The Higher Degrees by Research community is the foundation of the university’s research and innovation culture. Cultivating novel research outputs and increasing global impact through HDR projects is core to maintaining the university status of Torrens University.
About the centre
Torrens University Australia’s Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) Centre is focused on building a large and vibrant graduate research student cohort. We recognise that this is an essential part of the strong research fabric of the university.
The HDR Centre endeavours to support research at Torrens University and around the world by building the community of HDR students and supporting students through high-quality higher degree research supervision and training.
Higher Degrees by Research courses
The HDR Centre currently offers a Graduate Certificate of Research Studies (2028), Graduate Diploma of Research Studies (2029), Master of Research Studies (2031), Master of Philosophy (2028), Professional Doctorate (2028) and a Doctor of Philosophy (2030).
Fields of education
HDR Student recruitment is aligned to the Fields of Education (02 Information Technology, 06 Health, 07 Education, 08 Management and Commerce, 10 Creative Arts, 11 Food Hospitality and Personal Services and 09 Society and Culture) and offers supervision in the Fields of Research at Torrens University Australia (46 Information and Computing Sciences, 32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 42 Health Sciences, 35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services, 33 Built Environment and Design, 44 Human Society).
The vibrant research environment is supported by on-campus HDR training and tutorials, PhD-qualified expert supervisors, an HDR helpdesk, a community of practice, a research seminar series, and world-class facilities, as well as computer, technology and library support on each campus and online.
Higher Degrees by Research values and goals
The HDR centre's values and goals align with Torrens University Australia - Research Strategic Priorities.
- Positive relationships with our students and a quality student experience (TUAG1)
- Positive relationships with our Torrens University team supervisors, stakeholders, and students (TUA G2)
- Progressing students and completions (TUAG3)
- Growing students’ numbers and building community (TUAG3)
- Positive contribution to the Torrens University and research and innovation strategic goals (TUAG3)
- Ethical research conduct and aligned the regulatory environment (TUAG4)
Higher Degrees by Research governance framework
The HDR centre and committee are a subcommittee of the Research Committee which reports to Academic Board and resides in the Research and Innovation office. The Higher Degree Policy framework is guided by the principles of Responsible conduct of research including Human Research Ethics Procedure and Managing and Investigating Breaches of Responsible Research Conduct with a clear application of these principles elaborated in the Higher Degree by Research Policy and Higher Degree by Research Procedure and admission and coursework is also supported by English Language Proficiency Requirements, Academic integrity policy, Student conduct policy, Student complaints policy and Enrolment policy.
The Higher Degree by Research Policy and Procedure, the Higher Degree by Research Supervision Policy and Procedure outline clearly outline the roles, responsibilities and requirements of the HDR courses and the delivery of quality supervision to support students to HDR completion.
The following guide the requirements, timelines, and process for examination for students.
- Higher Degree by Research Student Progress Procedure
- Higher Degree by Research Thesis Submission and Examination Procedure
- Higher Degree by Research Thesis Guidelines
Research training funding application and management is clearly outlined in:
- Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarships Policy
- Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarships Guidelines
- Research Training Program Scholarships Application Form
This policy framework is supported by a suite of forms and templates.
The HDR centre is committed to the student experience. Students with a grievance can formally and informally can engage with the grievance process found in the student complaints policy.
Higher Degrees by Research Centre team
Professor Margee Hume
Dean, Higher Degrees by Research
Associate Professor Belinda Moloney
Higher Degrees by Research Candidate Manager
Lauren Dougherty
Higher Degrees by Research Administration Officer
Leah Nerris
Higher Degrees by Research Data & Administration Officer
Affiliated staff members
HDR Directors
Dr. Cindy Lee & Associate Professor Justin Pierce (Business)
Dr. Fiona Chatteur (Design)
Dr. Amy Li (Health)
Higher Degrees by Research Supervisors
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FoR 32: Biomedical and Clinical Sciences
Torrens University Australia Supervisor
