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Maroochy MangroveWatch - Mangrove and Saltmarsh dreaming Project (Old ID 22916)
The intention of this research will be to undertake land and sea assessments of mangrove areas around the Sunshine Coast. Assistance will be provided to the Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Traditional Owner group to implement a MangroveWatch shoreline habitat monitoring program in the Maroochy River. This aim of this program will be to implement actions that will improve mangrove and saltmarsh management in the Maroochy River estury through increased traditional owner engagtement and capacity building in tidal wetland management, protection and restoration.
Gender, Work, and Migration: Building Work Capital among Korean Women in Australia
In migrant societies, work functions as more than a means of subsistence. It serves as a critical foundation for building diverse forms of capital that facilitate long-term social integration and empowerment. Yosso (2005), in their study on migrant communities, identified six forms of community cultural capital - aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant. In particular, employment plays a central role in developing these capitals. For example, it sustains hope for upward mobility (aspirational capital), promotes language acquisition through workplace interactions (linguistic capital), strengthens family and community networks (familial and social capital), and provide financial stability. Furthermore, it enables individuals to navigate unfamiliar institutional environments effectively (navigational capital) and to challenge negative stereotypes while fostering a positive self-image (resistant capital; Kitayama & Imai, 2022). Among these, aspirational capital through employment is an important element in helping migrants maintain a vision and goals for their future in a new society.
Australia is systemically dependent on immigration for both economic and demographic growth (Gamlen & Sherrell, 2022). It is recognised as a classical immigration country and a migration state, formed through continuous migration from the earliest Indigenous peoples who arrived up to 65,000 years ago to more recent settlers over the past two centuries. According to the 2021 Census, there were 102,092 Korea-born residents in Australia (45.0% male, 55.0% female), with 48% holding at least a bachelor’s degree. This proportion is significantly higher than the national average of 26.3%, suggesting that a considerable share of Korea-born migrants are highly educated and skilled. Therefore, they represent a population with the foundational capacity to develop work into capital, making the application of the Work Capital concept (Kim & Allan, 2024) particularly relevant. Work capital is a culturally sensitive conceptual and measurement tool that captures how occupational experiences are transformed into career development, economic stability, and socio-cultural integration.
This research project places particular emphasis on the experiences of working female migrants. South Korea’s gender wage gap stands at 29.3%, notably higher than the OECD average of approximately 11.5% and significantly above Australia’s, which is around 11.3% (OECD, 2023). Sul Tcha and Lobo (2003) found that among Korean immigrants in Australia, women were more likely than men to perceive certain structural and environmental constraints as more significant. Building on this, the research focuses on how women who have experienced gender inequality in Korea navigate and overcome institutional and social barriers in Australia, and how they utilise work to strengthen their economic position. Previous research by Choi (2022) examined the formation of Korean entrepreneurial enclaves in Melbourne and Sydney but noted that the contexts, consequences, and implications of life, occupational choices, and business directions among migrants were insufficiently explored, calling for further research.
This study will conduct a survey of 400 Korea-born residents in Australia using the Work Capital Scale developed by Kim and Allan (2024) to investigate how work capital is accumulated and utilised. The study will further examine how theoretically informed contextual factors (such as childhood and current social class and downward classism) and vocational factors (including work volition, career adaptability, and decent work) function as antecedents and outcomes of work capital (Kim et al., 2024). In addition, in-depth semi-structured interviews will be conducted to explore the specific career experiences and barrier-overcoming strategies of Korean female migrants.
This research will constitute the first empirical investigation of work capital among Korean immigrants in Australia, thereby extending the theoretical scope of migration integration studies and offering policy-relevant insights to support the economic self-reliance and career development of female migrants. Furthermore, it will contribute to comparative migration research between Australia and Korea. In doing so, the project will advance the field of Korean studies by deepening understanding of the experiences of Koreans abroad, while also strengthening knowledge exchange and collaborative ties between Korea and Australia.
GRANT Awarded: Regional Enablers Grant
Regional Enablers Program (REP) aims to:
develop innovation activities and services that supports Innovation Driven Enterprises (IDEs) to ideate, startup and scaleup.
strengthen regional innovation ecosystems by delivering services that support local IDEs in their communities.
activate and improve networks that drive collaborative approaches for IDE growth, through capability uplifts, events and knowledge sharing.
accelerate technological innovation and regional adoption in priority industries such as AgTech to transform regional economies.
