Defining moments in UQ research

Video showcase of our research

Take a look at a short video showcasing our research.

A snapshot of our research

Below is a snapshot of some of the exciting research which has occurred (and still is occurring) at UQ since its foundation.

2000s

Invention of the human papillomavirus cervical cancer vaccine
The vaccine's development by multi-award-winning UQ Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine Director Professor Ian Frazer and the late Dr Jian Zhou took 20 years. Since 2006, millions of vaccinations have been administered in 80 countries worldwide, attracting sales of more than US$1.5 billion.
Test developed at UQ diagnosed Australia's first swine flu victim
When the first cases of H1N1 Influenza (swine flu) were reported in Mexico in April 2009, UQ researchers got to work developing a test to diagnose the virus. In less than two weeks, Dr David Whiley and a team of five scientists were able to provide Pathology Queensland with two detection methods, one of which was used to diagnose Australia's first swine flu case. The tests have since been implemented by the Townsville Hospital and Royal Darwin Hospital, and were also used to detect the first case of swine flu in the Northern Territory.
Human genome probed further than ever before
In early 2009, an international consortium of scientists, including UQ researchers, found how genes were controlled in mammals, as well as the tiniest genetic element ever found. One of the papers describes the discovery of tiny RNAs, the smallest genetic elements yet known, which are linked to the expression of individual genes. Previously dismissed as "junk DNA", the researchers suggested they may have a role in gene activation and could be used to artificially control gene expression.
Eau de cut grass
In mid-2009, UQ School of Biomedical Science researcher Dr Nick Lavidis and retired pharmacologist Associate Professor Rosemarie Einstein developed Serenascent which smells like cut grass and claimed to make the wearer happier and less stressed. The project was the result of seven years of research with the perfume soon to be available in stores. Dr Lavidis said he first had the idea for Serenascent on a memorable trip to Yosemite National Park in America more than 20 years ago where the actual combination of feel-good chemicals released by the pine trees, the lush vegetation and the cut grass that made him feel so relaxed.
Animal tracker
Neal Finch (UQ) and Mark Dunn (USQ) developed novel animal-recognition technology that uses solar panels, a mini computer and a webcam to separate sheep and cattle from feral animals and wildlife. The patented technology enables producers to ensure their livestock get the water and feed they need while reducing grazing pressures on already drought-ravaged livestock properties.
Ancestor of all modern crocodilians discovered in outback Queensland
In 2006, fossils of the world's most primitive modern crocodilian were discovered near the outback town of Isisford, in central-western Queensland, Australia. The new animal, named Isisfordia duncani, was found as a result of work by an international team of palaeontologists, headed by Dr Steve Salisbury from UQ's School of Integrative Biology.
Banana power
Between 2004 and 2005, Associate Professor Bill Clarke proved energy in the form of methane could be produced from banana waste. Then, in 2008, Growcom, a peak horticulture organisation, transformed his research into a commercial-scale project in North Queensland where bananas are far from scarce.
Triple P
The Positive Parenting Program was developed at UQ by Professor Matthew Sanders and colleagues. Triple P was based on 30 years' clinical research. The program is now used by governments and health authorities in 17 countries and a landmark US study recently demonstrated its ability to reduce rates of child abuse.
New type of vision discovered
Professor Justin Marshall, from UQ's School of Biomedical Sciences and the Queensland Brain Institute discovered the common mantis shrimp saw light in a vastly different way from other animals, including humans. The shrimps have 12 colour channels – humans have three – and can see both linear and circular polarised light.
