Peter Harrison currently supervises students conducting research into the reproduction of reef corals, the effects of bleaching and pollution stress on coral.
Professor Peter Harrison
School of Environment, Science and Engineering
Find a supervisor
Higher Degree by Research study is an essential part of life at Southern Cross University. We provide the opportunity for students to become part of a thriving research community and engage in relevant and original research projects.
Before applying to study a Higher Degree by Research at Southern Cross University, you must first find and confirm a Principal Supervisor and Co-Supervisor. Contact both prospective supervisors to ensure you have their consent to be nominated in your application.
To further assist you, please see below for a list of available supervisors. Alternatively, contact the School Director (Higher Degrees Research Training) for the Faculty in which you wish to enrol if you need assistance in finding a suitable proposed supervisor.
Search for a Supervisor
Business, Law and Arts
Professor Yvonne Brunetto
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: the impact of personal factors and organisational factors on employee outcomes, predictors of PsyCap, psycho-social safety, wellbeing, factors affect change mgt or policy implementation outcomes
Dr Deborah Lisa Che
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: nature-based tourism, agritourism/food tourism, peer-to-peer travel platforms
Associate Professor Grayson Cooke
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: media art, art/science, the archive
Dr Kay Dimmock
Co Supervisor
Research interests: marine tourism, outdoor leisure, tourism management, teaching tourism in higher education
Dr Evgeny Guglyuvatyy
Co-supervisor
Research interests: climate law and policy, tax law, forest policy, cryptocurrencies and law
Dr Jennifer Harrison
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: accounting, finance, financial literacy and education
Dr Lynda Hawryluk
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: creative writing, poetry, literary studies
Dr Matt Hill
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: music composition, music analysis, film music
Dr Mandy Hughes
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: refugee and multicultural studies, food studies, regional issues
Professor Robyn Keast
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: collaborative practice and networked arrangements, integrative service delivery, governance
Dr Erika Kerruish
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: human computer interaction, sensory studies, continental philosophy
Professor William MacNeil
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: jurisprudence & legal history, law and literature (including film, television, art, and other aesthetic media), human rights
Dr Lisa Milner
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Australian studies; labour history; community media.
Associate Professor Annie Mitchell
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: contemporary music composition and research, music pedagogy, music/the entertainment industry on cruise ships
Dr Silvia Nelson
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Workplace relationships, nursing/police management, organisational behaviour.
Dr Scott Niblock
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: fund performance, financial wellbeing, behavioural finance
Associate Profesor Jennifer Nielsen
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: discrimination law, critical race and whiteness studies, critical legal studies
Professor John Page
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: property and legal theory, property law, public space and public property
Dr Alessandro Pelizzon
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: legal anthropology, comparative law, ecological jurisprudence
Dr Rohan Price
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: histories of East and South East Asia, Nietzsche and Heidegger, regulation of organic food in Asia Pacific
Dr Jean Renouf
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: climate change, community resilience/regeneration, ethical security
Associate Professor Nicole Rogers
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: climate interdisciplinary studies, wild law, law as performance
Dr Thomas Round
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: administrative law, civil rights/constitutional law, electoral laws and voting systems
Professor Darshana Sedera
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Innovation, entrepreneurship, impact of digital technology
Dr Pascal Scherrer
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: sustainable tourism, visitor management, sustainability
Dr Gregory P Smith
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: social vulnerabilities, homelessness, out-of-home care, low socio-economical challenges
Dr Golam Sorwar
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Technology Acceptance Modeling, Digital Health, Multimedia Signal Processing, Artificial Intelligence
Professor Betty Weiler
Co Supervisor
Research interests: sustainable tourism, tourist behaviour, tour guiding
Associate Professor Adele Wessell
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: food history, environmental history
Dr Simon Wilde
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: digital marketing, internet studies, e-commerce
Professor Erica Wilson
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: sustainable and protected area tourism, gender and tourism/women's travel, qualitative methodologies
Education
Dr Raoul Adam
Principal Supervisor
Worldviews, critical and creative thinking, wicked problems
Professor Nan Bahr
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Education, Educational Psychology, Developmental Education, Adolescent Development, Teacher Education, Responsive Curriculum, Music/Arts Education
Dr Anne Bellert
Principal Supervisor
Research Interests: Inclusive Education, Learning Difficulties, Online Learning
Associate Professor Wendy Boyd
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: quality of early childhood education and care, education principles and practices, leadership, sustainability in education, professional learning
Associate Professor Marilyn Chaseling
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: school improvement, educational leadership,educational history
Dr Peter Cook
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: Dance, arts and creativity education, A/r/tography, transitions to higher education
Professor Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles
Principal Supervisor
Environmental education, climate change education, posthuman philosophy
Professor Martin Hayden
Co Supervisor
Research interests: higher education governance and management, higher education quality assurance, higher education in Southeast Asia
Dr Sue Hudson
Co Supervisor
Initial teacher education. Professional experience, Mentoring for effective teaching
Dr Lisa Jacka
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: innovative pedagogy, online teaching and learning, emerging technologies in education
Dr Sarah James
Co-Supervisor
Education, preservice teacher education, initial teacher education, mentoring, literacy and reading, general capabilities, professional experience
Professor Alexandra Lasczik
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: A/r/tography, arts & environmental education, movement studies, including walking inquiry
