Exercise can prevent COVID-19's fallout

Research and enterprise

At ACU, our research and enterprise activities embrace the full life cycle of research, from knowledge creation to its translation and application towards real world outcomes that provide social, cultural and economic benefit.

Research and enterprise

Research and Enterprise Plan 2022-2023

In line with the current ACU Strategic Plan 2020-2023, the priority of the Research and Enterprise Plan 2022-2023 is to achieve sustainable excellence in the development of future research capability, effective infrastructure and systems, fundamental research, the translation of research, and the application of research.

Read our Research and Enterprise Plan 2022-2023

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For further details including eligibility requirements, stipend scholarship closing deadlines and instructions on how to apply visit ACU Research scholarships

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ACU campuses are returning to COVID Normal. Understand what this means for your research planning and preparation and any projects you currently have underway and how Research Services can support you.

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Research stories

Creating 'Deadly' futures for Indigenous youth

In the lead up to the failed Voice referendum, Indigenous disadvantage was put front and centre in the national conversation, with an intense focus on the gaps in life expectancy, health, employment, and educational opportunities.

For the fun of it

When it comes to career awards and recognitions, Richard M. Ryan can boast a hefty list. He is currently ranked as the number one psychology researcher in Australia, and sixth globally, and is arguably the world’s leading active theorist of human motivation. The list goes on: Three lifetime achievement awards. Research articles and book chapters with hundreds of thousands of citations. Recognised as one of the most influential psychologists of the modern era.
The importance of family connectedness

The importance of family connectedness

Picture this: You’re at home with your family but in work mode, with the laptop up and a dozen tabs open, occasionally checking your phone to see if any texts have come through, getting distracted by social media, scrolling until you look up and realise that you’re standing in the kitchen and other family members are scattered around you – leaning on the bench, peering in the fridge, sitting on the couch – all physically present, but not connected.

Taking STEM to the next level

Taking STEM to the next level

ACU Professor of Mathematics Vincent Geiger is on a mission to help educators extend their understandings and teaching of STEM beyond the topics commonly taught in schools.

Long-term vision the key for teacher shortfall

The national discussion around the shortage of teachers provides a rich opportunity to find solutions to problems that are years in the making.

Bridging the gender gap in sports science research

In August 2022, when world-class runner Dina Asher-Smith spectacularly slowed down halfway into the women’s 100-metre final at the European Championships, she revealed that cramps related to her period caused her to stop running. She went on to highlight the fact that menstrual cycles have a huge impact on the performance of female athletes, and yet, very little research has been conducted to examine its influence.

How historical research benefits communities in the here and now

There is a popular aphorism, one that is often attributed to the British statesman Winston Churchill but which was likely first coined by Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana, that declares: “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”

The tech that gives sports teams a winning edge

The past decade has been an era of rapid transformation in professional sport, with wearables and other observational technologies shifting the game not only for athletes and coaching staff, but also for the fans who cheer them on.

Mapping the links between city living and dementia

About a decade ago, on a visit to Croatia to see her parents, Ester Cerin noticed something different about her mother.

Breaking down barriers with the 'Autistic Professor'

A few years ago, not long after Sandra Thom-Jones moved her family to Melbourne to start a new job at ACU, she cautiously approached those closest to her to ask their thoughts on the possibility that she was autistic. Sandra already knew a lot about autism – her two sons had been diagnosed with the condition – and at the time, she pondered the prospect that the thoughts, behaviours and challenges she shared with her sons were due to a shared neurotype, rather than just shared genes.

A 'turning point' in cannabis research

In recent years, the global movement to legalise cannabis has been gathering pace like a runaway steam train. Marijuana laws are in a period of liberalisation in many parts of the world – and in Australia, acceptance of the drug is so widespread that most people now support nationwide decriminalisation.

The real possibility that time does not exist

The existence of time is something that most of us take for granted. Of course it exists. We see time passing every single second as our clocks tick forward, as night turns into day, and as we move from the present into the future, leaving the past behind.

The magic of mentorship

Growing up as an Aboriginal kid in Sydney, Georgia Durmush was lucky enough to be surrounded by good mentors. They were there at Gawura school, where she studied alongside her sister Rachel, and in her community, too: teachers, elders and family members who encouraged her to pursue her interests and take her own path.

Unlocking the inner motivation of student learners

Some people know from a very young age exactly what they want to do in life. From their childhood years, through adolescence and into adulthood, they devote much of their time to learning about, practising and enjoying this activity, whether it is painting or physics or football.

Why we need a mindset shift in child online safety

It’s no secret that social media – the internet-based communication tool that most Australians use regularly – can be a chronic time-waster. Whether you’re a constant sharer or a once-a-day checker, you’ve likely taken the odd trip down a deep hole of procrastination while browsing your platform of choice.

Challenging age-old assumptions

Early on in life, Laurie Buys was what you might call ‘age-blind’. As she went about her childhood and adolescence in Lewisburg, a historic town in the American mountain state of West Virginia, she was never acutely aware of people’s age.

Paving an even road out of crisis

If you had your ear anywhere near the ground during Australia’s most recent federal election campaign, you’d be forgiven for thinking that our economic recovery from the pandemic has been world-beating.

Taking a step towards more walkable cities

Ever needed something from the shops – say, a flat white or a loaf of bread – and decided that, rather than walking, you would get behind the wheel and roll to the café or corner store instead? If you live in a suburb of a car-centric city like Sydney or Melbourne, chances are that you do this regularly.

The fine art of BSing

There’s a movie on Netflix called Ingrid Goes West — a cautionary tale about Instagram-fuelled narcissism, where the lead character concocts a picture-perfect persona for the sake of online attention and validation.

Shifting the focus from size to exercise

The verdict is in: it is possible to be fat and fit. And it might be better for your health than being skinny and sedentary.

Women's history is everywhere - if you look

The idea that history is the story of great men accomplishing great deeds has been well and truly debunked. The stories of peasants and foot soldiers, priestesses and factory workers are gradually emerging as social historians research the untold stories of the past.

Why we need to stop telling boys they don't like reading

“I love to read,” says Jack, a year four boy at a primary school in an economically marginalised town in regional Australia. “My best friends love reading … Matthew loves reading, Alex loves reading, Johnny loves reading, Jason loves reading. Most of my friends that are friends love reading.”

The key to preserving the world's largest rainforest

Right now, in parts of the Amazon, the stark contrast between forested and deforested areas can be seen clearly in aerial images.
Historical research that enriches refugee narratives

Historical research that enriches refugee narratives

Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences researcher Dr Anh Nguyen Austen explores the phenomenon of refugee entrepreneurship and the unique drive of displaced people to contribute to the common good.
A new way to shed fat and fight disease without dieting

How to fight disease without dieting

Groundbreaking research by Dr Evelyn Parr from the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research into time-restricted eating suggests the time we eat may be the secret ingredient to staying healthy.
In defence of good nationalism

In defence of 'good' nationalism

Political sociologist Dr Rachel Busbridge from the School of Arts argues that nationalism can be harnessed as a force for good.
Power of hope

The power of hope in uncertain times

Cultivating hope enables us to endure calamity and doubt, according to the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry’s Dr David Newheiser.

The tech that gives sports teams a winning edge

The past decade has been an era of rapid transformation in professional sport, with wearables and other observational technologies shifting the game not only for athletes and coaching staff, but also for the fans who cheer them on.

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