tricuspid valve. This valve is intended to be inserted through minimally invasive techniques, potentially eliminating the need for open chest surgery.This project aims to validate the …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Biomedical Technologies
Sustainable high performance biocomposites from lignocellulosic biomass for building and automotive applications
Lignocellulosic biomass, such as sugarcane bagasse, is primarily composed of three biopolymers: cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The combination of these components makes lignocellulosic biomass a natural biocomposite material. This PhD project aims to develop innovative biomass processing strategies to convert lignocellulosic biomass into customized biocomposites for building and automotive applications.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
Lignocellulose-derived innovative nanomaterials for enhancing (bio)polymer composites
Lignocellulosic biomass, such as sugarcane bagasse and rice husk, is an abundant and low-cost bioresource for producing nanomaterials such as nanocellulose, lignin nanoparticles, and nanosilica. This PhD project aims to develop cost-effective biomass processing strategies to produce innovative nanomaterials with tunable properties from lignocellulosic biomass, enhancing the performance of (bio)polymer composites in different applications.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
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