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

Townsville City Council Saltmarsh Restoration
Nathan Waltham
30 Oct 2024 - 31 Mar 2026
Undertake saltmarsh restoration trials with Townsville City Council within their estate.
Utilising drone-based thermal imagery to accurately estimate abundance of the endangered spectacled flying-fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) and model population trajectories
Susan Laurance
11 Mar 2024 - 11 Sep 2027
This project aims to address knowledge gaps in our understanding of the abundance and population trajectory of the spectacled flying fox, a keystone species in tropical rainforest ecosystems that is currently listed as Endangered. The research will focus on applying novel remote sensing technologies such as drone-based thermal imagery to estimate the current population size of spectacled flying foxes, and develop a standardised monitoring protocol specifically for use by Indigenous rangers. Additionally, the project will seek to test and adapt theoretical models for predicting species population trajectories using spectacled flying foxes as a case study. This work aligns with national conservation priorities and is crucial to understand whether conservation management actions are having the intended impact of mitigating spectacled flying fox population declines. Moreover, the project supports broader efforts to conserve tropical fauna globally by developing widely applicable field- and desktop-based methods for assessing population declines.
Cane toad call recognition for DPI NSW Invasive Species Biosecurity
Lin Schwarzkopf
30 Oct 2024 - 30 Jun 2025
DPI NSW has asked us to process some audio data for them, to search for cane toad calls to allow them to mobilise control in response to the discovery of toads in the audio data.
Circulating human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA for diagnosis and post-treatment surveillance of HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-OPSCC)
Ludwig Lopata
01 Sep 2024 - 30 Aug 2026
HPV is an established cause of the majority of oropharyngeal cancer cases in Australia, and its incidence is rising. The conventional diagnosis of HPV-OPSCC relies on histopathology via primary-site or nodal biopsy. This has limitations including diagnostic accuracy, health care resource, patient comfort, and time. Histopathology does not provide molecular and genetic information to guide personalised treatment. Despite of its favourable treatment outcome, 15% to 25% of patients will relapse with locoregional or distant metastatic disease after standard therapy. Post-treatment surveillance requires frequent visits to tertiary hospitals and imaging, causing high burden to the patients and costs to the health system. Yet, it has low sensitivity to detect early recurrence of cancer. The detection of HPV DNA in patients’ blood can be used as an adjunct biomarker for diagnosis and surveillance of HPV-OPSCC. Models suggest that using circulating tumour biomarkers for surveillance is more cost-effective. Although PCR-based HPV DNA liquid biopsy has high specificity, the sensitivity is approximately 88-91% [1], signifying that 1 in 10 negative tests are false negative. We aim to establish a highly sensitive method to detect HPV DNA in patients’ blood using capture-based next generation sequencing (NGS) and utilise data for post-treatment monitoring of cancer recurrence.
The role of stable isotopes in modelling water balance of tropical catchments (Old ID 25057)
HanShe Lim
19 Jun 2018 - 21 May 2021
This project aims to test a water balance model, IWBMIso, for two contrasting tropical catchments in Far North Queensland and assess if the model performance improves when information about stable water isotopes is included in the model. The results will help model users and developers in improving the model for the general user who will mainly use the IWBMIso to model catchment water balance for the purpose of water resource management and planning.
The role of stable isotopes in modelling water balance of tropical catchments (Old ID 25057)
Michael Bird
19 Jun 2018 - 21 May 2021
This project aims to test a water balance model, IWBMIso, for two contrasting tropical catchments in Far North Queensland and assess if the model performance improves when information about stable water isotopes is included in the model. The results will help model users and developers in improving the model for the general user who will mainly use the IWBMIso to model catchment water balance for the purpose of water resource management and planning.
Fast, automated acquisition of mineral chemistry for mineral exploration
Ioan Sanislav
01 Jan 2025 - 30 Jun 2028
This project aims to develop innovative analytical methods to provide fast and efficient mineral chemistry acquisition, which supports mineral industry on a commercially competitive basis. This service will be provided through the Advanced Analytical Centre housed at James Cook University.
Fast, automated acquisition of mineral chemistry for mineral exploration
Yang Liu
01 Jan 2025 - 30 Jun 2028
This project aims to develop innovative analytical methods to provide fast and efficient mineral chemistry acquisition, which supports mineral industry on a commercially competitive basis. This service will be provided through the Advanced Analytical Centre housed at James Cook University.
Revisiting Coral Taxonomy: biodiversity of Acropora across the Indian Ocean
Peter Cowman
01 May 2025 - 31 May 2025
Accurate species identification is crucial for biological and ecological research. Corals, key ecosystem engineers on tropical reefs, are declining due to climate change. However, current coral taxonomy is outdated, hindering our understanding of species-specific population trends and reef ecosystem impacts. This project focuses on the species richness and biogeography of Acropora corals in the Indian Ocean. Partnering with Save Our Seas Foundation, I will collect data from D'Arros island in the Seychelles, comparing it with existing data. Using phylogenomics and morphology, I aim to refine coral taxonomy, inform conservation efforts, and identify species at risk of extinction.
Revisiting Coral Taxonomy: biodiversity of Acropora across the Indian Ocean
Tom Bridge
01 May 2025 - 31 May 2025
Accurate species identification is crucial for biological and ecological research. Corals, key ecosystem engineers on tropical reefs, are declining due to climate change. However, current coral taxonomy is outdated, hindering our understanding of species-specific population trends and reef ecosystem impacts. This project focuses on the species richness and biogeography of Acropora corals in the Indian Ocean. Partnering with Save Our Seas Foundation, I will collect data from D'Arros island in the Seychelles, comparing it with existing data. Using phylogenomics and morphology, I aim to refine coral taxonomy, inform conservation efforts, and identify species at risk of extinction.
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