College of Science & Engineering


Gunther Paul

Gunther Paul

Alex McCoy-West

Alex McCoy-West

Helen McCoy-West

Helen McCoy-West

HanShe Lim

HanShe Lim

Eric Wang

Eric Wang

Yang Du

Yang Du

Sally Lau

Sally Lau

Tao Huang

Tao Huang

Coastal wetland restoration options investigation. (Old ID 27446)
Nathan Waltham - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
02 Dec 2021 - 31 Dec 2022
Coastal restoration aims to improve and protect sensitive and important wetland areas. While restoration projects are underway most are small scale, and to achieve targets that will help government deliver on the Reef 2050 plan objectives we need to initiate large scale project sites. This project site is set to become the largest restoration site in north Queensland, and our team will be responsible for the collection of background science to support this project site. The data generated will be used to support the development of an options report outlining the full potential of restoration outcomes.
A new Journey to the Earth's Inner Core: a Planet Within a Planet (Old ID 27499)
Lauren Waszek - Physics
01 Jan 2022 - 31 Dec 2024
This project aims to address critical unsolved problems in global geophysics by probing the structure and dynamics of the inner core, the Earth’s time capsule. It will elucidate the inner core’s nature with improved tomographic images, critically testing our current understanding of how the inner core is assembled and grows, its thermodynamic state, crystallographic structure, and connection with the Earth’s upper layers and geomagnetic field. Answering these questions has far-reaching consequences for current knowledge of fundamental geophysics. Expected benefits include training students and researchers in geophysics and data processing, contributing to a skilled STEM workforce and creating leadership for Australia.
Mungana and Kings Vol REMP Design (Old ID 23476)
Nathan Waltham - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
13 Apr 2017 - 30 Jul 2017
Auctus Resources has engaged TropWATER to design a Receiving Environment Monitoring Program (REMP) for the Mungana and King Vol Projects in order to enable environmental monitoring for the minesites.
Acti-meal dose-response for abalone. (Old ID 26882)
Leo Nankervis - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
17 Jun 2020 - 31 Dec 2020
Tarac international wish to evaluate their grape marc commercially marketed as ‘Acti-Meal’. This has shown positive effects on growth for greenlip abalone. Marketing this product needs further validation and examination of mode-of-action, which we hope to elaborate with this project. This research is expected to lead on to further contracts with Tarac, including abalone and prawn nutrition.
Microhabitat preferences and post-settlement demography for juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) (Old ID 23243)
We will document fine-scale (within reef) variation in the abundance of juvenile (0+ year old) CoTS and relate patterns of abundance to specific features of the local habitat (e.g., depth and aspect) and micro-habitat (eg., cover of different coralline algae and corals) to further refine where to find newly settled CoTS. In areas with high settlement of CoTS, we will also quantify early post-settlement growth and mortality for a single cohort of CoTS, by measuring the local abundance and size structure of juvenile CoTS at selected locations through the course of 1 year.
Real time monitoring of water quality and mechanisation of pond management to boost productivity and increase profit (Old ID 24891)
Dean Jerry - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
21 Mar 2018 - 30 Jun 2018
the cost of electricity to driver pond aerators is one of the major costs of barramundi production. This project looks at the use of oxygen sensors linked to controllers that switch on and off paddlewheels once oxygen levels reach 80o% saturation. The effects of the controllers on cost of electricity use, and the pond ecosystem including nutrient levels, algae composition and metals will be assessed. The project will deliver an understanding if electricity costs can be reduced using controllers without reducing production or adversely affecting the pond environment.
Reactive metal-organics embracing the rare earth and alkaline earth metals (Old ID 21968)
With abundant, but until recently neglected, rare earth resources, Australia is positioned to become a major supplier of these strategic elements as the world faces a shortage created by a Chinese monopoly and much reduced exports. Advancing the chemistry of highly reactive rare earth metal-organic compounds including syntheses from the free metals and alloys will provide a knowledge base and breakthrough science to underpin future applications in chemical manufacture, catalysis, new materials and recycling. Steric and electronic manipulation of rare earth coordination behaviour will transform their syntheses and reactions.
Feral Pig Impact on Wetlands in Archer River Catchment (Old ID 22226)
Nathan Waltham - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
01 Jun 2015 - 30 Jun 2017
This project will assess and evaluate the health of wetlands and in channel waterholes within the Archer River catchment. This baseline assessment will provide data to compare future surveys following installation of feral pig exclusion fencing, and also proposed agricultural development in this region. The survey wiolo include assessment of fish, wetland plants, macroinvertebrates, water quality, and terrestrial vertebrate communities that occupy wetlands. The project will also include Traditional Owner education and training during this survey.
Grouper nutrition review (Old ID 26828)
Leo Nankervis - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
15 Apr 2020 - 29 Jan 2021
A new ACIAR Concept Note is in preparation for the continuation of ACIAR investment in hybrid grouper aquaculture in Vietnam (FIS/2020/106). In parallel with the development of the Concept Note that will include a high level approach to nutrition research, a desk-top review of existing research is needed to prepare a targeted and practical research focus for the grow-out nutrition component of the project. The frequency of publication of peer-reviewed articles in grouper nutrition is ever increasing and understanding the current status of research is critical in order to maximise ACIAR investment in this area. The review will inform the detail of the experimental approach in the next ACIAR project, which needs to be planned in advance of the project start to maximise outcomes (possible start in July 2021). In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented further scoping travel to Vietnam in the short-term which will necessitate careful remote planning with proposed research partners to identify the most appropriate research systems and resource requirements in Vietnam and Australia for this research component (to be considered in time for resource requirements to be included in the Concept Note submitted in June 2019).
Developing Bioinformatics Capability to Diagnose Infectious Diseases using Clinical Metagenomics (Old ID 27176)
Matt Field - Physical Sciences
01 Jan 2022 - 31 Dec 2026
Current pathogen identification techniques are limited in terms of their speed, accuracy and inability to detect exotic pathogens. Using an unbiased metagenomic sequencing approach offers an improvement over current practice however supporting bioinformatics workflows are needed to support clinical implementation. This work can have enormous global reach with half the world’s population living in the tropics by 2050, many with limited healthcare options.
Reseracher: Michael Grant (Casual Research Academic)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2021
End Date: 01 Jan 2021
Reseracher: Peter Doll (Research Fellow, Coral Reef Health Assessments)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2021
Reseracher: Helen McCoy-West (Senior Lecturer, Geology (Igneous Petrology and Critical Resources))
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Reseracher: Helen McCoy-West (Senior Lecturer, Geology (Igneous Petrology and Critical Resources))
Start Date: 01 Jan 2023
Reseracher: Khandakar Faisal Ibn Murad (Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering and Related Technologies))
Start Date: 01 Jan 2012
Reseracher: Gemma Galbraith (AIMS@JCU Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Reef Connectivity)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2025
Reseracher: Helen McCoy-West (Senior Lecturer, Geology (Igneous Petrology and Critical Resources))
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
Reseracher: Helen McCoy-West (Senior Lecturer, Geology (Igneous Petrology and Critical Resources))
Start Date: 01 Jan 2020
End Date: 01 Jan 2023
Reseracher: Thomas Napier (Doctor of Philosophy (Information Technology))
Start Date: 01 Jan 2026
Reseracher: Tao Huang (Senior Lecturer, Electronic Systems and IoT Engineering)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2026