Research project topics

Project Overview

Supported decision-making is an emerging rights-based practice, which aims to enable people living with disability to actively participate in making and communicating decisions about their lives. While supported decision-making is more well developed in the disability sector, recent changes to the Aged Care Act and quality standards for providers mean that there is an urgent need to develop staff capabilities in this area. The Building Capacity for Supported Decision-Making for People Living with Dementia and Acquired Disability (BUDDY) project is developing training for aged care workers, in collaboration with people with lived experience of dementia, aged care services and caring for older adults. 

Existing quantitative and qualitative data from aged care workers will be used to validate new measurement tools in supported decision-making, for use in a randomised controlled trial of the training resources, which will occur during 2026. 

Proposed research activities for student project

This project will enable the student to develop and demonstrate skills in qualitative analysis (semi-structured cognitive interviews as aged care workers complete the supported decision-making measures), and quantitative analysis (tests for reliability and validity of the supported decision-making measures).

Student project proposals can be developed to align with 6 UoC or 12 UoC project time commitment, with consideration of the entry level research knowledge and skills of the student.

The ideal candidate

The project would suit a student who has familiarity with organising, manipulating and visualising data in R (or other similar statistical software), and is interested in taking a mixed-methods approach in an applied program evaluation setting, to produce recommendations that will influence policy and practice. It woiuld be recommended that the student is enrolled in, or has completed, at least one of Foundations of Biostatistics (PHCM9795), Applied Research Methods for Public Health (PHCM9132) or Qualitative Research Methods (PHCM9120). All of these units would be relevant to this project. Ideally the student will have a working knowledge of clinical trials, and can integrate with an existing team of clinical researchers and co-researchers with lived experience.

Contact person

For more information or expressions of interest for this project, students should contact Dr Craig Sinclair (Senior Research Fellow, UNSW School of Psychology/Neuroscience Research Australia). 

Migrants often face unique challenges in accessing health services due to cultural, linguistic, financial, and systemic factors. Understanding these facilitators and barriers is critical for improving equity in healthcare delivery. This project aims to systematically synthesize qualitative evidence on the experiences of migrants in accessing health services in Australia, identifying key themes and policy-relevant insights.

Proposed research activities for student project

The student will undertake a 12UoC or 18UoC project during T1/T2/T3 2026, focusing on conducting a qualitative evidence synthesis using systematic review methods. 

We already have a comprehensive database of qualitative studies on this topic, which will streamline the review process.  As such student can contribute to the larger project,  but there is also room for students to explore their own interests(18UoC only) within the broader theme, such as focusing on specific migrant groups, states, health conditions, or types of services.

Ethics approval is not required as this project involves secondary analysis of published literature.  The student will have an opportunity to contribute to a peer-reviewed publication arising from this research. No travel is necessary.

The ideal candidate

This project would suit a student who:

• Is keen to develop skills in qualitative evidence synthesis.
• Has writing and analytical skills.
• Has mandatorily completed PHCM9120 Qualitative Research Methods or has demonstrated experience in qualitative research methods.

Contact Person:

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Dr. Soumyadeep Bhaumik (Head, Meta-research and Evidence Synthesis Unit, Health Systems Science, George Institute for Global Health and Conjoint Senior Lecturer, UNSW).

India has a rich history of clinical research, with thousands of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published across diverse health domains. We already have an evidence gap map of over 10,000 RCTs conducted in India, which provides a broad overview of trial activity. This project aims to enhance and enrich this map by adding more granular details for specific parameters, such as intervention categories, outcomes, population characteristics, and funding sources.

Proposed research activities for student project

The student will undertake a  12UoC or 18UoC project during T1/T2/T3 2026, focusing on:

• Working with an existing evidence gap map dataset of RCTs to enhance its quality
• Adding depth by coding and categorizing trials for additional parameters (e.g., intervention type, health condition, geographic location, funding).
• Performing descriptive analyses to identify patterns and gaps.
• Optionally, developing visualizations or dashboards to present findings.

There is scope for students to explore their own interests within this dataset, such as focusing on specific populations, disease areas, intervention types, or policy-relevant questions.

Ethics approval is not required as this project involves secondary analysis of published data. The student will have an opportunity to contribute to a peer-reviewed publication or data resource arising from this research. No travel is necessary, but student will be required to collaborate with Indian researchers, which might necessitate attending meetings during Indian business hours. 