Cost-effective solar energy closer
In 2008, a research team from UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology "grew" the world's first titanium oxide single crystals with large amounts of reactive surfaces, a feat previously thought impossible. Team leader Professor Max Lu, now UQ's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), said at the time that such highly active surfaces in the crystals allowed for high reactivity and efficiency in devices used for solar energy conversion and hydrogen production.
First book on Aboriginal architecture
Gunyah, Goondie & Wurley, published in 2008, began life in the 1970s when author and Professor Paul Memmott began his postgraduate research with various indigenous communities in north-west Queensland.
Brain tumour breakthrough
In 2008, Australian and American scientists identified the origins of the most malignant type of brain tumour – medulloblastomas – in a discovery which could lead to better therapies and improve our understanding of cancer biology. The team was led by Professor Brandon Wainwright, Director of UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience and Dr Robert Wechser-Reya from Duke University.
Gas-separation technology
The microscopic sieves that trap environmentally destructive greenhouse gases before they escape from coal-fired power stations were developed by UQ and Forschungszentrum Julich scientists. The UQ scientists working on the project were from the Australian Research Council's Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, then directed by Professor Max Lu, who was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) in 2009.
Helping charities apply for funding
In 2005, UQ software engineer Chooi Guan Lim built a computer program called Ezy Grant Writer which guided users step-by-step on how to apply for grants. The program helped charity and community groups unlock millions of dollars in grants by generating a grant proposal in a range of formats based on answers to a series of 50 questions.
Kava key to treating anxiety
In 2009, PhD candidate from UQ's School of Medicine Jerome Sarris was lead researcher on a world-first clinical trial which found a water-soluble extract of kava was effective in treating anxiety and improving mood.
First survey of world's dress styles
In her book entitled Dress and Globalisation published in 2004, Associate Professor Margaret Maynard from UQ's School of English, Media Studies and Art History, drew together issues of consumption, ethnicity, gender and the body. The landmark publication – the first of its kind – dispelled a theory popular at the time that a universal dress code was developing.
5000th PhD awarded
Dr Michele Foster became the University's 5000th PhD graduate in December, 2001. Her study sought to understand factors influencing the type of rehabilitation people with traumatic brain injury received after leaving hospitals in Brisbane and a Queensland provincial city.
Bali cattle profits beefed up
In 2005, Indonesian farmers on the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa, east of Bali, adopted a UQ-developed Integrated Production System saving on labour costs and doubling their annual incomes. Under the system, farmers selected better bulls, controlled seasonal mating, weaned earlier and managed diets and supplementary calf feeding.
Genetic dimmer switch for fruit
UQ researchers from the Australian Research Centre for Integrative Legume Research were part of an international consortium which isolated a new plant gene, Ramosus 1, which controls shoot growth. The gene was found to regulate two unknown plant hormones that controlled branching. With more research into hormone interaction, scientists could tweak plants to produce more or fewer shoots which would free up plant resources for sweeter cane or bigger fruit.
Quantum computing
In 2000, Professor Gerard Milburn of UQ's Centre for Quantum Computer Technology collaborated with scientists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory to develop a form of quantum computation using light.
