Undergraduate research experiences

Enhance your undergraduate program with a research experience.

By working with our academics and partners on laboratory projects, you'll experience working in a formal research environment and discover the types of investigations that are being undertaken in your field of interest.

To gain extra laboratory experience you can choose research-intensive courses and take part in summer and winter research projects, and exchange programs.

Download our Overview of the undergraduate research opportunities and how to identify suitable research labs for your study below.

Download overview of Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Current SBMS Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Please note that there may be other research opportunities that are not on this list. Students are encouraged to contact individual academics for more information.

Name of the academic	Type(s) of research opportunity	Project titles
Dr Louise Ainscough	Undergraduate research (semester 1 or 2), honours	Understanding and improving how students learn in the biomedical sciences.
Dr Lisa Akison	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Impact and value of a Capstone course in biomedical education Supporting students to study histology in biomedical science
Dr Awais Saleem Babri	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Application of technology in gross anatomy classrooms Developing MRI Image repository of abdominothoracic and pelvic organs
A/Prof Karin Borges	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Developing new strategies to treat epilepsy
A/Prof Jo Bowles	SCIE projects, Honours	Determining the individual and interactive effects of individual macronutrients, in utero, on testis development. Investigating inhalational general anaesthetic exposure during pregnancy on non-genetic heritable elements in foetal germ cells and neurobehavioral impairment.
A/Prof Richard Clark	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Developing complement-targeting peptides for inflammatory diseases Development of new peptide-based drugs for the treatment of pain
Dr Sean Coakley	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Discovering the cellular mechanisms of neuroprotection
Prof Elizabeth Coulson	SCIE projects, Honours projects	How do interactions between p75NTR, basal forebrain and the glymphatic system play a role in neurodegenerative disease?
Dr Taylor Dick	SCIE projects, Winter/Summer research projects, Honours	Multiple projects related to neuromuscular function in health, aging, and disease
Dr Sebastian Furness and Dr Farhad Dehkohda	SCIE projects, Honours	How do you turn the off the Ghrelin receptor, the target of the “Hungry Cookie Monster” hormone? What can we learn about Dopamine receptor signalling from novel fluorescent ligands? How does cholesterol change cholecystokinin receptor function to stop us from feeling satiated?
Dr Sebastian Furness	SCIE projects, Honours	Why does the “Barbie Drug” (Melanotan II) need MRAP2 to partner melanocortin 4 receptor for weight loss?
Dr Judit Kibedi	SCIE projects, Honours	Connecting and articulating the relevance of learning to the professional world Developing students’ emotional intelligence throughout university
Dr John Lee	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Identifying new immune targets for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
Prof Mark Midwinter	Honours	1. Studies of snake-venom based hydrogel as haemostatic dressing for uncontrolled traumatic haemorrhage. [Some of the work will be done at Gatton lab]. 2. Circulating extracellular vesicle responses to haemorrhage.
A/Prof Sean Millard	Honours	Investigating how the cell surface protein, Dscam2, regulates memory formation. Understanding the role of the ALS risk factor, GGNBP2, in autophagy.
A/Prof Dominic Ng	SCIE and Honours beginning or mid-year 2024	How neurometabolic dysfunction impairs brain growth. The role of tubulin-binding phosphoproteins in maintaining healthy neurons. How molecular chaperones assemble protein condensates for metabolic flux. How protons control kinase conformations for signal transduction.
Dr Julia Pagan	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Understanding how mitochondrial dysfunction causes multiple human diseases
A/Prof Johan Rosengren	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Designing modulators for the relaxin-3 neuropeptide receptor to control food intake Structural studies of conotoxins Optimising NMR spectroscopy based peptide structure determination
A/Prof Marc Ruitenberg	SCIE projects, Honours	Dissecting the role of myeloid cell subsets in lesion site development and recovery from spinal cord injury. How does high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy improve recovery from spinal cord injury? Understanding immune (dys)function after spinal cord injury. Understanding the contribution of extracellular vesicles to the outcome of spinal cord injury. Endogenous stem/progenitor cell responses to CNS injury. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based strategies for spinal cord repair
A/Prof Carl Stephan	Honours	Craniofacial analysis for human identification New methods to assist the forensic identification of human skeletons
Em. Prof Maree T Smith	Honours	Analgesic efficacy profiling of novel compounds from drug discovery in rat models of neuropathic (nerve) pain
A/Prof Rohan Teasdale	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Protein trafficking in disease
Prof Walter Thomas, Dr Melissa Reichelt, Dr Uda Ho	SCIE projects, Honours	Understanding how cancer therapy causes cardiac dysfunction; The role of growth factor receptors in cardiac function
Dr Jacob Thorstensen	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Using advanced electromyography techniques to study spinal cord reflexes in humans
A/Prof Kylie Tucker	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Musculoskeletal features associated with the development of scoliosis
A/Prof Jana Vukovic	SCIE projects, Honours	Investigating the role of microglia – the brain’s resident immune cells – in traumatic brain injury Investigating the role of microglia – the brain’s resident immune cells – following infection of the CNS.
Prof Trent Woodruff	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Exploring the pharmacology of complement drugs for inflammatory disease
Dr Sherry Wu	SCIE projects, winter/summer research, Honours	Developing novel strategies to overcome immune suppression in cancer Development of novel nano-approaches for cancer treatment

