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 8 matching student topics
Displaying 1–8 of 8 results
Smart sensing for nutrients in our waterways: low-cost continuous monitoring for pollution tracking and real-time control
Nitrogen and phosphorus are central to the health of stormwater systems, rivers, wetlands, and lakes. They drive algal growth, oxygen stress, and downstream ecological impacts, and they are a key input to environmental reporting and catchment management. Yet most monitoring still relies on infrequent grab samples that miss the short pollution pulses that matter most.The challenge is delivering nutrient monitoring that is affordable, low-maintenance, and reliable enough for continuous deployment across many sites. Existing nutrient sensors are often too expensive …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Achieving a sub-micrometer surgical robot end-effector via hybrid sensing
When operating with a tool within the human body in the context of a medical procedure, it is crucial to be able to keep track of the pose of the tool. This project will develop a hybrid approach to end effector pose estimation by combing optical tracking with other sensor inputs (e.g. force, sound, acoustic emissions) to compliment and improve tracking accuracy with applications towards orthopaedic surgical robots. This project is part of a broader collaboration with industry partner Stryker.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Biomedical Technologies
Organic thin film transistors for sensors, bioelectronic interfaces and bionics
Organic electronic devices are flexible, light weight and stretchable, which makes them an ideal candidate for integrating and interfacing with soft tissues in biological systems. An attractive attribute of organic electronic devices is the solution processibility of constituent layers, since solution-processable devices have the potential to be printed into complex designs and shapes, leading to integrated devices with multiple functionalities.Particularly, organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) have the potential to offer low cost, easy to use and printable sensors for a …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Laser light sensors that see through containers
Raman scattering has been used as a powerful 'fingerprinting' technique for more than 80 years, and is widely used by security and law enforcement for detecting hazardous threats. To better safeguard the community, QUT has developed a unique eye -safe laser Raman sensing system for detecting threats, that works at distance from a target (> 10 m) and operates in real time. Increasingly however, threats are being concealed in order to avoid detection. This project will investigate what range of …
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
Where should we put our sensors? Designing smarter water quality monitoring networks
Water utilities and environmental agencies face a deceptively simple question: where should we put our sensors? In a piped stormwater network, the question matters because finding an illicit discharge quickly depends on having the right sensors at the right places. In an open creek or river, the question matters because spatial coverage, transport dynamics, and cost trade-offs all influence whether monitoring will actually answer the question being asked.Decisions about sensor placement are still often made on the basis of accessibility, …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sensor network optimisation for illicit discharge detection in stormwater systems
Illicit discharges into stormwater networks threaten waterways, but current detection methods are often inefficient. This project develops a smart sensor network to identify and locate pollution sources in real time. The PhD will focus on:optimal sensor placement: algorithms for location, type, and density selectionreal-time alarm systems: fast, reliable detection to trigger inspections or robotic trackingscalability: cost-effective strategies for city-wide deployment.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Making seen what we can’t feel – wearable suns sensors for UV protection
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
Polymer particles as precision sensors for molecules
Polymer particles are a billion-dollar industry with a diverse range of applications from biomedical to industrial coatings. As a prime example, point-of-care testing devices rely on polymeric particles with various size and functionality to conveniently allow instantaneous, selective, and precise diagnostics. However, as new applications arise and current applications advance, these demand the preparation of increasingly complex material and particle systems.The Soft Matter Materials Team has developed a simple method to form uniform particles without any additives, initiators or stabilizers. …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
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