First bibliography of Australian literature
The 15-year AustLit research project involving UQ and a host of partners resulted in completion of a four-volume Bibliography of Australian Literature in 2009, which recorded 40,000 works and 12,000 authors.
Growth gene discovered
In 2000, Dr Bernard Degnan from UQ's then Department of Zoology and Entomology, together with scientists from around the world found a small gene, called let-7, was essential to development in the early stages of life across a wide range of species. The large biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef played a key role in the search with Dr Degnan using the Heron island Research Station as a base for investigating sponges, coral, ascidians and abalone.
Schizophrenia linked to vitamin D deficiency
In 2001, Associate Professor John McGrath from UQ's Department of Psychiatry suggested mothers who lacked the Vitamin D provided by sunlight during pregnancy could have children who later developed schizophrenia.
HyShot Program
The world's first flight-test of supersonic combustion in July 2002 raised the possibility of Sydney-to-London flights in two hours and greater efficiencies in the launch of small space payloads.
"Grow your own arteries"
A team led by Professor Julie Campbell, of UQ's Centre for Research in Vascular Biology, developed a new surgical technique to greatly improve the effectiveness of heart-bypass operations. The technique may allow surgeons to grow artificial arteries inside a patient's body and be ready for use in a transplant operation within weeks.
Deepest rocks
UQ's Earth Sciences Department Professor Ken Collerson led a team which discovered the world's deepest mantle rocks originating from between 400km and 670km beneath the Earth's surface. The rocks were from Malaita in the Solomon Islands.
Drought-resistant plants
Since its formation in June 2007, Aussie Colours has released a number of new native flowering plant varieties to nurseries throughout Australia. Outback Princess® (Ptilotus nobilus), has also been sold for cut flowers to the Japanese market, and in 2009, one Aussie Colours' variety was released for sale in the USA and Canada.
Dinosaur dig
A joint UQ–Queensland Museum team unearthed the remains of a second giant dinosaur at a dig near Winton in central-west Queensland. It seems in his last hours, 98–95 million years ago, "Elliott" had a companion, a second sauropod whom the scientists named "Mary" in honour of Dr Mary Wade, a former Queensland Museum palaeontology curator.
Oldest meteor pounding
In 2002, a research team from UQ's Advanced Centre for Isotope Research Excellence helped discover terrestrial evidence of a meteorite bombardment almost four billion years ago. The team analysed 3.8 billion-year-old rocks from West Greenland collected by Oxford University collaborator Professor Stephen Moorbath and from Northern Labrador in Canada collected by Professor Collerson.
New type of dwarf galaxy found
Dr Michael Drinkwater from UQ's School of Physical Sciences led an international team that discovered a new type of very small galaxy known as an "ultra-compact dwarf galaxy".
Turning off autoimmune disease once it has started
The UQ Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research team at Princess Alexandra Hospital found a molecular control mechanism to re-educate the immune system. Centre Deputy Director Associate Professor Ranjeny Thomas and her team believed the work provided a possible vaccine against auto-immune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile diabetes.
World's most comprehensive model for understanding bird extinction
Co-created by Dr Ian Owens, of UQ's Department of Zoology and Entomology, and the Imperial College Department of Biology, the model was the first to consider the many different routes to extinction including habitat loss, human persecution and predation.
Swine flu vaccine
In early 2009, UQ research produced the first Australian batch of a new candidate vaccine against the H1N1 "swine flu" virus.