The ideal candidate

This project would suit a student who 

• Is interested in meta-research, evidence synthesis, and health data analysis.
• Has strong analytical and organizational skills.
• Has completed PHCM9795 Evidence-Based Health Care or has demonstrated experience in systematic reviews or bibliographic data handling.

Contact Person

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Dr. Soumyadeep Bhaumik (Head, Meta-research and Evidence Synthesis Unit, Health Systems Science, George Institute for Global Health and Conjoint Senior Lecturer, UNSW).

Project Overview

Students will contribute to secondary data analysis of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and

Behaviours (KAB) regarding Facemasks and COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Strategies survey already conducted under the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Airborne Threats to Health (BREATHE). The dataset explores population-level factors shaping compliance and perceptions toward COVID-19 preventive measures, including masks, vaccination, ventilation, and antiviral use. UNSW ethics approval is already in place for this research.

Proposed research activities for student project

As a student in this role, you will (1) clean and prepare survey data by handling missing values and coding variables (including converting categorical responses into analysis-ready numerical formats), (2) run core statistical analyses such as logistic regression, cluster analysis, and factor analysis to identify patterns and relationships, (3) produce clear visual summaries of results (e.g., heatmaps, correlation matrices, and behaviour trend plots), and (4) help draft and format publication-ready manuscripts that report the methods, findings, and interpretation arising from the survey analysis.

The ideal candidate

This is a great fit for students who have completed courses such as: 

• PHCM9132 Applied Research Methods for Public Health,
• PHCM9518 Epidemiological Methods.

Some background in infectious/communicable diseases would be helpful.

Contact

Please contact Associate Professor David Heslop (d.heslop@unsw.edu.au) to express your interest in this project. Students will be selected based on an assessment of their suitability to undertake the research based on academicperformance and an interview, at the discretion of the proposed supervisory team.

Are you passionate about using your public health and policy skills to drive meaningful change?

This project offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a real-world initiative focused on addressing the burden of non-communicable diseases in the Pacific and Southeast Asian regions.

Project overview

As part of a regional program (running from 2024–2028) in partnership with local governments, you’ll play a key role in a scoping review that examines how the impact of policies targeting the key non-communicable disease risk factors of tobacco, nutrition, physical activity, and alcohol use is being evaluated across the region. 

You’ll lead the data extraction and synthesis of findings for a subset of articles within the broader scoping review (approximately 25-30 articles) —supported by a pre-developed protocol and completed literature searches—giving you hands-on experience in applied research.

What makes this project stand out? It’s grounded in Pacific Models of Health and Wellbeing and integrates GEDSI (gender equality, disability, and social inclusion) principles within the analytical framework. Your work will directly inform the creation of a policy impact evaluation framework tailored for use by Pacific Island governments, with potential of an expanded application across countries of Southeast Asia.

The ideal candidate

This is a great fit for students who have completed courses such as: 

• Applied Research Methods for Public Health (PHCM9132),
• Global Health and Development (PHCM9605) 
• Policy Studies (PHCM9381)

Some background in non-communicable diseases, chronic disease risk prevention or health policy is helpful but not essential. A personal connection to the Pacific region would be advantageous.

Contact

For more information and expressions of interest for this project, students should contact Dr Briar McKenzie(Senior Research Fellow, The George Institute for Global Health, Conjoint Lecturer Faculty of Medicine, UNSW) and A/Prof Anna Palagyi (Program Lead – Ageing and Health Systems, The George Institute for Global Health, Conjoint Associate Professor School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW).  

Project overview

This project will form part of a program of work of improving outcomes for those with cardiovascular disease through prevention and management of acute respiratory infections.

The project centres around analysing a nationally representative sample of respiratory infections (e.g. influenza, COVID-19) and of hospital presentations for cardiovascular disease in Indonesia. The findings will offer valuable insight into the potential association of lung infection and cardiovascular disease in tropical settings which may differ from those in temperate countries with more distinct seasons, where most of the data to date regarding this association has been published.

The ideal candidate

This project is well suited for students interested in respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease and infectious disease epidemiology with skills in quantitative analysis. The student will practically undertake analysis of medium-large scale datasets and interpret findings in both a clinical and public health context. It is best suited for those who have in the minimum completed PHCM9517 Regression Methods in Biostatistics or PHCM9518 Epidemiological Methods with distinction. Those who have completed more advanced statistic or data science courses would gain more from the project.

