Research Strengths
Macquarie University operates at the forefront of research practice in several distinct areas. These research strengths are the foundation of Macquarie University’s international reputation.
The University is home to some of the world’s most pre-eminent researchers. These teams and individuals work across disciplinary boundaries to create real change in our society.
Key areas of research strength at Macquarie are:
Ancient Cultures
The Ancient Cultures Research Centre (MQACRC) undertakes collaborative research on cross-cultural interaction in ancient cultures from Western Europe to China. It concentrates not only on the history of the societies concerned, but on the languages they used, and has a special focus on the close study of physical artefacts from antiquity.
Animal Behavior
The Animal Behaviour Lab focuses on communication and cognitive processes in a range of organisms including birds, lizards and jumping spiders.Astronomy and Astrophysics
Macquarie specialises in wide-field astronomy, optical, infrared and radio studies of planetary nebulae, binary stars, supernova remnants, stellar proper motions, galactic archaeology, theoretical studies of shock-waves, star formation and black holes. We also research innovative approaches to astronomy education.
Biomolecular Frontiers
The Biomolecular Frontiers Research Centre links our international research leaders in microbial functional genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and bioinformatics with high performance University technology pre-positioned for new advances in systems biology.
See also
Australian Proteome Analysis Facility (APAF)
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility
Environmental Biotechnology
Grain Foods
Fluorescence Applications in Biotechnology and Life Sciences
NCRIS Manufacture of Biofuels
Biofuels or Alternative Fuels or Fuel Efficiency
The Manufacture of Biofuels is a National Collaborative Research project aiming to provide Australian based researchers with subsidised access to quality facilities, technologically advanced equipment, and technical expertise required for process development and pilot scale manufacture of biofuels and other products from lignocellulosic biomass.
Capital Markets
The Capital Markets Cooperative Research Centre (CMRC) is the initiative of a group of researchers, Universities including Macquarie and industry partners who work together to develop new and innovative technologies for the capital markets domain.
Category Theory
The Centre of Australian Category Theory (CoACT) develops an algebra of widespread applicability for the synthesis and analysis of systems and processes in fields such as physics, computer science and mathematics itself.
Climate Risk
The Climate Futures team is a multi-disciplinary group with expertise in climatology, water, coastal processes, geomorphology, ecology, economics, law and governance, social policy, planning and risk analysis. We examine the impacts of climate variability and change.
See also
The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility
Cognitive Science
The Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science has a special emphasis on three domains of cognition: Pshycholinguistics, Visual Cognition and Cognitive Neurophsychiatry.See also
Institute for Human Cognition and Brain Sciences and Cognition and its Disorders (Stephen Cain)
Ecology and Evolution Team
The Genes to Geoscience Research Centre is a federation of independent labs focusing life sciences and earth sciences. Our research covers molecular technologies and biological detail, to world-scales in space and geology-scales in time.
See also
The Vegetation Function Network
Early Childhood
The Children and Families Research Centre has been established to meet the need for information about how best to support children and their families in Australia.
Children and families Research Centre [http://www.iec.mq.edu.au/research/cfrc/cfrc_home/]
Earth and Planetary Evolution
The ARC National Key Centre for Geochemical evolution and Metallogeny of continents is based in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Macquarie University. This research focuses on Lithospheric Studies and Global Geodynamics.
See also
Emotional Health
The Centre for Emotional Health focuses on research into the understanding, treatment and prevention of anxiety, depression and related mental health problems. The group is widely cited for work on aetiological modelling, low-cost dissemination of interventions, and prevention and early intervention.
Financial Risk
The Centre for Financial Risk brings together researchers on uncertainty in capital markets. We specialise in research into the implications of dependencies between risks for financial institutions, risk management for superannuation and financial plans, currency risk and the role of central banks, how business cycle risks impact on asset returns, managing risks to electricity supplies and survival analysis for medical costs and insurance companies.
International Governance and Performance
The International Governance and Performance Research Centre was established in February 2011. It seeks to encompass all international governance and performance research themes and topics in today’s multidimensional, cross-cultural global settings. IGAP seeks to provide leadership in this space with its expertise in:
Governance: international accounting and cross-border business integration, reporting and regulatory compliance frameworks, audit
and assurance (external, internal, financial and non-financial), audit committees, risks, ethics, fraud, sustainability
and culture.
Performance: management policies, processes and controls, information systems, management reporting, performance
measurements, management behaviour, and risk management.
Language Sciences
The Centre for Language Sciences encompasses theoretical, experimental and computational issues in a variety of areas including linguistics, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics, lexicography, audiology and speech science.
See also
Macquarie Centre for Cognitive science (MACCS)
Institute of Human Cognition and Brain science (IHCBS)
Lasers and Photonics
The MQ Photonics research centre undertakes fundamental and applied research in lasers and photonics, with a particular focus on seven frontiers of optical science: astrophotonics, biophotonics, microphotonic optical systems, nano-optics and nanophotonics, photonic sources, optical sensing and imaging, and ultrafast laser applications.
See also
The Centre for Ultrahigh-bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems (CUDOS)
Legal Governance
Or research is concerned with issues relating to the legal governance and regulatory problems facing governments, businesses, and communities, such as global and national governance, environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and the medico-legal challenges of human health.
Neuroscience, Vascular Sciences and Surgery
Our neuroscience expertise integrates research across cardiorespiratory, pain, degenerative neurological disease and visual sciences. Our vascular and cardiology groups specialise in blood flow and vascular disease research, cardiovascular imaging and preventative cardiology. Our surgery groups undertake research in neurosurgery, surgical infection and clinical ethics, including issues surrounding innovative surgery and organ donation.
Quantum Information Science and Security Team
Our research centre combines physics, mathematics, computer science, engineering and biochemistry to engage in novel research towards deepening our understanding in quantum science and technology.
See also
Centre of Quantum Computer Technology
Social, Cultural and Political Change
Our research covers some of the most interesting issues at the intersection of history, politics and culture. Our current focus is on world history, Australian politics, political theory, identity and gender politics, women’s history and Australian media history.
Social Inclusion
The Centre for Research on Social Inclusion is an interdisciplinary group of researchers from disciplines such as Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, Cultural Studies, and Human Geography who research into contemporary social justice issues. This includes the social, cultural, economic and political determinations of inclusion and exclusion, particularly in the context of globalisation.
Special Education
The Macquarie University Special Education Centre (MUSEC) undertakes research projects focusing on the behavior and difficulties of young children and school students with special needs and disabilities.
Wireless Communications
The Wireless Communication and Networking laboratory conducts research into emerging technologies such as wireless body area networks for medical applications or cognitive radio networks for next generation mobile communication systems.
See also
Collaborative Nonlinear Electronics Research Facility
Electromagnetic and Antenna Engineering