Research Projects
The Relationship between Maternal Health and Infant Renal Development and Function (Old ID 25013)
Donna Rudd
01 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2023
This will be the first study to comprehensively link the maternal environment, including maternal renal size and ethnicity, to the development of the human fetal kidney and subsequent childhood kidney growth and function in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. Developing non-invasive measures of renal development and understanding the pathway to reduce nephron number in Indigenous infants is essential for the planning of public health interventions to reduce Indigenous disadvantage in renal health.
Allocative efficiency modelling to support National TB programs (Old ID 25074)
Emma McBryde
01 Dec 2017 - 30 Nov 2021
Tuberculosis (TB) has now been unequivocally identified as the world's leading infectious killer, with global control failing to make significant inroads into the huge burden of disease. TB in Australia is driven by this huge global burden, with around 60% of all TB cases occurring in our region and nearly 90% of Australia's cases occurring in the overseas born. Our group has an established track record of undertaking country-level simulations to better understand TB epidemiology and predict the effectiveness of programmatic interventions in the local context. These applications are linked to a program of theoretical and epidemiological research to improve understanding of TB transmission and strengthen model underpinnings. Recently, we have been working to develop our model into a flexible and robust platform by using principles of software engineering, including object-oriented and modular programming. This approach allows rapid adaptation of our tool ("AuTuMN") to new objectives without the need to modify many of the constituent modules. In this project, we will extend the AuTuMN structures to undertake country implementations in up to six additional countries, funded by The Global Fund Against AIDS, Malaria and tuberculosis (TGF). These countries are: Myanmar Timor L'este The Kingdom of Bhutan Cambodia The Philippines Sri Lanka This RFAF is an indicative budget, as airfares and other direct costs will only be paid upon submission of receipts. Additionally, TGF produces contracts in US dollar amounts so amounts below are subject to change. Which of the above countries elect to undertake this work has not yet been determineJCU will administer the grant but University of Melbourne and Monash University will send invoices for work undertaken as part of this grant.
Prevalence, Perceptions, Motivations of and Response to Cyberbullying among Adolescents in Singapore (Old ID 25086)
Margaret Carter
17 Aug 2018 - 31 Dec 2019
This study seeks to understand the prevalence, perceptions and motivations of cyberbullying among adolescents as well as the coping behaviours, mental and emotional well-being of adolescent victims of cyberbullying among Singapore youths aged 10-16 years old. This study will also inform the design of research-based cyber wellness prevention and intervention programmes.
System-based approaches to inform the design of vaccines and biologics against complex pathogens (Old ID 25110)
Denise Doolan
01 Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2022
The development of effective interventions against malaria and other chronic infectious diseases is impeded by a lack of understanding of host-pathogen interactions and the mechanisms and antigenic targets underlying protective immunity. The fundamental premise of this proposal is that integrated and unbiased systems-level approaches provide an excellent framework to develop a comprehensive understanding of immune responses and identify key molecules/pathways that can be targeted for therapeutic intervention or for immunodiagnostics. Taking advantage of unique human experimental infection models and field studies, this research encompasses: (i) antigen discovery; (ii) host-pathogen immunity; (iii) vaccine engineering; and (iv) biomarker discovery. It will develop a pipeline of parasite antigens and immunomodulatory molecules that can be transitioned towards clinical development and testing, as well as identify biomarkers of disease risk that can be used for population based screening to define at-risk individuals for targeted intervention.
Townsville Tourism Growth Initiative (Old ID 26634)
Laurie Murphy
16 Sep 2019 - 31 Jul 2022
The aim of the Townsville Regional Visitor Survey would be to form a cooperative of regional tourism business to build a research tool that provides local tourism businesses and destination stakeholders with access to data on the profiles, preferences and satisfaction of visitors to the Townsville region. It would also provide specific information on the performance of tourism products and industry sectors within visitor markets. This localised information would be specific to the needs of Townsville businesses and would supplement the data collected through International Visitor Surveys/National Visitor Surveys from Tourism Research Australia.
Impacts of Air Pollution on Productivity of Natural and Cultivated Tropical C4 Grasses: Implications in the Face of Land Use Change in Brazil (Old ID 27102)
Alex Cheesman
01 Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2022
The overall aim of this project is to assess the impact of currently observed, and more common future episodes of high ozone (O3) concentrations in the context of changing land-cover (from native C4 pasture to sugarcane) at the regional scale in southern Brazil. This information is of direct interest to governmental, non- governmental, private-sector, academic and community stakeholders with respect to the diverse benefits tropical grasses provide to society.
North Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sexually Transmissable Infections Action Plan 2016-2021 - Synthesis of Key Learnings. (Old ID 27708)
Steph Topp
15 Jun 2022 - 15 Dec 2022
The project will undertake a synthesis of key learnings of the North Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sexually Transmissible Infections (STIs) Action Plan 2016-2021and related initiatives and available evidence base to inform the development, through place-based, co-design processes, of sustainable sexual health models to manage the risk of STIs to First Nations people in Northern Queensland. The project will also undertake an epidemiological analysis of STIs in Northern Queensland and develop an an evaluation framework that can be applied to the development, implementation and evaluation of sustainable sexual health models to manage the risk of STIs to First Nations people in Northern Queensland.
Mungalla ecosystem service restoration. (Old ID 27736)
Nathan Waltham
01 Jul 2022 - 30 Nov 2025
Coastal wetland restoration is critical and necessary in response to lost values and services, and to increase climate change resilience. Working with Birdlife Australia, Greening Australia and Mungalla Aboriginal Corporation for Business, we will undertake a series of works to improve restoration outcomes for the wetland on the station. The focus is on blue carbon, though other services include water quality and biodiversity outcomes.
National inventory of implemented nature-based solutions (Old ID 27760)
Nathan Waltham
01 Sep 2021 - 31 Mar 2022
This project will undertake a national inventory revie of implemented nature-based solutions that have been completed to mitigate coastal hazards. The aim of this project is to collate the information, build a repository of data and to provide end user groups access to the data and information to inform future planning decisions.
Project 2.5: Evaluation of recreational fishing behaviour, use, values and motivations that relate to compliance. (Old ID 27771)
Tracey Mahony
01 Jul 2022 - 31 Dec 2023
This project aims to inform the use of behavioural change interventions to support compliance of recreational fishers and boaters with regulations. It will deliver proof of concept tailoring of behaviour change to inform the practical design of interventions in case studies for further refinement, implementation and evaluation in subsequent research plans. The project will focus on recreational fishers and boaters in 2-3 case study locations, including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and within the newly designated Australian Marine Parks of Two Rocks Marine Park and Jurien Marine Park.