College of Science & Engineering

Sophia Love

Sophia Love

Romain Vaucher

Romain Vaucher

Jenny Fisher

Jenny Fisher

Ambili Narayanan

Ambili Narayanan

Sarfaraz Ali

Sarfaraz Ali

Mikaeylah Davidson

Mikaeylah Davidson

Liuxin Chen

Liuxin Chen

Rafael Cabral Carvalho

Rafael Cabral Carvalho

Tom Lloyd

Tom Lloyd

Mohamadreza Chalak Qazani

Mohamadreza Chalak Qazani

Do you see what I see? Developing responsible Artificial Intelligences that explain their decisions in a manner consistent with human attention
Stephanie Baker
In this project, I am developing a novel method for evaluating explainable AI methods that is based on how humans pay attention to images. This will assist future researchers in benchmarking new explainable AI tools.
ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Plant Biosecurity
Lori Lach
01 Aug 2024 - 30 Aug 2029
The Biosecurity Training Centre aims to deliver a solution for Australia’s increasing biosecurity risk through generational change in its workforce coupled with breakthrough technologies. It will launch an innovative training program for future leaders who will build relationships with end users and engage meaningfully with communities for effective implementation strategies. The Centre will provide data-driven systems, behavioural change for adoption and authentic industry engagement. This suite of graduates and technologies will transform the biosecurity sector and protect Australia’s critical agricultural industries.
Eco-evolutionary dynamics and the maintenance of organismal diversity
Megan Higgie
03 Jun 2024 - 31 Dec 2025
This project is a collaboration Megan Higgie at JCU and Jan Hrcek of the Czech Academy of Sciences. It is funded by a European Research Council Consolidator Grant (2024-2028) to Jan Hrcek, with Megan Higgie as a named collaborator: the project looks at rapid evolution in species interactions between Drosophila and parasitoid wasp species investigating the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of diversity in communities and variation in populations of tropical rainforests.
Australian tropical rainforests in the face of climate change
Lucas Cernusak
01 Jul 2024 - 31 Dec 2026
This project aims to investigate the roles of increasing atmospheric water stress and rising carbon dioxide in driving changes in tree performance and species composition in Australian tropical rainforests. Forest census plots indicate increasing tree mortality, but the mechanisms through which this is occurring are unknown. Experiments will be conducted to unravel the underlying physiological processes. Community-level behaviour will be investigated with eddy covariance and remotely sensed data. The project expects to generate new knowledge about responses of Australian tropical rainforests to climate change. The expected outcome is an enhanced capacity to understand and manage a unique and highly valued component of the Australian forest estate.
Improving skin cancer research capacity by establishing a skin cancer biobank at Townsville University Hospital
Ulf Schmitz
01 Aug 2024 - 31 Jul 2026
Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer worldwide and of all states and territories, Queensland has the highest rate in Australia. The skin cancer biobank will provide a prospectively collected pre-treatment and post-treatment tissue and serum cohort to allow us to study the biomarkers of tumour and its immune microenvironment with next generation tools (e.g. spatial analysis of proteomic and genomic, single cell sequencing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc). We aim to use these biomarkers along with our prospective registry of patients with high-risk skin cancer to further characterise the cancer and immune biology of high-risk skin cancer, response to treatment, and develop new treatment targets in the future.
How magnetic resonance impacts on immune regulatory factor secretion from brain tumour cells during radiotherapy
Ulf Schmitz
01 Aug 2024 - 31 Jul 2026
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To investigate how magnetic resonance impacts on brain tumour cell growth and immune regulatory factor secretion from brain tumour cells during radiotherapy 2. To identify and quantify specific immune regulatory factors which are observed during irradiation within a magnetic field and without
Circulating human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA for surveillance of HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-OPSCC)
Ulf Schmitz
01 Aug 2024 - 31 Jul 2026
We hypothesize that cHPV-DNA-based post-treatment surveillance via capture-based NGS would have excellent negative predictive value (NPV) and positive predictive value (PPV) similar or superior to PCR-based testing in patients with HPV-OPSCC, leading to improvement in outcome prediction. We also hypothesize that cHPV-DNA-based surveillance is more cost-effective compared with standard routine clinical follow-up.
European Space Agency (ESA) World Ecosystem Extent Dynamics Project
Nicholas Murray
01 Apr 2024 - 31 Mar 2027