1990s

World's first genome centre opened
In April 1999, the world's first generic genome research centre undertaking DNA analysis on a broad spectrum of organisms was opened at UQ and named the Australian Genome Research Facility.
Smallest organisms found
UQ researchers discovered novel miniature organisms they named nanobes which called into question the minimum size of life as we knew it on earth. At 20 to 150 nanometres (billionths of a metre) in length, the organisms were much smaller than the smallest terrestrial bacteria ever found on the planet at that time, in 1999.
More PhD completions than any other Australian university
In 1991 and 1992, UQ had more PhD completions than any other Australian university with 360 in 1991 and 1992. In addition, the number of PhD students choosing to study at UQ increased by more than 50 percent in the three years leading up to the result. The number of students involved in the University's PhD program grew from 1234 in 1991 to 1861 in 1994 to 2200 in 1997.
Sox-9 gene discovery
In 1995, a team led by Professor Peter Koopman, principal research fellow with the University's Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology discovered a gene pivotal in skeletal development in vertebrates. In 1997, UniQuest Limited signed a licensing agreement covering intellectual property related to the gene.
Faster fruit fly identification
UQ and Queensland Department of Primary Industries researchers developed a genetic-based test which cut identification time of damaging papaya fruit fly larvae from 30 days to 36 hours.
High-resolution sensor developed
In 1993, the University's Centre for Magnetic Resonance developed a new, lightweight sensor which could achieve "world-class image" with higher resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopy than previously thought possible. The fibre-optic system overcame problems of poor or "ghosted" images in conventional magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy caused when organs such as the lungs or the heart were moving.
Skin cancer gene identified
Australian (including UQ), US and Swedish researchers cracked one of the great genetic detective mysteries by isolating the gene responsible for predisposition to the most common form of cancer – a skin cancer known as basal cell carcinoma.
Longest-running Down syndrome study
In September 1997, the then Schonell Special Education Research Centre celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Down Syndrome Research program, which had provided unique and important insights into the health and development of the children's lives as well as information about family functioning.
Predictive tool for the presence of methane
A multidisciplinary UQ research team discovered bitumen (heavy oil) in coal seams was a reliable indicator of the presence of significant quantities of methane gas. The discovery paved the way for the development of a computer software program to predict the quantity and volatility of methane present before mining began. Methane is one of the main causes of explosions and miner fatalities for the mining industry throughout the world.
Gene test breakthrough
In a world first, Medicine Department and National Heart Foundation of Australia clinical research fellow Dr Michael Stowasser developed and applied a test for a potentially dangerous genetic disorder in newborn babies. The test detects the presence of a hybrid gene causing a condition known as Familial Hyperaldosteronism Type I (FH-1).
Help for horses
In what was believed to be a world breakthrough, UQ researchers identified the cause of and a potential preventive treatment for equine laminitis – the second-biggest killer of horses after colic. Dr Chris Pollitt of the Companion Animal Medicine and Surgery Department and Dr Michael Pass of the Physiology and Pharmacology Department identified an enzyme as the cause of the horse-hoof disintegration symptomatic of laminitis.
Caffeine fix for babies
UQ Pharmacy Department senior lecturer Dr Bruce Charles and then final-year PhD student Toong Lee, proved for the first time caffeine's effectiveness in treating apnoea (temporary cessation of breathing) in very premature babies.
Psychiatric services taken to the bush
A joint UQ and Queensland Health telemedicine project improved and in some cases brought psychiatric services to Queensland's most remote areas for the first time in October, 1995.
$100 research expenditure mark reached
UQ passed the $100 million mark for research expenditure for the first time, spending $114.9 million on research in 1992, according to finance and research data newly compiled by the then Department for Employment, Education and Training. This compared with $82.4 million spent by the University on research in 1990 and $92.2 million in 1991.
Coldest atoms
UQ Physics Department researchers achieved Australia's coldest atoms in August 1995, opening up possibilities for the future creation of ultra-sensitive measuring equipment.
Worldwide patent for hormone discovery
UQ researchers found that a hormone they discovered years ago had the potential to treat some cancers, accelerate wound healing, prevent rejection of transplanted organs and control auto-immune disease. Surgery Department senior research fellow Dr Halle Morton and chief professional officer Dr Alice Cavanagh found the hormone they named Early Pregnancy Factor was released from cells within four to 24 hours after fertilisation.
