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 10 matching student topics
Displaying 1–10 of 10 results
Energy performance of a photovoltaic (PV) panel under motion.
Usually solar PVs are installed either on the roof-top of a building or on a solar field (say “Static PV, sPV”). Some of the PV panels could be found installed on different vehicles (say “motion PV, mPV”). Sun light is intermittent in nature that affect the energy performance of the sPV. When under motion on the vehicle, because of shades from nearby things, the performance of the mPV should be even worse. Assume a number of mPV panels are installed …
- Study level
- Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Biomedical Technologies
Prospect of renewable energy in Australia
Public and R&D interest and popularity in renewable energy, particularly solar photovoltaic (PV) cells, is increasing exponentially nowadays. The federal and local governments of Australia are offering rebates to attract end-users. PV installers and retailers are also offering competitive advantages on solar PV systems. …
- Study level
- Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
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 hazardous solvents and toxic lead are key …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours, Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Combining solar and vibration energy harvesting for rainfall prediction
Rainfall prediction plays a crucial role in various sectors such as agriculture, water resource management, and disaster preparedness. Traditional prediction methods often rely on complex meteorological models and expensive equipment. However, advancements in energy harvesting technology offer the opportunity to develop low-cost and sustainable solutions for rainfall prediction.This project proposes to leverage solar and vibration energy harvesting for rainfall prediction. Combined measurements from both solar and vibration energy harvesting can provide comprehensive data for real-time monitoring of cloud coverage and …
- Study level
- Honours
- School
- School of Information Systems
Digital publics
Digital and social media platforms provide new opportunities for public communication, and the formation of distinct publics and communities around shared interests and identities. Such publics may engage in political debate, popular media fandom, science communication, vernacular creativity, and other activities; but they may also be affected by, or actively engage in promoting, mis- and disinformation and other problematic content. Their activities are also shaped by the features and affordances of the platforms they use, from Facebook and Twitter to …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice
- School
- School of Communication
- Research centre(s)
- Digital Media Research Centre
Intergroup leadership in polarised groups
The adage “united we stand, divided we fall” has frequently guided leadership practice – that is, for one to lead others effectively, one first needs to unite them. However, large groups of people often comprise smaller subgroups with distinct identities. How, then, does the leadership process look like when these smaller subgroups are polarised into conflicting factions that cannot simply be united under a common superordinate identity?This research broadly examines the process of leadership within teams and organisations where there …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- School
- School of Management
Control of concentrating solar thermal power plants
Concentrating solar power (CSP) is a technology that utilises mirrors (heliostats) to focus the sun’s rays on a solar receiver. This provides heat for a power generation cycle, creating thermal energy.Control of the heat transfer fluid temperature in the solar receiver is crucial for the efficient use/storage of thermal energy and to minimise the degradation of the receiver. The aim of this project is to design controllers for the heat transfer fluid pumps and the heliostats using a previously developed model of the receiver's thermodynamics.
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
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
Comparison of output from collocated solar systems of different technology
Solar panel efficiency is calculated using standardised testing conditions, allowing like-for-like comparison of systems under the same conditions. However, data collected over a three year period from two collocated solar systems of different technologies are showing unexpected results. The most efficient system's yearly output is comparatively lower. Initial data analysis explains some differences from the operational conditions, but further investigation is required.
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
-
Centre for Clean Energy Technologies and Practices
Measuring and Comparing News Polarisation
The News Polarisation research stream addresses one of the major domains of polarisation that have been identified by the Australian Laureate Fellowship “Determining the Drivers and Dynamics of Partisanship and Polarisation in Online Public Debate”.News shapes our perception of social reality. Therefore, news content is a crucial piece in understanding the problem of societal polarisation. News is not purely a representation of reality; the way stories are told in the news impacts our lived realities. For a variety of reasons, …
- Study level
- Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice
- School
- School of Communication
- Research centre(s)
- Digital Media Research Centre
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