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

A rationally designed vaccine for tuberculosis (Old ID 26852)
Matt Field
01 Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2025
Tuberculosis kills more people than any other infectious disease, and approximately one third of the world's population is latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Reactivation of latent tuberculosis is associated with immunosuppressive conditions, most notably AIDS and type 2 diabetes. This project aims to investigate correlates of protection against tuberculosis in these immunosuppressive conditions by using innovative mouse models and human samples and to develop a new TB vaccine.
Develop an autonomous AI vehicle damage assessment tool (Phase II) (Old ID 27223)
Thomas Napier
04 May 2021 - 04 May 2022
Improvement upon the project 1 developed method for automated detection, identification and categorisation of vehicle panel damage by developing a user interface and video vision. Semantic segmentation and deep learning networks will be further refined and developed for the next evolution/iteration of the software platform.
Advanced manufacturing of Antennas and Microwave Components for Radio Astronomy and Space Applications (Old ID 27259)
Mohan Jacob
01 Mar 2021 - 31 Aug 2024
An investigation into advanced manufacturing methods such as additive manufacturing and the use of conventional and novel materials. Thus, this project will investigate the optimum design conditions for manufacture of microwave components such as antenna and feed system components to exploit the performance benefits available. The study will also investigate the feasibility of using conventional and novel materials and the material manufacturing process. The outcomes of this research will be useful in several communication applications including satellite communication and space research.
The future of urban roosts of the Spectacled Flying-fox in North Queensland (Old ID 27817)
Susan Laurance
11 Oct 2022 - 11 Oct 2023
In partnership with Cairns Council and Bat & Tree Society, I have collected data on bat temperatures and microclimate at 20 urban roosts, including the two remnant forests. I have undertaken field surveys of vegetation structure, but these methods may not accurately estimate the top down perspective of canopy organisms. Hence, the next step is to estimate the three dimensional space of bat roosts. Using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), I will quantify the volume of vegetation at different heights and correlate with microclimate conditions in order to rank the thermal insulation of roost sites to protect bats during heatwaves.
Water security for Northern Australian - Implementation Phase (Old ID 28971)
Nathan Waltham
30 Jan 2023 - 30 Jun 2026
This Water Security for Northern Australia program has identified 4 key focal nodes where pressure for increased water utilisation is high - Ord (WA), Daly-Katherine (NT), Gilbert (QLD) and lower Fitzroy (QLD) - to be the focal nodes for this research program. To determine the most appropriate research questions for each focal node, we undertook a co-design phase with relevant regional stakeholders in each focal node. This co-design phase and its outcomes have resulted in the generation of 15 research projects that are now proposed for funding under the Water Security for Northern Australia program -implementation phase outlined in this research program.
Can species interactions drive rapid niche evolution? (Old ID 23572)
Conrad Hoskin
01 Aug 2017 - 31 Aug 2019
Climate change can alter the distribution of species and cause novel interactions. This project will test whether such interactions can actually drive adaptation to the changing environment. Two Australian fruitfly species will be lab-reared separately and together along a thermal resource gradient. Estimates of each species' niche will be obtained. Using experimental evolution, resource space will then be manipulated to create competition and test whether either species' niche will evolve into new space. A shift of either species beyond its former niche limits would provide evidence of the potential for evolutionary rescue via rapid adaptation to changing environmental conditions.
Can species interactions drive rapid niche evolution? (Old ID 23572)
Megan Higgie
01 Aug 2017 - 31 Aug 2019
Climate change can alter the distribution of species and cause novel interactions. This project will test whether such interactions can actually drive adaptation to the changing environment. Two Australian fruitfly species will be lab-reared separately and together along a thermal resource gradient. Estimates of each species' niche will be obtained. Using experimental evolution, resource space will then be manipulated to create competition and test whether either species' niche will evolve into new space. A shift of either species beyond its former niche limits would provide evidence of the potential for evolutionary rescue via rapid adaptation to changing environmental conditions.
Understanding population growth time lags in invasive species: Chital deer as a model system. (Old ID 26559)
Lin Schwarzkopf
11 Oct 2019 - 09 Oct 2025
Lags in population growth of introduced species are common, but poorly understood. Chital deer (Axis axis) are an invasive species introduced to Australia over 130 years ago, but their numbers have only increased dramatically in the past 30-40 years. We will use data collected from wild animals, landholder surveys, and computer simulation models to clarify causes of sudden population expansion in more detail. Understanding lags will allow us to understand their causes, and better control populations of invasive species. By predicting drivers of rapid population growth, we can better mitigate the associated economic and environmental costs of invasive species.
Systematics, biogeography, and evolutionary history of black corals. (Old ID 26866)
Tom Bridge
01 May 2020 - 31 May 2021
This proposed research project has two main aims within the study site Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef (GBR): 1) to quantify the biodiversity of black corals; and, 2) to formally describe undescribed species. These aims will be addressed by collecting black corals from four Heron Island reefs that contain cryptic habitats (e.g., caves, overhangs, and coral rubble), which typically host diverse black coral assemblages and have a high likelihood of hosting undescribed species.
SahulSED Radiocarbon, SahulCHAR, and OCTOPUS Future Proofing (Old ID 27819)
Michael Bird
05 Dec 2022 - 31 Dec 2023
The project will engage a full-time postdoctoral fellow for 12 months to compile fire proxy data for the new data collection SahulCHAR, to oversee the data collection of environmental radiocarbon ages for SahulSED, and to lead the development of resources for the maintenance and community-led updates of these collections. The postdoctoral fellow will lead the E&E activities and support the RT&E activities described below and will update existing collections as needed. Results will be included in a series of planned papers to coincide with the launch of the new collections.
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