Aluminium alloy breakthrough
A team of UQ researchers developed a Powder Metallurgy (P/M) processed aluminium alloy which was 40 percent stronger than existing commercial aluminium alloys paving the way for the replacement of a greater range of steel car parts. At the time, 1995, the discovery was considered the most significant development in the area since the 1960s and 1970s when American company Alcoa succeeded in developing a P/M processed aluminium alloy suitable for use in typewriters and photocopiers.
Slimline mobile satellite antenna invention
UQ Electrical and Computer Engineering Department researchers successfully tested the first – and one of the world's first – antenna systems which allowed access to the Optus Mobilesat network. The new antenna would prove useful for emergency services, defence force personnel, travelling business people and for managing large fleets of trucks and aircraft.
Renaissance music dictionary
The University Music Department lecturer Dr Graham Strahle completed a music terminology dictionary in 1995 entitled An early Music Dictionary: Terms from British Sources 1500–1740 after nine years painstaking study. Published by Cambridge University Press, the 507-page dictionary contained more than 9000 words and their meanings.
Structure of liver receptor
UQ researchers solved a molecular puzzle which had eluded the world's scientific community for more than a decade. Associate professors Paul Kroon and Ross Smith of the Biochemistry Department pinpointed the structure of a key segment of a segment, found in the liver, which played a vital role in clearing cholesterol from the bloodstream.
World's first comprehensive historical atlas of Indonesia
History Department senior lecturer Dr Robert Cribb completed the atlas in 1995 after three years of research. The atlas contained more than 200 maps as well as a 20,000-word text detailing most aspects of Indonesian life including geographical information about the region 230 million years ago and the first human settlement 60,000 years ago.
Bipolar breakthrough
Vision, Touch and Hearing Research Centre Director Professor Jack Pettigrew and associate Dr Steven Miller found evidence that people with bipolar disorder (manic depression) had a slower switching mechanism between the left and right hemispheres of their brains. The researchers found that the slower switching mechanism resulted in the brain being more vulnerable to becoming "stuck" in mood-related regions of one or other hemisphere.
Watching the brain think
Centre for Magnetic Resonance researchers used non-invasive, fast magnetic resonance imaging techniques for the first time in Australia to monitor the human brain as it thought. The project had major application in psychology in determining which brain areas were used when performing visual or motor tasks and had long-term applications in understanding disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.
Coffee bean synchronicity
A technique developed by UQ horticulturalist Dr James Drinnan to synchronise the ripening of coffee cherries helped to boost north Queensland's coffee yield and drastically reduce harvesting costs. The "water-stressing" techniques meant growers could use cheaper mechanical harvesting methods because of more uniform flowering and fruit maturity.
Artificial insemination of koalas
The birth of a baby koala in May 1998 was the first artificial-breeding success in any marsupial. Less than a decade later, in 2006, more koala joeys produced by artificial insemination (AI) were introduced to the world as part of the development of the world's first koala sperm bank. The eight joeys were conceived using new breeding technology, which used sperm mixed with a special solution that prolonged the sperm's shelf-life.
The Lucid software program
Developed in 1997 by the then Entomology Department and the Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Pest management, Lucid provided a faster, simpler system for identifying insects and other organisms. The system – which used images rather than complicated classification terms – proved a godsend for hard-pressed quarantine officers at ports and airports the world over.
X3 tunnel work began
In 1994, UQ mechanical engineers began to build the world's fastest expansion tunnel designed to reach speeds of 15km/second or Mach 45 – 45 times the speed of sound. The new tunnel, to be known as X3, targeted speeds required for interplanetary space travel.
World-first particle manipulation
UQ experimental laser physicists trapped and rotated microscopic particles within a single-beam laser trap, known as optical tweezers.
Sheep parasite test
Professor Peter Outteridge, head of UQ's Farm Animal Medicine and Production Department, developed the world-first blood test which enabled farmers to identify sheep with a natural resistance to parasites.
Cone snail venom as pain-reliever
