2025 Research projects

Neck muscle anatomy and ecology in marsupials

This project will investigate how the muscles of the neck are arranged and their influence on the morphology of the skull across groups of marsupials (kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, possums) through anatomical dissection, medical imaging and/or geometric morphometrics depending on the area of interest of the student. This work will have applications to biomedical research and the interpretation of fossils.

Associate Professor Natalie Warburton (Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences),

Associate Professor Martin Cake (Veterinary Science)

Bio-inspired and biomimetic material designs for 3D print applications

Many biological tissues and materials exhibit elaborate and beautiful structures and designs at microscopic scales that are visible in X-ray or electron microscopy or tomography studies. Many of these have functionality that has been refined through millions of years of evolution, leading to efficient and effective solutions. Biomimetics and biomimicry attempt to harness some of biology's features for material design solutions, including in 3D printing and other free-form fabrication methods. This project proposes to explore biological material structure in butterflies, beetles, crustaceans, corals, plants or other organisms through microscopy or tomography studies and to replicate the structural forms in 3D printing for material analysis. There is flexibility within this project as to the specific organism studied and as to choice of focus on microscopy, material design or biological function. .

Accessible Environmental Education: from the oncology ward to the Early Learning Centre

This project investigates the impact of educational material about local native plants in paediatric oncology wards, where nature-based activities are often restricted. The project is part of a multi-year collaboration with Perth Children’s Hospital. To assess the program's effectiveness, observational assessments and structured interviews will be conducted with Early Childhood Educators and carers, providing valuable insights into the children's developmental responses, linked to the EYLF 2.0 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This initiative seeks to create a nurturing environment within the hospital setting, promoting healing and supporting the cognitive and physical development of children undergoing challenging medical treatments.

Dr Janene Sproul (Education)

Increasing access to Environmental Education: Primary school students with disability

These projects investigate effect of modified environmental education materials for either primary or secondary students. As part of a multi-year program, novel resources will be trialed and linked to the new SCSA Science curriculum (v9) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Differentiated resources incorporating Universal Design for Learning and Cognitive load theory focus on sustainable ecosystems and plants native to Noongar Country. Structured interviews will be conducted with teachers and Education Assistants to assess the program's effectiveness.

Dr Janene Sproul (Education)

Mental health and Activity engagement following cancer diagnoses in 3-5 year olds

This project investigates an element of impact of a paediatric in-patient tailored therapy tool. The tool utilizes educational material about local native plants to determine impact on the mental health and well-being of children in paediatric oncology wards, where nature-based activities are often restricted. The program aims to engage children through interactive learning experiences that foster appreciation for the natural world while stimulating cognitive and motor function. Additionally, it will facilitate carer agency in targeted therapy and age-appropriate activities to enhance wrap-around support for the child. To assess the program's effectiveness, observational assessments and structured interviews will be conducted with Early Childhood Educators, parents and caregivers, providing valuable insights into the children's emotional and psychological responses. This initiative seeks to create a nurturing environment within the hospital setting, promoting healing and supporting the mental health of children undergoing challenging medical treatments.

Dr Hakuei Fujiyama (Psychology),
Dr Janene Sproul (Education)

Children and Urban Trees: A Study of Connection and Learning

This project explores young children’s interactions with urban trees within their local environments. By observing and engaging with children in urban settings, the research aims to understand how trees influence children’s play, learning, and wellbeing. Using participatory methodologies, the study will document children’s narratives, drawings, and activities to reveal their relationships with trees. The findings will contribute to developing sustainable and ethical pedagogies that foster children’s appreciation and care for urban green spaces, recognising the agency of both human and nonhuman actors. This project aims to promote a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness and mutual becoming of all entities in early childhood education.

Jane Merewether

Mentors and mentoring in initial teacher education: Generating systems-based policy and practice to enhance engagement and outcomes.

Professional Experience placements are a core, mandatory component of Australian initial teacher education (ITE) (Le Cornu, 2015). These Work Integrated Learning (WIL) components provide pre-service teachers (PSTs) with authentic teaching experiences under experienced mentor teachers. The participation and engagement of mentor teachers in ITE is voluntary throughout Australia and relies heavily on their good will (Ledger et al., 2020), yet this involvement is fundamental to the outcomes associated with ITE (Le Cornu, 2016). This emphasises the need for coherent systems that operate between universities and WIL settings to cultivate quality placement experiences (Grossman, 2010). Various legislative and funding arrangements create ambiguity and complexity in relation to partnership (Ledger & Vidovich, 2018) and inhibit system-wide approaches to effectively and efficiently create aligned systems of practice and collaboration (Ure et al., 2017). These enduring challenges are currently being exacerbated by a rapidly changing workforce, in response to disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant national teacher workforce shortage. Moreover, improving the quality of practical experience in teaching is a priority reform area within the Strong Beginnings: Report of the Teacher Education Expert Panel (Department of Education, 2023). This research project examines data produced within Australian universities in relation to the workforce of mentor teachers participating in WIL from 2017 to 2022 to develop enhanced understanding of emerging mentor teachers in order to develop targeted workforce strategies. 

ITE-EXTEND systematic literature review

Australian Initial Teacher Education (ITE) has a long history of significant and sustained monitoring, evaluation and critique. This has resulted in increased external accountability through national program accreditation and evaluation, including accountability measures to ensure program quality and graduates' capabilities. Murdoch University’s ITE courses are rigorously designed, accredited, delivered and evaluated within this accountability framework and its courses are contemporary and responsive to the expectations and requirements of industry, community and policy. The current context of teacher workforce shortages, increasing demands of teaching, and external pressures on teaching candidates has resulted in declining ITE enrolments and rapidly evolving pathways into teaching. This provides an opportunity for innovation in ITE course design. This project will align an aRMT candidate with a research team as they pilot an innovative approach to ITE. The candidate will undertake a systematic literature review of ITE, exploring the interconnected themes of school- and university-based ITE preparation, internship, pre-service and early career teacher attraction, retention and traction and the policy environment in which this work is situated. Working under a team of experienced educational researchers, this systematic review will underpin research activity and engagement throughout the pilot and potentially offer the successful candidate opportunities to engage in further research within a team of educational researchers within the School of Education. 

Mapping the footprint of elite private schools: A comparative spatial analysis 

Elite private schools are defined as schools that charge high fees and enjoy high status and reputation. Elite private schooling may cause macro educational inequalities and inefficiencies when its footprint is too large and its linkages with high-status occupations and social status is too tightly coupled. Given its very large private school sector, the number and enrolment share of elite private schools is likely to be greater in Australia than in other English-speaking countries. The aim of this study is to test this hypothesis by mapping the footprint of elite private schooling in Australia compared to its “Five Eyes” partners, namely Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US. Using publicly available data, geographic information system software and a comparative case study design, the aim of this study is to examine the prevalence, geolocation and enrolment share of elite private schools in the major cities of the five countries. 

