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ACU develops innovative solutions to issues impacting human dignity and the common good. Our interdisciplinary and collaborative research seeks to enable people to develop intellectually, spiritually, physically, socially, and emotionally, to enable flourishing lives, foster thriving communities and build an ethical future.

Research and enterprise

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A research degree is your opportunity to deeply investigate a topic that interests you and develop skills that open up new possibilities for your career and future.

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  • 1st

    in Australia for research quality.

  • 100%

    of ACU's research disciplines are ranked as world class or above.

  • 1st

    in Australia for scientific impact across all disciplines.

Our research

Teasing out the threads of the past

There was a time in Kate Fullagar’s life, just after she graduated from Australian National University with an honours degree in history, that her exit from Canberra couldn’t come soon enough.

Improving the wellbeing of war widows

Put yourself in the shoes of a Vietnam war widow. Your husband was one of more than 60,000 Australians to serve in combat against the Vietcong between 1962 and 1973, returning home to a less than welcoming environment, as veterans were widely shunned and mistreated.

Exploring the role of emotions in learning

Picture an exam hall at a school or university somewhere in Australia, or indeed anywhere in the world. Some of the students present in the hall are showing the telltale signs of test anxiety: nervous fidgeting, excessive sweating, increased heart rate and even nausea.

Valuing the work of early childhood educators

At an early childhood learning centre somewhere in Australia, two children race their way around the playground, side-stepping through their self-styled obstacle course to see who can get through it fastest.

Why democratic decline matters to everyday people

In mid-2015, when the political philosopher Adam Lovett started his PhD dissertation looking at how democracies fail, the world was a vastly different place. Then based at the New York University, the British scholar was combining political philosophy with empirical political science to explore the ways that modern democracies fall short of democratic values.

Can media literacy make young people happier and healthier?

For some time now, the backlash against social media has been building, and warnings that platforms like Instagram and TikTok are responsible for a worrying decline in young people’s mental health have grown increasingly loud.

Eating right and sleeping tight

We all eat and we all sleep. When we get these two crucial lifestyle factors right, we’re more likely to be at our best – whether we’re an elite athlete on a mission to get faster, higher and stronger, or a regular person who wants to perform to their potential at work, at school, or in relationships.

Opening eyes and ears to inclusive education

In a previous life, Melissa Cain was a musicologist. She lived abroad in Singapore, teaching music at a prestigious international school and conducting research on various aspects of music education. Things changed when her son Mikhail was born with a rare vision impairment known as Peters anomaly, which affects just one in a million people.

Embracing neurodiversity in the workplace

“I’d like to have a job here, if that’s okay with you,” says Rohan in the first season of Employable Me, the documentary series that follows a group of neurodiverse Australians as they navigate the challenging task of finding a job. When he hands his resume to the sales assistant on the other side of the counter, she responds politely – but an interview invitation never eventuates.
Helping to fix Australia's reading problem

Helping to fix Australia's reading problem

When Rauno Parrila, Director of the Australian Centre for the Advancement of Literacy, was a four-year-old in Finland, his teenage aunt taught him how to read. Before he had even started school, he was sounding out words, building his vocabulary and making sense of simple stories. And yet, Professor Parrila is quick to point out that “with Finnish, that’s not such a big task”.

Seeing the law through an Indigenous lens

In the early 1970s, when Mick Dodson was on his way to becoming the first Aboriginal man to graduate with a law degree, Indigenous issues barely got a mention in the curriculum. This was a time of great activism and change, with Aboriginal legal services being established all over the country, and the powerful land rights movement gaining pace.

Call for calm on screen time concerns

The much-celebrated Swiss physician and naturalist, Conrad Gessner, was well known for his dramatic declaration that a ubiquitous new technology would be "confusing and harmful" to the human mind, thereby leading society into ruin. And Gessner wasn't the first to warn of the dangers posed by this innovation. Others, like the Italian writer Filippo de Strata, asserted it would "corrupt susceptible hearts". So, which harmful invention were these scholars railing against?

Multitasking in a wired world

It's no secret that when trying to focus on more than one tricky task at a time, performance tends to suffer. The most skilled of chefs will find it harder to avoid spills and burns if they're talking on the phone to a debt collector at the same time. The most astute of managers might struggle to chair a meeting if they're also scanning their device for news on an ill relative.

Combining clinical care with cutting-edge research

When it comes to injuries, a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is among the greatest of fears for athletes. Often requiring reconstructive surgery and many months of rehabilitation, this common knee injury can be life changing.

Wading through a web of information

A close friend approaches to tell you they're concerned about the health risks of using their mobile phone. You're a trusted mate, and they're keen to hear your opinion about the safety of their device. "I'm no expert," you say to your friend, "but let me do some research and get back to you."

How struggling readers become anxious kids

Over a decade ago, literacy expert Genevieve McArthur took a phone call from a distressed mother whose son was not only struggling with reading at school, his emotional health had also begun to spiral. Given she was not an expert in mental health, she decided to scour the research evidence to find some guidance on what the mother could do - but the search failed to yield a clear answer.

Nurse innovator paves the way

Years ago, when Sandy Middleton worked as a registered nurse in a regular medical ward, she had her first exposure to patients who had suffered an acute stroke. It was the early 1980s and the standard care protocol involved a 'wait-and-see' approach, as healthcare staff monitored patients for deficits like impaired speech and restricted physical abilities.

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.

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