Research Projects
Mapping global predation in coastal marine habitats (Old ID 22941)
Paul York
01 Sep 2016 - 31 Dec 2017
Nearshore vegetated habitats are one of the most productive ecosystem on the planet providing services valued at AU$7 trillion annually. These habitats are structured by both bottom-up (supply of resources; e.g., light and nutrients) and top-down (consumption by animals) forces. While bottom-up forces are well understood and can be mapped with great precision, comparatively little is known about the geography of top-down forces. Here, I will conduct standardised predation experiments in vegetated (seagrass) and unstructured habitats in tropical Queensland linking with identical studies at sites around the world to produce the first global heat map of predation in coastal environments.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (Old ID 22972)
Michael Bird
30 Jun 2017 - 30 Apr 2025
This Centre will create a world-class interdisciplinary research programme to understand Australia's unique biodiversity and heritage. The Centre will track the changes to Australia's environment to examine the processes responsible for the changes and the lessons that can be used to continue to adapt to Australia's changing environment. The Centre will support connections between the sciences and humanities and train future generations of researchers to deal with future global challenges and inform policy in an interdisciplinary context.
'Let's get active at Dialysis', an Exercise Physiology led activity program at North Ward Haemodialysis centre (Old ID 23471)
Lisa Simmons
31 Jul 2017 - 30 Jun 2019
This study will aim to answer the research question: Is exercise performed during dialysis sufficient to improve clinical outcomes of haemodialysis patients? The aim of the study is to measure the effect of progressive resistance training during dialysis on HD patients.
Tropical diseases: Translating discoveries into better health (Old ID 24683)
Denise Doolan
01 Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2022
Our overall working hypotheses are: 1. The rational design of tropical disease vaccines and other therapeutics requires improved understanding of immunology, host-parasite interactions and application of innovative bioengineering. 2.Improved interventions will be required to eliminate tropical infectious diseases. Our Specific Aims are: 1. Discover pathogenic and immune mechanisms, protective antigens, biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the control of tropical infectious diseases. 2. Develop new vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. 3. Optimise human pathogen challenge models to study host-pathogen interactions and test new vaccines and therapeutics. 4. Develop and test new clinical and public health interventions in disease-endemic settings.
Discovering the Faecal Microbiome Associated with Pre-Term Birth (Old ID 25095)
Donna Rudd
24 Aug 2017 - 30 Jun 2019
Development of the pre-term gut microbiome is important for immediate and longer term health outcomes. Much of what is known about the infant and neonatal microbiome has been derived from healthy full term infants. Collecting and understanding the microbiome of the TTH NICU cohort would provide a unique insight into the microbial development and in pre-term babies admitted to the NICU. This information will provide further evidence for interventions currently undertaken in the NICU such as administration of probiotics to infants <32 weeks. This project supports evidence-based multidisciplinary research in a novel way to assess the neonatal microbiome development.
Architecture of the hanging wall shear zone and faults affecting the ore zone at Dugald River Mine (Old ID 26246)
Paul Dirks
15 Feb 2019 - 14 Aug 2022
This is a PhD project to develop a better understanding of the larger scale geometry of the shear zone and fault system that occur within the immediate hanging wall of the zinc-sulphide ore body in Dugald River Mine, near Cloncurry, NW Queensland. We aim to understand how shear controls the distribution of the ore zone both from a genetic and mechanical (displacement and remobilization) perspective, to optimize ore recovery in a predictive manner.
Rhetoric to Reality: how the governance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers impacts chronic disease prevention and care in Northern Australia (Old ID 26266)
Steph Topp
01 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2019
This project will explore the governance arrangements that shape the work practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers (A&TSIHW) in two government services in far North Queensland and the Northern Territory respectively. As the first systematic work relating to A&TSIHW governance the project aims to characterize both the formal and informal rules and norms that influence A&TSIHW roles, and develop new insights into the influence of different geographic, social and administrative structures on A&TSIHW performance. The outcomes are expected to support efforts to strengthen Indigenous health workforce planning across Northern Australia.
Vibration analysis of mining industry conveyor belt systems: validation of method and pathways to improvement (Old ID 26579)
Bronson Philippa
19 Aug 2019 - 19 Feb 2020
Equipment failures in the mining industry can cause serious safety hazards and substantial financial losses. An automated, cost-effective monitoring system that could be retrofitted to existing equipment would provide advance warning to operators and reduce the likelihood of unscheduled outages. This project will test and validate a vibration-based monitoring system for conveyor belts and associated equipment. It will also identify improved methods to analyse the vibration data to increase the sensitivity and/or accuracy of the alerts that are generated.
Implementing artificial intelligence for the quantitative assessment of abalone in production systems (Old ID 26800)
Phoebe Arbon
01 Apr 2020 - 07 Feb 2022
This project will aim to develop, train, validate and implement an artificial intelligence model to identify and count abalone and measure quantitative abalone traits in production systems from an image. Currently, stock assessment is conducted manually, with large costs associated for the farms. This solution would reduce the cost of stock assessments and would greatly improve data quantity and quality using a “hands-off” approach. The model would also provide an advanced platform for further R & D improvements above and beyond basic assessments (e.g. growth monitoring in feeding trials).
Centre of Research Excellence Prevention of Chronic Conditions in Rural and Remote High Risk Populations (Old ID 20516)
Robyn McDermott
01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2016
The research team will undertake collaborative research in rural and remote communities of SA and QLD which will contribute directly to the prevention of chronic disease at various stages along the care continuum. They will investigate community and health service based strategies such as obesity prevention, nutrition improvement to prevent the onset of chronic diseases such as diabetes, renal and cardio vascular disease in health adults and children. The collaboration brings together researchers and institutions around three research streams: 1. Nutrition and Physical Activity in chronic disease prevention: let by Professor Kerin O'Dea; 2. Mental Health and Substance Misuse in chronic disease prevention: Led by A/Professor Alan Clough; 3. Clinical Systems improvement in Primary Care: led by Professor Robyn McDermott.