Cross-national analyses of educational equity and effectiveness

This study will use an innovative analytical approach, Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), to examine educational equity and effectiveness in five or more countries that participate in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment. Specific countries and topics can be chosen by the candidate in consultation with the supervisors. The list of potential topics is wide ranging; some examples are the causes of rural educational disadvantage; cross-national differences in student-wellbeing, sense of belonging or life satisfaction; and policies that reduce achievement gaps and educational inequalities.

Vocational education and training for the Australian government’s manufacturing agenda

The Australian government has prioritised the development of high valued-added manufacturing in the food and beverage, medical products, renewable energy, mineral processing, defence, and aeronautics sectors. A major challenge in developing Australia’s manufacturing capacity in these sectors is a shortage of skilled labour. Finding ways to develop Australia’s labour force is therefore essential for meeting its manufacturing priorities. One strategy for developing labour skills is through vocational secondary education and training. The aim of this study is to identify models from other countries that could provide insights for the Australian context. The findings of the study will lead to specific recommendations about how vocational secondary education and training can be leveraged to meet Australia’s skilled labour needs in high value-added manufacturing.

Specialist programs in secondary schools: benefits and challenges

Secondary schools in Australia are increasingly adopting specialist programs to cater to student needs, increase student engagement, and compete with other schools for student enrolments. This aRMT project comprises a systematic review of the benefits, opportunities, challenges, barriers and limitations of specialist programs in secondary schools. 

Student well-being in the Programme for International Student Assessment

Student well-being is an important facet of education that has been receiving increased attention of the last several years. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the largest international student assessment in the world, collects data from 15-year students about cognitive, social, physical and psychological wellbeing. This aRMT project comprises a systematic review about wellbeing as measured on PISA and its relation with academic achievement and other educational outcomes. 

Is it better to have large workers or more of them?

Trade-offs of group size and worker size in ants Social animals must choose where to invest their limited resources to maximise group competitiveness. For ants, there is a proposed trade-off between investing in the inpidual size of workers and the size of the colony. This trade-off affects how and where ants can live. For example, previous work has suggested that invasive ants should invest less in inpidual size and more in producing large colonies. We are seeking interested students to help us investigate this trade-off, which is fundamental to the fitness and strategy of ant colonies, and the environmental and social factors that control it. Approaches could include conducting a comprehensive meta-analysis and/or review to determine whether such a trade-off is consistent across ant species, and categorising ants along the trade-off curve according to such features as invasiveness, pest potential, habitat, diet, and foraging strategy.

If interested, please contact Sam at Samuel.lymbery@murdoch.edu.au

Cognition and Warfare Humans aren’t the only animals that go to war.

The mechanisms of non-human warfare, however, remains an understudied and exciting area of research. This project will use ants, the ideal model system for such studies, this system to examine the link between success in group battles and a crucial element of animal behaviour: cognitive ability.

There will be opportunity for students to work flexibly with us to develop their own projects within this over-arching goal. Broadly, we envision assaying the cognitive abilities of inpidual ants, constructing experimental armies from relatively “smart” or “stupid” inpiduals, and staging laboratory battles between these armies. This work will provide valuable data on ant cognition, and generate insights into the relative success of ant species. Since ants are one of the world’s most important groups of animal pests, such information is always of practical importance as well as fundamentally advancing the study of non-human warfare.

Redesigning sea containers to mitigate incursion risk

Exotic pests, diseases and weeds can hitch a ride to Australia inside shipping containers. Sea containers are demonstrated vectors to many economically important quarantinable insects, including timber pests, agricultural pests, environmental pests, and nuisance pests. The Harry Butler Institute is working with the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries to identify hotspots within sea container for pest refuge and to redesign niches to reduce the risk of incursion into Australia. We are looking for students who are passionate about protecting Australia’s biopersity and agriculture industry to join this project. Students can work with us to arrive at targeted projects, and examples could include:

• Matching microclimate and habitat variables within shipping containers to preferences of pest species
• Investigating the role of diapause in resistance to control measures and how this may change management approaches
• Optimising lure placement for effectively detecting pest presence/absence"

Analysis of regional climate model simulations of historical and future climate

High resolution regional climate projections are available over Australia from dynamical downscaling of the latest global climate models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Coupled Model Intercomparison Project version 6 (CMIP6). Several research questions can be developed using these projections, for example, how will compound extremes events change in the future? What will be the effect of climate change on renewable energy resources? Etc. Projects can also be tailored to suit the student’s interests. The student should have some prior background is atmospheric science/meteorology/oceanography/climate etc, and should also have some knowledge of scientific programming using scripted languages such as Python/R/Matlab/NCL or similar.

Associate Professor Jatin Kala;
Dr. Kerryn Hawke

Physical activity is an essential component of managing and improving health in multiple sclerosis (MS).

MS is the most common non-traumatic neurological condition affecting young adults in Australia. Exercise for people living with Multiple Sclerosis

Available projects will see you engaging with people with MS, for example through 1. a project which monitors the delivery and effects of online exercise programs, 2. a focus group project to understand their opinions on monitoring physical activity. You will work with established researchers and be joining other students working together to answer similar research questions.

If you are interested in a career in clinical healthcare, underpinned by evidence based practice & promotion of positive health behaviours these projects are for you. Over the course you will improve your research skills in literature reviews, engaging with consumers, data gathering, data analysis (quantitative & qualitative) and presentation of research evidence to both the scientific and consumer community.

Metabolic phenotyping strategy for enhancing nutritional values in high-pressure processing products

High-Pressure Processing (HPP) is a commercial pasteurisation technology used to extend the shelf life of both solid and liquid food products. This non-thermal preservation method relies on applying high isostatic pressure (400–600 MPa), transmitted by cold water for a few minutes, to achieve an effect equivalent to pasteurization. During HPP treatment, microorganisms naturally present in raw foods are inactivated through extremely high pressures. Notably, HPP has shown limited effects on the overall flavour and the content of health-related food components, such as vitamins and antioxidants. This project aims to evaluate the optimal HPP parameters for preserving polyphenols in fresh produce using a mass spectrometry-based metabolic phenotyping strategy and subsequently produce a new “healthy” product suitable for commercialisation.

Ruey Leng Loo

The Fortescue Marsh

The Fortescue Marsh is a recognised Important Bird Area (IBA), s upporting 187 bird species and up to 270,000 waterbirds when inundated. As part of Western Australia’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050, many Pilbara mining companies have announced their intention to move to wind and solar energy for their operations. While an important step towards reducing climate change, this shift to renewable energy could have biodiversity impacts that need to be considered as part of green energy planning and commissioning. Understanding which bird and bat species are likely to be using proposed sites is an important first step towards identifying potential risk. This project will compile a list of all bird and bat species reported in published and available grey literature for a 10,000 km2 area centred around the Fortescue Marsh, and compile a traits database for these species to calculate (a) wing loading (the weight of the bird / surface area of the wing), and (b) aspect ratio (wing length /wing width). Missing data will be compiled through measurement of museum specimens. These data will then inform species-specific flight risk windows and provide input values to Collision Risk Models (aerodynamic ability, flight speed, altitude and directionality), which can then inform conservation management decisions.

