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Rural and Remote Generalist Nurse Pathway Scoping Review
Pauline Calleja
04 Jun 2025 - 30 Sep 2025
This is a joint collaborative project with Queensland Health Office of the Chief Nurse, USQ, CQU, USC. The project is a scoping review that we will undertake together and publish collaboratively to inform a new nursing pathway in Queensland for rural and remote nurses.
Innovative Solutions and AI Integration for Women Entrepreneurship in Small and Medium Enterprises
Kim Lim Tan
01 May 2025 - 30 Apr 2026
Women entrepreneurs in micro small-medium enterprises (mSME) are key drivers of economic growth, yet they often face barriers such as limited funding, restricted market access and systemic biases. While Artificial intelligence (AI) presents transformative opportunities, offering automation, data-driven insights, and efficiency gains, many mSME women entrepreneurs struggle to integrate AI into their businesses due to a lack of awareness, resources, and support systems. This research explores the challenges, opportunities, best practices and toolkits in AI adoption among mSME women entrepreneurs. The outcome will be a playbook providing practical strategies to help women overcome obstacles and successfully adopt AI for business growth and sustainability.
Operation of Flexible Load Demand and Distributed Energy Resources in Renewable-Rich Power Systems
Jiajia Yang
01 Jun 2023 - 31 Dec 2023
This project addresses critical gaps in optimal operational strategies for power distribution systems with high levels of distributed energy resources and flexible load demand. Our proposed algorithms and models have proven instrumental in advancing decarbonization efforts and enhancing the resilience of power supply for energy consumers.
Application of Coordinative Management Schemes for Inverter Connected Energy Resources in Electric Distribution Networks
Jiajia Yang
01 May 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
The objective of this project is to implement these proposed innovative operational and control mechanisms for managing DERs within real-world systems, ultimately contributing to the development of plug-and-play operational devices and systems tailored for inverter-connected energy resources within electric distribution networks.
A Toolkit for Ranger-Led Seagrass Monitoring in Northern Australia Sea Country 5.2
Alexandra Carter
01 Feb 2025 - 20 Nov 2026
Monitoring of key habitats is increasingly being led by Indigenous Ranger groups. It is important that this information, across the whole of northern Australia, is collected in a reliable and consistent manner. Our project will develop a robust framework for monitoring seagrass habitats across northern Australia, ensuring consistent and reliable data collection to support conservation and management efforts. By partnering with Indigenous rangers, researchers, and local filmmakers, we will co-create visually engaging training materials and establish a monitoring decision-making framework tailored to diverse Sea Country environments, ranger resources, and monitoring questions. This research is crucial for managing culturally and economically significant species like dugongs and green turtles, aligning with national priorities and the NESP2 guidelines by promoting Indigenous-led conservation efforts and enhancing environmental data quality.
Mapping Sea Country & Investigating Conservation and Restoration Opportunities along the Kakadu Coast & Garig Gunak Barlu National Park
Alexandra Carter
01 Mar 2025 - 20 Nov 2026
This project addresses the need for contemporary biodiversity and habitat data in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park (Cobourg Peninsula) and coastal Kakadu National Park, essential for effective Sea Country planning and management. Successful co-management of protected areas requires strong support from the government to enable local communities to have autonomy in decision-making to benefit both the environment and livelihoods. The research focuses on a two-way knowledge transfer process to integrate Western science and Traditional Owners' knowledge to improve knowledge on the extent, condition, and biodiversity of coastal ecosystem habitats under current management and threats. This will empower Traditional Owners to make informed decisions on managing their coastal ecosystems, including restoration opportunities under emerging environmental markets, to improve the resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems under environmental changes while enhancing livelihoods. To achieve this, researchers will collaborate with Traditional Owners to map coastal habitats, assess the biodiversity of coastal habitats, and evaluate environmental changes due to sea level rise and feral ungulate impacts. Outputs include co-authored publications, visually engaging materials, and a co-designed mapping project. Outcomes include better management of Kakadu National Park and Cobourg Peninsula by empowering Traditional Owners with enhanced knowledge that they can use to make on-ground decisions that benefit their communities and biodiversity conservation. This collaboration ensures that Traditional Owners' perspectives guide the management and preservation of culturally significant sites while exploring socio-economic opportunities in emerging environmental markets.
