Studying science, engineering, technology and maths (STEM) at QUT opens a world of opportunities to achieve your full potential and forge a rewarding career.
Why study STEM at QUT?
Discovering how to improve lives by solving a range of real-world problems will be crucial in the
future. Many of the jobs of today were unheard of a decade ago: app developers, big data
analysts and sustainability engineers.
STEM careers provide the greatest opportunities to
succeed in the future.
No university is better placed to help you launch your STEM career
than Queensland’s only university of technology.
Why study STEM at QUT?
The fundamental underpinning of the skills you need for jobs of the future is STEM.
But did you know that there’s a secret formula to getting that great-paying, in-demand and stellar career that you’ll love? We call it STEM+X - where X is your passion, another field or a world-changing goal.
To help get you started on finding your perfect STEM+X combo, we’ve created a 60-page STEM+X guide in partnership with Careers with STEM.
Think about the future. What issues do we need to address, as a society, to ensure longevity? Climate change. Water scarcity. Food shortages. Species extinction. Affordable housing. With a predicted 75 per cent of future occupations needing STEM literacy, it means that a skilled STEM workforce is central to addressing these complex issues now and into the future.
Science and Advanced Science
Understand and tackle the greatest challenges facing our world and its future.
Lauren Blackwell, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Science student
Double your career opportunities
A double degree can help you develop a portfolio of skills and capabilities so you will be flexible, prepared for change and able to maximise your career opportunities. Create your own specialist career niche by combining your STEM degree with a complementary study area that interests you.
The Careers with STEM Job Kits are free 8-page e-mags you can download, offering a complete introduction to individual STEM careers.
Discover what a job in STEM is all about, meet real people working in the field, and find out what you can do right now to set your career on the right path.
Tune in to hear from a great line-up of guest alumni from around the world, sharing their stories about the paths they’ve taken to get where they are in their STEM careers. Hosted by QUT STEM graduate, Mackenzi Oliver, these episodes will help you find your inspiration for a STEM career.
QUT alumnus Dr Abigail Allwood is at the cutting-edge of space exploration
Women in STEM
With only one in four STEM workers being women, we recognise the importance of supporting and celebrating women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.
We're tackling this gender divide through a number of programs and initiatives, including #STEMtheTide.
Libby Hogarth is a passionate urban planner with a focus on inclusive and meaningful spaces. Libby uncovers the varied range of projects which use the expertise of urban planners to become the best possible developments for all users.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, QUT's Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Margaret Sheil sat down for an interview with Minister Karen Andrews, Australia’s Minister for Industry, Science and Technology.
Donald Piggott-McKellar is an Associate Director at Forge Advisory, and one of the minds behind the evolving infrastructure of Brisbane for over 10 years.
Dr Naomi Paxton explains what biofabrication is, the importance of being in a supportive and diverse team and how she made the leap from physics to biomanufacturing.
You’ve got ideas that can help shape the world? Our courses will give you the tools, equipment and technology to bring your concepts to life.
We're Queensland’s only university of technology - future-focused and always exploring emerging disciplines and equipment. We'll help you push the boundaries of scientific development using cutting-edge facilities housed in our specialist precincts, labs and workspaces.
Our researchers work in key STEM areas, aiming to solve some of the major challenges facing society and the planet, including:
sustainable development and climate change
energy and food security
an ageing population and chronic disease
information dissemination and security.
Many of these leading researchers will be your lecturers. Their experience, passion and knowledge will be shared with you as part of your studies. They will inspire you to reach your potential and exceed your goals.
Naomi Paxton
"Combining polymer science and engineering innovations in biofabrication research has the potential to revolutionise how we treat tissue loss and improve the quality of care for patients."
Mardi McNeil
QUT PhD student Mardi McNeil was part of a team carrying out the first ever assessment of how a particular type of green macroalgae, Halimeda, affects the marine ecosystem in the Great Barrier Reef.
Evangeline Corcoran
"A highlight of my PhD studies so far is publishing my first lead author paper and receiving international honours as a ‘Woman to Watch’ in the drone industry for my role in researching the use of drones, thermal imaging and machine learning to monitor threatened wildlife."
Scholarships
We recognise the achievements and potential of our students, and encourage you to apply for our scholarships, bursaries and development programs. Scholarships offer both financial support and a wealth of invaluable experience. They can help shape and support your time at university. All you need to do is apply.
