Research Projects
Establishing the North Queensland Diabetic muscle stem cell library. (Old ID 27289)
Craig McFarlane
01 Jul 2021 - 31 Oct 2025
This project will develop a North Queensland Diabetic Muscle Library. Muscle tissue will be resected from patients and fixed and frozen. The tissues will also be dissociated and cultured to make primary myoblast cultures that will be used in future experiments in drug trials, sequencing and biochemical assays.
Lesbian Histories of HIV and AIDS in Australia
Kate Manlik
01 Jul 2026 - 31 Dec 2027
This project seeks to platform LGBTQ media publications, HIV and AIDS campaign materials, photographs, artwork, and ephemera, created between 1983 and 1996, that speak to lesbian and queer women’s role(s) within the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Australia. There are diverse holdings in Australian libraries, museums and archives that highlight lesbian and queer women’s experiences, activism and involvement in the HIV and AIDS pandemic. However, these documents and records are dispersed across multiple institutions and are not easily navigable or locatable to the public. Our proposed website would work as a platform to highlight these materials and thus provide a portal for lesbian and queer women as well as the broader public to access less well-known stories and materials about lesbian and queer women’s role(s) in the AIDS pandemic. Last, the applicants hope that this website detailing lesbian and queer women’s specific cultural histories of the AIDS pandemic might also provide inspiration and direction for future HIV prevention campaigns directed toward lesbian and queer women.
Student Perspectives on GenAI Integration in Higher Education
Megan Dale
10 Dec 2025
Background
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly transforming tertiary education, offering students personalised, interactive and adaptive learning experiences. GenAI tools support feedback, engagement, identify learning gaps and generate tailored resources that enhance academic performance and autonomy (Zhan et al., 2025; Park et al., 2025).
While students are eager to use GenAI (Alenazi & Alhalal, 2025), institutional policies and educator practices often lag behind. The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA, 2024) highlights the need for strategic planning across process, people and practice to ensure ethical and effective integration. Educators are beginning to use GenAI for personalised resources and administrative efficiency (Kim et al, 2025; Moorhouse et al., 2024), but student trust in these practices is essential. Misalignment or lack of transparency may undermine engagement and perceptions of educational integrity.
Aim
To explore student perspectives on GenAI integration in tertiary education, focusing on its use in learning and teaching.
Exploring registered nurses understanding of micro trauma: A hybrid concept analysis
Megan Dale
26 Jul 2024 - 10 Apr 2025
The aim of this project is to explore registered nurses’ understanding of micro trauma. A hybrid concept analysis using qualitative enquiry will be undertaken. Current literature does not specifically use the term micro trauma but describes the frequency and impact of endpoints of micro traumas such as burnout and compassion fatigue. Without acknowledgment of an individual’s lived experiences and the influence and impact those experiences have on overall health and wellbeing, it is difficult to fully understand the root causes of what creates harm in nurses. The inference in the literature to micro trauma existing and, that the culmination of micro traumas manifesting in to known phenomenon such as burnout, compassion fatigue and cumulative trauma, has steered the methodology of this project to undertake a concept analysis as the first stage.
Running-related injuries in UK trail runners: A retrospective, cross-sectional study
Sara Winter
13 Jan 2025
The of this study of UK trail runners are to: 1) investigate the prevalence of running related injuries, 2) describe the type of injuries sustained, 3) investigate the most common anatomical location of injury, 4) assess the severity of injury, and 5) investigate factors associated with injuries including demographic characteristics, training factors and past running related injuries.
Listening for Deer: Acoustic Early Detection for Smarter Biosecurity
Lin Schwarzkopf
03 Jul 2026 - 30 Sep 2027
Feral deer are an expanding biosecurity threat across Australia, causing ecological damage, agricultural loss, and management challenges, particularly at low population densities, when detection is difficult. This project will rigorously test whether passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) can provide a reliable, cost-effective method for early detection of feral deer across vegetation types, seasons, and species.
Most deer vocalise conspicuously during breeding, group contact, and alarm situations. We will leverage these vocal behaviours to evaluate acoustic detection success and directly compare it with conventional surveillance approaches (camera trapping). Using several year-long datasets collected across contrasting habitats, we will quantify detection probability, seasonal performance, and relative cost-efficiency of acoustic versus camera-based and eDNA based monitoring.
The intended outcome is clear, evidence-based guidance on when and where acoustic monitoring is most effective for detecting low-density deer populations. By validating scalable and scientifically robust surveillance tools, this project will enhance early detection capacity, improve response times, and strengthen landscape-scale biosecurity monitoring. The results will directly support coordinated, proactive management under national feral deer strategies, helping to reduce environmental impacts, limit spread, and protect biodiversity and agricultural assets across Australia.
A Sustainable Peer-Supported Program for Women’s Career Advancement at JCU
Lisa Simmons
01 Jul 2026 - 30 Jul 2026
This internally funded JCU gender equity project will develop practical, JCU-specific resources to support women academics preparing for career progression and promotion. Resources may include narrative exemplars, reflective prompts and peer-feedback guides designed to help academics interpret promotion expectations, articulate impact and leadership, and develop coherent promotion narratives. My contribution includes resource design, structured peer-feedback approaches, educational evaluation and review of materials from a health professional education and academic development perspective.
Hub Mission Leader (Old ID 27433)
Helene Marsh
01 Jul 2021 - 30 Jun 2027
Delivering the Hub Mission focused on threatened and migratory species and threatened ecological communities. As stated in the Resilient Landscapes Hub research scope, the Activity Outcomes related to the cross-cutting Mission includes: i Delivering tools and advice to support the conservation of habitat important for priority threatened species, threatened ecological communities and migratory species; ii Updating the National list of threatened ecological communities and species; iii Improving detection of cryptic, ‘difficult’ and other data deficient species; and iv Monitoring and supporting the management of species / community recovery post extreme events. Service to be provided by Professor Helene Marsh, a researcher of international repute able to drive multidisciplinary outcomes, deliver outputs into national information repositories and guide relevant investment across the four research hubs.
Culturally Responsive Diabetes Prevention (CDP) Program for Children of First Nations in North Queensland –A Pilot Study
Abdul-Aziz Seidu
01 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
A pilot study evaluating a culturally responsive diabetes prevention program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in North Queensland, combining physical activity, nutrition education, and cultural learning to promote healthy lifestyles and reduce diabetes risk.
Blue Light Laser Photobiomodulation (PBM) for Treatment of Chronic Non-Healing Diabetic Foot Ulcers -A Pilot Randomised Controlled
Abdul-Aziz Seidu
01 Jul 2026 - 31 Dec 2029
A pilot randomised controlled trial evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of blue light laser photobiomodulation as a treatment to promote healing of chronic non healing diabetic foot ulcers at the TUH