Centre for Drug Design and Development (3-D Centre) in collaboration with Australian pharmaceutical company AMRAD isolated tiny proteins and peptides from the venom of 50 species of Great Barrier Reef cone shell snails. Work on conotoxins as a drugs lead started in Australia 20 years ago by the late Professor Bob Endean of UQ's Zoology Department who first identified the potential of cone shell snail venom for pharmaceuticals. In 2000, an IMB spin-off company, Xenome Limited, was launched to advance the research.
HeartSmart eggs
In 1994 and after years of research, Associate Professor David Farrell from UQ's then Agriculture Department, launched the new eggs which contained a higher level of the essential fatty acid, Omega 3.
First history of Buddhism published
In 1994 and after 15 years work, Dr Ross Reat, senior lecturer in UQ's Studies in Religion Department, published the first complete single volume history of Buddhism entitled Buddhism – A History. The book was the first in a series published by Asian Humanities Press in Berkeley, California, titled Religions of the World, of which Dr Reat was general editor.
Superconducting materials
In early 1994, UQ researchers published international patents in Geneva for an industrial method to develop high-temperature superconducting material in large quantities. Up until that time, only very small quantities of superconducting material such as yttrium barium copper oxide existed limiting its bulk usage in heavy engineering industries.
Genetically engineered sugarcane planted in open field conditions
In a world-first, 800 of the plants were grown at the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations Eight Mile Plains Pathology Farm near Brisbane. The planting followed 10 years of laboratory and glasshouse trials. In 1992, a team of UQ botanists led by Professor Robert Birch produced the world's first transgenic sugarcane plants, using a new gene-transfer system, as a strategy to develop disease-resistant cane for the sugar industry.
Sino–Australian wool production study
The project, initially funded by a $750,000 Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research grant, identified key problems facing both the sheep and wool industry in China including the degradation of environmentally sensitive rangelands. It later contributed to Chinese tariff changes and an extra $2.8 million a year for the Australian economy.
The Literacy and Technology Hands On (LATCH-ON) program
Which provided a literacy program for young adults with intellectual disabilities. The Endeavour Foundation made the program available to its clients under a licensing agreement. The program was based on years of research within UQ's then Fred and Eleanor Schonell Special Research Centre and collaborations with researchers in Europe and North America.
New PVC position created
The University's Senate in March 1992 approved the creation of a new position, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Postgraduate Studies). The position superseded the Academic Director of Research which had been held by Professor Peter Sheehan who was subsequently appointed to the new PVC role.
Record sales of mining software
In 1992, sales of a minerals processing simulation software package developed by JKTech – JKSimMet – passed the 100 mark. At that time, the package, launched internationally in 1986, was the largest-selling package of its kind in the world, generating $1 million in revenue. Its sales far exceeded expectations of 20–30 sales in five years.
First macadamia nut grading system
In 1992, UQ Gatton researchers in collaboration with Department of Primary Industries researchers developed a prototype grading system using flotation to separate nuts into different grades based on their oil contents.
Human growth hormone understanding
UQ researchers and their international collaboration made several world advances with discoveries improving fundamental understanding of body growth. A 10-strong research team led by Dr Mike Waters began 10 years previously funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian Research Council. Some of the breakthrough findings included locating growth hormone receptors in the foetus during the first trimester; locating growth hormone receptors for the first time within the brain, in teeth and the gut; and improving understanding of how growth hormone influences metabolism.
First DNA probe into schizophrenia
In 1992, UQ clinical senior lecturer Dr Bryan Mowry, of the then Psychiatry Department, in collaboration with Dr Nicholas Hayward, head of the Human Genetics Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, joined an American group to probe the part inherited factors or genes played in producing vulnerability to schizophrenia, which affects one percent of the world's population.
Scramjet prototype flown for the first time anywhere in the world
The tests were completed in a shock tunnel facility by research fellow Dr Allan Paull and QEII fellow Dr David Mee in 1993. The 300mm-long prototype was built in the Mechanical Engineering Department to a design by Australia's only professor of space engineering, the University's Professor Ray Stalker.
First Dean of Postgraduate Studies
In 1993, then head of the University's Psychology Department Professor David Siddle was appointed UQ's first Dean of Postgraduate Studies. At that time, UQ had the nation's third-largest population of postgraduate students – 4000 – including approximately 1600 PhD students.