The European Space Agency (ESA) aims to pioneer a new novel application to support international policies on the environment and sustainable development in its World Series of the Application Element (e.g. WorldSoils, WorldCover, WorldCereals, WorldWater). The objective of “World Ecosystem Extent Dynamics” project is to develop and demonstrate, the global applicability of integrated solutions driven by Earth Observation (EO) integrated solutions for mapping the extent and distribution of terrestrial, freshwater and coastal (up to the intertidal zones) ecosystems and monitoring the changes in their extent. We will achieve this with the support of exemplary countries with advanced data, technical capabilities, and reference ecosystem monitoring expertise (i.e. Champion Users). The project will develop and demonstrate a globally applicable open-source toolbox, also called EO-integrated solution, for a comprehensive mapping of the extent and distribution of ecosystem types, according to different ecosystem typologies, and for monitoring the temporal variations in the extent and distribution of ecosystem types. CI Murray's role is as an expert consultant to join an international consultancy team tendering for the above project.
Wildlife Conservation Society Community Fisheries Program
Patrick Smallhorn-West
10 Sep 2024 - 31 Dec 2028
The objective of this project is to advance the Wildlife Conservation Societies Community Fisheries program. The project will be lead by Dr. Patrick Smallhorn-West. Based on decades of work in coastal communities, we have developed a strategy that crystalizes the goal shared by fishers and other coastal stakeholders worldwide: a vision of just and regenerative fisheries that equitably benefit nature and people. We are not only looking to slow declines in communities, coastal ecosystems and fisheries, but to reverse them to restore fisheries to their full social, economic, and environmental potential. Our current research workstreams are: 1. Mainstreaming equity and inclusion within all aspects of WCS work with community fisheries. This includes high level assessments of NGO policies and practice. 2. Monitoring and evaluation of all aspects of community fisheries – ecological, fisheries, and socioeconomic, in ways that deliver clear and locally actionable knowledge of the impacts of interventions. 3. Elevating community fishers and strengthening their organizational capacity to participate fully in coastal governance. 4. Practicing effective co-management – evaluating and integrating the latest research on fisheries co-management into best practice. 5. Incentivizing responsible fishing that addresses unsustainable practices such as destructive fishing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and bycatch.
Wind driven rain-water Ingress through windows and doors. (Old ID 27058)
John Ginger
01 Jan 2021 - 15 Dec 2022
Water ingress through windows and doors is a leading cause of damage bills during severe weather. This project aims to determine basic relationships between applied pressure due to wind, amount of water incident on the window/ door and the resulting water ingress. Testing will be conducted using a specialised test chamber at the CTS capable of applying a range of wetting rates as well as both static and fluctuating pressures. The data from this project will allow the development of a standardised test method that will allow manufacturers to meet certain performance criteria to prevent unreasonable water ingress through windows and doors.
Title: Supervisor of the best Engineering Thesis at JCU that received the Engineers Australia CN Barton Medal
Reseracher: Mostafa Rahimi Azghadi (Professor, Promotional Chair)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2017
Title: Adelaide Postgraduate Alumni University Medal
Reseracher: Mostafa Rahimi Azghadi (Professor, Promotional Chair)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2015
Title: Gertrude Rohan Memorial Medal and Prize
Reseracher: Mostafa Rahimi Azghadi (Professor, Promotional Chair)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2015
Title: Senior Research Fellow, James Cook University - College of Science and Engineering - Australian Tropical Herbarium
Reseracher: Daniel Montesinos Torres (Senior Research Fellow)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2019
Title: Assistant Researcher, University of Coimbra - Centre for Functional Ecology
Reseracher: Daniel Montesinos Torres (Senior Research Fellow)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2013
End Date: 01 Jan 2018
Title: STEM Science Teacher intro to Genomics
Reseracher: Matt Field (Professor, Promotional Chair)
Title: ABRS Fellowship, James Cook University
Reseracher: Conrad Hoskin (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2011
End Date: 01 Jan 2014
Title: ARC Fellowship, ARC postdoc, Australian National University
Reseracher: Conrad Hoskin (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2007
End Date: 01 Jan 2011
Title: Honours, PhD, Research Assistant on various projects, University of Queensland
Reseracher: Conrad Hoskin (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 1996
End Date: 01 Jan 2006
Title: International Association of Hydrogeologist (IAH)
Reseracher: Mahmood Sadat Noori (Senior Lecturer, Civil Engineering)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2018