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

Empowering urban heat literacy through field-based learning and community research
Lisa Law
01 Jun 2025 - 31 Dec 2025
In Northern Australia, in tropical cities like Cairns and Townsville, local studies of urban heat islands are under-represented, and opportunities to raise awareness through hands-on learning and community engagement are limited by access to (easy to use) equipment. This grant will enable the purchase of hand held air temperature/humidity sensors and thermal imaging cameras to promote urban heat literacy in tropical Queensland. The research will generate awareness of urban heat island effects, using sensors and cameras to engage the community in real-world data collection and analysis exercises.
Improving land condition across north-west Queensland to boost productivity, build climate resilience and increase biodiversity
Lin Schwarzkopf
15 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2028
Across the Southern and Northern Gulf region of north-west Queensland, there are many thousands of hectares of land in poor condition. Land that is in poor condition is less productive and therefore profitable, more susceptible to severe impacts from extreme climate events (e.g., floods and droughts), has a lower capacity to sequester and store carbon, and negatively impacts other ecosystem services (e.g., biodiversity and water quality). The overarching aim of the project is to build resilience in Southern and Northern Gulf rangeland production systems through improving land condition. To achieve improved land condition across the region, the project will work directly with land managers to implement on-ground land management practice changes and/or remediation treatments. The effectiveness of these interventions will be rigorously monitored and evaluated. Key learnings and outcomes will be passed on to the other landholders, NRM groups, Government extension staff and researchers through demonstration sites, field days, communications materials, scientific publications, and capacity building events. Overall, the project will provide much needed new knowledge, information, data, tools, and capacity to boost productivity, build climate resilience, and facilitate access to emerging environmental markets across north-west Queensland, and other parts of northern Australia.
Listening for Chital Deer
Lin Schwarzkopf
11 Feb 2025 - 30 Sep 2025
Chital Deer Audio Recording devices
EarthBank: An Australian geochemistry network activity enabling the analysis, preservation and discoverability of nationally significant Earth & environmental collections
Alex McCoy-West
01 Jun 2025 - 30 Jun 2028
This project will fund an Earthbank scientist to contribute to the expansion of the Earthbank database and build capacity in earth and environmental sciences.
EarthBank: An Australian geochemistry network activity enabling the analysis, preservation and discoverability of nationally significant Earth & environmental collections
Helen McCoy-West
01 Jun 2025 - 30 Jun 2028
This project will fund an Earthbank scientist to contribute to the expansion of the Earthbank database and build capacity in earth and environmental sciences.
EarthBank: An Australian geochemistry network activity enabling the analysis, preservation and discoverability of nationally significant Earth & environmental collections
Ioan Sanislav
01 Jun 2025 - 30 Jun 2028
This project will fund an Earthbank scientist to contribute to the expansion of the Earthbank database and build capacity in earth and environmental sciences.
Operation of Flexible Load Demand and Distributed Energy Resources in Renewable-Rich Power Systems
Jiajia Yang
01 Jun 2023 - 31 Dec 2023
This project addresses critical gaps in optimal operational strategies for power distribution systems with high levels of distributed energy resources and flexible load demand. Our proposed algorithms and models have proven instrumental in advancing decarbonization efforts and enhancing the resilience of power supply for energy consumers.
Application of Coordinative Management Schemes for Inverter Connected Energy Resources in Electric Distribution Networks
Jiajia Yang
01 May 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
The objective of this project is to implement these proposed innovative operational and control mechanisms for managing DERs within real-world systems, ultimately contributing to the development of plug-and-play operational devices and systems tailored for inverter-connected energy resources within electric distribution networks.
Project 5.4 – Innovations To Support Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish Control and the Resilience of the Great Barrier Reef
Peter Doll
01 Feb 2025 - 20 Nov 2026
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) faces increasing threats from climate-induced mass bleaching, cyclones, and Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish (COTS). To maximise the GBR’s capacity to respond to these threats, it is vital to maintain coral cover and target management actions at the locations that best support the resilience of the GBR. Of the major threats to the GBR, only COTS can currently be directly managed. Australia’s COTS control program has already acted to reduce coral mortality at over 450 reefs. This project will develop innovations that increase the efficiency of COTS control, enabling protection of more reefs and more coral. To maximise the resilience of the GBR, we must target protection to networks of reefs that can function together to rapidly recover from disturbance. This project will build our understanding of the factors and locations that support the resilience of the GBR. The research will be closely partnered to deliver directly to research-users in the COTS Control Program and the Reef Authority. The innovations developed will progress the adaptive management of the resilience of Australia’s marine ecosystems.
The role of drought-stress and insect attack on rainforest plant health (Old ID 26337)
Susan Laurance
01 Jan 2020 - 31 May 2025
This project aims to examine the vulnerability of tropical plants to drought and insect attack in a large-scale field experiment. We will pioneer a new research approach that focuses on the causes and stages of decline in plant health prior to death, in order to identify the characteristics of plant species that make them more susceptible to drought and insect attack. Expected outcomes of this project include an improved capacity to predict the function and composition of future forests. This project will provide significant benefits to communities concerned with the direct and indirect effects of droughts in protected areas, forestry reserves and agriculture.
Title: Lead Investigator, Science for Nature and People Partnership Award - Governing Changing Oceans , $285, 000
Reseracher: Tiffany Morrison (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2023
Title: Independent Expert Panel, Reef 2050 - Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Reseracher: Tiffany Morrison (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2022
Title: European Associaton of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI)
Reseracher: Ludwig Lopata (Professor, Personal Chair)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2007
Title: Golden barra’s secrets uncovered, The Australian
Reseracher: Roberta Marcoli (Research Fellow)
Title: Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences Australia (elected 2022)
Reseracher: Tiffany Morrison (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2022
Title: Editorial Board, Global Environmental Change
Reseracher: Tiffany Morrison (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2021
Title: Associate Editor, npj Climate Action
Reseracher: Tiffany Morrison (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2021
Title: Mystery of golden-coloured barra revealed, Cairns Post
Reseracher: Roberta Marcoli (Research Fellow)
Title: Editorial Board, Earth System Governance
Reseracher: Tiffany Morrison (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2018
Title: JCU College of Science and Engineering Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB)
Reseracher: Reniel Cabral (Associate Professor, Fisheries)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2025