Research-intensive courses

SCIE3011: Perspectives in Science Research

Students will be immersed in a research group & laboratory situation, in order to gain a perspective on scientific research. Students learn generic skills & knowledge relevant to scientific research, applying them & presenting their findings to peers.

SCIE3011 targets highly motivated and high achieving students, and aims to provide them with a research-enriched experience. It is designed primarily for students going in to 2nd year, although 3rd years will also be considered in certain circumstances, such as dual degrees.

Learn more about SCIE3011: Perspectives in Science Research

Download application form (PDF, 100 KB)

SCIE3220: Biomedical Science Research Skills

This course will present students with the oportunity to develop core research skills in the field of biomedical science. Students will develop vital research skills such as safe laboratory techniques, proper record keeping, different forms of communication in science and ethics in science. They will also carry out a research project under the supervision of a researcher in their research laboratory.

Learn more about SCIE3220: Biomedical Science Research Skills

Download application form (PDF, 100 KB)

SCIE3221: Biomedical Science Research Project

This course will present students with the opportunity to undertake an undergraduate research project in the field of biomedical science, under the supervision of a researcher. The research project will be carried out over 6 to 8 weeks in the summer semester.

Learn more about SCIE3221: Biomedical Science Research Project

SCIE3260: Introduction to Research in Chemistry, Biochemistry & Microbiology (A)

This course offers a unique opportunity to develop core research skills relevant to a wide spectrum of chemical or biological research, including written and oral communication, skills in making scientific observations, and recording and analysing data by participating in an individual or group research project associated with a discipline of interest to you.

You can take this course as a summer vacation course, or in semesters 1 or 2, and gain #2 credit towards your degree.

Learn more about SCIE3260: Introduction to Research in Chemistry, Biochemistry & Microbiology

Download the SCIE3260/1 application form (PDF, 164 KB)

Honours projects

UQ Summer and Winter Research Programs

UQ Winter Research Program

Undergraduates who have completed at least one year of study at the time of application, and master's by coursework students, can apply for a UQ Winter Research Scholarship.

The program runs for four to six weeks over the winter vacation period (from mid-June to mid-July).

All successful winter scholars receive a scholarship, and you can count your participation towards attainment of the UQ Employability Award.

Find out more about the UQ Winter Research Program.

UQ Summer Research Program

Undergraduates and postgraduates can apply to engage in a research internship over the summer vacation period (from mid-November to mid-February).

All successful summer scholars receive a scholarship, and you can count your participation towards attainment of the UQ Employability Award.

Find out more about the UQ Summer Research Program.