Feral cats can be difficult to monitor and control due to neophobia and trap avoidance behaviour resultng in low detection rates and variable success of control measures. We will test a novel, long-life (up to 1 year) lure system to increase camera trap success and reduce neophobic behaviour of cats. Using this lure, we will develop a monitoring system to record feral cat activity, comparing between three camera types and identifying individual cats from distinctive markings.

Are all Phytophthora species invasive?

Phytophthora dieback cause by the invasive pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi has devastated impacted natural ecosystems in Western Australia.  In mapping its presence, 70 other Phytophthora species have been recovered some of which appear to be native, some introduced.  The bridgehead effect suggest that new species arrive, becomes established in urban environments and then spread into natural ecosystems.  However, traits of the species and environmental filtering, may influence invasiveness.  This project would use the extensive database  and targeted sampling from Western Australia to interrogate these principals.

Diversity of pathogens in stressed forest ecosystems

The  decline of forests worldwide is driven by multiple stressors including disease, fire and drought. Unfortunately, the interactions of multiple stressors may increase a forest’s susceptibility to future stressors. For example, a forest that has experienced drought and fire may have reduced health and vigour and thus be more prone to pathogen incursions. This project will determine how prone these stressed forests are to future pathogen incursions. We will quantify the diversity of pathogens and compare to the diversity of pathogens in healthy forest.

Pathogen accumulation in healthy vs disturbed forests

Habitat fragmentation has resulted in forest fragments spread throughout other land uses (i.e. farming and horticulture). The edges of these fragments are more prone to human and animal traffic and increased access for invasive species including pathogens. This project will determine whether plant species along these disturbed edges accumulate more pathogens than plant species in the forest's interior. Roots from multiple plant species in these two distinct areas will be collected and root fragments plated on selective media for culturing of potential fungal and oomycete pathogens.

Susceptibility of invasive and native plant species to plant pathogens

Invasive plant species can alter plant communities and pose a risk to native plants through pathogen accumulation. Invasive plant species may be less susceptible to some plant pathogens, acting as reservoirs that can increase transmission to native plant species. This project will determine the susceptibility of invasive and native plants to various plant pathogens through leaf/branch assays. The student will inoculate the various host material and measure lesion growth over time. This project will enhance knowledge of the host range of important plant pathogens and highlight possible hosts that may act as reservoirs or be less susceptible.

How to court a jumping spider using chemicals

Did you know that the largest living land animal, the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) shares the same sex pheromone as 140 species of moth? Although it is unlikely that elephants and moths will choose the incorrect mate, this sharing of sex pheromones demonstrates the ubiquity of pheromones across the animal kingdom. This project will investigate the sex pheromones used by the jumping spider Menemerus nigli. Jumping spiders are known for complex courtship displays with both visual, vibratory, and chemical components. The jumping spider Menemerus nigli is considered non-indigenous to Australia and results from this study will be used to determine the feasibility of isolating chemicals for use as a lure in traps. 

Aliens among us - biosecurity matters 

Rats on Gough island that attack adult albatross and dive into water to prey on crabs. Possums in New Zealand that forego their plant-based diet for native bird eggs. Fire ants in Australia who are known to wipe out entire native ecosystems. These invasive species, and many more, are causing significant environmental and economic harm and their numbers are accelerating as the world becomes ever increasingly connected. Invasive alien species are considered one of the five direct drivers causing a global decline in nature and without significant transformation to support a global sustainable pathway, it’s only going to get worse. We are using a multidisciplinary approach (evolutionary, ecology, chemical, computer science, social science) to develop innovative solutions that will help staunch the flow of invasive species from moving around the globe. If you are interested in this area of research, please contact me to discuss project options that will suit your own interests and strengths. 

Harvey River Habitat Restoration

See this video for summary of the project

This fully funded project will determine the response of an aquatic ecosystem to the first re-snagging program of a channalised river system in south-western Australia. The student will collect data from the third post-restoration monitoring in autumn 2024 and in doing so skill themselves in standardised sampling (that are also used by State Government scientists) of fish, crayfish, mussels, turtles and macroinvertebrates. They will them combine that information and analyse it with our existing dataset to quantify how the aquatic ecosystem has changed in response to re-snagging of the Harvey River.  Skills attained will include species ID, univariate and multivariate analyses, along with enhancing their knowledge on aquatic biodiversity.  This high-project project will suit a student who has an interest and passion for the conservation of native fauna and is pursuing a career in the research or management of aquatic ecosystems.

Elucidating the metabolism that underpins genetic risk in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease

The reasons why an individual may develop sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is largely unknown. Whilst genetic risk factors have been confirmed, the mechanisms behind them are not known. Before they can be elucidated the impact that such genetic variation has on fundamental biology must first be understood. This project will directly address this gap. It will identify patterns in metabolism that associate with genetic risk in AD both in human populations and in-vitro cell models. The resultant data will enhance our understanding of the biological impact that genetic polymorphism has on the human system and will underpin efforts to elucidate the mechanisms of why genetic traits increase the risk of the disease.

Luke Gray Whiley

Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and their impact on human health

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous chemicals that interfere with hormone action and have been associated with adverse health outcomes. EDCs are found in commonly used products such as plastics, pesticides and personal care products and are widespread throughout the environment. Yet, there remains a knowledge gap between exposure and implications for endocrine function, with a limited number of EDCs comprehensively studied in the context of their impact on human health.

Using an advanced analytical approach, using targeted and untargeted ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to simultaneously determine a diverse panel of EDCs in samples from human biosamples, this project aims to generate comprehensive, accurate and precise measurements of EDCs. EDC exposures will be examined to establish associations with cardiometabolic risk factors, such as central adiposity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes. This new knowledge will advance understanding of physiological changes and disease risks associated with the EDC exposome.

Dr Nicola Gray

Defining blood lipoprotein marker parameters in children

Currently 112 Plasma lipoprotein concentrations can be measured in a 4 min assay using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This assay forms part of the InVitro Diagnostics Research (IVDr) platform from Bruker (Bruker LTD) and contains biomarkers of CVD risk. We have validated the adult lipoprotein model by characterising the lipoprotein perturbations in the Busselton cohort: an adult population where samples from 1976 individuals collected at two timepoints were analysed to get lipoprotein concentrations of healthy individuals in comparison to those with different medical conditions (10.1016/j.jacl.2023.06.004). To date little is known about the expected lipoprotein ranges in children and the perturbations that arise due to disease. This project will analyse blood collected from children at ages 1, 3 and 5 to determine the expected ranges in children that are deemed healthy and how these become altered in different disease states (eg. Asthma, eczema and diabetes).

Integrative plasma metabolic and lipidomic modelling of acute phase burn injury in children

The Australian National Phenome Centre laboratory routinely measures thousands of metabolites using a combination of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Mass Spectrometry (MS). A recent study within the centre (DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1105163) showed that children 3 years post burn injury demonstrated metabolic signatures of hyperglycaemia, hypermetabolism and inflammation and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in the long-term independent of burn severity. This project will analyse the blood plasma of children using NMR and MS to understand the metabolic and lipidomic perturbations that arise in the acute phase of burn injury. In addition, follow up samples of the same patients will be analysed and using the associated clinical metadata of the samples statistical modelling will be completed to determine if a specific plasma metabolomic and lipidomic signature in the acute phase leads to better clinical outcomes.