NurtureNextGen: Co-design of a digital tool to support families of children with genetic neurodevelopmental conditions to receive balanced prognostic information
Pieta Shakes
01 Jan 2025 - 30 Dec 2027
This project, led by Dr Erin Turbitt (UTS) was a successful MRFF application from the 2023 Consumer-Led Research Grant Opportunity. The project start was delayed due until 2025 due to parental leave. The AIMS of this project are to: 1. Co-design an evidence-based, consumer-led intervention: NurtureNextGen, a digital tool to promote a strengths-based approach to discussing genetic neurodevelopmental conditions. 2. Investigate the implementation and feasibility of NurtureNextGen to inform the design of future research testing outcomes in controlled trials.
The SUPPORT-TFMR Project: Strengthening the Understanding of Parental Preferences and Options for Receiving supporT during and following a Termination For Medical Reasons Project
Pieta Shakes
01 Jan 2025 - 01 Jan 2027
Project led by Dr Sarah Fogarty to undertake research to inform the development of guidance for care related to termination for medical reasons (successful application - funded by Stillbirth Foundation to commence in 2025). The care and support parents receive around their stillbirth is pivotal to how they manage their grief journey. The loss of a baby before they are born, or shortly after, has wide-reaching and long-lasting impact for parents, family members, and communities. Captured within the experience of stillbirth are parents who have experienced a termination for medical reasons (TFMR). Australian surveillance of stillbirth includes unborn babies with a congenital anomaly who died through TFMR. In fact, congenital anomalies were the leading cause of stillbirth in Australia in 2021.(1) While strides have been taken in antepartum stillbirth care over the last 10 years, this care and support does not always meet the needs of parents who have experienced a TFMR. The TFMR journey has unique challenges that are not experienced by parents who have a spontaneous loss. These challenges can include complex medical information, tests and waiting, time-pressured decisions based on uncertain or ambiguous information, isolation from typical supports, procedures to end the life of the baby or induction to deliver early, and stigma, judgement or dismissal of the perceived “choice” around TFMR. This is evidenced by a participant in our research who states: “you get to make a decision which is a crappy decision that you don't want to make a choice on, and then you get to also carry that forever with you”.(2) Parents who have experienced a TFMR have indicated that even though ‘miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal loss’ might be how their loss is classified, they can struggle to feel part of the pregnancy and neonatal loss communities. Research shows that the burden of TFMR is high for parents, and this is an area where non-judgemental, compassionate, and sensitive support
Community-Led Approaches to Teaching Australian South Sea Islander History
Michelle Redman-MacLaren
01 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2030
ARC Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award This project argues that a new approach to teaching Australian South Sea Islander history in primary and secondary school education is urgently needed to address conditions by which Australian South Sea Islander students are made disadvantaged at school. Through a Tok Stori methodological approach that draws on community knowledges, this project will develop new ways of teaching Australian South Sea Islander history. It will work towards implementing the kind of meaningful progress that failed to follow the 1993 Recognition, build transnational research links, and increase and strengthen the capacity of Australian South Sea Islander educators and researchers.
Community-Led Approaches to Teaching Australian South Sea Islander History
Michelle Redman-MacLaren
01 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2030
ARC Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award This project argues that a new approach to teaching Australian South Sea Islander history in primary and secondary school education is urgently needed to address conditions by which Australian South Sea Islander students are made disadvantaged at school. Through a Tok Stori methodological approach that draws on community knowledges, this project will develop new ways of teaching Australian South Sea Islander history. It will work towards implementing the kind of meaningful progress that failed to follow the 1993 Recognition, build transnational research links, and increase and strengthen the capacity of Australian South Sea Islander educators and researchers.