Research Projects
Securing the future of Australia’s threatened tropical mountain flora for science and society (Old ID 25045)
Darren Crayn
01 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2023
This project will enable us to secure the future of Australia’s climate-threatened tropical mountaintop plants. We will do this by building a multi-strategy ex-situ conservation reserve to ‘backup’ at-risk wild populations and support research, display and education. Our novel research on seed banking strategies, genetic diversity and plant tolerance of extreme climates will ensure that the reserve collections, distributed across multiple Botanic Gardens and Seed Banks along Australia’s east coast, incorporate high redundancy, are genetically and physiologically diverse, and climatically matched to wild habitat.
Optimisation of QCIDE oil extraction and separation (Old ID 26712)
Yinghe He
26 Aug 2019 - 26 Aug 2021
This is project for Research Master Degree at JCU. Investigation of the pre-treatment, distillation and separation parameters of QCIDE extraction in order to assess the viability of industrial QCIDE production.
ACIAR Lobster Nutrition Review (Old ID 26829)
Leo Nankervis
15 Apr 2020 - 30 Nov 2020
A new ACIAR scoping project is being prepared in support of possible new ACIAR investment in tropical rock lobster (Panulirus homarus and Panulirus ornatus) aquaculture in Indonesia. A thorough review of literature is proposed in order to prepare for the nutrition and feeds development component of the project, ensuring that we apply the learnings from previous projects and current scientific literature. The review will inform the detail of the experimental approach in a proposed new ACIAR project, which will benefit from advanced planning prior to the project start to maximise outcomes (possible start in July 2021). In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented any scoping travel to Indonesia in the short-term, providing opportunity to complete a review and facilitating best use of resources once the project starts.
Innovations in COTS Control on the Great Barrier Reef (Old ID 26958)
Morgan Pratchett
01 Jan 2020 - 31 Dec 2020
Innovations in COTS Control on the Great Barrier Reef. For decades, crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) research effort has been fragmented and failed to inform improvements in the effectiveness of COTS control. However, under the NESP Tropical Water Quality Hub’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) research program, a more collaborative and targeted approach has harnessed research effort and enabled delivery of significant improvements in effectiveness and efficiency of COTS control, while also looking to develop methods for the future. Wholescale adoption of this IPM approach by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and operators is already demonstrably saving live coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).
Striking Gold - Determining the genetic drivers of gold coloration in barramundi (Old ID 26972)
Dean Jerry
16 Aug 2021 - 31 Dec 2026
Australian farmed barramundi exhibit “greying” in the flesh which reduces consumer attractiveness. The rare colour variant “golden skinned” barramundi do not exhibit this negative flesh attribute. This project will determine the underlying genetic basis of the golden skin phenotype & adopt experimental approaches to increases its occurrence.
Tilapia Biocontrol Project. (Old ID 27044)
Ellen Ariel
01 Jul 2020 - 31 Oct 2022
Determine the susceptibility of two tilapia species present in Australian waterways (O. mossambicus and T. mariae ) to TiLV and demonstrate the efficacy of TiLV as a potential biocontrol agent for tilapia in Australia.
Working it Out Together! Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led co-design for a strong and deadly health workforce (Old ID 27074)
Sarah Larkins
01 Sep 2021 - 31 Aug 2026
Building a stable, well-trained and culturally safe health workforce is a crucial part of delivering high quality primary health care (PHC) services. Previous attempts to strengthen rural/remote health workforce have failed, partly because they have not integrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and lived experience with necessary policy and systems support. There has been little research into culturally safe strategies to improve workforce stability in complex PHC context. This project will bridge these gaps through a community-led, place-based planning approach, engaging service providers, policy-makers and funders to co-design workforce strategies and models of care that are locally relevant, successful and sustainable. This community-based participatory project uses a mixed methods quasi-experimental pre-post design to implement co-designed actions to explore: How do we systematically embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into place-based planning and action for a stable and effective workforce that engenders community trust in local PHC delivery? Working with key sector partners in four service-based rural/remote clusters across Qld, NT and NSW, we will co-design and trial strategies to strengthen workforce competency and stability (by strengthening local career pathways for Indigenous people and strengthening cultural competency of non-Indigenous staff), and use community-centred impact and economic evaluation. Our team is majority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and builds on relationships and learnings developed through our ongoing PHC system improvement work. Each jurisdictional team comprises a local Indigenous PHC service, community-controlled peak body, primary health network, government health department and university partner. This optimal mix will ensure successful implementation of sustainable strategies and translation into policy and practice for improved community access to quality PHC and health outcomes.
Pathways for performance improvements of organic light emitting diodes (Old ID 27152)
Bronson Philippa
01 Jan 2021 - 25 Apr 2026
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) represent the next generation technology for displays and lighting. Despite their rapid uptake, one of the factors limiting their application in lighting is the efficiency roll-off at high brightness. This project aims to work towards solutions for this problem using an innovative combination of simulation studies and experimental work. Expected outcomes include improved theoretical and experimental approaches leading to new design rules for OLEDs. This should provide significant benefits such as a pathway for development of improved efficient, high brightness OLEDs for applications in low energy consumption lighting and long-lasting, bright displays.
Torres Strait Ugar Island and Dugong Sanctuary Survey (Old ID 27471)
Alexandra Carter
23 Dec 2021 - 01 May 2023
This project has two objectives: 1. To map intertidal reef-top and island benthic habitat, including seagrass, coral and algae, of Ugar Island and surrounding Reefs. We will identify the most important seagrass habitats in this region and compare results with recently mapped seagrass in the Kemer Kemer Meriam Nation and Torres Strait Central Cluster Islands. 2. Survey subtidal seagrass and other benthic communities, and fish communities, in the West Cape York Marine Park/ Southern Dugong Sanctuary to increase understanding of traditional knowledge and collaborate with Indigenous rangers and Traditional Owners to undertake marine park management, such as mapping and monitoring. We will identify any changes/trends in the extent, health and diversity of seagrass meadows.
Road map to coastal restoration assessment (Old ID 27594)
Nathan Waltham
28 Jan 2022 - 31 Mar 2022
Coastal wetlands are under threat from a range of past land use changes. Efforts to restore the value back into wetlands is underway in many places, and demonstrating the success of these efforts requires access to scientific data. This project examines through stakeholder participation the elements of a national road map to coastal and marine restoration. The project outcome will be a framework to implement a national road map for restoration that can be used by stakeholders in planning and completing restoration around Australia.