Proposed research activities:

The proposed project scope will be decided with the student depending on whether they are going to enrol for 6, 12 or 18 credits worth of project.

Example of potential project scope are:

• Descriptive analysis of hospitalisations with concurrent cardiovascular and lung infection by month of the year.
• Time series analysis to estimate the association between the weekly number of laboratory-confirmed respiratory infections reported by the Ministry of Health and weekly population rates of hospitalisations for acute cardiovascular disease reported to the National Health Insurance Agency (BPJS Kesehatan).

Across all projected, under the supervision of the supervisors, the student will get hands on experience on data analysis, interpret the findings and draft a report of sufficient quality for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

Contact:

Primary supervisor: 

• Dr. Anthony Sunjaya (a.sunjaya@unsw.edu.au, Program Lead, Chronic Respiratory Disease Research Group)

Co-supervisor: 

• A/Prof David Muscatello (david.muscatello@unsw.edu.au, Infectious Disease Epidemiology)
• Dr Katrina Blazek (k.blazek@unsw.edu.au, Senior Lecturer in Health Data Science/Director of Teaching)

Term 1, 2026

Project overview

The aim of this project is to develop a rapid assessment tool to evaluate the policy landscape and preparedness of countries in addressing climate and health challenges, with a particular focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The specific objectives of the project (1) To design a rapid review checklist that enables countries to assess their preparedness to integrate climate-related considerations into health programs, especially NCD initiatives, by synthesizing existing climate and health frameworks (2) To apply the checklist in a policy document review across five Southeast Asian and Pacific countries (Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia), focusing on identifying strengths, gaps, and opportunities for climate-resilient NCD programs.

The project will produce a contextualized rapid assessment tool that enables countries to evaluate their preparedness to integrate climate considerations into health systems and NCD care. Additionally, it will generate comparative evidence from the five countries through a policy document review.

Proposed research activities 

• Review existing climate and health frameworks, including WHO guidance. 
• Develop a rapid review checklist focused on climate resilience in NCD care. 
• Apply the checklist to assess policy documents from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia. 
• Work under expert supervision and contribute to a manuscript for journal publication.

Ideal candidate

This project is best suited for a student with experience or coursework in literature review methodologies, such as the Epidemiological Methods course (PHCM9518), and a strong interest in developing expertise in this area. A background in health systems is preferred. The project offers an excellent opportunity to engage with a contemporary global health issue and collaborate with senior researchers in climate and health policy.

Contact

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Prof Rohina Joshi (Professor of Global Health, School of Population Health; rohina.joshi@unsw.edu.au) and Dr Azeb Gebresiliassie Tesema (lecturer, School of Population Health; a.tesema@unsw.edu.au). 

Project overview

This project aims to systematically map and synthesise existing evidence on the epidemiology of mental health in Pacific Island countries and areas (PICs). It will provide an overview of what is currently known about the prevalence, incidence, and distribution of mental health conditions across the region. The specific objectives are to: 

1. identify and critically appraise existing studies that report on the epidemiology of mental health in the PICs; and 
2. summarise the available evidence on the burden of mental disorders and their associated demographic, social, and environmental determinants. 

This review will highlight data gaps and inform future research and policy directions to strengthen mental health surveillance and service planning in the Pacific region.

Proposed research activities for student project

The project involves conducting a scoping review following established methodological frameworks. The student will be responsible for screening the literature, extracting and synthesising data, and assisting in the interpretation of findings. The project will culminate in the preparation of a journal article for potential publication.

The ideal candidate

The project will suit best a student who has experience or has attended courses on literature review methodologies, such as the Epidemiological Methods course (PHCM9518), and/or is keen to develop their expertise in this field. It provides an excellent opportunity to contribute to an emerging area of global mental health research with strong policy and regional relevance.

Contact

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Dr Jialing Lin (Research Fellow, International Centre for Future Health Systems;).

Project overview

Reproductive coercion and abuse (RCA) is any deliberate attempt to dictate a person’s reproductive choices or interfere with their reproductive autonomy. It includes contraception sabotage, pregnancy coercion, controlling a pregnancy outcome, and forced contraception and sterilisation. 

The Third Australian Study of Health and Relationships (ashr.edu.au) is a nationally representative survey of 14,000 adults aged 16-69 years, led by the Kirby Institute. It provides the first population-based estimates of the prevalence and correlates of RCA in Australia. 

