The Jawun Research Students
In keeping with the vision of the Jawun Research Institute to contribute to First Nations Peoples’ self determination through research, Jawun plays an active role in Higher Degree Research (HDR) supervision in strengthening the capacity, capability and numbers of First Nations HDR students across the university and within Australia. Jawun Institute works in close collaboration with the Jilbay First Nations RHD Academy, which supports First Nations HDR candidates and Graduate Certificate in Research students in their studies by providing scholarships, academic programs, support services and resources.
The Graduate Certificate in Research (GCR) is ideal for First Nations people interested in developing research capabilities for your career or seeking a pathway to pursue entry into an HDR (Master's or PhD). Eligibility requirements for the GCR acknowledge relevant professional experience and formal skills or training as well as prior Diplomas and Bachelor's degrees. The GCR equips graduates with the research training and skills for further learning within an HDR or for application of foundation research skills within workplace contexts. Graduates will obtain sufficient knowledge to confidentially participate in conducting research in a specific discipline.
Please get in touch with the Jilbay Academy (for First Nations Students) or CQUniversity's Research Higher Degrees to find out about current opportunities.
Jawun Research Institute offers student summer scholarships to First Nations students who have completed at least two years of an undergraduate degree. Applications are due in October each year. Please email jri@cqu.edu.au for an application pack if you’re interested.
For more information about our current higher education research students, or for inspiration, see our Research Student profiles below.
Research Students
Student Name: Ruth Fagan, PhD by portfolio (Part-time)
Thesis title: Don’t stray off the Path: Exploring the journey of Yarrabah community decision making and implementation of local solutions
Supervisor Name: Associate Professor Kylie Radel, Professor Janya McCalman and Professor Melissa Haswell (external)
Student Name: Terry Bell, PhD (part-time)
Thesis title: The structural and systematic barriers that both enable and constrain Indigenous peoples in leadership positions in Mining Co: An Aboriginal perspective
Supervisor Name: Professor Lee Di Milia and Associate Professor Kylie Radel
Student Name: Kate Robinson, PhD
Thesis title: A comparison and evaluation of the curriculum design, delivery, uptake and efficacy of university units that teach Cultural Safety to undergraduate nurses.
Supervisor Name: Dr. Vicki Pascoe
Student Name: Liz Childs, PhD
Thesis title: An exploration of the Lived Experiences of Domestic and Family Violence, Trauma and Cultural Healing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities.
Supervisor Name: Dr. Vicki Pascoe
Student Name: Christie Mancktelow (Masters of Research Part-time) (Associate)
Thesis title: Our Languages, Identity and Well-being: A Quandamooka Perspective.
Supervisor Name: Dr. Vicki Pascoe
Student Name: Shawn Lourigan (PHD full-time) (Associate)
Thesis title: Such a sight as this becomes the field, but here shows much amiss: A creative non-fiction novel and exegesis.
Supervisor Name: Dr. Vicki Pascoe
Student Name: Piar Karim, PhD (in the process of enrolment)
Thesis title: The language of well-being in Burushaski
Supervisor Name: Professor Alexandra Aikhenvald and Professor Robert Dixon
Student Name: Wilo Laemena Muwadda, PhD
Thesis title: Aboriginal men and HIV prevention
Supervisor Name: Jenni Judd, Vicki Saunders and Yvonne Cadet-James
Student Name: Muriel Wymarra, PhD
Thesis title: Torres Strait Islander ways of professional helping
Supervisor Name: Janya McCalman, Yvonne Cadet-James, Vicki Pascoe and Helen Hickson
Student Name: Greg Pratt, PhD
Thesis title: Co-designing equitable access to genomic research and genetic healthcare with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders
Supervisor Name: Janya McCalman, Adrian Miller and Matthew Thomas
Student Name: Carmen Daniels, PhD
Thesis title: Providing financial information, support and advocacy services: A grounded theory study of First Nations-led financial counselling
Supervisor Name: Janya McCalman, Henry Boer and Chris Doran
Student Name: Susan Rounseveil, PhD
Thesis title: Delaying Help: Exploring the Barriers to Early Gambling Help-Seeking Among First Nations Communities in Regional Queensland
Supervisor Name: Alex Russell and Yvonne Cadet-James
Student Name: Chamini Kaushalya Welhena, PhD
Thesis title: Optimisation, formulation, and commercial potential of bioactive concentrates from native Australian plants
Supervisor Name: Mani Naiker (Principal), Tieneke Trotter (CQU), J. Nastasi (UQ), S. Ranadheera (UM)
Student Name: Charitha Priyadarshani Ekanayake Arachchige, PhD
Thesis title: Investigation of in vitro antiviral properties of seeds from Coriandrum sativum L. (Coriander)
Supervisor Name: Mani Naiker (Principal), Tieneke Trotter (CQU), Ryan du Preez (CQU), P. Strappe (CDU)
Student Name: Horace Ogilvie, PhD (Part-time)
Thesis title: An integrated approach for green methanol and green methane production in the Gladstone region
Supervisor Name: Mohammad Rasul, Nirmal Mandal, Md Nurun Nabi and Mani Naiker
Student Name: Roshan Subedi, PhD
Thesis title: Adapting crops to night-time warming
Supervisor Name: Surya Bhattarai, Mani Naiker, S.V. Jagdish (Texas Tech University), Y. Chauhan (QLD Gov.)
Student Name: Ryan Batley, PhD
Thesis title: Increasing food industry sustainability through exploration of novel compounds and delivery methods for additives that reduce methane emissions from grazing ruminants
Supervisor Name: Diogo Fleury Azevedo Costa, Mani Naiker, Dana Stanle and, Simon Quigley
Student Name: Parbat Raj Thani, PhD
Thesis title: Investigating Nigella sativa as a source of health-benefiting compounds
Supervisor Name: Mani Naiker, Tieneke Trotter, Ryan du Preez, Kerry Walsh and Surya Bhattarai
