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

How do interactions during grazing influence dairy herd performance
This project was designed to develop thresholds to predict the grazing, standing, walking, and lying behaviour of dairy cows from motion sensor (IceTag) output.
Use of oaten hay to support sustainable development of dairy production
The project will utilise international literature review, in vitro rumen fermentation experiment, dairy cattle experiments, and case study modelling to quantify and demonstrate oaten hay carbohydrates value proposition to total mixed ration based dairy production, with a specific aim to use oaten hay to optimise production and efficiency.
NESP 4.5: Restoration by design: improving biodiversity outcomes from Australia’s restoration investments
Susan Laurance - Zoology & Ecology
01 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2027
Biodiversity monitoring of restoration projects. It will achieve this by undertaking 3 linked activities. · Activity 1: stakeholder workshop · Activity 2: examining methods used for restoration monitoring and evaluation · Activity 3: evaluating biodiversity outcomes of key restoration projects. This research is foundational for enhancing biodiversity recovery, strengthening restoration program delivery, encouraging informed restoration investments, and meeting national environmental standards. It directly addresses knowledge gaps around restoration identified in the Australia State of the Environment 2021 report and current national priorities for biodiversity conservation and restoration. Note that this project is Phase 2 of the ‘Restoration by design’ project. Phase 1 is a small project currently underway (4.5 Phase 1: September 2023 – June 2024) which includes running a co-design workshop (planned for the first quarter of 2024) with a subset of stakeholders identified in this proposal. Project 4.5 Phase 1 is key to Project 4.5 Phase 2 of this project, as it is the formal start of the complex and time-consuming process of identification and consultation with stakeholders. Project 4.5 Phase 2 also aims to begin development of the program logic required for key parts of the project more broadly – specifically, the inclusion/exclusion criteria of restoration monitoring methods (there are many) and the inclusion/exclusion criteria for case studies to include in our detailed analysis here (again, there are many).
NESP 4.12: Mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events on spectacled flying-foxes
Susan Laurance - Zoology & Ecology
01 Apr 2024 - 31 Mar 2027
Spectacled flying-foxes (SFFs) were listed as Endangered in 2019, following an extreme heatwave in 2018 that resulted in the death of approximately one-third of the population. The mass mortality of Australian flying-foxes at roosts during heatwaves has been well documented, with future extreme heat events considered the greatest threat to their survival. This project aims to improve our understanding of the local thermal environments of SFF roosts across their range, which is a critical aspect of their sensitivity to the increasing risks imposed by climate change. By doing so, this project will improve species management through the provision of tools to mitigate the devastating impacts of future extreme heatwaves and advise managers on effective interventions. This project addresses national priorities by providing adaptive solutions to support the recovery of a threatened species and in developing capacity to help reverse the decline in Australia’s natural environment.
Modelling plasma devices on femtosecond to millisecond timescales for compact particle-accelerator applications.
Greg Boyle - Physics
01 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
Australia-Germany Joint Research Cooperation Scheme 2023: Short-term exchange of researchers between JCU and DESY, collaborating on plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) research and development. JCU student to benefit from DESY experimental and simulation expertise as world leaders in PWFA, and DESY postdoc to benefit from JCU expertise on charged-particle transport theory.
Long-term effects of sea-weeding on degraded coral reefs
Hillary Smith - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
01 Oct 2024 - 30 Sep 2029
Coral reefs around the world are under threat from the combined impacts of climate change and local stressors. Often, when corals die, macroalgae (seaweeds) rapidly take over available space on a reef, with corals struggling to regain dominance once seaweeds are established. My research has shown that a low-tech, simple approach of “sea-weeding” (i.e. removing seaweed by hand) is effective in rapidly rehabilitating degraded, macroalgae-dominated reefs. Over five years, my research program on two degraded reefs of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef saw a >600% increase in coral cover where macroalgae were removed three times annually, while no change was observed in control plots. These spectacular results provide an exciting potential management approach for other seaweed-dominated areas, as sea-weeding can be achieved through collective action via citizen science. However, because reef recovery dynamics operate on decadal time-scales, it is critical to understand the long-term effects of intervention via sea-weeding. In this project, I will extend the timeframe of the established sea-weeding experiment to document the trajectory of reef recovery. Specifically, the project will transition into a "maintenance" phase of weeding once per year (rather than 2-3 times per year in the first 5 years) to establish the efficacy of less frequent intervention. The results will help inform the best-practice application of sea- weeding in reef management strategies.
Wildlife Conservation Society Graduate Scholarship Program
WCS is committed to a strategy that invests in developing the global conservation leaders of tomorrow. As part of that strategy, the Graduate Scholarship Program provides support for graduate education opportunities (masters or doctoral programs) at international institutions of academic excellence for exceptional conservationists from Asia/Pacific, Africa, Latin America, and North American indigenous groups. Scholars will be selected based on their exceptional abilities, their potential to become leaders of the conservation movement in their home country, and the relevance of their proposed study and future work to WCS conservation priorities. This funding is for a candidate to come study a PhD at JCU.
Traditional Owner engagement for the JCU-CSIRO Community-led Biosecurity Initiative
Paul Horwood - Vet Preventative Medicine
06 Jun 2024 - 30 Sep 2025
The objective of this Project is to understand the interests and needs of Traditional Owners and have them engage with the JCU-CSIRO collaboration to develop community-led projects that will aim to reduce biosecurity risks and/or impacts. The Project will undertake steps to identify sustainable ways to reduce biosecurity risks (diseases, plant, and animal pests) in northern Queensland through creating mutually beneficial and sustainable approaches with community that improves livelihoods. The Project intends to enable Traditional Owners to develop research priorities and own and lead research projects with JCU and CSIRO researchers (that are based on these research priorities), which could develop economic opportunities and engage with regional partners to identify and reduce potential biosecurity risks.
Sugar-AI: Smart Sugarcane Health Monitoring and Ratoon Stunting Disease (RSD) Detection with Satellite Remote Sensing and Machine Learning (Old ID 30057)
Mostafa Rahimi Azghadi - Engineering
01 Aug 2024 - 31 Dec 2025
The aim of the Sugar-AI project is to develop a prototype smart software system for sugarcane health monitoring. The prototype will focus on accurately diagnosing Ratoon Stunting Disease (RSD), which is considered by most sugarcane pathologists globally to be the most important disease that impacts on sugarcane yields between 5-60%.
Addressing key technical bottlenecks in the grouper supply chain in Vietnam and Australia through manufactured feed and hatchery developments that aim to improve sector profitability (Old ID 29011)
Leo Nankervis - Marine Biology & Aquaculture
01 Jun 2024 - 01 Dec 2027
The project aims to address key bottlenecks in the aquaculture grouper supply chain in Vietnam and Australia through research into nutritional constraints and drivers for commercial feed adoption by the Vietnam grow-out farming sector, as well as factors affecting the supply of high-quality eggs, larvae and juveniles in both Vietnam and Australia. A physiological approach to nutrient requirements and feeds development will be applied to address nutrient-related production bottlenecks for grouper aquaculture. This project will develop commercially implemented feed formulated specifically for grouper, facilitating the further development of the industry in Vietnam and Australia.
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
Start Date: 01 Jan 2014
Reseracher: Simon Das (Research Fellow - Grouper Nutrition)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
End Date: 01 Jan 2027
Reseracher: Megan Higgie (Associate Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2003
Reseracher: Alana Grech (Professor)
End Date: 01 Jan 2010