Research Projects
Vanadium Extraction and Processing Innovation Project’
Ioan Sanislav
27 Feb 2026 - 30 Nov 2028
This project aims to advance the projects related to vanadium extraction and processing from the Toolebuc Formation in North Queensland and to develop capacity in North Queensland to assist with the emerging vanadium economy .
Curing arthritis using novel compounds from jellyfish venom (Old ID 27568)
Jamie Seymour
01 Mar 2022 - 31 Mar 2024
This research aims to determine if a specific fraction of the venom from the box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri, relieves the symptoms in induced rheumatoid arthritic mice by either i) decreasing the severity of the damage in joints of mice, i.e. curing the disease or ii) decreases the pain associated with the disease but does not decrease the underlying disease.
Advancing the chemistry of rare earths-an Australian resource (Old ID 27702)
Peter Junk
01 Jan 2023 - 31 Dec 2025
This project aims to advance knowledge of the synthesis, structures and reactivity of highly reactive rare earth metal-organic compounds. The project expects to build the knowledge and skills to underpin many developments of Australia's still under utilized rare earth resources to diversity from Chinese domination. The expected outcomes will be new synthetic and reaction chemistry including a demonstration of how size and electronic factors can be used to modify and advance rare earth chemistry and related heavy group 2 chemistry. This project should provide significant benefit such as are a better knowledge base in rare earth chemistry to underpin future applications in chemical manufacturing, new materials, catalysis and recycling.
Data-Efficient AI for Precision Weed Monitoring in Tropical Forests
Tao Huang
01 Mar 2026 - 31 Dec 2029
Reforestation plays a critical role in enhancing climate resilience, increasing carbon sequestration, and supporting ecosystem restoration in tropical regions. However, early-stage seedlings face a major threat from the rapid spread of aggressive weed species that compete for essential resources such as light, nutrients, and water. Traditional weed control approaches are labour-intensive, costly, and unsuitable for large or remote reforestation sites, making automated solutions highly desirable.
This PhD project aims to develop AI-driven computer vision systems for precise and efficient weed detection in tropical reforestation settings. Using aerial and ground imagery, the project will focus on building robust and accurate algorithms capable of operating under challenging environmental conditions. To reduce reliance on large annotated datasets, the research will explore data-efficient learning strategies, enabling scalable and cost-effective model development.
The system will be designed for deployment on drones and ground-based platforms, supporting real-time monitoring and decision-making in the field. By improving the accuracy and efficiency of weed detection, the project will help land managers target interventions more effectively, enhance seedling survival rates, and increase the overall success of reforestation programs. This work will contribute to advancing the application of AI and computer vision for environmental restoration, with strong pathways for real-world adoption and commercialisation through industry collaboration.
Assessing risk within social-ecological systems. Using capacity building to operationalise a spatial decision support tool, guiding resilient livelihood development in Solomon Islands (Old ID 27802)
Bethany Smith
01 Dec 2022 - 31 May 2024
Rural coastal communities in the Solomon Islands are experiencing increasing impact from food insecurity, poverty, and global change. To help inform negotiations and decision making in relation to resilient livelihood development a risk-based spatial decision support tool (SDST) has been developed. SDST outputs identify the key environmental, socioeconomic, and institutional factors that contribute to community-level risk. To build the long-term impact of the project, a capacity building model has been developed which focuses on training in-country partners to independently operationalise the SDST within Solomon Islands. This supports the broader application of the SDST within the region, advancing its potential to contribute to resilient livelihood development.
Feral Pig Reduction for Improved Wetland Health in the Southern Gulf Region
Adam Canning
05 Jan 2026 - 30 Jun 2028
The Southern Gulf NRM are conducting wild pig control works to protect wetlands across the Southern Gulf region. JCU will develop and implement a Wetland Health Report Card. This will involve establishing a monitoring program to collect and analyse data on wetland and riverine health across the Southern Gulf of Carpentaria. Monitoring will include assessing water quality, biodiversity via eDNA metabarcoding, and conducting aquatic habitat assessments.
Feral Pig Reduction for Improved Wetland Health in the Southern Gulf Region
Adam Canning
05 Jan 2026 - 30 Jun 2028
The Southern Gulf NRM are conducting wild pig control works to protect wetlands across the Southern Gulf region. JCU will develop and implement a Wetland Health Report Card. This will involve establishing a monitoring program to collect and analyse data on wetland and riverine health across the Southern Gulf of Carpentaria. Monitoring will include assessing water quality, biodiversity via eDNA metabarcoding, and conducting aquatic habitat assessments.
Strengthening coral reef monitoring and ocean equity for marine co-management in Tonga. (Old ID 30026)
Patrick Smallhorn-West
16 Jun 2023 - 18 Dec 2023
The proposed project would aim to build off one of the most successfully implemented marine management programs in Tonga, the Special Management Area program (SMA). The SMA program is Tonga’s version of marine co-management and currently involves over 50 % of coastal communities (59 communities as of February 2023), with the aim to reach 100 % capacity by 2025. Implementation and scaling of the SMA program has been widely successful but is now struggling with issues in M&E, as well as community coordination. These issues have been expressed to us from the Ministry of Fisheries (MoF) and Civil Society of Tonga and are largely due to staff in these organisations being under-resourced and already working at full capacity. 1. Strengthen SMA Monitoring and Evaluation capacity in Tonga 2. Strengthen equity and resilience in the governance structure of Tonga’s Special Management Area program
Forever chemicals accidentally produced in a modern cleaner atmosphere
Jenny Fisher
01 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2028
The world is reliant on chemicals -- but many have detrimental impacts on the ozone layer and climate. Replacements have been developed that have no ozone depletion or global warming potential. However, their atmospheric breakdown products may not be so safe. We will combine cutting-edge laboratory experiments and state-of-the-art global models to quantify how 'clean' these replacements truly are.
Protection of the Gulf Snapping Turtle in the Southern Gulf Region
Adam Canning
23 Feb 2026 - 30 Jun 2028
Southern Gulf NRM seek to improve the protection of the Gulf Snapping Turtle through the control of feral pigs and better managing cattle movements. JCU will be supporting this project through applying environmental DNA, collected from soil and water, across the Southern Gulf region to help identify the locations where the Gulf Snapping Turtle and introduced Tilapia are present, along with a broader aquatic biodiversity screen, to help guide where protection efforts should be prioritised.