Student topics

Programming robots to carry out desired tasks is difficult and time-consuming. This PhD project focuses on collaborative and instructional dialogue agents to help human operators program robot tasks.In this collaborative scenario, a human operator converses with an AI agent to explain the steps that are to be performed, using high-level references and abstractions that make sense to the human, as opposed to simple verbal instructions corresponding to rudimentary robot movements. The AI agent must interpret the high-level instructions and translate …

Study level

PhD

School

School of Design

Research centre(s)

Design Lab

Neuropathic pain effects '1 in every 10 adults over the age of 30'. The treatments available for neuropathic pain can at best be described as having 'moderate efficacy'. Due to the nature of neuropathic pain, the ability to scientifically study and understand its fundamental causes has been limited to animal models and trials. There are over 27 animal models for neuropathic pain where pain has been induced by macroscopic and microscopic nerve lesions, chemotherapy, viral infections and diabetes mellitus.Looking at …

Study level

PhD

School

School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering

Research and practice often focus on how leadership is successfully developed or built. Little attention is given to the factors that may undermine leadership. Understanding these factors may help shed light on how effective leadership is sustained through challenges and setbacks.Taking a social identity approach to leadership, this research may investigate:the potential destabilisers of leadership within teams and organisationsthe lifecycle of leadership within groupsthe factors that turn followers away from their leader.

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

School

School of Management

Broadly, this research theme looks into the effects of leader transgressions (e.g., misconduct, misbehaviour, deviance) on workers within organisations.More specifically, adopting a social identity approach, projects within this theme may examine the following questions:How does the organisational level of the leader influence the effects of their transgression on workers?How do workers'  identity configurations affect whether they respond to leader transgressions?How does the type and target of the leader transgression influence the way workers respond to the transgression?

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours

School

School of Management

Sonographers, highly skilled healthcare professionals responsible for essential diagnostic ultrasound services, are currently facing a severe nationwide shortage. The Australasian Sonographers Association reported a deficit of at least 3,000 sonographers in 2019. Training new sonographers involves comprehensive work-integrated learning (WIL), which blends academic knowledge with structured real-world experiences to develop vital clinical skills. However, due to escalating workforce demands, concerns have arisen about potential exploitation of students within workplaces. This exploitation could involve assigning tasks exceeding their capabilities or subjecting …

Study level

PhD, Master of Philosophy

School

School of Clinical Sciences

The tourism industry is rapidly expanding in Antarctica, increasing by an order of magnitude over the past two decades. The resilience of this industry depends on the resilience of the Antarctic ecosystem but which element of Antarctica is the most important? Is it better a penguin or an iceberg?The proposed study will make use of social media channels to collect data on Antarctica tourism. By assessing photos’ captions and Twitter hashtags, the study aims to determine how frequently terms such …

Study level

Honours

School

School of Mathematical Sciences

We are seeking a highly motivated and talented Vision Science and Human Factors PhD Researcher to join an interdisciplinary research project, conducted in collaboration with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and industry partner Seeing Machines—world leader in human-machine interaction and an industry leader in artificial intelligence (AI), that enable machines to see, understand and assist the people who are using them.A PhD scholarship is available for this project.Learn more about the scholarshipOur program offers:World-class research environment: immerse yourself in a …

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Clinical Sciences

Research centre(s)

Centre for Vision and Eye Research

Nutrition-impacting symptoms contribute to decreased quality of life and food intake, and subsequent malnutrition and decreased willingness to commence or complete cancer treatment, which all compromise survival. Evidence exists to support the role of dietary counselling for malnutrition during cancer treatment; however, less is known about the role of dietary counselling for nutrition-impacting symptoms that lead to the development of malnutrition.This systematic review project will synthesise available evidence on the effect of dietary counselling interventions on nutrition-impacting symptoms (e.g., fatigue, …

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Nursing

Research centre(s)

Centre for Healthcare Transformation
Cancer and Palliative Care Outcomes Centre

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

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is highly prevalent and clinically problematic, occurring in up to 60–80% of people receiving chemotherapy. Despite the high prevalence and significant patient and healthcare burden of CIPN, treatment options are limited.This project will explore the association between medication and dietary supplement use and symptom severity of CIPN to identify factors that might worsen or improve CIPN symptoms.

Study level

Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health

School

School of Nursing

Research centre(s)

Centre for Healthcare Transformation
Cancer and Palliative Care Outcomes Centre

The project aims to the explore concept of empathic machines in the context of driver monitoring systems (DMS) and automated driving. The successful candidate will contribute to advancing the understanding of driver engagement, situation awareness, and risk through leveraging advancements in data science techniques on vehicle sensor, DMS, and other related datasets.To apply for this position, please submit the following documents:a cover letter outlining your research interests, relevant qualifications, and motivation to join the Empathic Machines projecta detailed curriculum vitae …

Study level

PhD

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering

School

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Research centre(s)

Centre for Data Science
Centre for Future Mobility/CARRSQ

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