Research Projects
Young digital mentorship skills program
Abdul-Aziz Seidu
01 May 2026 - 30 Apr 2027
A community-based train-the-trainer initiative that equips young digital mentors with the skills to help people build confidence, safety, and digital literacy, promoting digital inclusion within local communities.
Connected Townsville
Abdul-Aziz Seidu
30 Jun 2026 - 30 Jul 2027
A community engagement program supporting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Townsville to reduce social isolation, improve mental wellbeing, and strengthen community connections.
Youth Soccer Program
Abdul-Aziz Seidu
01 Sep 2025 - 30 Nov 2026
A youth-focused community program using soccer, leadership workshops, and mentoring to engage CALD young people in Townsville. The program aims to reduce school and community disengagement, promote positive relationships, improve wellbeing, and prevent youth involvement in crime through structured physical activity, empowerment activities, and connections to support services.
Study of Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) Activities for Years 1-3 Medical Students at a Regional Australian University
A multi-investigator study exploring the feasibility, sustainability and educational impact of integrating immersive virtual-reality activities into the MBBS Years 1-3 curriculum
The Utilisation of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Gen AI for Learning and Assessment Amongst Australian Medical Students: A Single Tertiary Institution Study
Haleagrahara Nagaraja
18 Nov 2024 - 30 Dec 2025
A study of generative-AI use for learning and assessment among Australian medical students — the first study of its kind at an Australian university — supervising senior medical students; manuscript in preparation
Qualitative and quantitative assessment of undergraduate medical student perceptions, preferences, and knowledge acquisition in a regional medical school
Haleagrahara Nagaraja
02 Mar 2026 - 30 Apr 2027
A mixed-methods study evaluating undergraduate medical students' perceptions, preferences and knowledge acquisition following the integration of immersive virtual-reality (VR) activities into the curriculum at a regional medical school. Combining qualitative and quantitative measures, it examines how VR-based learning shapes student engagement, learning preferences and knowledge gain, generating evidence to guide the sustainable adoption of immersive technologies in medical education.
JCU Ship-loader dust minimisation work. (Old ID 27565)
Madoc Sheehan
01 Dec 2021 - 01 Jun 2022
This work involves full-scale on-site sampling and analysis at the Townsville Port to determine lead powder product moisture content along a ship-loader conveyor system. Determining changes in moisture resulting from conveying will enable more precise moisture control schemes to be developed. Controlling moisture can lead to massive reductions in environmental dust emissions during ship-loading of fine powders.
Baseline invasive ant fauna and impact survey in the Torres Strait (Old ID 27827)
Peter Yeeles
18 Oct 2022 - 30 Jun 2024
The project aims to collect a representative baseline sample of ant fauna on all inhabited Torres Strait islands and five communities in the northern peninsula area of Cape York. The focus is on invasive and non-native ant fauna.
Barron River Bridge Planning Study (Old ID 28979)
Conrad Hoskin
01 Mar 2023 - 01 Jun 2023
Arup Australia Pty Ltd is working with Qld Department of Transport & Main Roads to assess environmental impacts of upgrading/replacing the Barron River Bridge. Their main concern is the Critically Endangered Kuranda Treefrog, for which I am the expert. The project is to fund me to do range-wide surveys of the species to estimate current population size and the proportion of the population that may be impacted by the bridge. Additionally, my expert advice on how to mitigate impacts. I consider this ‘contract research’ because it funds research I planning to do anyway (i.e., a current range-wide survey), and that data will be used by one of my PhD students.