Dr Marianne Logan
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: science and sustainability education, environmental education, school/university partnerships
Professor David Lynch
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: teacher education, school improvement, school leadership
Dr Christos Markopoulos
Principal Supervisor
Mathematics education, Teacher education, Curriculum development
Dr Lewes Peddell
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: School Improvement and Leadership, Music Education, Mathematics Education
Dr Jemma Peisker
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: Material engagement, optimal experience (flow) in education, teacher education, A/r/tography
Dr Alicia Phillips
Co-Supervisor
Quality, National Quality Framework, Foucauldian theory
Dr Brad Shipway
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: application of critical realism to the field of education, democracy & civics education, philosophy of ed & emancipatory education
Dr Angela Turner
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Food, health and wellbeing, environmental education, STEAM teaching, learning and assessment
Dr Tony Yeigh
Co Supervisor
Research interests: blended learning, educational mindfulness, inclusive education, positive psychology/positive education, school leadership, school improvement
Dr Chris Zehntner
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: sociology of sport, coaching, power and knowledge in sport
Science, Engineering and IT
Dr David Abrego
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: adaptation to environmental change in corals, coral reef restoration, coral health and disease
Dr Cherise Addinsall
Associate Supervisor
Research interests: incorporation of traditional and indigenous knowledge systems into sustainable development and policy, strengthening linkages between tourism, agriculture and local industries in the south Pacific, enhancing climate resilience with a focus on women and marginalised people
Dr Ali Reza Alaei
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: pattern recognition, image and video processing, applied big data analysis
Professor Bronwyn Barkla
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: plant biochemistry, proteins, membrane transport, proteomics
Professor Kirsten Benkendorff
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: aquatic animal health (invertebrates), bioactive marine compounds, molluscs/shellfish
Dr Priyakshee Borpatra Goahin
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: Genomics, proteomics, metabolomics
Dr Matt Broadhurst
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: Marine Science
Dr Vinh Bui
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Internet of Things in Tourism, Healthcare and Education.
Dr Peter Bundock
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: breeding passion fruit, genetics of revegetation of rainforest trees
Dr Daniel Cagnazzi
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: marine mammals ecology, genetic and population dynamics, marine megafauna toxicology, marine biodiversity and conservation
Professor Les Christidis
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: evolutionary biology, conservation biology, taxonomy
Professor Peter Coombes
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: PhD in engineering, water resources and microbiology, with particular expertise in systems thinking, integrated water and energy planning, sustainability, economics, law and policy development.
Associate Professor Dirk Erler
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: nutrient cycling, oceanography, environmental engineering
Dr Elisabeth Deschaseaux
Co-Supervisor
Research interests:
Professor Bradley Eyre
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: aquatic biogeochemistry, coral reefs, aquatic greenhouse gases
Associate Professor Ross Goldingay
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: wildlife conservation, restoration ecology, forest ecology
Dr John Grant
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: nutrient cycling, agricultural systems, forest soils
Dr Zan Hammerton
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: management of coastal and marine ecosystems, tourism impacts, environmental restoration of riparian zones
Dr Daniel Harrison
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: coral reef conservation, geoengineering techniques and practicality, fisheries oceanography
Dr Renaud Joannes-Boyau
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: human evolution, palaeodiet, evolutionary medicine
Professor Scott Johnston
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: environmental geochemistry, hydrology, water quality
Professor Brendan Kelaher
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: drone technology, ocean change biology, marine ecology
Dr Maree Lake
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: traffic engineering, transport planning, operations research
Dr Yee Yan Lim
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: smart materials-based structural health monitoring, energy harvesting using piezoelectric materials
Dr Lei (Ben) Liu
Principal-Supervisor
Research interests: phytochemistry, food chemistry, cereal chemistry
Dr Hanabeth Luke
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: social dimensions of agricultural systems and regenerative land management, social dimensions of land-use transition, including extractive development, community engagement in decision making, including social license to operate and deliberative democracy
Professor Damien Maher
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: ecohydrology, freshwater and marine science, smart sensors
Dr Mona Malekzadeh
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: Land reclamation, dredged sediments, large strain consolidation, electro-kinetic stabilization, expansive soils, unsaturated soils, mine tailings, tailing dam design, slurry
Dr Raina Mason
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: instructional design, women in technology, introductory computing
Dr Benjamin Mos
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: aquaculture, ocean change, marine-freshwater connectivity
Dr David Newell
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Amphibian ecology, wildlife disease, threatened fauna
Dr Catherine Nock
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: genomics, population genetics, subtropical species
Associate Professor Joanne Oakes
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: coastal ecosystems, stable isotope techniques, carbon and nitrogen cycling
Associate Professor Steven Purcell
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: fisheries ecology, fisheries management, marine invertebrate ecology and behaviour, small-scale fisheries livelihoods
Professor Amanda Reichelt-Brushett
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: environmental toxicology and chemistry, catchment management, science in art
Professor Andrew Rose
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: iron biogeochemistry, mineral formation and nucleation mechanisms, nutrient recovery and reuse from waste and wastewater
Professor Terry Rose
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Crop and pasture agronomy, soil science, subtropical horticulture nutrition
Associate Professor Christian Sanders
Principal Supervisor
Research Interests: Coastal Wetlands, Estuaries, Marine Chemistry, Marine Geology, Coastal Biogeochemistry.
