School of Biomedical Sciences Winter Research projects
Assessing the effectiveness of low sensory classes
Hours of engagement | 25-30 |
Location | St Lucia: Skerman (65) |
Project description | We are seeking a dedicated student to join our research team in an innovative project exploring the impact of quiet classes' low sensory environments'within STEM education. This project aims to assess how these tailored learning spaces affect student engagement and well-being across various STEM disciplines. As a team member, you will engage in qualitative data analysis, examining survey responses from students and tutors to derive insights into the effectiveness of quiet classes. Your contributions will be crucial in shaping our understanding of sensory-friendly educational strategies and their benefits. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables | - Completed data analysis - Data prepared for presentation and publication |
Suitable for | We are open to any applicant. However, experience in the literature review, qualitative data analysis, statistical analysis and/or education psychology would be highly regarded. |
Primary Supervisor | Dr Danielle Burgess |
Instructions to applicants | The supervisor CAN be contacted by students prior to submission of an application. |
Cellular mechanisms of neuroprotection
Hours of engagement | 24 |
Location | St Lucia: Sir William MacGregor Building (64) |
Project description | Our brains contain billions of cells, known as neurons, which communicate via electrical signals sent through long cable-like structures called axons. Just like the electrical cables in our homes, axons need to be protected and maintained to work. At only 1/50th the width of a human hair, axons are particularly vulnerable to damage that can lead to their destruction and the loss of these connections, with devastating consequences for the brain. Our research is aimed at answering two of the deepest and most general of biological questions: how are these axons kept intact despite the barrage of insults they receive during healthy aging, and what can we do to protect them when injuries or diseases strike? This project will use C. elegans as a discovery platform to uncover the cellular mechanisms of this protection. We will use state-of-the-art genome engineering strategies as well as super-resolution microscopy to elucidate these molecular pathways. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables | The successful applicant can expect to learn molecular cloning techniques, PCR, C. elegans animal handling and receive high-end microscopy experience. They will be expected to deliver high quality data and present an oral presentation at the end of their project. Depending on the outcomes of this project, the scholars may have an opportunity to contribute to a publication. |
Suitable for | This project would be suitable for applicants with a background or interest in developmental biology, neuroscience, or cell biology. Curious and highly motivated individuals considering honours or a PhD in the future would be encouraged to apply. |
Primary Supervisor | Dr Sean Coakley |
Instructions to applicants | The supervisor MUST be contacted by students prior to submission of an application. |
Comparative analysis of mammalian brain networks
Hours of engagement | 20-36 |
Location | St Lucia: Skerman (65) |
Project description | Computational approaches to understanding brain structure and function can reveal key aspects of complex systems that are applicable throughout disciplines. This project will employ machine-learning, high-performing computing, and big data handling (e.g. brain anatomy, physiology and/or gene expression) to reveal basic principles of neuronal networks during development and evolution. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables | Selected students will gain valuable skills in data curation and analysis, learn advanced methods in computational neuroscience, and discuss their findings with expert colleagues. |
Suitable for | Students with a strong motivation to understand complex systems in biology, how they form, work and evolve, with a focus on the brain (i.e., the most complex structure known to date). Ideally with previous knowledge (undergraduate courses) in Neurobiology, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Bioinformatics, and/or Physics/Maths (e.g., networks, modelling) |
Primary Supervisor | Associate Professor Rodrigo Suarez Primary contact: Dylan Black |
Instructions to applicants | The supervisor MUST be contacted by students prior to submission of an application. |
Developing novel therapies for treatment of cancer
Hours of engagement | 36 |
Location | St Lucia: Sir William MacGregor Building(64) |
Project description | We are interested in developing novel nano-therapeutic methods to overcome immune suppression in cancer. The high recurrence rate is a major challenge in the clinical management of cancer. While stimulating our own immune system to recognise and attack tumour cells represents an attractive means to facilitate complete elimination of tumours, emerging data suggest that many of the immunotherapy tools, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, are minimally active in cancer. We aim to understand the complex immune suppression mechanism in tumours and use this information to develop effective strategies enhance anti-tumour immunity. We are also interested in developing more effective tumour-targeting delivery strategies for treatment of cancer. Ultimately, strategies developed in this project could harness the power of the immune system to eliminate tumours and significantly increase the survival of patients with cancer. We are seeking a motivated undergraduate student who is interested in contributing to a large project involving nanotechnology, cancer biology and computer science, and who is eager to learn how to develop effective strategies for cancer treatment. The student will learn critical research skills and gain experience in working in a multidisciplinary environment, and contribute to an exciting project in the area of cancer biology, immunology and nanomedicine. This project is open to applications from students with a background in biomedical engineering, biomedical sciences, or computer science, who is interested in exploring research as a career path. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables | The student will learn critical skills and knowledge needed to develop new strategies to overcome immune suppression in cancer. He/She will gain experience in working in a multidisciplinary environment, obtain hands-on training from the lab team, and contribute to an exciting project in the area of cancer therapeutics. |
Suitable for | We are seeking a motivated undergraduate student who is interested in contributing to a large project involving nanotechnology, cancer biology and computer science, and who is eager to learn how to develop effective strategies for cancer treatment. |
