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

Deciphering the molecular and environmental determinants of sex-change in barramundi (Old ID 20663)
Ludwig Lopata
19 Nov 2013 - 31 Dec 2017
Barramundi breeding programs to boost productivity and international competitiveness are hindered by a lack of reproductive control. Barramundi change sex from male to emale at 3-5 years of age, requiring hatcheries to maintain male broodstock for several years before they can be bred as females. This increases required infrastructure and decreases the rate of genetic improvement that can be achieved. This project will elucidate genetic mechanisms regulating barramundi sex change and will develop approaches allowing hatcheries to efficiently control broodstock sex. The ability to obtain reproductive control
Predicting food allergy through early diagnosis of molecular cross-reactivity in house dust mite sensitised children (Old ID 21977)
Ludwig Lopata
14 Feb 2015 - 30 Jun 2017
House dust mite allergy is highly prevalent worldwide, with over 20% of the general population being affected. Of this affected population, 5% are vulnerable to sensitisation to cross-reactive allergens in consumed shellfish, which can develop into a life-long food allergy. This may lead to the unexpected event of life-threatening anaphylactic reactions in dust mite allergic children upon exposure to shellfish. Current diagnostic methods such as skin prick tests and in vitro specific IgE tests are not accurate in the identification of allergen-specific IgE cross-reactivity, which would provide an early indication of cross-sensitisation. The outcomes of the proposed research will aid in developing novel in vitro IgE diagnostic approaches, allowing for the differential quantification of specific IgE to cross-reactive pan-allergens found in house dust mites and consumed shellfish species. The significance of this research is in the development of a predictive model, enabling the early detection of risks factors for developing food allergy to shellfish in dust mite allergic children, thereby leading to the improved management of this severe clinical condition.
Mitigation of Losses in Community from Extreme Wind Events (Old ID 22387)
John Ginger
01 Jul 2015 - 30 Jun 2016
The objective of the project is to investigate and inform on aspects of building codes/standards and implementation to mitigate losses from extreme wind events including Cyclones.
Architecture of the hanging wall shear zone and faults affecting the ore zone at Dugald River Mine (Old ID 26246)
Ioan Sanislav
15 Feb 2019 - 14 Aug 2022
This is a PhD project to develop a better understanding of the larger scale geometry of the shear zone and fault system that occur within the immediate hanging wall of the zinc-sulphide ore body in Dugald River Mine, near Cloncurry, NW Queensland. We aim to understand how shear controls the distribution of the ore zone both from a genetic and mechanical (displacement and remobilization) perspective, to optimize ore recovery in a predictive manner.
Vibration analysis of mining industry conveyor belt systems: validation of method and pathways to improvement (Old ID 26579)
Bruce Belson
19 Aug 2019 - 19 Feb 2020
Equipment failures in the mining industry can cause serious safety hazards and substantial financial losses. An automated, cost-effective monitoring system that could be retrofitted to existing equipment would provide advance warning to operators and reduce the likelihood of unscheduled outages. This project will test and validate a vibration-based monitoring system for conveyor belts and associated equipment. It will also identify improved methods to analyse the vibration data to increase the sensitivity and/or accuracy of the alerts that are generated.
Modelling the net growth of coral reefs under climate change: the neglected role of bio-eroding sponges (Old ID 21423)
Mia Hoogenboom
01 Jan 2014 - 31 Dec 2017
The project will investigate the hypothesis that under climate change, sponges will erode coral reefs at a faster rate than corals can form reefs. If true, sponge bioerosion may make it more difficult for corals to sustain reefs under climate change. The project will use controlled experiments to determine how sponge reproduction and fitness are affected by predicted climate change conditions. These data will then be used to develop models to predict sponge fitness, sponge-coral competition, reef erosion patterns, and overall reef resilience under climate change scenarios.
Coral resilience and the optimal management of biodiversity (Old ID 23498)
Ira Cooke
15 Nov 2017 - 14 Nov 2020
One of the most pressing questions facing coral reef managers is "Will reef-building corals survive climate change?" To answer this, managers need to know how coral biodiversity responds to climatic disturbances; the potential for acclimation and adaptation; and the best ways to monitor, manage and restore biodiversity. This project will examine the resilience of coral biodiversity to disturbances and build on recently developed genomic resources to explore the genotypic traits that confer thermal tolerance. Working with government, regulatory sectors and an industry group, we aim to generate tangible outcomes and strategies to optimise the management of Australia’s coral biodiversity while engaging the public through museum-based outreach.
Developmental and labile plasticity in mating displays (Old ID 26296)
Megan Higgie
01 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2019
Species interactions can alter the direction of evolution of sexual traits through reproductive interference. This project will look at how male pheromone displays in the presence and absence of reproductive interference may differ after being reared under experimental sympatry and allopatry conditions. I predict that being reared in a sympatric environment will influence differing mate display pheromones and will improve the ability plastically alter pheromones when reproductive interference is present. The ability to plastically alter mate displays to avoid the negative effects of reproductive interference is highly beneficial for population viability in a changing world.
Predicting habitat vulnerable to invasion: Diet and body condition of introduced chital deer (Axis axis) in the Australian dry tropics (Old ID 27884)
Lin Schwarzkopf
09 Nov 2022 - 09 Nov 2023
This project aims to detail the dietary richness of chital deer diet, and explore the association between individual dietary quality and body condition. This will be achieved utilising faecal sample DNA metabarcoding techniques to sequence and analyse the dietary items consumed by chital deer, in combination with faecal chromatography techniques to estimate dietary quality, and exploration of animal morphometric data to investigate the variance in body condition among individuals. My results will detail the dietary items that are associated with chital deer of higher body condition, and more importantly, the dominant vegetation communities that chital deer may utilise to facilitate further range expansion.
Improving outcomes for patients with muscle wasting disease and liver cancer - SERTA Capacity Research Grant. (Old ID 28986)
Matt Field
31 Oct 2023 - 31 Oct 2025
The funding of a Research Assistant and the performance of work by the Research Assistant in connection with a program of work undertaken by the Cancer and Metabolism Group within the College of Public Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science aimed at improving outcomes for patients with muscle wasting disease and liver cancer.
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: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Led "Super Gurus" team on the CSIRO ON Prime #15 program from 03/03/2024 to 25/06/2024 conducting customer discovery for the “Digital Twin Student” Educational Technology Project.
Reseracher: Kranthi Addanki (Lecturer, Information Technology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
End Date: 01 Jan 2024