Schizophrenia prevention and early intervention
ARC Future Fellowship recipient, Associate Professor Kristin Laurens, is making headway in identifying new opportunities to prevent or treat major mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Her research, along with that of her research students, is narrowing in on psychopathological precursors, including environmental risk factors and childhood psychotic-like experiences.
Unlocking keys to trauma resilience
Epigenetics is a growing field that provides insights into lifestyle and environmental factors on individual health. QUT trauma researcher, Professor Jane Shakespeare-Finch, and geneticist Associate Professor Divya Mehta completed a world-first study of the epigenetics of posttraumatic growth and resilience. Their findings point to stress genes involved with PTSD symptoms and posttraumatic resilience and growth.
Improving everyday road safety
Dr Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios is tackling the biggest global road safety issue since drink driving: driver distraction. A CARRS-Q PhD graduate, his career progression has been swift, and he now supervises several PhD students. Oscar took a different stance to many other researchers on the topic, in that through the study of driver behaviour (particularly that of younger drivers), it became apparent that many people would always use their mobiles when driving. He, therefore, looks at devising countermeasures to enable mobile phone engagement in a safe way.
Designing cars of the future
QUT has partnered with other research groups, industry and Government to conduct multidisciplinary investigations into how road users accept, adopt and cooperate with new automated systems. The subject of this research is the ZOE2, a level four cooperative and automated vehicle (CAV) research prototype. Among ZOE2's researchers are Associate Professor Ronald Schroeter and PhD Candidate Michael Gerber whose project involves the design of in-vehicle interfaces to enable the future driver to transition from non-driving mode back to driving mode.