Exploring longitudinal metabolic markers through day-to-day, weekly, and monthly variation in healthy individuals

The ANPC laboratory can routinely measure thousands of metabolites using a combination of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Mass Spectrometry. Metabolites such as lipids and lipoproteins indicate an individual's health. Comparing biomarkers from healthy individuals and others with medical conditions (such as diabetes, COVID-19 etc.) is a key step in understanding metabolic disturbances and diseases aetiology. However, little is known regarding the 'normal' fluctuation of metabolism within a day, between days and even across months in each individual, resulting in unwanted noise in the statistical models. Recent advances in the lab allow small blood volume self-collection, allowing repeated sample collection with reduce patient burden. This project's initial work is to help understand variations due to lifestyle (diet, exercise, circadian rhythm, etc.) on metabolic signature of individuals. It is hoped that the study's results will allow for future personalised health and monitoring applications taking science from the 'bench' to the ‘community’.

Exploring lifestyle choices and how they influence metabolic markers in healthy individuals

The ANPC laboratory can routinely measure thousands of metabolites using a combination of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Mass Spectrometry. Metabolites such as lipids and lipoproteins indicate an individual's health. Comparing biomarkers from healthy individuals and others with medical conditions (such as diabetes, COVID-19 etc.) is a key step in understanding metabolic disturbances and diseases aetiology. However, little is known regarding the 'normal' fluctuation of metabolism due to lifestyle choices adding unwanted noise in statistical models. Recent advances in the lab allow small blood volume self-collection, allowing repeated sample collection with reduce patient burden. This project's initial work is to help understand variations due to lifestyle (diet, exercise, circadian rhythm, etc.) on metabolic signature of individuals. It is hoped that the study's results will allow for future personalised health and monitoring applications taking science from the 'bench' to the ‘community’.

Characterising our innate immune response to viral infection mediated by the RSAD2 pathway

Due to their adverse impact on healthcare systems, COVID-19, and the causative agent SARS-CoV-2, have been the subject of intense clinical and biochemical study over the last three years. In addition to understanding the clinical impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection, it is important to broaden our understanding of the length of the infectious period and possible shortcomings of direct viral testing.

Work in our laboratories has discovered several candidate biomarkers in human urine, derived via modified nucleotide metabolism and linked to the RSAD2 gene, with potential clinical application in acute viral infection diagnosis. In this project we hope to further characterise the biomarker response, as well as provide an in-depth correlation to clinical parameters already acquired for cohorts under investigation. The project is not restrained and can be tailored to the individual interests of students applying for the project, for instance: analytical chemistry, or bioinformatics.

Unravelling the Complex Picture of Microbiome-Host Metabolic Interactions

The human microbiome is a collection of all the microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, as well as their genetic information, that reside on our bodies, and inside of us. Recent work has uncovered just how large a contribution our individual microbiomes make to our health, along various signalling-axes including defence against pathogens, development of innate and adaptive immunity, energy homeostasis, and the digestion of food and nutrients.

The following project would seek to unravel some of the complex interactions between humans and the microbiome, using a variety of state-of-the-art metabolomic analytical techniques, such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Mass Spectrometry. Data will be analysed using dimensionality reduction techniques, allowing for the detection of key molecules involved in some of the numerous “small molecule” metabolic Host-Microbe signalling axes.

Application of Machine Learning to Small Molecule Structure Elucidation

Advances in computational technology, and access to computational resources have brought Density Functional Theory (DFT) prediction of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectra well within the experimental chemist’s toolbox, as evidenced by the extensive adoption of quantum mechanical techniques within structural elucidation literature over the past decade. Recently, application of machine learning and statistical methodology, both at the level of chemical shift prediction, and decision making from ensembles of isomers, have represented an improvement of several orders of magnitude over previous quantum mechanical methods in terms of raw computational time, and accuracy.

The following project would seek to integrate various existing and open-source chemical shift prediction algorithms (e.g., CASCADE, NMRshiftdb-NN, etc.), with alternative open-source decision making algorithms (e.g., CD3, DP4+, etc.). Benchmarking would be achieved on an ensemble of test molecules. The project seeks a student with an interest in organic chemistry and informatics.

Unlocking Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Heart-Healthy Diets and Plasma Lipids

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, accounting for 17.8 million deaths per year. There is widespread consensus that diet plays a key role in reducing CVD risk. Cutting-edge lipidomic profiling, capable of measuring hundreds of lipids in plasma, is particularly relevant to understanding the mechanisms of CVD, as lipids have been shown to play a crucial role in its pathophysiology. However, the impact of different diets on lipid levels remains unclear. This project aims to address this gap. The student will utilise plasma samples from a randomised three-period crossover feeding study that compares the effects of plasma lipids from three different heart-healthy diets: a carbohydrate-rich diet patterned after the DASH diet (CARB), a diet rich in protein (PROTEIN), and another rich in unsaturated (UNSAT) fats, predominantly monounsaturated fats.

Defining Healthy lipoprotein ranges in the Busselton cohort and comparison with a large Spanish Cohort.

Through improvements in modern medicine, our life expectancy has increased globally, as well as the number of those suffering from metabolic syndrome such as diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. With the rise of an aging population, it is difficult to define “Healthy” due to existing conditions. We have collected and validated plasma lipoprotein from the Busselton cohort (1976 individuals at two timepoints) and serum lipoprotein from a large Spanish cohort (n = 14,000) at one timepoint using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy InVitro Diagnostics Research (IVDr) platform from Bruker (Bruker LTD). This project aims to define the lipoprotein ranges of “Healthy” from two geographically separated cohorts and compare them to find the similarities and differences between the two.

Proposed Project: Predicting Employee Cybersecurity Violations: Comparison of Theoretical Model and Machine Learning Model

The proposed research aims to examine factors behind employees violating cybersecurity policies. While existing cybersecurity behavioral studies focus primarily on organizational, environmental, and behavioral factors, a growing body of literature suggests individual differences such as personality traits as a strong predictor of cybersecurity violations. For instance, extroverted employees, due to their inherent risk-taking nature, might often bypass security guidelines. Given that 90% of cyberattacks originate from human actions, this project seeks to identify factors that contribute to cybersecurity violations using established human behavioral theories and incorporating individual factors such as personality traits. Based on the identified factors, the ultimate goal of the proposed project is to develop and test a theoretical using statistical techniques such as structural equation modeling, and a propose a machine learning model. A comparison between the two models and how well they predict cybersecurity violations key and the novelty of this research.

Ecosystem services of invasive bivalves on restored shellfish reef habitats

Shellfish reefs are among the most imperiled marine ecosystems in the world. Because of their provision of important ecosystem services (e.g. water filtration and habitat provision), large scale initiatives have aimed to restore these ecosystems. In the Swan River, 1.5 ha of limestone reef bases were deployed in 2022 and seeded with Mediterranean Mussels. While the abundance of the candidate species remains below target levels, other non-indigenous bivalves (Asian Date Mussel and Spiny Scallop) have become relatively abundant. This project aims to quantify the ecosystem services of these non-indigenous bivalves and to elucidate why these species are more successful than native bivalves.

