Research at UniSA
At UniSA, our researchers are thought leaders and change makers. We have big ideas and we ask big questions. We translate our discoveries into solutions that benefit our economy and society. Our approach to research has always been strongly aligned with industry, and we engage in partnerships with business, industry and community, who help to shape the questions we ask. We have built a culture of collaboration that brings our best minds together to solve problems in a multidisciplinary environment. Through our research partnerships, we are developing future industries, creating change and making the world a better place.
Explore our research
Research areas
Our research centres focus the smartest minds to tackle the challenges of today and provide the solutions of tomorrow. Search for a research area to connect with our world-class researchers for partnerships, collaborations and research degrees.
Research centres
Research degrees
Advance your unstoppable career and apply for one of our enterprising research degrees.
UniSA Enterprise Hub
Launching in 2022, the Enterprise Hub is a virtual and physical ‘front door’ for industry, government, community and not-for-profit engagement with UniSA.
Industry engagement
As Australia's University of Enterprise, we maintain close links with industry through a variety of ways. Discover how your organisation could benefit from collaboration with us.
Experts in research
Find out more about our researchers and how they are working towards solving industry and partner challenges.
My research encompasses the engineering of surfaces via the application of thin film coatings for use in the optical, automotive, defence, mining and renewable energy sectors. I spent the first decade of my working life in private industry and I still have to this day, retain a great passion for helping industry innovate.
Working in partnership with the Malaysian Automotive and IOT Institute (MARii), my research team and I are investigating commercialisation opportunities for an environmentally tough and durable coating that reflects sunlight’s heat. This technology has broad applications on vehicle, bus, train and household windows, where it helps reduce energy consumption through the need to run air conditioners less.
I’m passionate about research that contributes to the understanding of inclusive educational practices. Alongside partners such as UNICEF Australia, Commissioners for Children and Young People and Principal Associations, I am investigating exclusionary policies and practices in Australian Schools and the impact they have on vulnerable children. Through this research, my team is hoping to identify alternative policy and practice recommendations for managing disorderly students. This could lead to more inclusive learning environments and improvements to the health and wellbeing of young people.
Architectural computing and design cognition are two of my main research areas. Applying this research to real-world issues is a key focus of mine, and through recent partnerships with Australian Institute of Architects South Australian Chapter, architecture studios such as Hames Sharley and ARM Architecture, and end-user organisation Uniting Communities, we explored innovative ways to integrate emerging technologies into architecture practice and education and studied their impact on design and designers. Using technologies such as Virtual and Augmented Reality, Building Information Modelling and Digital Twins, we can virtually test different design solutions and help improve the quality of and living experiences in the built environment.
I am passionate about finding solutions to social challenges that impact on our community, with a focus on gendered violence, mental health and social work. In partnership with Uniting Communities, we are exploring the scope of mental health peer support for young women at risk. With young women two to three times more likely to experience common mental health problems than young men, finding out what makes a successful mental health peer support program for Australian young women is incredibly important.
I research how the lymphatic vasculature is constructed during development and how this process “goes wrong” in human pathologies including cancer and lymphoedema. My team, together with colleagues at SA Pathology, are investigating the role of GATA2, a molecule that binds to DNA to switch genes off or on to drive lymphatic vessel valve development. We aim to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate GATA2 activity and the genes controlled by GATA2, to help design new therapeutic agents able to treat lymphoedema.
As a molecular biologist, my research focuses on food safety & quality, and glycation biomarkers & disease. Our current research focus on food safety includes collaboration with ECAS Pty Ltd and organisations from the seafood and horticulture industries to investigate the efficacy of a pH-neutral electrochemically activate solution (ECAS) and its impact on microbial load and pathogenic bacteria in foods. A pH-neutral sanitiser like this could extend the shelf-life of food, hence significantly reducing food spoilage and waste.