Australian Venom Innovation and Discovery (AVID) Initiative
Antarctic brittle star transcriptome and proteome
Australian Venom Innovation and Discovery (AVID) Initiative
Antarctic octopus genome, transcriptome and proteome
Developing the basis for wild caught prawn broodstock biosecurity protocols (Old ID 26238)
The project will monitor the presence and viral load of a number of endemic prawn viruses in farmed prawns collected at Australian Prawn Farm. The data collected will be used to prepare evidence based management protocols to improve productivity on the farm.
Improving quality of life in adults with severe mental illness
PROBLEM: People with SMI have low HRQoL, and a 2-3 times higher risk of preventable
chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, than the general population. Contributors to this
heightened risk include lifestyle factors such as low exercise, and metabolic side-effects of
medications prescribed to treat SMI. Exercise intervention can improve HRQoL and metabolic
health in people with SMI; however, mental health services have limited capacity to provide
exercise services, and functional and psychosocial difficulties associated with SMI hinders access
to such services in the community. National policy urges governments and services to implement
integrated models of care to improve health outcomes for people with SMI.
RESEARCH GAP: Exercise can improve HRQoL in people with SMI; however, routine mental
health care is suboptimal for improving health-related lifestyle factors: Clinicians report low
capability in addressing physical health with patients, resulting in low rates of monitoring and
intervention. Improving workforce capability in addressing lifestyle factors may improve practice
(quality-enhanced usual care), but it is unknown whether this will effectively improve HRQoL or
reduce metabolic risk. Additional capacity to provide evidence-based exercise interventions may
improve HRQoL and metabolic health of patients; however, there is a lack of translational evidence
to inform effective and cost-effective implementation of such models of care. This project will
address the question: How much benefit does an exercise service add to quality-enhanced usual
care for improving health outcomes in people with SMI?
PROPOSAL: This will be an effectiveness-implementation Hybrid Type 1 design with five mental
health service sites in Queensland, conducted over four years. All five sites will receive a quality
improvement package designed to improve usual care in addressing health-related lifestyle factors
(which we have piloted), and additional capacity of a full-time Accredited Exercise Physiologist
(AEP). A best-practice referral algorithm for addressing metabolic risk will be implemented, and
patients will have direct access to an exercise intervention pathway. The AEP will provide an
exercise service that we have developed and piloted over 6-years of iterative development with
consumers and project partners. An implementation science framework will be used to evaluate
the barriers and enablers of implementation, with the primary outcome of HRQoL, and secondary
outcomes of cost-effectiveness and metabolic health.
SIGNIFICANCE: Exercise is an evidence-based therapy for improving HRQoL in people with
SMI. Findings from the 2022 QLD Parliamentary Inquiry into Mental Health recommend
embedding exercise physiology into mental health services. In line with this recommendation, this
trial will generate evidence on the implementation effectiveness and cost-effectiveness an AEP
service embedded in clinical practice. Leveraging our long-standing partnerships with health
services, community organisations and national advocacy bodies, findings will be broadly
disseminated to maximise uptake and translation into practice.
Northern Aquaculture Industry Situational Analysis (Old ID 26272)
This project will identify key challenges and opportunities facing the North Australian aquaculture sector and explore potential solutions and/or identify the most strategic research projects for further investment. This will include and not be limited to: infrastructure, policy, investment, environmental, production, knoweldge, training and human capital gaps and the research or alternative solutions to address them. The project will be delivered through a literature review, development of the 'Northern aquaculture industry vision 2028' in consultation with indigenous and non-indigenous stakholders, desktop study and SWOT analysis, and the situational analysis report.
Novel role of RNA splicing and modification in white blood cell formation
This project aims to address how ribonucleic acid (RNA) regulates white blood cell formation. This project expects to gain new insights into the mechanism and conservation of molecular processes governing white blood cell development using advanced molecular, cell biology and biochemical assays coupled with innovative RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. Expected outcomes of the project include enhancing knowledge on how white blood cells are continuously replenished for the well-being of vertebrates and promoting international collaboration in the RNA sector. This should provide significant benefit in sustaining food production via knowledge to maintain health and combat blood disease in animals and advance Australia's RNA research.
Effect of pre-calving supplementation and yeast culture on colostrun secretion, calf health and growth (Old ID 26323)
It is estimated that one million calves die in Australia every year. Between mid-pregnancy and weaning, two-thirds of losses occur within a week of birth. Cows can take several days to achieve full lactation, leaving their calves vulnerable to dehydrate and die when environmental conditions are hot. Poor nutrition during late pregancy may cause hormonal imbalances and inadequate production of colostrum resulting in inadequate transfer of passive immunity to calves and increase calf loss. It is expected that supplemented cows will have better transfer of immunoglobulins to the mammary gland, leading to greater colustrum secretion and quality improving calf health.