Areas of Research | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

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Areas of Research

Biomedical Science
Environmental Sciences
Life Sciences
Microbiology and Biotechnology
Public Health
Sport and Exercise Science

Biomedical Science

  • Molecular markers of nutritional status and clinical disease
  • Toxicology of plant and animal toxins
  • Pharmacokinetics and drug residues
  • Pathogenesis of bacterial translocation and sepsis
  • Gut microbiota and probiotics
  • Pharmacology of allergies and asthma
  • Immunoreceptor signal transduction
  • Mast cell and basophil biology

Environmental Science

In the key areas of natural environment, managed ecosystems, marine systems, environmental management, environmental restoration and ecology.

  • Erosion and sediment transport
  • Water erosion processes and soil conservation
  • Erosion control technology
  • Catchment management
  • Molecular ecology
  • Plant physiology
  • Horticulture production
  • Habitat fragmentation
  • Maintenance of biodiversity
  • Conservation genetics
  • Coastal heath vegetation
  • Restoration ecology
  • Nature conservation studies
  • Ornithology
  • Conservation of rare and threatened plant species
  • Ecology and population genetics of rare plants
  • Rainforest ecology and population genetics of rainforest plants
  • Animal-habitat associations
  • Behavioural, physiological and evolutionary ecology
  • Soil and water quality in agriculture and forestry
  • Plant roots and processes at soil-root interface
  • Management of soil compaction with tillage practices
  • Contaminant uptake in plant systems
  • Environmental management for community and private sector infrastructure
  • Benthic soft-sediment community ecology
  • Freshwater-estuarine exchanges
  • Coastal conservation and biodiversity
  • Estuarine ecology conservation
  • Coastal population biology
  • Sandy beach ecology
  • Mapping natural organic compounds in riverine environments and their impact on native fish spawning
  • Crustacean and mollusc physiology
  • Aquaculture (including mollusc hatchery production)
  • Post-harvest physiology
  • Bioremediation
  • Mollusc taxonomy and conchology
  • Ecological footprints

Life Sciences

Focusing on physiology and anatomy and exploring the ageing process with respect to immunological, biomechanical, nutritional and behavioural changes.

  • Growth factors and growth and development
  • Scientific and immunological basis of natural therapies and preventative medicines
  • Effects of exercise, stress and other parameters on mucosal immunity
  • Pathophysiology of mammalian disease
  • Physiology of digestion
  • Skinned skeletal muscle fibre contractile properties
  • Crustacean muscle stretch receptor functions
  • Jelly fish envenomation

Microbiology and Biotechnology

Addressing the critical role of microbes in the environment and health. Molecular detection and characterisation of environmental microbes.

  • Epidemiology and ecology of food and water-borne pathogens
  • Pathogenesis of bacterial translocation and sepsis
  • Molecular environmental microbiology: blue green algal blooms, aquaculture systems
  • Bioremediation - biorestoration
  • Secondary metabolism of bacteria and improved production of bioactive compounds
  • Biological control of crop pathogens
  • Marine microbiology
  • Bacteriophage therapy
  • Molecular biotechnology: metabolic pathways, engineering and bioremediation
  • Synthesis of new amino acid derivatives
  • Analysis of micro-organism metabolites

Public Health

Focusing on the management of social, economic and physical environmental conditions and human behaviours that promote, protect or harm health and wellbeing.

  • Body image
  • Unhealthy weight and shape control methods
  • Public health education, workforce training and development
  • Capacity building for health promotion
  • Health promoting schools
  • Discrimination and prejudice
  • Environmental epidemiology
  • Ecosystem health indicators
  • Integration of environmental and health risk assessment
  • Aquatic ecotoxicology
  • Environmental health indicators
  • Health effect of air pollution especially in relation to child health and elderly people

Sport and Exercise Science

In the key areas of sports performance, exercise prescription, biomechanics and rehabilitation science.

  • Biochemistry of exercise performance
  • Biochemical markers of training and fatigue
  • Nutritional ergogenic aids in sport
  • Non-invasive monitoring of energy metabolism in athletes
  • Exercise physiology
  • Sports performance enhancement
  • Thermoregulation during exercise
  • Acclimatisation to heat and exercise
  • Sports biomechanics - able and disabled athletes
  • Functional rehabilitation
  • Muscular function and training
  • Cardiac rehabilitation
  • Exercise rehabilitation
  • Obesity and exercise
  • Age and obesity