Student topics

Many physical processes can be modelled using time and space dependent partial differential equations. The solution of these equations provides researchers/industry with valuable insight into the underlying process and can often be used to explain phenomena that has been observed experimentally. However, due to the complexity of these processes and the irregular geometries on which they apply, exact analytical solutions to the governing equations are almost always not accessible. In such cases, numerical solution methods must be called upon to …

Study levels

PhD

Master of Philosophy

Honours

Lipids are among the most structurally diverse of all the biomolecules and thus deciphering their many functions requires bio-analytical technologies capable of uniquely identifying and quantifying individual molecules in a milieu of many thousands of analogues. Mass spectrometry is the pre-eminent technique for contemporary lipid analysis but is challenged by the preference of certain lipids to ionise with a polarity that affords sensitive detection but does not permit detailed structure elucidation. This project will develop advanced instrumentation capable of on-demand …

Study levels

PhD

Master of Philosophy

Honours

Vacation research experience scheme

The gas-phase chemical reactions of organic peroxyl radicals control the combustion efficiency of engines and influence the chemical and physical composition of the Earth’s atmosphere. Despite their central importance, these reaction intermediates have proven elusive; with limited experimental observations of the radicals themselves and the complex reaction networks governing their formation and fate. This study will deploy two advanced mass spectrometric methods to isolate and interrogate the chemical and photochemical reactions of peroxyl radicals in the gas phase. Direct measurement …

Study levels

PhD

Master of Philosophy

Honours

Vacation research experience scheme

Worldwide transportation fuel production is currently circa 100 million barrels per day with the vast majority from fossil fuel sources. Pyrolysis and liquefaction are potential promising thermochemical technologies for producing renewable fuels and chemicals from biomass, however, the resultant biocrude/bio-oil has many complex properties inherited from the characteristics of the original feedstock, which make it a generally low-grade fuel alternative. Upgrading of the bio-oils are necessary to produce higher quality products and challenges exist to cost-effectively achieve this target. There …

Study levels

PhD

Master of Philosophy

Honours

The aim of this project is to engage with families with young children to design technologies that promote physical activity spread across the day. To promote healthy growth and development, children aged 1-5 years should be physically active for at least three hours each day. This may include running, jumping and playful activities. In this project we will explore how parents currently promote an active lifestyle, the technologies that they use, and the obstacles they may face to find the …

Study levels

PhD

Master of Philosophy

Honours

Vacation research experience scheme

Every day in Australia, 50,000 people are suffering with a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), 1,000 are in hospital because of DFU, 12 will undergo an amputation and four people will die with DFU. People with a DFU typically require frequent and intensive weekly treatment at a multi-disciplinary diabetic foot clinic to effectively heal their DFU over a period of multiple months, to avoid infection, hospitalisation and amputation. A key challenge to healing DFUs is effectively engaging people in their independent …

Study levels

PhD

Master of Philosophy

Honours

Sleep, together with healthy diet and exercise, is a key pillar for a healthy lifestyle. It is important to feeling well and to performing well at university.However, students often have unhealthy sleep habits due to stress caused by exams, leisure activities and work commitments.

Study levels

PhD

Master of Philosophy

Honours

Process analytics is a form of data analytics with a focus on extracting data-driven insights from sequences of time-ordered events. Traditionally, process analytics have primarily been used to analyse business processes (e.g., insurance claims handling process, purchase requisition process, and student enrolment process). Nevertheless, the prevalence of timestamped data produced by today’s IT systems has seen a wider application of process analytics to other domains, including industrial control systems (e.g., power plant) and computer network systems, with a goal of …

Study levels

PhD

Master of Philosophy

Honours

Vacation research experience scheme

National parks are the cornerstone of modern conservation efforts. They now cover more than 10% of the Earth’s land surface, and are found on every continent (and sea) on the planet.We can prove that these national parks stop human destruction of habitat, and we can prove that they benefit the lives and livelihoods of people who visit and surround them. However, we cannot yet prove that they have stopped the extinction of a single species. This is not because we …

Study levels

PhD

Master of Philosophy

Honours

Guerilla conservation is the use of illegal activities to positively or negatively alter a region’s biodiversity. Famous examples include the “direct action” activities of Sea Shepherd (e.g., damaging whaling vessels), or the practice of “tree spiking” that was common in the forest wars in the temperate rainforests of Tasmania and the Pacific Northwest in the USA.In recent years, guerilla conservation actors have attempted to achieve their aims by releasing new species into ecosystems. Examples include the release of foxes into …

Study levels

Master of Philosophy

Honours

Most of our infrastructure is built to last a long time. But during their service lives, they may experience distress due to structural deterioration, environmental effects, random actions such as impacts and seismic activity and change in loading.Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) has emerged as an appropriate technique to monitor the health of our infrastructure and detect damage at its on-set. SHM is particularly appropriate for large structures such as bridges, dams and cooling towers in which some parts of the …

Waste has become a key challenge in society for economic, social and environmental reasons. QUT has a long history of converting waste to more valuable products in agriculture industries and is now also focusing on livestock, fashion and domestic waste. We bring together transdisciplinary teams of researchers to solve the complex challenges associated with accessing, sorting, processing and transforming wastes with teams including scientists, engineers, designers, business people and lawyers.

Study levels

Honours

Vacation research experience scheme