To complement this survey data, we completed qualitative interviews with survey participants to understand their lived experiences of RCA reported in the survey in more depth. All interviews and discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed. This data is ready for analysis. 

Your research project would involve analysing the interview data and writing a paper.

The project would suit a student that has experience or has attended courses in this field, such as the Qualitative Research Methods course (PHCM9120) or Health Promotion & Social Perspectives of Health (PHCM9012), has an interest in further developing skills in thematic analysis, and has excellent writing skills. 

Contact

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Dr Allison Carter (Head of the Sexual Health and Reproductive Equity Research Group at the Kirby Institute). 

Project overview

Vax4Health involved a co-design process to develop resources aimed at improving school vaccination programs for adolescents with disability. 

It involved bringing together 20+ stakeholders over 6 creative workshops including people with disability, parents, educators, and health professionals.  

We want to evaluate the co-design process. We did before/after interviews (15-30-minutes in length) with each co-designer to understand their motivations, expectations, and needs in relation to the project, and their experiences of participation. All interviews and discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed. This data is ready for analysis. 

Your research project would involve analysing the interview data and writing a paper. It would be guided by the following questions:

1. How was the co-design process perceived by the different groups involved?
2. What were the main challenges and benefits of our approach of involving different groups in the way we did?
3. What was the perceived impact of our process on balancing power/decisions/voices? 
4. How did the process impact the people involved?
5. What was the perceived impact on creating change (in the school vaccination program)?
6. What recommendations did they have for future co-design initiatives?

The project would suit a student that has experience or has attended courses in this field, such as the Qualitative Research Methods course (PHCM9120) or Community Development (PHCM9010). 

Contact

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Dr Allison Carter (Head of the Sexual Health and Reproductive Equity Research Group at the Kirby Institute). 

Project overview

A large trial that took place in the Dak Lak province of Vietnam found that minority ethnic groups were more likely to be infected with hookworm (Necator americanus) than others. This project aims to understand what factors put different ethnic groups at different risk of hookworm and other soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infections. Within this main research question, we wish to explore sociodemographic factors (income, education, employment, housing, etc.), WaSH factors (access and use), awareness and knowledge of STH (including control and prevention methods, and control programs within the community), practices (including cultural and agricultural), and beliefs. This project will involve the analysis of qualitative data resulting from focus group discussions/in-depth interviews, and quantitative analysis from questionnaires and would, therefore, suit a student that has experience or has attended courses in this field, such as the Qualitative Research Methods course (PHCM9120).

Contact

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Dr. Marta Palmeirim (Research Fellow, NTD Research Group) and Professor Susana Vaz Nery(Head of the NTD Research Group at the Kirby Institute).

Project overview

Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) has a protective effect on the incidence of overdose and other acute harms. Despite these health benefits, Australian research has found that treatment cessation is high, with over half of all people who receive OAT disengaging from these services within twelve months. There is evidence that attrition is even higher among young people. This project aims to explore the barriers people with opioid dependence face when engaging with OAT. Using open-response and quantitative data collected in a NSW survey including 405 adults with opioid dependence, the student will model the barriers participants faced when considering engaging with OAT.

Proposed research activities for student project

Student project proposals can be developed to align with the 6 UoC or 12 UoC project time commitment, with consideration of the entry level research knowledge and skills of the student.

The ideal candidate

The project would suit a student that is keen to develop their survey analysis skills, in Stata or R, and apply them to a real-world scenario. This project will suit a student who has completed Foundations of Epidemiology PHCM9794 and/or Foundations of Biostatistics PHCM9795. Ideally the student will have some knowledge of health policy. Knowledge of alcohol and other drugs epidemiology is encouraged but not essential.

Contact person

For more information or expresses of interest for this project, students should contact Dr Chrianna Bharat (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre) and Dr Michala Kowalski (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre).

Project Overview

Advance care planning has been promoted as a beneficial means of people communicating important goals and values relating to current and future care and treatment, to inform clinical decision-making in case of situations in which the person is unable to make or communicate decisions about their care. While advance care planning has a range of documented benefits, community uptake (in the form of discussions with family or health professionals, or documentation in advance care directives) is low. The Enhanced Advance care planning and life Review Longitudinal Intervention (EARLI) project has provided a structured program of reminiscence-based life review and facilitated advance care planning, for people receiving home care packages, or managing chronic conditions in community settings. Analysis of data from two randomised controlled trials will be occurring during 2025. Using referrals data and pre-screening information from participants, along with qualitative information from participants and study sites, the student will identify factors influencing trial recruitment across different populations. Relevant factors may include cultural and linguistic diversity, geographic location and physical and cognitive frailty. Study findings will inform recommendations about how to maximise accessibility of similar programs delivered in community settings.

