College of Science & Engineering


Sophia Love

Sophia Love

Elle Robertson

Elle Robertson

Romain Vaucher

Romain Vaucher

Jenny Fisher

Jenny Fisher

Ambili Narayanan

Ambili Narayanan

Sarfaraz Ali

Sarfaraz Ali

Tom Lloyd

Tom Lloyd

The Mua Island Garden Project: Reconstructing plant management practices in Western Torres Strait (Old ID 27527)
Food security in the face of climate change is a challenge for remote Indigenous communities in Australia, especially for Torres Strait Islander communities. Key to meeting this challenge is developing environmentally/culturally sustainable horticultural initiatives that build on traditional gardening practices adapted to hilly granite terrains of western Torres Strait. The Project thus brings together archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence with existing horticultural understandings of the Mualgal community to: 1. Understand how a western Torres Strait community developed and crafted their horticultural world over hundreds and perhaps thousands of years to accommodate the demands of wet and dry season climate extremes and hilly terrain; and, 2. Develop data and research into plant management in ways that are responsive to the contemporary aspirations and resources of a local Torres Strait Islander community.
The Wandering Falklands: Insights from New Geologic and Fossil Discoveries (Old ID 27745)
Eric Roberts - Earth & Environmental Sciences
01 Jun 2022 - 30 Mar 2023
This project seeks to shed new light on the enduring geological mystery of where and how the Falkland Islands fit back into the plate-tectonic jig-saw puzzle of ancient Gondwana, while at same time unravelling new information about the evolutionary origins of early jawed fish from the southern hemisphere, whose humble beginnings may be linked to islands. To achieve this, we propose to spend two weeks collecting new Devonian fish fossils and searching for the presence of elusive (unmapped) volcanic rocks along the wave-cut beaches and platforms of Pebble Island and northern end of West Falkland.
Eliminate factors inhibiting redclaw farming from reaching its full potential (Old ID 21754)
Clive Jones - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
01 Jul 2014 - 31 Dec 2018
The NQCFA have successfully established hatchery technology that enables routine production of third stage juveniles (craylings) for stocking to grow out ponds. Survival of craylings to harvest (9-12 months) is approximately 50%. NQCFA have sought assistance of JCU to address this issue and guide a series of experiments to answer key questions. The research aims to identify causes of mortality, determine when it occurs, and to develop strategies to minimise it.
Performance tests of acid mist suppressants (Old ID 22793)
Yinghe He - Engineering
01 Jul 2016 - 30 Sep 2016
This project will test the effect of two (2) chemicals (acid mist suppressants) supplied by Huntsman Corporation on the morphology of the cathode during an electro-winning process.
Strengthening Livelihoods for Food Security Amongst Cocoa and Oil Palm Farming Communities in Papua New Guinea (Old ID 21641)
Paul Nelson - Earth & Environmental Sciences
01 Jul 2014 - 28 Feb 2019
This project addresses rising food insecurity amongst smallholder cocoa and oil palm households in Papua New Guinea. The capacity of these households to grow or buy food is declining due to increasing populations and decreasing per-capita income in oil palm-growing communities and the spread of coco pod borer in cocoa-growing areas. The project objectives are to i) assess food security status in these communities, ii) determine the key factors influencing food security, iii) enhance food and livelihood security through strengthening food production and diversifying incomes, and iv) strengthen household and institutional capacity to address food and livelihood security.
Limiting Environmental Impacts While Optimizing Benefits of Rapid Road Expansion in the Asia-Pacific Region (Old ID 22967)
William Laurance - Zoology & Ecology
01 Oct 2016 - 31 Mar 2020
We will assess the impacts of roads and other infrastructure on terrestrial ecosystems of the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on rapidly developing frontier areas in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. Key goals will include devising land-use planning models to reduce environmental costs, maximise economic benefits, and predict the impacts of new roads and infrastructure on the environment. We will work actively with local partners and stakeholders, and engage in a variety of outreach and dissemination activities, to promote more sustainable infrastructure development in our environmentally critical study area.
Qcide® Oil Extraction and Processing Technology with the aim to improve the oil extraction process (Old ID 26262)
Yinghe He - Engineering
10 Dec 2018 - 10 May 2019
Implement an on-site experimentation program to establish baseline parameters (temperature, pressure, flow rates, oil yield) for the existing static oil extraction system using instrumentation acquired and installed as part of a previous (Phase 1) project. Evaluate the effect of key extraction process variables on the quantity and quality of the oil, and evaluate product change with process variable(s). Correlate the measurement results with the oil content results to develop an understanding of steam flow, biomass-stream contact and the oil extraction dynamics, and their possible variations from batch to batch. Analysis and reporting of experimentation results.
Probiotic Egg Allergen Immunotherapy for Treatment of Egg Allergy (Old ID 26604)
Ludwig Lopata - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
01 Jan 2018 - 12 Dec 2021
Eight percent of children have a food allergy and prevalence is increasing. There is no cure so management requires food avoidance which is difficult to achieve. Accidental ingestion of allergen is common, and can result in life-threatening anaphylaxis of death. A curative treatment is vital to improve management. We recently developed a novel treatment of peanut allergy that resulted in the best response rates yet reported for any therapy in development - a combination treatment comprising Probiotics and Peanut Oral Immunotherapy (PPOIT). It is now essential to conduct a larger trial to enhance the study design and confirm these findings in order to progres this treatment to practice, which is the focus of this research.
Pyrogenic Carbon Sequestration in Australian Soils (Old ID 26923)
Michael Bird - Earth & Environmental Sciences
01 Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2023
Pyrogenic Carbon (PyC; 'charcoal') is a porrly understood component of the global carbon cycle. It is important because it is resistant to degradation and hence has potential soil carbon sequestration benefits. This project applies a new technique (hydrogen pyrolysis) in combination with spectroscopic techniques to quantify PyC in a pan-Australian soil sample set, collected using uiniform stratified sampling and preparation protocols. This will enable the mapping of soil PyC stocks in relation to environmental and soil variables across Australia. The results will enable the understanding of the controls on PyC sequestration potential in Australian soils and contriobute to ongoing efforts to quantify soil stocks and dynamics globally.
Biosecurity in northern Australian prawn aquaculture (Old ID 25021)
Dean Jerry - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
01 Jul 2018 - 30 Jun 2020
This project addresses biosecurity risk through conducting the first comprehensive and widespread biosecurity audit of Australian prawn farms. This project has two components. The first is to conduct a biosecurity metanalysis using traditional and molecular diagnostic tools to establish what pathogens currently occur on prawn farms and how they relate to productivity. Secondly, once the pathobiome is established the project will formulate a risk management strategy for industry and provide on-farm biosecurity training. Understanding the risk of disease, and increased capacity to detect and monitor on-farm, will lead to more effective management practices for northern Australian prawn aquaculture.
Reseracher: Gemma Galbraith (AIMS@JCU Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Reef Connectivity)
Start Date: 10 Nov 2024
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))
Reseracher: Nathan Waltham (Associate Professor, Blue Carbon)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
Reseracher: Simon Das (Research Fellow - Grouper Nutrition)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
End Date: 01 Jan 2027
Start Date: 01 Jan 2014
Reseracher: Megan Higgie (Associate Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2003
Reseracher: Alana Grech (Professor)
End Date: 01 Jan 2010