Alan Cottingham,
James Tweedley

Modelling genotype x environment interactions and their translational effects on plant phenotypes

With the fast development of Next Generation Sequencing technologies, hundreds of crop accessions have been genetically profiled. The large volume of genomics data will be incorporated into phenotyping data and environment variables measured in large field trials across Australia to develop genotype to phenotype predictive models. Such models predict phenotypic traits as functions of genotypic and environmental inputs as well as their complicated interactions. The project will have access to thousands of high-density genetic markers and variations obtained by other methods, which will boost the reliability of the models that can predict phenotypes using multi-level genomics profiles. The project will also evaluate the prediction of gene sets that can give optimal barley yield and quality given a specific environmental condition. Using machine learning, new models will not only provide a framework for de novo breeding and precision agriculture, but give a new systems biology perspective in the context of crop genetics.

Fast and automatic deep learning-based crop phenotyping methods using remote imagery

Improving crop grain yield and other important quality, including heat and drought tolerance, disease resistance, etc, rely on understanding the regulatory interaction between genotype and environment and identifying the genes controlling crop genotypes. This requires mapping the phenotypic performance of large number of genotypes under different environmental conditions. The fast development of Next-Generation Sequencing technology has enabled sequencing thousands of oat germplasms and made available large amounts of genomic resources, including the oat pan-genome. On the contrary, phenotyping remains a labour-intensive process and desperately needs a high-throughput approach. The project aims to develop a fast and automatic phenotyping method using deep learning-based image analysis. The project will develop skills in state-of-the-art deep learning methods and have access to more hundreds of Gigabytes of image data from > 900 oat varieties.

The Green and Gold of Australian butterflies

Butterflies – and moths, beetles and insects more generally – have evolved many creative ways of producing green coloration, with or without metallic or iridescent shimmer. Some use green pigmentation, but most appear green by developing diverse types of structural coloration or optical effects. These structures are often highly complex and can create polarization, iridescence and spectral effects. Why butterflies have evolved so many different solutions to producing green coloration remains unclear. In this project you will conduct a stocktake of the mechanisms for generating green coloration used by Australian butterflies, based on spectral analysis and electron microscopy or tomography. This knowledge will then be compared across the lepidopteran phylogeny and against important ecological variables to understand better the evolutionary drivers of green coloration strategies in butterflies. Depending on the student’s interests, the project can be extended to assess whether spectral properties of butterfly coloration can be used in automated species recognition based on deep learning approaches of hyperspectral images.

Gender and the Climate-Security Nexus

Climate change will have enormous implications on food and water security, health, and potentially even conflict and migration. Such security risks are not distributed equally, but vary along intersecting identities like gender, race, and class. The project will pick a particular aspect of the climate-security nexus (e.g., water, food, violence) and study its gendered dimensions.

Tobias Ide

Resistance against Green Minerals

Renewable energy technologies like wind power, solar energy, and electric vehicles are key to mitigating climate change. Expanding renewables will require increased extraction of key minerals like lithium cobalt, and nickel. Such mining often results in conflict, for instance between the mining company and local communities. The project will study the causes and dynamics of as well as ways to mediate such conflicts. The regional focus can be adjusted by the student and may include Western Australia, Indonesia, India, Bhutan, or another place.

Tobias Ide

Political Conflicts in the Pacific Island Countries

The Pacific Island countries are of key strategic importance to Australia, while several Pacific nations suffered from political instability in the past. Despite of this, systematic knowledge on political conflicts in the region is scarce. The project will build and analyse a geo-referenced, time-coded dataset of conflict events (e.g., protests, riots) in the Pacific. Note: Basic knowledge of statistics or big data analyses is helpful but not a requirement.

Tobias Ide

Prevalence of Theileriosis in pre-weaned calves in the south-west region of Western Australia

The project will involve laboratory and data analysis

Studies on causes of morbidity in small ruminants in Western Australia

Project will involve data analysis

Improving working memory in older adults through the synergistic effect of physical activity and non-invasive brain stimulation on brain connectivity

Working memory (WM) function is essential for day-to-day activities such as driving and conversing with family and friends. Unfortunately, declines in WM are quite common for older adults (Kramer et al., 1999). Physical exercise is known to be effective in reducing the impact of age on cognitive decline (Law et al., 2020). Similarly, there is good evidence to suggest that transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can also ameliorate cognitive decline in older adults (see review, Tan et al., 2018). In this project, we investigate whether combined exercise and NiBS intervention can achieve greater improvement in WM compared to either exercise or NiBS on its own.

NOTE: Students working on this project will gain profound insights into brain functions and will have an opportunity to gain experience in using cutting-edge non-invasive brain stimulation techniques and state-of-art EEG techniques and analyses.

References

Neural Mechanisms underlying Tourette Syndrome and Potential Interventions to Reduce associated Symptoms

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by involuntary, rapid, and stereotyped movements (motor tics) or vocalisations (phonic tics) that are present for at least 1 year. The severity of tics ranges from mild and non-impairing to severe and incapacitating, with 29% of patients exhibiting self-injurious behaviours such as head banging or self-hitting. As such, it is unsurprising that TS can have profound consequences on a person’s social life as well as educational and occupational opportunities. However, the exact mechanisms of TS are highly elusive and the understanding of the mechanisms underlying TS would pave the way for developing future interventions. Here, we investigate the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying TS, focusing on brain connectivity using neurophysiological techniques. 

Psychological trauma and alcohol consumption

Preliminary data collected from a student sample at Murdoch University demonstrates that coping drinking motives fully mediate the causal pathway between symptoms of posttraumatic stress and alcohol involvement. In other words, people who experience traumatic events are motivated to consume alcohol in order to cope with their symptoms of trauma. This is evidence in support of the self-medication hypothesis. Various quantitative and qualitative projects to further explore this relationship or phenomenon involve the following research questions: 

1. Does the experience of a Criterion A traumatic event predict coping drinking motives?
2. What are the experiences of drinking amongst participants who have also experienced a traumatic event? (Qualitative project)
3. Does the symptom threshold for drinking to cope decrease over time?
4. Does a cognitive-behavioural treatment intervention that targets coping drinking motives reduce alcohol involvement and/or trauma symptoms for trauma-exposed individuals at risk of alcohol use disorders?

Exercise for people living with Multiple Sclerosis

Physical activity is an essential component of managing and improving health in multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is the most common non-traumatic neurological condition affecting young adults in Australia. 

Available projects will see you engaging with people with MS, for example through 1. a project which monitors the delivery and effects of online exercise programs, 2. a focus group project to understand their opinions on monitoring physical activity. You will work with established researchers and be joining other students working together to answer similar research questions. 

If you are interested in a career in clinical healthcare, underpinned by evidence based practice & promotion of positive health behaviours these projects are for you. Over the course you will improve your research skills in literature reviews, engaging with consumers, data gathering, data analysis (quantitative & qualitative) and presentation of research evidence to both the scientific and consumer community. 