Proposed research activities for student project

Student project proposals can be developed to align with 6 UoC or 12 UoC project time commitment, with consideration of the entry level research knowledge and skills of the student.

The ideal candidate

The project would suit a student who has familiarity with organising, manipulating and visualising data in R (or other similar statistical software), and is interested in taking a mixed-methods approach to better understand barriers to accessibility and uptake of community-based programs. It woiuld be recommended that the student is enrolled in, or has completed,at least one of Foundations of Biostatistics (PHCM9795), Applied Research Methods for Public Health (PHCM9132) or Qualitative Research Methods (PHCM9120). All of these units would be relevant to this project. Ideally the student will have a working knowledge of clinical trials, and can integrate with an existing team of clinical researchers during a busy year that will see this trial come to completion.

Contact person

For more information or expressions of interest for this project, students should contact Dr Craig Sinclair (Senior Research Fellow, UNSW School of Psychology/Neuroscience Research Australia).

Noma (cancrum oris or gangrenous stomatitis) is a severe gangrenous disease of the mouth and face which affects malnourished children. The exact burden of the disease is not well known, but the highest burden of the disease is in Africa. WHO officially recognized Noma as a neglected tropical disease in December 2023. In this project, a policy analysis we seek to understand how and why Noma was prioritised by the WHO to be added in the NTD list. 

Proposed research activities for student project

The student will work with a 12UoC or 18UoC project time commitment collecting and analysing data (documents and interviews) qualitatively in T1/T2 2026 (ethics approval for this study is already in place). An exemplar work to read is: How and why snakebite became a global health priority: a policy analysis. The student will have an opportunity to contribute to a publication arising from this research. No travel is necessary.

The ideal candidate

This project would suit a student that is keen to do hands on work on policy analysis.  This project will suit a student who has good writing skills and has mandatorily completed PHCM9381 Policy Studies or PHCM9120 Qualitative Research Methods or have demonstrated experience in qualitative research methods or policy analysis.

Contact Person:

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Dr. Soumyadeep Bhaumik (Head, Meta-research and Evidence Synthesis Unit, Health Systems Science, George Institute for Global Health and Conjoint Senior Lecturer, UNSW).

Embedding consumer representation in Australian research governance: a critical review and synthesis of existing guidance and policy gaps

Project overview

Consumer participation in research design and oversight is increasingly recognised as essential for effective, relevant, and impactful research. However, formal guidance on how to embed consumer voices in research governance remains limited and fragmented. This project aims to systematically identify and synthesise existing guidance on the involvement of people with lived and living experience in research governance roles. These roles include, for example, research investigators and Steering Committee members who oversee research design, planning, and conduct. It does not include the role of consumers as research participants.

Proposed research activities

The student/s will:

• Develop and run a search strategy to identify and review all existing, current, and relevant Australian national, state, and territory level guidance documents.

• Identified documents will be reviewed with key data extracted including: consumer subcategories where relevant (e.g., mental health, First Nations), subcategories of consumer involvement/participation level, jurisdictional scope (e.g., state, national), recommended remuneration rates across levels, document type and publisher, and any legislated remuneration rates.

• Extract key information into a structured evidence table (template provided).

• Present short updates  re: findings and recommendations to a cross-faculty collaborative network, with a focus on identifying policy gaps and opportunities for improved implementation.

• Develop a final report detailing the research methods, findings, and conclusions.

This project will use only publicly available data and does not require ethics approval. 

It can be tailored to either a 6 or 12 UOC research project, and could be undertaken by one or two students.

If students wish to develop suitable findings into an optional manuscript for publication, this could be supported; however, publication is beyond the scope of the project’s reporting timeline and UOC framework.

The ideal candidate

This project is best suited to a student interested in:

• Consumer-informed healthcare and research

• Policy development and analysis

• Identifying and addressing health policy gaps

The project involves some basic quantitative analysis and requires strong attention to detail, accuracy, and critical thinking skills. 

Workspace will be made available in the Health Translation Hub building, with hybrid working arrangements flexibly accommodated.

Contact person

For more information, please contact Deborah.Johnston@unsw.edu.au.