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

RRAP CAD-01: Coral propagation and deployment (Old ID 27237)
Elsa Antunes
01 Oct 2020 - 30 Jun 2025
Deployment device shape and material can considerably affect the growth rates and survival of recruits, but the optimal physical properties of deployment devices to maximise the survival and growth of a diversity of corals are not yet clear. For example, crevice size is an important physical factor that influences the survivorship of coral recruits and juveniles. Spatial structure of settlement surfaces can provide refugia from algae and release from grazing. The first part of the project consists of selecting potential device materials, porosities and textures that will be assessed for fouling and recruit survival. These will be first tested in the SeaSim and the most promising candidates in the field in across a range of environments and environmental gradients. The second part of the project consists of optimization and scaling up of the fabrication technology to produce millions of devices.
Mission Research – Threatened and migratory species and threatened ecological communities (Old ID 27434)
Helene Marsh
01 Jul 2021 - 31 Dec 2026
This project will provide the research foundation for the ‘Threatened and Migratory Species and Threatened Ecological Communities’ functional Mission to support policy development, program management and regulatory processes to protect Australia’s environmental assets in terrestrial, Ramsar and marine environments. It will also facilitate the Resilient Landscapes (RL)Hub’s contribution to the three other Missions. It will identify prospective research projects through scoping, reviews and workshops and will support the co-design process with research users and researchers. Outputs include a review and priority co-designed project proposals for submission in subsequent research plans of all four Hubs and an overall research plan for this Mission.
Coastal wetland restoration options investigation. (Old ID 27446)
Nathan Waltham
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
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
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
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)
Morgan Pratchett
13 Mar 2017 - 17 Apr 2018
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
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)
Peter Junk
05 Feb 2016 - 30 Jun 2019
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
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.
Title: JCU reef scientist goes global after plumbing the depths, Townsville Bulletin
Reseracher: Gemma Galbraith (AIMS@JCU Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Reef Connectivity)
Start Date: 10 Nov 2024
Title: Deep dive: How I use robots to survey coral reefs, Nature
Reseracher: Gemma Galbraith (AIMS@JCU Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Reef Connectivity)
Start Date: 31 Mar 2025
Title: Bengali
Reseracher: Khandakar Faisal Ibn Murad (Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering and Related Technologies))
Title: English
Reseracher: Khandakar Faisal Ibn Murad (Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering and Related Technologies))
Title: Wet Tropics Management Authority - Scientific Advisory Committee
Reseracher: Nathan Waltham (Associate Professor, Blue Carbon)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
Title: Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF), Australia
Reseracher: Simon Das (Research Fellow - Grouper Nutrition)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
End Date: 01 Jan 2027
Title: ARC Future Fellow ($680,000), Global Change: Rainforest responses to experimental drought
Reseracher: Susan Laurance (Professor, Personal Chair)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2014
Title: American Society of Naturalists
Reseracher: Megan Higgie (Associate Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2003
Title: PhD, James Cook University
Reseracher: Alana Grech (Professor)
End Date: 01 Jan 2010
Title: Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours), The University of Adelaide
Reseracher: Alana Grech (Professor)
End Date: 01 Jan 2003