Associate Professor Kai G Schulz
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: planktonic food webs, climate change impacts, ocean solutions
Dr Carolyn Seton
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: cognitive load theory/educational psychology, digital literacy for older people, user experience/HCI
Dr Anna Scott
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: cnidarian reproductive biology (sea anemones and corals), symbiosis – anemones, anemonefishes, zooxanthellae, impacts of the marine ornamental aquarium trade, and the potential for captive breeding to help alleviate these problems
Dr Mervyn Shepherd
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: forest genetics, plant breeding, genetics of essential oils
Dr Geoff Smith
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Plant ecology, silviculture, plant physiology, plantation management, native forest management, wetland plant ecology
Dr Debra Stokes
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: mangrove ecology, NSW sea turtles, drones
Dr Douglas Tait
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: climate change, groundwater contamination, aid projects in developing countries
Dr Ahmed Mostafa Thabet
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: design of mechanical and structural systems, numerical modelling and mechanical characterization of composite and hybrid materials, aerospace and marine structures
Dr Naomi Wells
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: biogeochemistry, nutrient cycling, ecosystem science
Dr Simon Williams
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: honey, coffee, plant products
Dr Lachlan Yee
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: antibacterial polymer surfaces, recycling waste plastics, biodegradable polymers from insect sources
Dr Heidi Zimmer
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: forest restoration, disturbance ecology, dendrochronology
Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples
Dr Stuart Barlo
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: indigenous communication principles and protocols, learning from country, knowing with sky country
Dr Catherine Howlett
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: indigenous peoples and resource governance, indigenous peoples and the state, indigenous peoples and research
Dr Monica Seini
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: indigenous research methodologies and curriculum development, indigenous peoples and natural resource development/extractivism, development, environment and health
Dr Shawn Wilson
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: indigenous knowledge, indigenous methodologies, wellbeing and health
Health
Associate Professor Christina Aggar
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Interprofessional education and workforce development, primary health care and chronic illness
Dr Alex Barwick
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: diabetes, chronic disease, lower limb
Dr Kyle Bennett
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: skill acquisition, expertise, youth sport
Dr Joanne Bradbury
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: nutritional pharmacology, complementary medicine, mental health
Dr Jessica Browne
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: middle ear disease, infection and immunity, antimicrobial activity
Dr Andrea Bugarcic
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Molecular and cell biology, herbal medicine and evidence use in clinical practice
Dr Paul Butterworth
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: chronic disease, mental health, diabetes
Professor Andrew Cashin
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: autism and other developmental disabilities
Dr Yingyan (Lisa) Chen
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: knowledge translation, cardiovascular research, mix-methods study.
