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 714 matching student topics
Displaying 241–252 of 714 results
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
Synthesis of lignocellulose-derived aerogels for thermal energy management
Building thermal insulation plays a critical role in global decarbonisation by directly reducing energy consumption for heating and cooling - two of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the built environment. Aerogel materials offer tremendous potential in insulation applications due to their ultralow thermal conductivity, lightweight nature, and flexible design properties. This PhD project aims to develop high-performance aerogel materials from renewable lignocellulosic biomass for thermal energy management 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
Synthesis of SiOx/C from lignocellulose for lithium ion battery anode applications
SiOx/C anodes are attracting significant industry interest for lithium-ion battery applications due to their much higher energy density compared to graphite. Currently, SiOx/C anodes are produced on a limited commercial scale using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods. However, the CVD process is costly and unsustainable, limiting the large-scale deployment of SiOx/C in lithium-ion batteries. Lignocellulosic biomass is rich in carbon, and many types also contain silica, making it a promising sustainable feedstock. This PhD project aims to develop low-cost, …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
Synthesis of hard carbon from lignin for sodium ion battery anode applications
Lignin is one of the three major components of lignocellulosic biomass, such as sugarcane bagasse and woody biomass. It is renewable, low-cost, and rich in carbon, making it an ideal precursor for the production of sustainable carbon materials. This PhD project aims to develop high-performance, lignin-derived hard carbon for use in sodium-ion battery anodes.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
Advanced materials for sodium storage batteries
Developing sustainable and clean energy sources (e.g. solar, wind, and tide energy) is essential to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality. Due to the discontinuous and inconsistent nature of common clean energy sources, high-performance energy storage technologies are a critical part of achieving this target.
- 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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