Mental health and Activity engagement following cancer diagnoses in 3-5 year olds

This project investigates an element of impact of a paediatric in-patient tailored therapy tool. The tool utilizes educational material about local native plants to determine impact on the mental health and well-being of children in paediatric oncology wards, where nature-based activities are often restricted. The program aims to engage children through interactive learning experiences that foster appreciation for the natural world while stimulating cognitive and motor function. Additionally, it will facilitate carer agency in targeted therapy and age-appropriate activities to enhance wrap-around support for the child. To assess the program's effectiveness, observational assessments and structured interviews will be conducted with Early Childhood Educators, parents and caregivers, providing valuable insights into the children's emotional and psychological responses. This initiative seeks to create a nurturing environment within the hospital setting, promoting healing and supporting the mental health of children undergoing challenging medical treatments.

Dr Hakuei Fujiyama (Psychology), Dr Janene Sproul (Education)

The fungal pathogen crown rust (OCR) causes significant damage in Australian oat production. This project aims to identify new sources of enduring high value resistance to OCR, tools to accelerate the use of these resistances, and locally adapted OCR resistant oat germplasm for use in developing profitable oat varieties. It will lead to responsible stewardship of broadly effective OCR resistance in grazing/milling/hay oats, increasing grower profitability, reducing reliance on fungicides, and underpinning planned growth in our export oat market. The PhD project will focus on identification of the resistance genes and develop diagnostic DNA-based markers for high value resistance (R) genes to speed future discovery. This project is part of an ARC linkage project in collaboration with University of Sydney and DPIRD

Professor Chengdao Li (MU), Dr Manisha Shankar (DPIRD), Professor Rajeev Varshney (MU) and Professor Robert Park (USyd)

There are several known fungal and viral diseases that are a constant threat to lupin production across Australia, particularly in WA where over 85% of the world’s lupin crop is produced. Diseases such as Anthracnose, Phomopsis, Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) and Sclerotinia have caused significant yield losses, severe toxicity to livestock, or impacted grain marketability in the past. Reliance on disease resistance of new lupin cultivars in the farming system has been critical to controlling these diseases and minimising their related impacts. However, ongoing reports of yield loss and livestock toxicity despite the availability of disease resistant varieties suggest that there is still considerable room for improvement in enhancing resistance against these pathogens in lupins. An analysis of existing phenotyping methods and genetic resources available to Australian lupin breeders and pre-breeders for the major lupin diseases has identified a range of gaps that need to be addressed to accelerate the development of varieties with improved resistance. The PhD project will focus on identification of disease resistance genes for Anthracnose, Phomopsis and Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV. This is part of the GRDC lupin disease resistance project in collaboration with DPIRD, Curtin University and Australian Grain Technology ltd.

Dr Gaofeng Zhou, Professor Chengdao Li, Adj Prof Darshan Sharma (DPIRD) and Dr Jeff Thomas (DPIRD)

Septoria blotch caused by Parastagonospora avenae is a significant oat disease especially in Western Australia where almost all oat crops have some level of Septoria infection. Average yield losses from Septoria in the high rainfall zone are approximately 15% and result in significant economic loss. The Septoria pathogen population is diverse, making breeding for durable resistance difficult and to date little work has been undertaken to identify and characterise genetic sources of resistance to Septoria blotch. The aims of this research are (i) to investigate variation in virulence of P. avenae isolates across regional sites of WA and (ii) to identify novel sources of resistance and provide breeders with the germplasm and tools to breed varieties with durable resistance to Septoria. The PhD position will be one of the above two project areas depending on the student's interest and background. This is part of large national project funded by the GRDC and Western Australia Oat Industry Partnership.

Professor Chengdao Li, Dr Manisha Shankar(DPIRD), Dr Tianhua He, Dr Yong Han (DPIRD)

Entangled Worlds: Children’s Relationships with Local Environments

This research project will explore children’s entangled relationships with their local environments. By employing participatory methodologies and multispecies ethnography, the study will seek to understand how human and more-than-human entities co-constitute each other within dynamic assemblages. Through observation, creative documentation, and engagement with children, the research will capture the sensory experiences, narratives, and imaginative activities that emerge from these interactions. The findings will contribute to the development of liveable, sustainable, and ethical pedagogies that recognise the agency of both human and nonhuman actors. This project aims to promote a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness and mutual becoming of all entities in early childhood education.

Jane Merewether

Analysis of high resolution regional climate projections of current and future climate from dynamical downscaling of global climate models.

High resolution regional climate projections are available over Australia from dynamical downscaling of the latest global climate models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Coupled Model Intercomparison Project version 6 (CMIP6). Several research questions can be developed using these projections, for example, how will compound extremes events change in the future? What will be the effect of climate change on renewable energy resources? Etc. Projects can also be tailored to suit the student’s interests. The student should have some prior background is atmospheric science/meteorology/oceanography/climate etc, and should also have some knowledge of scientific programming using scripted languages such as Python/R/Matlab/NCL or similar.

Associate Professor Jatin Kala,
Dr. Kerryn Hawke

Bird and bat collision risk modelling

Australia is the world's largest iron ore producer (29% of the global total). Most of this iron ore is developed in Western Australia, making up 99% of overall production, the bulk of which has been mined from deposits in the Hamersley province in the Pilbara of Western Australia. Central to the Pilbara lies the Fortescue Marsh, an extensive (10 x 100 km) ephemeral saltmarsh subject to extensive episodic inundation, once every 10 or more years. The Fortescue Marsh is a recognised Important Bird Area (IBA), supporting 187 bird species and up to 270,000 waterbirds when inundated. As part of Western Australia’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050, many Pilbara mining companies have announced their intention to move to wind and solar energy for their operations. While an important step towards reducing climate change, this shift to renewable energy could have biodiversity impacts that need to be considered as part of green energy planning and commissioning. Understanding which bird and bat species are likely to be using proposed sites is an important first step towards identifying potential risk. For example, nocturnally migrating birds (species that are on the wing for multiple days) are more exposed than diurnally migrating birds. Raptors, which fly looking down and have limited binocular overlap and poor visual acuity towards the top of their head (likely an adaption to avoid solar glare) are more vulnerable to turbine strike, with Accipitriformes making up the most common bird family impacted by turbine strike. Also, larger birds are more likely to be recovered after turbine strike, while those with slower flight speed are also more vulnerable to turbine strike. In a global meta-analysis of the traits correlated with wind turbine collision for 9,538 bird and 888 bat species, avian collision rate was affected by migratory strategy, dispersal distance and habitat associations, while bat collision rates were influenced by dispersal distance. This project will compile a list of all bird and bat species reported in published and available grey literature for a 10,000 km2 area centred around the Fortescue Marsh, and compile a traits database for these species to calculate (a) wing loading (the weight of the bird / surface area of the wing), and (b) aspect ratio (wing length /wing width). Missing data will be compiled through measurement of museum specimens. These data will then inform species-specific flight risk windows and provide input values to Collision Risk Models (aerodynamic ability, flight speed, altitude and directionality), which can then inform conservation management decisions.