Dr Mike Climstein
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: clinical exercise physiology, water-based research: surfing, stand up paddleboarding, swimming, surf lifesaving, skin cancer, world master games/veteran athletes
Dr Sheri Cooper
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: chronic disease management, public health nutrition, food literacy
Associate Professor Rosanne Coutts
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Sport and exercise science, Sport and exercise psychology, exercise physiology
Dr Zachary Crowley-McHattan
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: neuromuscular control and adaptation, skill acquisition and motor learning
Dr James Donnelly
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Applied psychology and neuropsychology (e.g., dementia, chronic illness, brain injury, wellness, parenting), psychophysiology (e.g., EEG as an index of emotion), mindfulness and meditation
Associate Professor Michelle Donelly
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: inclusive communities, participation and engagement, occupational performance
Associate Professor Roger Engel
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: Chronic respiratory disease, allied health services, rehabilitation
Dr Kitty-Rose Foley
Principal Supervisor
Health, wellbeing and participation for children, adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Dr Kathomi Gatwiri
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: trauma and adverse experiences, decolonizing education/practice, race and Immigration
Associate Professor Wendy Gilleard
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: adaptation to increased mass and dimensions as seen in pregnancy and obesity
Professor Anne Graham
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: children and young people's wellbeing, children and young people's participation, ethical research and practice involving children
Professor Iain Graham
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: health policy domestic and international, primary care and mental health, evidence based care linked to role and scope of practice
Professor Peter Hassmen
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: sport and exercise psychology, overtraining syndrome and burnout in athletes and coaches, mental health in sport
Dr Louise Horstmanshof
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: transition, ageing, developing the health workforce
Professor Mark Hughes
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: aged care, social work practice, LGBTIQ issues
Professor John Hurley
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: all mental health related topics, emotional intelligence, education for health professionals
Professor Marie Hutchinson
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: health of vulnerable populations, health workforce, clinical outcomes
Dr Elaine Jefford
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: maternity, women's health, education
Dr Desiree Kozlowski
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: emotional intelligence, gender, pleasure - especially its links with health, creativity, resilience, productivity, and wellbeing
Dr Richard Lakeman
Principal Supervisor
Research interests:Positive psychology, psychotherapy, programme evaluation
Associate Professor Romy Lauche
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Complementary, traditional and integrative medicine, chronic disease management, clinical research
Associate Professor Matthew Leach
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: evidence-based practice, health services research, complementary and integrative medicine
Dr Mitchell Longstaff
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: cognitive psychology, memory/working memory, movement science/motor control
Associate Professor Deb Massey
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: acute care, patient safety, mixed methods
Associate Professor Bernice Mathisen
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: speech pathology, spiritual care in allied health, swallowing in children and adults
Associate Professor Rudi Meir
Co Supervisor
Research interests: sports specific conditioning and training, exercise technique, thermoregulation and fluid status in sport
Associate Professor Gail Moloney
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Social and community psychology, with broad interests in drawing from theory to understand and design strategiesand interventions for pressing social and health issues .
Dr Beth Mozolic-Staunton
Co-Supervisor to MSc only
Research interests: paediatrics, health promotion, developmental disability
Dr Paul Orrock
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: clinical effectiveness, clinical reasoning, problem/cased based learning
Dr Anna Praskova
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: career developmental psychology, psychometrics and scale development, career calling and meaningful work
Dr Stephen Provost
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: psychophysiology, learning, experimental analysis of human behaviour
Dr Basia Radlinska
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: trauma, mental health, neuroscience
Dr Alexia Rohde
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: Evidence-based practice, assessment and diagnostics, acquired communication disorders, clinically-relevant epidemiological research.
Dr Nedeljka Rosic
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: medicinal science, environmental stress, host-microbe interaction
Dr Nasim Salehi
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Public health/health promotion, health services management/healthcare leadership, health and community services, social capital, social determinants of health, social policy and practice, social psychology, mental health and wellbeing, health psychology, citizen science, digital health, health education
Dr Christina Samios
Principal Supervisor
Psychological Adjustment and Wellbeing, Meaning-Making and Positive Psychological Processes, Couple Adjustment and Interpersonal Relationships
Dr Janet Schloss
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: Clinical trials - nutraceuticals, herbal medicine, medicinal cannabis, diet; oncology and chronic disease, medicinal cannabis
Dr Kirstine Shrubsole
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: implementation science, stroke rehabilitation, acquired communication disorders
Dr Christopher Stevens
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: environmental physiology, sports training, sports performance
Dr Christian Swann
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Sport and exercise; goal setting; psychology of performance
Professor Jon Wardle
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: Public Health and Health Services, Health Policy and Health Law, Complementary, traditional and integrative medicine
Dr Nicola Whiteing
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: rural and remote, workforce, preparation for practice - clinical and curriculum
Dr John Whitting
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: applied biomechanics, sports technique, muscle-tendon mechanics
Dr Heather Winskel
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: psycholinguistics, language and reading, cross-cultural and cognitive psychology
Associate Professor Jacqueline Yoxall
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: forensic psychology, malingering, psychological assessment
Professor Shi Zhou
Principal Supervisor
Research interests: neuromuscular responses and adaptations to exercise and training, exercise testing and intervention for selected populations, effects of hypoxia intervention on exercise performance and hyperglycemia
Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research)
Professor Robert Weatherby
Co-Supervisor
Research interests: drugs and human performance including sport and matters subject to legal considerations such as drugs and driving, economic, social and environmental sustainability of the rail industry and public transport