1980s

First foal born as a result of embryo transfer
In 1983, the foal, named "Threepence" was born at the University's Veterinary Sciences Farm at Pinjarra Hills. The embryo transfer research involved a non-surgical technique of extracting an embryo from a mare around the seventh day after conception and being implanted into a recipient mare for the rest of the gestation period. The research, which allowed a valuable mare to produce three or more foals a year, was pioneered by Robyn Woodward and Kerry Dowsett of UQ's Department of Animal Production.
Development of Queensland's first in vitro fertilisation program for childless couples
In 1983, three UQ researchers – Dr Douglas Keeping from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Professor Tim Glover and Dr Jim Cummins, from the Department of Veterinary Anatomy – were among nine members of the Queensland Fertility Group which set up the program for childless couples.
Publication of first authoritative and comprehensive guide to eastern Australian bats
It took then UQ Anatomy tutor Les Hall and collaborator G.C Richards, of the CSIRO Division of Wildlife Research, more than 12 months to prepare the book Bats of Eastern Australia profiling 55 species. In 1981, Mr Hall discovered a species of bat never before seen in Australia – a Murina bat – trapped in the tropical rainforest on the Atherton Tableland.
1000th PhD awarded
In February 1982, UQ celebrated the awarding of its 1000th PhD to Dr Martyn Peart. Dr Peart was presented with a commemorative tray to mark the event. At that time, the University was awarding about 70 PhDs each year. Advanced postgraduate work at PhD level developed during World War II with the first PhD awarded in 1952 to William Graham Henderson Maxwell.
Another good year for UniQuest Limited
In June 1988, UniQuest Limited, the University's technology transfer company, announced it had doubled its annual sales figure for the fourth year in a row with sales totalling almost $8.5 million. The company was said to be trending upward since it was established in 1984 with sales of $597,315 in the first six months of operation.
Shock tunnel
The completion in 1987 of a 25-metre shock tunnel capable of simulating the speed of a satellite orbiting Earth. At the time, the tunnel was only the second facility of its kind in the world (both in Australia) capable of simulating an orbital speed of 7.8 kilometres a second. The tunnel became the ideal test facility for the development of revolutionary, air-breathing space engines (scramjets) and is the brainchild of Emeritus Professor Ray Stalker.
First Academic Director of Research
Professor Peter Sheehan, of the University's Psychology Department, was appointed as the University's first Academic Director for Research in 1987. The position was created by University Senate to take responsibility for developing research policy and planning and co-ordinating research activities within the University.
Mining software breakthrough
In 1987, a computer software package based on 25 years of UQ research achieved international sales before its official release. The package, known as JKMetSim, was developed from mathematical models evolved at UQ's Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre.
Blood-clot test
Using a specially produced antibody, a team from the University's then Department of Medicine at Princess Alexandra Hospital, developed laboratory tests to measure fragments in the blood found to occur in high levels in patients with thrombosis or incidences of blood clotting. The test became routinely used in hospitals in Australasia, North America, Japan and Europe. Associate Professor Alan Whittaker first began working on the test in 1976 and said it was particularly helpful for people about to undertake surgery.
New mouthguard invented
The device, unveiled in 1987, was four years in the making by then UQ senior lecturer in oral surgery Dr Pat Chapman and differed from what was on offer at the time as it enclosed both the upper and lower teeth instead of just the upper jaw.
Poultry vaccine
In 1987, a scientific breakthrough allowed cheap and easy vaccination against Newcastle disease, a viral disease of poultry. The breakthrough was the result of a 20-year collaboration between Professor Peter Spradbrow and colleagues at UQ's Department of Veterinary Pathology and Public Health, and researchers at the Universiti Pertanian, Kula Lumpur, led by Professor Abdul Latif Ibrahim. Its advantage was that it could be administered orally through sprays or drinking water to flocks without having to catch and treat each chicken individually.
First NMR images
The first human magnetic resonance images in Australia were obtained by UQ and Griffith University scientists using a new facility at the Mater Hospital. The images provided fascinating new perspectives of the human hand, wrist, head, ankle, foot and Achilles tendon.
Bovine ephemeral fever vaccine
The vaccine was the result of 15 years' research in the virology laboratory of UQ's Department of Veterinary Pathology and Public Health.
Earthquake detectors
In 1985, an instrument so sensitive it can measure how a slab of rock changes shape under the touch of a finger – movement defined as one part in 10 billion – was devised by Dr M.T. Gladwin, an Associate Professor in the Physics Department, for research into earthquakes and their causes with a view to developing a predictive system. Eight of the instruments were placed 200 metres deep in concrete-filled boreholes in California on the San Andreas fault.

