Research Projects
Governing Changing Oceans (Old ID 27725)
Tiffany Morrison
01 Jun 2022 - 30 Jun 2025
Climate impacts are creating novel marine ecosystems, stimulating new interventions to conserve oceans and communities. Novel interventions include blue economy, blue carbon, and blue conservation approaches that mitigate climate change (e.g. offshore renewable energy development, seaweed restoration, carbon trading) and promote conservation and adaptation (e.g. assisted marine animal and plant migration, marine climate refuge protection, solar-radiation control). Novel interventions require transitions in governance: to realise new opportunities, meet escalating demand for marine resources, and manage risks and unintended consequences. Achievement of these multiple outcomes is limited by a lack of understanding of which governance arrangements are enabling intervention win-wins for nature and people. This SNAPP group works directly with governments, NGOs, and donors to co-create practical guidance on how to govern new marine interventions in a changing climate.
Mapping Yanyuwa Sea Country - Boat. (Old ID 27872)
Catherine Collier
25 Sep 2022 - 15 Dec 2024
This project is a collaboration of specialists including the Yanyuwa Traditional Owners and li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers, scientists from James Cook University, Charles Darwin University and the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and Northern Territory Parks. The team will survey the subtidal marine benthic habitats within Yanyuwa sea country. Using data from the survey and other available information, rangers and scientists will work together to determine priority management areas and identify opportunities for broader community engagement in the management of sea country.
Envenomation, first aid and critical care of tropical jellyfish stings (Old ID 21777)
Jamie Seymour
01 Dec 2014 - 31 Dec 2017
The first component of our research examines the use of vinegar for envenomings, and aims to provide evidence as to whether vinegar is beneficial or worsens an envenomation. The second component of our research examines whether the lethal effects of Chironex fleckeri venom are transient and whether there is a return of cardiac function. This has implications for good, effective and prolonged resuscitation. In the final component of our research, treatment modalities for Irukandji syndrome, has the potential to directly save lives and decrease the length of stay in hospital of envenomed victims as well as reducing the pain associated with the syndrome.
Resistance to inundation in green turtle eggs (Old ID 21938)
Ellen Ariel
01 Dec 2014 - 30 Nov 2017
The experiments will compare the susceptibility of green turtle eggs to inundation during different stages of their development.
Saving the unique plants ofAustralia's tropical mountaintops through understanding the threats (Old ID 22210)
Darren Crayn
01 Feb 2016 - 01 Sep 2017
This project will improve our understanding of the extinction risk to Australia's unique tropical moutain flora from climate change, and provide important knowledge which will help in developing measures to mitigate its effects. It will achieve this through three activities: 1. first ever targeted, systematic surveys to document the distribution and abundance of threatened mountaintop plant speciesl; 2. establishment of field plots to allow monitoring of the health of mountaintop plant populations over the long term; and 3. establishment of living collections of the two native Rhododendron species to provide well-provenanced materials for conservation and further research.
Wildlife in Virtual Reality - a New Way to Educate and Engage (Old ID 22306)
Ickjai Lee
01 Sep 2015 - 01 Mar 2016
This project will harness rapidly evolving technologies to create an exciting new product for raising community awareness of conservation issues. Specifically, the project will use the latest computer wizardry to allow people (locals, visitors, students) to have the unique experience of getting up close and personal with a Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo through virtual reality.
Tools to control Schistosomiasis (Old ID 22805)
Alex Loukas
01 Jul 2016 - 30 Jun 2019
We will construct a proteome microarray of Schistosoma haematobium proteins to identify vaccine and diagnostic antigens for African schistosomiasis. Vaccine antigens will be prioritised and tested in collaboration with the Sabin Vaccine Institute, and diagnostic antigens will be developed in a funded partnership with Merck. Merck are also contributing funds to this project.
Independent Testing of Buoyancy Aids in Situ for Surf Life Saving Australia - Phase V (Old ID 23058)
Wade Sinclair
01 Nov 2016 - 01 May 2017
Following recent amendments to Australian Standards pertaining to minimum buoyancy, this project will evaluate a range of fitted buoyancy aids adhering to the revised buoyancy standards in a fit for purpose assessment of competitive and training activities directly associated with lifesaving sport in situ in qualified surf lifesavers (youth to masters). The findings from this project will enable the sport's governing body, Surf Life Saving Australia to provide evidence based decisions and policy regarding the use of buoyancy aids for usage within lifesaving sport for competition and training purposes.
Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program Design Phase (Old ID 25036)
Ian McLeod
01 Dec 2017 - 06 Dec 2019
The RRAP Design Phase seeks to deliver a business case for government, industry and private investment, the primary objective of which is to develop reef restoration and adaptation technologies that can be applied at scale, within affordability and practicality limits, to retain key functional attributes of the Great Barrier Reef. This project will contribute JCU expertise to evaluating coral restoration methods, undertaking regulatory and institutional environment mapping required for restoration to occur and an analysis of the viewpoints and engagement of stakeholders in reef restoration.
Unravelling the correlates of protection against tuberculosis – Stage II (Old ID 26979)
Andreas Kupz
01 Jan 2020 - 28 May 2027
Tuberculosis is a major global public health problem and continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality due to the low efficiency of the only licensed anti-tuberculosis vaccine, BCG. This project aims to unravel the immunological correlates that mediate protection against tuberculosis. Using high-dimensional immune profiling and microbiome analyses we will compare immune responses to BCG vaccination with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in children in the Torres Strait.