The Vacation Research Experience Scheme (VRES) provides eligible students with the opportunity to participate in a research project. If you're interested in research and thinking of pursuing a research degree the scheme is an opportunity to see if research is right for you. Further information about the scheme is available on HiQ.
QUT offers a diverse range of student topics for VRES. Search to find a topic that interests you.
Found 208 matching student topics
Displaying 37–48 of 208 results
Enhancing Power System Stability using Inverter-Based Renewable Resources
This project aims to design the controllers for inverter-based resources to improve the system stability of the renewable power grid. The study will focus on identifying critical modes of oscillation, including high-frequency interactions introduced by inverter-based resources (IBRs), and evaluating their impact on overall system stability. The benchmark power systems, including SMIB and large-scale network models will be investigated using eigenvalue analysis and frequency-domain techniques. Students will work with power engineering simulation tools, as used by industry, e.g. PowerWorld Simulator …
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics
- Research centre
- Energy Transition Centre
Machine learning based computer modeling for mechanics
An engineer often needs to solve mechanics problems in engineering practices. Computer modelling is a powerful tool for this purpose. Recent advances in physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) have shown considerable promise in the field of computational mechanics. This VRES projects aims to support the student(s) to accumulate understanding and knowledge for machine learning and PINN for basic mechanics problems.
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
Menstrual Equity, Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals: a comparative legal and policy analysis
The project requires an examination of how other jurisdictions (e.g., Scotland, Kenya, New Zealand, New York City) have recognized menstrual equity as a legal and policy priority, with an emphasis on availability of menstruation friendly-toilets and menstrual products in public buildings/facilities. This comparative research will attempt to define “menstruation-friendly public toilets” in a way that can generate recommendations for Queensland to meet its obligations under international human rights law and advance SDG 5.
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
- Research centre
- Australian Centre for Health Law Research
From digital design to human-robot collaborative masonry construction
This project addresses Queensland's critical housing shortage by exploring the productivity benefits of human-robot collaboration (HRC) in masonry construction. The research is conducted within the Building 4.0 CRC framework and leverages advanced facilities at QUT alongside industry partners such as Brickworks and the ARM Hub.By integrating collaborative robots (cobots), augmented reality (AR), parametric design tools (e.g. Grasshopper 3D), and AI algorithms, we aim to develop innovative workflows that enhance construction efficiency and material performance through the use of novel binders.
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Research centre
- Centre for Environment and Society
Explainable Machine Learning for Perovskite Solar Cell Discovery
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) represent one of the most promising next-generation photovoltaic technologies, offering high efficiency at low manufacturing costs. However, stability and durability challenges have hindered their commercial adoption despite rapid efficiency improvements. This interdisciplinary research project leverages explainable machine learning to accelerate perovskite solar cell discovery by predicting key properties and stability metrics from existing experimental data.Unlike traditional 'black box' AI approaches, explainable machine learning models provide transparent insights that domain experts can validate and use to guide …
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre
- Energy Transition Centre
AI-Human interface: Online Community Design
Exploring the nexus between online community design and AI is increasingly important as AI becomes more integrated into digital platforms and social spaces.Insights from psychology, economics, and sociology provide guidelines on how to address some of the key design challenges that online communities face such as:- Encouraging Contributions (Getting users to actively contribute content, especially when contributions are voluntary and the benefits are shared)- Encouraging Commitment (Retaining members and fostering long-term engagement)- Regulating Behaviour (Managing disruptive behaviour and maintaining community …
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
Cybersecurity Threat Detection with ML and Process Mining
The research idea involves combining machine learning (ML) and new process mining (PM) techniques to facilitate more accurate detection of interesting anomalies in large event logs extracted from cybersecurity data. Although ML applications in PM are quite common, methods that use process model discovery and conformance checking to improve the performance of ML models are not well-explored. While ML can uncover complex and meaningful patterns, in-depth analysis of processes can reveal valuable insights, providing additional information that can augment the …
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
A Computational Tool for Acid Leaching Process Balances
This project focuses on the development of a computational tool designed to model and track the mass and energy balances of a batch acid leaching process, scaled up to 50 litres. Acid leaching is a widely used technique in hydrometallurgy for extracting valuable metals from ores and industrial waste, and is a priority for Australia’s sovereign critical mineral supply. Accurate tracking of material and energy flows is essential for optimising process efficiency, ensuring safety, and minimizing environmental impact.This topic will …
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre
- Energy Transition Centre
Developing a Large Concept Model (LCM) for Semantic Interoperability in Digital Health Systems
This project contributes to a broader research initiative on developing a Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) framework for digital health by focusing on the initial design and prototyping of a Large Concept Model (LCM). The LCM will serve as a shared semantic framework to ensure consistent communication and reasoning across autonomous agents operating in healthcare environments.Over the 3-month period, the project will:Identify and define core health concepts, entities, and relationships relevant to agent collaboration (e.g., patient status, care pathways, scheduling, clinical roles)Conduct …
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
Reaction-diffusion models of retinal cell death
This project uses reaction–diffusion equations to model how oxygen and nutrients spread across the retina (the light-sensing component of the eyes), and how their loss leads to cell death. By removing sources of oxygen and nutrition in the model, we will explore why some retinal regions survive while others degenerate.Students will apply PDEs to simulate these spatial patterns and gain insight into the mathematical mechanisms behind retinal degeneration. This project is ideal for those interested in applying mathematics to biological …
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Mathematical Sciences
Image analysis of osteocyte networks in bone
Bone tissue is embedded with a dense network of cells called osteocytes. The osteocyte network in bone acts both as a mechanosensing structure and as a mean to transport and regulate bone matrix minerals. There is still much uncertainty about how the architecture of the osteocyte network is generated during new bone tissue growth.In this project, you will develop new image analysis tools to analyse the distribution of osteocytes and their connectivity in relationship with geometric feature of bone structures …
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Mathematical Sciences
Curvature dependences of wave propagation in reaction–diffusion models
Reaction–diffusion waves in multiple spatial dimensions advance at a rate that strongly depends on the curvature of the wavefronts. These waves have important applications in many physical, ecological and biological systems. Our group has recently provided new theoretical and numerical analyses to elucidate the influence of curvature for the diffusion and reaction of entities, such as chemical compounds, biological cells, or individuals in a population.In this project, you will extend these mathematical and/or numerical analyses to new situations, such as …
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Mathematical Sciences
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If you have questions about the Vacation Research Experience Scheme (VRES), the application process, finding a topic or anything else, get in touch with us today.