Research Projects
Supporting mothers and fathers’ perinatal mental health via digital technology and couple engagement
Sam Teague
01 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2028
Both mothers and fathers experience mental health difficulties including postpartum depression and anxiety. Support to date has typically focused on one parent only, when strengthening family relationships is shown to help prevent and treat postpartum depression and anxiety. This research program aims to support parents using digital tools to identify those in need of support and deliver evidence-based psychological treatment to both parents individually and as a couple.
Novel governance for marine ecosystems in rapid transition
Sarah Lawless
01 Jan 2023 - 01 Dec 2026
This research program combines the political and climate sciences with ecology and geography to understand and improve the design of complex environmental governance regimes. The team works closely with a range of governments, NGOs and donors on co-creating solutions to environmental governance problems. Interdisciplinary science capacity and competitiveness is underpinned by partnerships with an international expert working group, involving cotutelle PhD supervision and co-appointed postdoctoral fellowships at James Cook University, University of Melbourne, WorldFish, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and the University of Tasmania.
SNAPP Governing Changing Oceans
How can improved marine governance guide more responsible, equitable, and effective interventions in climate-impacted oceans? Novel blue economy, blue carbon, and blue conservation interventions are being trialed and implemented to support climate-vulnerable oceans across the globe. Transitions in governance are needed to keep pace with novel interventions: to realize new opportunities, manage competing and escalating demand for marine resources, and mitigate risks and unintended consequences. How can marine governance transition to meet these new challenges? Answering this question is urgent, because while investment in climate-impacted oceans is accelerating, most interventions remain ad hoc, uncoordinated, and potentially ungovernable.
OUR APPROACH: Researchers in marine governance, fisheries, and climate science are collaborating with government and non-government experts in blue carbon, blue finance, blue conservation, Indigenous governance, co-management, and community resilience. The team’s mission is to collaboratively deliver governments, industries, NGOs, donors and ocean user groups and rights holders with practical insight on governance transitions that are fit for novel and rapidly emerging interventions in climate-impacted oceans.
AIMS@JCU Research Fellowship
Sarah Lawless
01 May 2023 - 30 Apr 2026
Sarah’s research is supported under a AIMS@JCU fellowship. The AIMS@JCU program is a strategic partnership between JCU and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Sarah is the first social scientist engaged under this program, where she contributes to a key research area of common interest - improving governance of changing oceans.
Early Career Researcher Grant - Blue carbon markets: preventing or fuelling marine tenure insecurity?
Sarah Lawless
01 Jun 2024 - 27 Dec 2024
Internal grant awarded by the Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture (CSTFA) at James Cook University to support my investigation of blue carbon markets, including where markets may enable tenure security, leading to improved stewardship of blue carbon ecosystems, food and livelihood security, poverty reduction, and social equity.
Developing a psychology resource library
Daniel Miller
01 Jun 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
Research literacy is essential for evidence-based practice in all allied health fields. However, many students report difficulties learning research methods and statistics, especially in an online delivery mode. This practice-based, applied, scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) project responds to recent JCU-led SoTL findings (Lloyd-Lewis et al., 2024; Maher et al., 2023; Fielder et al., 2024 ) concerning the design of engaging and effective statistics learning activities. Specifically, this project will investigate how a digital resource library of interactive resources can be used to decrease student anxiety and increase student success. This library contributes JCU’s efforts for transformative education and will better prepare the college to deliver research methods education in online and flex delivery modes.
“Bonus Chats”: A podcast series to build professional identity
Daniel Miller
01 Jun 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
This project will use a podcast series to build professional identity within the psychology undergraduate cohort . The 15-minute podcast episodes will feature staff, PhD and Honours students discussing their research and contemporary issues relevant to the discipline. Research has shown that professional identity is important in the retention of people to organisations and careers. This project aims to build a sense of belongingness and community with the psychology undergraduate students through a creative and flexible delivery that showcases the diversity and opportunities within the psychology discipline. Improved retention, performance and engagement are the ultimate long-term goals.
Review and Update the QFleet Road Safety Manual for the Queensland Government Motor Vehicle Fleet
Klaire Somoray
01 Nov 2015 - 01 Feb 2016
contract
Am I Talking to a Real Person? Experimental Investigations into Human Perceptions of Therapeutic Chatbots
Daniel Miller
01 Jun 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
Therapeutic chatbots could enhance accessibility to psychological treatments, reducing wait times and costs; yet questions remain about user acceptance. Millet et al. (2023) highlight biases against AI-generated art, suggesting a similar bias may exist for perceptions of therapeutic chatbots. This program of experimental research will investigate whether therapeutic communications are perceived as less empathetic when attributed to therapeutic chatbots, as opposed to humans.