Research Projects
GREAT Study: Geriatric Retrieval And Transfer Study; A review of the characteristics of geriatric patients requiring rotary wing retrieval in Queensland
Michael Meehan
01 Aug 2026 - 31 Jul 2027
The GREAT Study will examine the clinical characteristics, retrieval pathways and outcomes of older patients undergoing aeromedical retrieval. The study will provide an empirical foundation for retrieval decision support, clinician training and goals-of-care discussions with older patients and their families. As JCU lead, I contribute expertise in study design, statistical analysis and interpretation and support the translation of findings into partner-led research outputs and clinical practice.
Developing affordable phylodynamic surveillance workflows for under-resourced settings
Michael Meehan
23 Feb 2022 - 23 Feb 2023
This project will develop affordable, robust phylodynamic surveillance workflows for regional and resource-limited settings by combining low-cost portable sequencing with modelling approaches that can accommodate lower-quality data. Building on previous work estimating transmission dynamics in drug-resistant community-associated MRSA outbreaks in Papua New Guinea and Far North Queensland, the team will optimise DNA extraction and multiplexed Oxford Nanopore sequencing, benchmark results against existing Illumina data, and quantify how sequencing technology, variant-calling pipelines, pathogen species and Bayesian prior choices affect epidemiological estimates. The project will establish best-practice workflows and software for routine genomic surveillance, strengthen collaboration across northern Australia and Papua New Guinea, and support more accessible evidence-based outbreak control and antimicrobial-resistance decision-making.
Tectonic and Geodynamic Controls on Critical Mineral Systems in Proterozoic Australia
Youseph Ibrahim
01 Jun 2026 - 31 Dec 2026
This project investigates the tectonic and geodynamic controls on critical mineral systems in Proterozoic Australia. Australia's supergiant sediment-hosted deposits, including Mount Isa, Century, McArthur River, and Olympic Dam, formed in Proterozoic basins during the assembly and breakup of the Nuna supercontinent, yet the conditions that enabled mineralisation at this scale remain poorly understood. These basins are typically interpreted using geodynamic frameworks built for the modern Earth, which assume colder, stronger lithosphere than existed at the time.
Using coupled thermo-mechanical and landscape evolution modelling (Underworld and Badlands), the project will test how rift mode under elevated Proterozoic geotherms controls basin architecture, fault spacing, heat flow, and sediment distribution. Coupled thermo-mechanical and landscape evolution models will be tested against field data from Proterozoic terranes in northern Australia,
A Proterozoic Framework for Australia's Critical Mineral Systems
Youseph Ibrahim
01 Jun 2026 - 01 Jun 2027
Recent advances in high-performance computing and open-source geodynamic modelling codes now make it possible to simulate the complexity of Proterozoic tectonic processes in three dimensions, capturing how a hotter lithosphere rifts, how basins subside and fill, and how heat and fluids move through the crust over millions of years. This project leverages these technologies to investigate:
• RQ1: How does the mode of continental rifting under hot Proterozoic conditions control basin architecture, fault spacing, and subsidence patterns?
• RQ2: How do wide rift basins evolve towards narrow rifts, and what are the structural and geomorphological consequences of narrow rift development within already-thinned crust?
• RQ3: How is strain partitioned when a wide rift is inverted, and does this explain the structural traps and fluid pathways that characterise world-class Proterozoic ore districts?
Travel Vlogs: gathering new evidence for tourism research in the digital era
Tingzhen Chen
25 Mar 2020 - 31 Dec 2020
This project aims to:
- to understand tourist experience in the digital era, by applying the Orchestra Model to analysis tourists’ Sensory, Affective, Cognitive, Behaviour and relationship, that are presented in vlogs;
- to examine how technology (here, the vlogs) influences tourist’ memory of holiday experience; and
- to evaluate the impact of UGC videos on destination image management.
Exploring the social-media related factors that contribute to responsible behaviour between Japanese and Indonesia tourists
Tingzhen Chen
01 May 2026 - 31 May 2026
This research investigates responsible tourism behaviours among young travellers, examining how cultural backgrounds influence perceptions, intentions, and practices. Focusing on a cross-cultural comparison between Japanese and Indonesian travellers, the study seeks to highlight both universal and culture-specific aspects of responsible tourism. The research objectives are twofold: first, to explore similarities and differences in responsible tourism behaviours between the two cultural groups; and second, to examine how social media content influences travellers’ intentions for responsible travel, mediated by cultural factors.
NESP 3.5: Supporting regional planning in northern Australia: Building knowledge, skills & partnerships for understanding seagrass distribution (Old ID 29021)
Alexandra Carter
01 Feb 2023 - 20 Nov 2026
Northern Australia has vast development opportunities but limited knowledge of the environment to inform decision making. This region has globally significant seagrass habitat, supporting dugong, green turtle, and commercially important fish and prawns. However, knowledge about seagrass habitats for extensive areas of the coast is limited - data is patchy or not freely available, few large-scale mapping surveys have been conducted, and even fewer seagrass long-term monitoring programs exist. This project will address these problems by: 1. Mapping selected benthic habitats, with a focus on seagrass, using methods consistent with previous and ongoing surveys in northern Australia. 2. Establishing a benchmark of seagrass habitats for Traditional Owners, Indigenous communities, rangers, management agencies, ports, industry, and researchers to assess change. 3. Partnering with management agencies and ranger groups to co-design mapping and monitoring methods in remote areas that use new technology such as drones. 4. Compiling and synthesizing historical seagrass data into a publicly available spatial database to create a permanent record. 5. Interpreting and reporting on survey findings, including providing advice on options for establishing monitoring programs.
Examining interplay between tourism seasonality and sustainability in Cairns
Tingzhen Chen
31 May 2025 - 31 May 2026
Seasonality presents persistent and complex challenges for sustainable tourism development across the world. High seasonality results in unevenly spread temporal contribution of tourism to local economy, creates stresses on destination's resources and local population in high season, and endangers livelihoods dependent on tourism in low season (Martin Martin et al., 2020; Zvaigzne et al., 2022). While numerous methods, such as Gini coefficients, seasonality indexes (Petrevska, 2012; Rana, 2014), and time series analyses - have been applied to identify seasonal trends, empirical evaluation of proposed mitigation strategies remains limited. Meanwhile, the tourism industry is undergoing a paradigm shift towards integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns into business practices and performance metrics (Lin et al., 2024; Zheng et al., 2025). Existing literature has yet to explore whether and how the sustainability perceptions influence seasonality of tourism demand.
Reconnecting through roots: Exploring the role of diaspora tourism in mental health literacy among Indonesian migrants in North Queensland, Australia
Tingzhen Chen
01 Sep 2025 - 31 Aug 2026
This project investigates how reconnecting with cultural roots through diaspora tourism can improve mental health literacy (MHL) and emotional wellbeing among Indonesian migrants in North Queensland, Australia. By examining the lived experiences of migrants who return to Indonesia, the study aims to identify how cultural reconnection supports mental health understanding, reduces stigma, and promotes help-seeking behaviours. Insights will be translated into culturally responsive tools and recommendations for multicultural health services.
Addressing Whitsunday turbidity issues through sediment source tracing
Zoe Bainbridge
01 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2027
JCU Internal Grant Support Scheme - MCR. Please see attached Application Form.