Trish Fleming,
Jill Shephard

Snap-Cat! monitoring feral cats around quokka habitat

Feral cats can be difficult to monitor and control due to neophobia and trap avoidance behaviour, resulting in low detection rates and variable success of control measures. We will test a novel, long-life (up to 1 year) lure system to increase camera trap success and reduce neophobic behaviour of cats. Using this lure, we will develop a monitoring system to record feral cat activity, comparing between three camera types and identifying individual cats from distinctive markings.

Trish Fleming,
Melissa Thomas

Mining and mineral processing waste characterisation for low carbon geopolymer concrete

Australia has enormous volumes of industrial and mining waste materials disposal of at great cost when mush of it has the potential to be turned into high value green concrete products, for example, wind turbine footings at 1,000 tonnes each. Mining and mineral processing waste characterisation for low carbon geopolymer concrete is necessary to determine which of these wastes are ideally suited to this application. A new low-cost, rapid test methodology is required, the necessary lab test procedure to be set up and trials undertaken in order for a new approach to be validated and commercialised with industry partners.

Martin Anda,
Hans Oskierski,
Aleks Nikoloski,
Gloria Odo,
Sheikh Azid,
Arsalan Alavian,
Jonthan Whale,
Tania Urmee,
Nugroho Adi Sasongko,
Subaer, Januarti,
Oki Setyandito

Novel approaches to exercise promotion for persons with MS; harnessing promotion through the Australian Healthcare system.

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological health condition that effects over 33, 000 Australians, with most people diagnosed as young adults.

Our research in Australia, Canada and the USA identified that people with multiple sclerosis (MS), want to receive more information and opportunities to exercise, and want to receive exercise promotion from their healthcare providers. Our program and projects explore opportunities to work with healthcare providers and people with MS to co-design programs based on exercise guidelines and behavioural counselling strategies, to target physical and psychological symptoms of MS.

You can join an international team of allied health, neurologists and specialist nurses, and learn new skills or improve your current understanding of qualitative research, clinical trials conduct and data collection of physical and psychological outcomes. Ideally you will be a student with a background in a clinical field and have experience with evidence synthesis, and either qualitative or quantitative data collection.

Yvonne Learmonth

Potential other supervisors will depend on the proposed project Supervisors may include:-

Dr Brook Galna (Exercise Science, Murdoch),
Assoc. Professor Susan Slatyer (Nursing, Murdoch),
Assoc. Professor Claudia Marck (Disability and Global Health, University of Melbourne).

Effects of river restoration on biodiversity

See this video for summary of the project

This fully funded project will determine the response of an aquatic ecosystem to the first re-snagging program of a channalised river system in south-western Australia. The student will collect data from the fourth and fifth post-restoration monitoring in autumn 2025, 2026 and in doing so skill themselves in standardised sampling (that are also used by State Government scientists) of fish, crayfish, mussels, turtles and macroinvertebrates. They will them combine that information and analyse it with our large existing dataset to quantify how the aquatic ecosystem has changed in response to re-snagging of the Harvey River.

Skills attained will include species ID, univariate and multivariate analyses, along with enhancing their knowledge on aquatic biodiversity. This high-profile project will suit a student who has an interest and passion for the conservation of native fauna, working with Traditional Custodians and is pursuing a career in the research or management of aquatic ecosystems.

Stephen Beatty,
Mark Allen,
David Morgan

Evaluating the impact of gut microbiome composition on inulin metabolism.

Inulin, a prebiotic fiber, is known to promote a diverse and beneficial gut microbiota, leading to increased production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as acetate, butyrate, and propionate. These SCFAs are associated with improved glucose homeostasis, inhibition of hepatic lipogenesis, enhanced lipid profiles, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, it is unknown how differences in gut microbiome compositions affect the metabolism of inulin of varying molecular sizes. This study aims to evaluate these changes using a batch culture system and subsequently an artificial human gut.

 A/Prof Ruey Leng Loo 

Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and their impact on human health

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous chemicals that interfere with hormone action and have been associated with adverse health outcomes. EDCs are found in commonly used products such as plastics, pesticides and personal care products and are widespread throughout the environment. Yet, there remains a knowledge gap between exposure and implications for endocrine function, with a limited number of EDCs comprehensively studied in the context of their impact on human health.

Using an advanced analytical approach, using targeted and untargeted ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to simultaneously determine a diverse panel of EDCs in samples from human biosamples, this project aims to generate comprehensive, accurate and precise measurements of EDCs. EDC exposures will be examined to establish associations with cardiometabolic risk factors, such as central adiposity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes. This new knowledge will advance understanding of physiological changes and disease risks associated with the EDC exposome.

Dr Nicola Gray

Exploring Therapies for those who have none

The focus of our laboratory is studying the consequences of rare genetic mutations on gene expression and exploring molecular therapies. This project will explore the best way to diagnose patients with rare diseases, study the functional consequences of mutations and develop personalised nucleic acid therapies.

Dr May Aung-Htut,
Dr Kelly M. Martinovich,
Dr Jessica Cale

Molecular therapies for rare diseases

Our laboratory is one of the world leaders in the development of therapeutic antisense oligomers with three US Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs developed in our laboratory. This project will design and assess antisense oligomer therapies applicable to rare diseases, including Kleefstra syndrome and DYRK1A syndrome using patient-derived iPSC, neurons.

Dr May Aung-Htut,
Dr Kelly M. Martinovich,
Dr Jessica Cale

Understanding the functional consequences of non-coding regions in human genes

Understanding the consequences of mutations in non-coding regions (5'UTR and 3'UTR) in human genes. The project aims to understand the significance of mutation in non-coding regions and will explore the function of mRNA isoforms with alternatives 5' and 3' untranslated regions. This basic understanding will provide us with a better understanding of the pathogenicity of various diseases.

Dr May Aung-Htut,
Dr Kelly M. Martinovich,
Dr Jessica Cale

Improving the delivery of an emerging class of therapeutic, antisense oligomers

One limitation of antisense therapy is effectively delivering to target tissues/cells. This project will explore ways to improve the delivery of therapeutic antisense oligomers to various organs.

Dr May Aung-Htut,
Dr Kelly M. Martinovich,
Dr Jessica Cale

Racism and Allyship in Aboriginal Youth Spaces

We invite you to participate in a research study exploring awareness and practices of allyship toward Aboriginal peoples among adults who work with Aboriginal youth. This study is being conducted by a research team of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers, across research institutions around Australia, but primarily in Perth (Boorloo). Please see the project site for details. Seeking qualitative or quantitative social science researchers with an interest in racism studies in Australia and allyship. Students from all social science disciplines or psychology are encouraged to apply. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students also strongly encouraged to apply.

Rebecca Bennett

Mathematical Modelling of Medical problems in the retina

It can be very difficult to study problems in the eye in a living subject, and so mathematical models can be used to simulate the blood flow and oxygen delivery to the eye, the growth of vasculature and help understand detached retinas. All of these can cause impaired vision and yet there is still much to learn about them. This project would use mathematical modelling and simulation techniques to help better understand these issues and assist in the design of new medical procedures.