1970s

New wheat variety
In 1974, a new wheat variety named "Oxley" was released as a result of work done jointly by Dr JR Syme, a Research Fellow in the Department of Agriculture at UQ, and members of the then Department of Primary Industries. "Oxley" was bred from high-yielding Mexican wheat WW15. The Mexican program under Noel Prize winner Professor Borlaug at that time stimulated a "Green Revolution" in several underdeveloped countries.
Blood typing service for horse-racing industry
Funded by a $60,000 grant from the Australian Jockey Club, the service, then unique in Australia (1977) allowed for parentage verification and identification of horses and was organised by Dr Kevin Bell, senior lecturer in physiology at the time.
Establishment of beef cattle industry in the Solomon Islands
Also in 1977, the University was credited by then Solomons' Chief Minister Peter Kenilorea (now Sir Peter) with establishing a cattle industry with the potential to be a major export earner through the canned meat trade. The project finished in 1982 after making a substantial contribution to the Solomon's beef cattle industry. Since 1969, the number of cattle more than doubled from 11,000 to 25,000.

1960s

Research becomes the norm
By 1960, research activity within UQ departments was increasingly becoming the norm. It was reported that in this first year of the 1960s, more than 500 separate projects were under way at the University.
Breakthroughs in understanding the size of the skin cancer problem in Queensland
Seminal publications were generated from UQ’s then Department of Social & Preventive Medicine in the 1960s on the skin cancer problem in Queensland and occupational health by Professor Doug Gordon, Foundation Professor of the Department and Dr Harold Silverstone, the first Reader in Medical Statistics.

1950s

Research must be major activity
Following the prompting of the Murray Committee (on Australian Universities), then Vice-Chancellor JD Story reported in 1958 that "University research and invention must now be rated as a major University activity".
First UQ honorary doctorate of letters awarded
Language research has been a pillar of humanities scholarship since the University began in 1910. This first doctorate of letters was awarded to a language researcher – Eric Partridge – in 1964. Dr Partridge was an accomplished linguist and lexicographer, especially in the areas of etymology and slang.
Lightning insights
UQ's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department made significant contributions to world understanding of lightning from the 1950s onwards through the establishment of facilities such as the high-voltage laboratory – the first of its kind in Australia. Dr David MacKerras and Professor Mat Darveniza worked on many projects including sing US satellite data to investigate the frequency of lightning strikes worldwide. In April 1997, the University patented an ingenious device to prevent lightning damage to sensitive electronic equipment such as computers, computers, telephones and microwave links. The transient blocking unit was invented by Dr Richard Harris, who recently completed a PhD supervised by Professor Darveniza.
First PhD awarded
In 1952, UQ awarded its first PhD to the late William Graham Henderson Maxwell.

1940s

First attempt to generalise research throughout the University
In September 1947, the University of Queensland Gazette ran an article entitled "the University and Scientific Research", listing the 44 projects currently financed by the Commonwealth Government of the day and stressing the need for staff and money for research purposes.

1920s

Pitch-drop experiment
The experiment, which began in 1927 by the University's first professor of physics, Professor Thomas Parnell, is still going with one drop of pitch dropping through the funnel on average once every eight years.
The pitch-drop experiment is one of only two in the world and revolves around the enormous viscosity of pitch – about 10,000 million times that of water at room temperature.
Professor Parnell set up the experiment by warming a sample of pitch and pouring it into a glass funnel with a sealed stem. Three years later, in 1930, when the pitch ad consolidated, he cut the stem and the pitch began to flow.
The first drop fell in 1938 with the most recent drop – the eighth – occurring in 2000. Strangely, nobody has ever witnessed the pitch actually drop.

 

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