| Additional requirements | This project requires Hepatitis B vaccination and tetanus (immunisation history statement or certificate) |
Primary Supervisor | Dr Sherry Wu |
Instructions to applicants | The supervisor MUST be contacted by students prior to submission of an application. |
Mathematical modelling of Alzheimer's disease progression
Hours of engagement | 20-36 |
Location | St Lucia: Sir William MacGregor Building(64) |
Project description | We aim to develop a multiscale mathematical model of Alzheimer's disease progression. Our primary objectives are to (1) quantitatively evaluate different hypotheses in the field, (2) identify the rate-limiting step(s) of disease progression, and (3) analyse the impact of different classes of drugs and treatment timing on disease progression. Developing such a formalism requires describing and integrating phenomena ranging from individual molecular interactions to brain-wide network activity. We are seeking students with strong mathematical and computational skills. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables | You will work with a highly interdisciplinary team of neuroscientists, engineers, biochemists, and mathematical biologists. You will gain experience in developing quantitative systems pharmacology models. You will have the opportunity to interact with our international mathematical modelling collaborators in the industry as necessary. |
Suitable for | * Ideal for students considering an Honours or PhD in the lab. * A background in mathematics, physics or engineering is required. * Experience in modelling physical or biological systems is desirable * A background in biology is not necessary. * Strong skills in coding to solve ordinary and partial differential equations are essential. |
Primary Supervisor | Dr Pranesh Padmanabhan |
Instructions to applicants | The supervisor MUST be contacted by students prior to submission of an application. |
Personalising assistive robotic devices to improve gait in people with Motor Neuron Disease
Hours of engagement | 20-36 |
Location | St Lucia: Otto Hirschfeld |
Project description | Motor Neuron disease (MND) weakens muscles, impairing mobility and independence. Patients with MND compensate for muscle weakness by lifting their hip/s higher or dragging their foot/feet when walking. These small changes limit safe and efficient movement. We are using using innovative wearable robotic exoskeletons to assist walking and gait in people living with MND. We have shown that exoskeletons restore movement by increasing walking speed and reducing energy use in other neurological conditions. We will now conduct a world-first study to understand if people with MND want to use wearable assistive devices, and the effect these devices may have on movement, with potential to improve independence and quality of life. This project will develop new technology targeting an MND-specific lower limb exoskeleton controller informed via multiscale biomechanics experiments to determine the optimal level and timing of assistance for gait improvements. This is a critical step in the development and application of wearable assistive devices in MND; gait deficits vary between individuals and relative to upper and lower motor neurone involvement and the sites of disease spread, and so the technology must be adaptive and tuned to meet the patients' level of deficit. The Neuromuscular Biomechanics Lab at UQ houses state-of-the-art facilities for performing biomechanical and motor control research. Our Gait Lab includes a comprehensive suite of tools: 3-dimensional motion capture, high-end ultrasound/elastography imaging devices, electrophysiological measurement tools, force plates and motor-driven dynamometers, and an instrumented treadmill capable of measuring ground reaction forces in all three dimensions for each and every step. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables | The successful candidate student will be exposed to a variety of experimental tools and the control and use of portable robotic ankle exoskeletons (both commercial and custom devices). The scholar may gain skills in biomechanical data collection, data analysis using matlab and/or other programming languages, and more broadly understand how devices and biology interact to augment and restore movement. They may be expected to work as part of a team to collect biomechanical experimental data in human subjects and will have the opportunity to generate publications from their research. |
Suitable for | This project is suitable for students with a background in engineering, physics, computer sciences, mathematics, or biomedical sciences. It is expected that that student is curious, motivated, and eager to learn new skills and work within an inter-disciplinary and positive research environment. |
Primary Supervisor | Associate Professor Taylor Dick |
Instructions to applicants | The supervisor MUST be contacted by students prior to submission of an application. |
The impact of motivation on students' university experience
Hours of engagement | 30 |
Location | St Lucia: Sir William MacGregor Building(64) |
Project description | This research project investigates the role of motivation in biomedical science education, specifically examining its impact on students' affective well-being and overall university experience. Data has been collected from open-ended responses provided by consenting Physiology for Human Movement Studies (PHYL1007) students as part of a meta-learning assessment during Semester 2, 2024. Previous findings from our research group indicate that motivation strategy use can be enhanced through a weekly email intervention. To further explore the benefits of this, qualitative analysis of responses to elucidate common themes (Braun & Clarke, 2006) will be performed to identify how varying levels of motivation influence students' emotional well-being and academic engagement. The insights gained will contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between motivation and student experiences. The findings will be shared at academic conferences and integrated into future publications, ultimately informing educational practices aimed at improving the learning experience for biomedical science undergraduates. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables | Students will gain in depth experience in qualitative analysis using NVivo, and statistical analysis using Excel, GraphPad Prism and SPSS. It will provide an opportunity to develop scientific, collaborative, science communication and critical thinking skills. |
Suitable for | Any students with an interest in the project. |
Primary Supervisor | |
Instructions to applicants | The supervisor MUST be contacted by students prior to submission of an application. |