Professor Graeme Hocking,
Dr. Wafaa Mansoor

Mathematical modelling of Reservoir Dynamics

The supply of water is vital to the survival of humanity. Climate change and increasing urbanisation have lead to increased difficulties in obtained clean water throughout the world. However, understanding what is happening in lakes, reservoirs and underground aquifers requires sophisticated mathematical modelling techniques. In this project, important aspects of fluid flow in water reservoirs will be studied with a view to improving water quality throughout the world.

Professor Graeme Hocking,
Dr. Wafaa Mansoor

The political economy of loss and damage

Analysing the international/regional/national politics of the new UNFCC Loss and Damage Fund.

Jacqui Baker

The politics of police reform in Western Australia

This project would examine the history of police reform in WAPOL, looking particularly at the dynamics of how reform is proposed, contested and achieved by different groups (political elites, bureaucracy, police reformers and civil society).

The political economy of critical minerals in Western Australia

How is the Western Australian government readying the regulatory landscape for this new industry? What players are entering the sector and what constraints/opportunities do they find? What kind of labour is necessary for this sector?

Policing Protest in Australia

In recent year, state and federal governments appear to have shifted their approach and strategies towards the right to protest. There have been numerous changes to protest laws and the use of repressive strategies by the police have been amplified for certain kinds of protestors and causes. What is driving these changes and with what consequence for the future of contestation in Australia?

Police Use of Force: Permissions and Obligations

The aim of my research project is to conduct an ethical analysis of the principles of defensive harming by police inside well-ordered liberal democracies like Australia. I intend to answer the following research question: How do the special moral obligations of police affect their permissions and obligations to use force? My project is divided into three parts. Part one will describe the permissions of ordinary citizens to use force in self-defence. Part two will explore the permissions and obligations (if there are any) of ordinary citizens to use force in defence of others. Part three will describe the moral obligations which a person incurs when voluntarily undertaking the role of police officer, and describe if and how such obligations affect the role-occupant’s permissions and obligations to use defensive force.

Dr Anne Schwenkenbecher (Murdoch University),
Dr Kathryn Trees (Murdoch University),
Dr Adam Henschke (University of Twente)

Poisson-Dirichlet processes as models for genetic variation

Poisson-Dirichlet processes are sophisticated probabilistic models which can be used for measuring and comparing genetic diversity, for example between and within human and native animal populations in Australia and elsewhere. Detailed knowledge of the genetic diversity of an endangered animal species is essential for its successful management.

My work with collaborating researchers in developing new versions of these models has opened up a rich and fruitful area of research which can be built on with this applications area as a main objective. Other potential applications of the technology are the analysis of genetics data gathered in bioassays of human populations for medical purposes.

The proposed project will extend the field of application of population genetics while advancing its mathematical underpinnings, providing new ways of looking at ecological and environmental problems as reflected by their genetic attributes. The newly developed models will add to our understanding of the genetic makeups of a variety of populations, possibly including but not restricted to, various Australian animal species, by measuring and comparing genetic diversity within and between them. This valuable information can be used in particular for deciding which populations may provide sources for the reintroductions of endangered species.

Soudabeh Shemehsavar,
Ross Maller

Exploring the Effectiveness of a Psychological Intervention for Individuals who have Experienced a Negative Life Event that may have had a Traumatic Effect

The impact of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) can be extremely debilitating, and unfortunately, many individuals suffering from these symptoms may not receive or seek out treatment. A potential contributing factor to the persistence of PTSS is emotion dysregulation. While the area of mindfulness and compassion research has grown to suggest that emotion regulation may be one of its underlying mechanisms, its efficacy in addressing PTSS-related emotion dysregulation remains unknown.

Hak Fujiyama,
Helen Correia (external),
Auretta Kummar (external)

Brain network connectivity in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Description: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a series of neuropsychological issues, including obsessive thinking and compulsive behavior as the main clinical manifestations. The prevalence of OCD is about 3% in the general population (Robbins et al., 2019). While recent neuroimaging evidence suggests that functional brain connectivity may be the neurophysiological underpinnings of OCD, exact mechanisms are still elusive. Here, we will investigate cortical connectivity using neurophysiological techniques in individuals with OCD.

Hak Fujiyama,
Danielle Mathersul

Identification of barriers and enablers to appropriate and acceptable healthcare for individuals living with chronic pain in Australia.

WA patients with chronic pain conditions are frustrated by their healthcare, particularly those with fibromyalgia (FM) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD). Recently, US and UK authors recognised that better care is required. Results indicate that on average diagnoses and treatment are sought for ~10.5 years, via ~10.5 specialists. The majority were dissatisfied with current or past healthcare, diagnoses, and pain management, and felt their pain is consistently invalidated by practitioners. Equivalent studies for WA individuals living with chronic pain conditions (including Indigenous populations) are required.

This project will identify:

1. barriers and enabling factors to diagnosis and effective healthcare
2. patient and health practitioner education gaps
3. and perform an extensive psychological characterisation of these populations (e.g., health-related quality of life (HR-QOL), pain invalidation, depression and anxiety scale (DASS))
4. pilot study comparing effectiveness of pain management approaches: pharmacogenetics-informed (pharmaceutical), structured physiotherapy, standard of care self-directed online pain therapy course.

Professor Peter Drummond,
Dr Brianne Hastie,
Dr Sarah Lyn Rea.

Prediction of protein aggregation propensity based statistical learning methods

The formation of aggregated proteins often serves as an early indicator of various human disorders, particularly those associated with oxidative stress. These protein aggregates play a key role in the development of amyloidogenesis and cause multiple diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and prion encephalopathies.

Amyloids are insoluble, misfolded protein aggregates that accumulate either intracellularly or extracellularly within host cells or tissues. The aggregation of these proteins often results in a loss of their functional properties, as their biological activity is highly dependent on their molecular structure and determinants. Therefore, accurately predicting protein aggregation is crucial for developing preventive strategies against amyloid-related diseases, as well as for the production and assessment of biopharmaceuticals and engineered proteins.

The main goal of the research is to develop statistical learning approaches to predict protein aggregation propensity based on physiochemical features. We will also analyze how each physiochemical property affects the aggregation tendency.

Soudabeh Shemehsavar,
Hamid Sohrabi

Testing and validation of point-of-care diagnostic methods for canine vector-borne pathogens in Australia

This PhD project aims to evaluate and validate point-of-care diagnostic methods for detecting canine vector-borne pathogens in Australia, with a primary focus on Ehrlichia canis, a pathogen recently introduced to the country. The project will involve assessing the effectiveness and accuracy of these diagnostic tools in a clinical setting, determining the prevalence and distribution of infections, and exploring the clinical impact of both single and mixed infections in canine populations. This research is crucial for improving early detection and management strategies for canine vector-borne diseases, ultimately enhancing animal health and welfare.

Dr Amanda Duarte Barbosa,
Dr Charlotte Oskam,
Dr Siobhan Egan