Vanessa and Riva are both recipients of the prestigious Westpac Young Technologists Scholarship. Only five universities across Australia offer this $15,000 scholarship. The scholarship includes a personalised enrichment program, giving you access to paid internships, inspiring mentors and an international leadership development experience, and membership of the Westpac 100 Scholars Network.
Brody Foy, a QUT mathematics graduate and past Dean’s Scholar and Rhodes Scholar, is using his PhD to apply his maths skills to computational biology. Specifically, lung function testing. Brody has also co-founded a non-profit consultancy that uses data analytics and machine learning to solve problems in healthcare, energy and social services.
Saskia Mathers
Saskia Mathers, a current Deans Scholar and computer software systems engineering student, is a Women in Engineering scholarship recipient and past president of Women in Technology (WiT) at QUT. Saskia has used her experiences in the program to build networks with sponsors and combine her leadership experiences and passion for STEM.
Are you an international student?
Discover more about studying with us as an international student. Find out how to apply, information about scholarships and pathway programs, and what student life is like at QUT.
A common misconception about university is that you have to do it ‘on your own’. You’ll be relieved to know that QUT offers many opportunities to get involved, make new friends, and receive proactive and timely support services to help you succeed.
Join a range of student-led projects and clubs: QUT Aerospace, QUT Construct, Girls in Engineering Making Statements, QUT Maths Society, QUT Motorsport, QUT Planning Student Association, Women in Science, and QUT Women in Technology are just some.
Why wait until you graduate to create your business, social enterprise or side hustle? QUT Entrepreneurship is the perfect place to collaborate, network and share ideas with fellow budding entrepreneurs and like-minded students from across the university.
The Oodgeroo Unit is QUT's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student success unit, providing admission pathways, dedicated study spaces, tutors, cultural support and scholarships for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
News
14th December 2020
Scientists frequently look at how molecules behave in nature to help them design chemical processes, and that’s what QUT and Ghent University researchers did to create a green light-stabilised 3D polymer structure that unfolds itself when left in darkness.
The team has reported on this world-first example of a reversible, light-triggered process to fold polymers into single chain nanoparticles in the flagship journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Chemical Science.
The research was conducted by lead author and QUT PhD student Daniel Kodura, with QUT’s Australian Research Council (ARC) DECRA Fellow Dr Hendrik Frisch, Dr Anja Goldmann, PhD student Fabian Bloesser and ARC Laureate Fellow Professor Christopher Barner-Kowollik, from the Soft Matter Materials Laboratory in QUT’s Centre for Materials Science, in collaboration with Professor Filip Du Prez and Dr Hannes Houck from the Polymer Chemistry Research group at Ghent University, Belgium.
“What we have done is look to proteins, which are biological polymers that enable most of the chemistry in our bodies’ cells and are essential to life, and mimic with synthetic polymers one of the ways that proteins function,” Mr Kodura said.
Proteins are large complex molecules of amino acids that are connected to each other in long chains, and these chains naturally fold themselves, sometimes with a helper molecule, into a 3D structure that performs a function, like making your muscles move.
“What we did was use green LED light as the helper to fold synthetic polymer chains into a structure,” he said.
“The light was the fuel for the process and, importantly, it also kept the structure stable. As long as the light was on, the structure held its shape. Without the light, in the dark and at room temperature, the structure relaxed and unfolded.”
“This has never been achieved before,” added Dr Frisch. “Also, folding the chains with light into a structure and then unfolding them in the dark could be successfully repeated several times.”
Professor Christopher Barner-Kowollik said the chemical process was “akin to a living process of its own”.
“Living organisms need to consume an energy source, like light, to survive and this 3D structure is the same. It consumes light as a fuel to maintain itself,” he said.
“This is an example of fundamental, instructive science. It shows what’s possible when you use the interplay of light and darkness for complex macromolecular designs.”
Dr Goldmann said while scientists have shown how to fold chemical substrates with light into a structure before, “it’s always been permanently locked in. This is the first example of a truly light-stabilised 3D single-stranded polymer structure.”
The fundamental principle behind the chemical process is the same as team members used previously in creating what they have termed light-stabilised dynamic materials (LSDMs) – a new class of materials.
“What we previously created was something you can see and touch,” Professor Du Prez and Dr Houck said.
“This is different and deals with transformations at the single chain level, meaning nanometre-size which can be up to one-billionth of a metre, or 100,000 times smaller than a human hair.”
The full paper, Light-fueled dynamic covalent crosslinking of single polymer chains in non-equilibrium states, is available here. Chemical Science has chosen the paper as its ChemSci Pick of the Week.