Title Supervision Areas FoR code Amber Moore Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM), Education 32 Amy Li Heart Disease, Chronic Disease, Physiology, Gene Sequencing, Proteomics, Human Biobanking 32 Bhawna Gupta Cancer Epidemiology, Oral Health, Head & Neck Cancers, Oral Cancers, Dental Caries, Periodontitis, Tobacco, Musculo-Skeletal Injuries, Injuries 32 Calum Downie Ageing, Biomechanics, Anatomy 32 Cath Rogers Nursing, Health Workforce, Resilience, Spirituality 32 Craig McLachlan Cardiovascular Pathophysiology, Medical Devices & Industry, Genetics - For Cardiovascular & Metabolic Risk, Clinical Sciences, Public Health - Nepal - Cardiovascular Screening, Kenya - Cardiovascular Health Systems & Ngos, Rare Disease Cognitive & Mental Health In Chronic Conditions Such As CVD, Blood Pressure Targets, Aortic Stiffening On Blood Flow, Cardiac Imaging Studies 32 Danielle Burgess Perinatal, Endocrinology, Physiology, Mental Health, Through A Physiology & Neuroscience Lens. 32 Elsa Dent Frailty, Nutrition, Functional Decline, Older People, Sarcopenia 32 Fahad Hanna Public Health Interventions, Clinical Trials, Prevention, Lifestyle Risk Factors, Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Systematic Review 32 Hannah Wechkunanukul Public Health, Digital Health, Pharmacy, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Disease, Preconception, Ethnicity, Health Education 32
Adjunct, External Collaborator & Partner
Title Supervision Areas FoR code Hosen Kiat Preventative Medicine, Imaging Medicine, Cardiology, Cardiovascular Medicine 32 Jen Cooper Qualitative Research, Chronic Disease, Culture, Health Behaviour Change 32 Jocasta Ball Atrial Fibrillation, Chronic Disease Management, Secondary Prevention, Cardiovascular Disease 32 Justin Beilby Medicine, Chronic Illness Management, Asthma, Diabetes, Primary Care Financing & Workforce Planning 32 Melinda Carrington Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Disease, Socioeconomic Deprivation, Chronic Heart Failure 32 Melinda Stanners Psychgeriatric Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Qualitative Research 32 Nathan Barnett Bioinformatics, Neurology, Immunology 32 Noosha Ehya Biochemistry & Neurobiochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Biology 32 Patrick Shearman Information Technology, Aged Care, Positive Computing - HCI 32 Peter Malliaras Health 32 Renee Lovi Nursing, Women's Health 32 -
FoR 33: Built Environment and Design
Torrens University Australia Supervisor
Title Supervision Areas FoR code Kerry London Built Environment 33 Scott Skipworth Architecture, Built Environment & Design, Philosophy 33 Scott Thompson-Whiteside Design Policy, Design Management, Design Education, Higher Education Policy & Operations 33 Zelinna Pablo Built Environment 33
Adjunct, External Collaborator & Partner
Title Supervision Areas FoR code Mifrah Ahmad Design 33 Moutaz Alazab Design 33 -
FoR 35: Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
Torrens University Australia Supervisor
Name Supervision Areas Code Ali Ahsan Business & Technology Mergers 35 Anh Tuan Bui Finance, Applied Economics, Business 35 Anita Manfreda Customer Experience, Luxury Accommodation, Qualitative Methods 35 Anna Sekhar Women Entrepreneurship & Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Management & Education 35 Anthos Yannakou Technology Management, Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management 35 Arezou Pour Mirza System Dynamics, Business & Management, Information Systems 35 Ashkan Zarghami Project Management, Complex Systems, Operations Management 35 Becks Masawi Fiscal Incentives & FDI In North Macedonia, The Evolution Of The CFO Role Using Grounded Theory & Co-Supervising Work In Accounting/Auditing 35 Catheryn Khoo Tourism Marketing & Management, Gender Studies & Diversity, Asia Pacific Studies. 35 Cindy Lee Tourist Experience, Tourist Motivation, Tourist Perception, Tourist Photo-Taking, Tourist Photo-Sharing, Tourism & Technology. 35 Claire Davison Digital Identity, Social Media & Digital Technologies, Women In ICT/STEM 35 David Macdonald Hospitality 35 Dipu Sebastian Management, Higher Education 35 Giao Reynolds Accounting & Industry 4.0, Accounting Curriculum, Corporate Social Responsibility (B Corps Focus) 35 Greg Harper Coaching, Action Learning, Leadership 35 Hayden McDonald Accounting, Governance, Indigenous Research 35 Heinz Herrmann Business Ethics, Artificial Intelligence, Tendering/Competitive Bidding, B2B Sales & Marketing, Science Mapping, Information & Communication Technology (ICT), Decision-Making & Theory 35 Ibrahim Abdallah Sustainability, Project Management, Risk 35 Jantanee Dumrak Project Management, Engineering Management, Business Administration 35 Jintao Zhang International Business, CSR, Strategy, FDI 35 John Burgess Human Resource Management, Employee Relations, Equality & Diversity, Human Resource Development, Decent Work 35 Justin Pierce Strategy, Innovation, International Business, Education, Security, Information Systems 35 Khimji Vaghjiani Innovation, Startups, Data & AI 35 Kim Miles Tourism 35 Kris Iyer Economics, Statistics/Econometrics/Research Methods, Finance 35 Kristian Boehringer Business Law, Introduction To Law, Comparative Law 35 Leela Waheed Research Instrument, Assessment, Development Employing Rasch Measurement Model With Validity Models 35 Leonie Newnham Workplace Innovation & Culture, Public Sector Management, Innovation & Culture, Future Of Work Including Agile Workplaces, Innovation & Culture 35 Madalyn Scerri Frontline Service Providers, Customer Service Delivery & Service Experiences, Value Co-Creation, Disaster Management 35 Margee Hume Strategy, Innovation, & Business Ecosystems 35 Olga Junek International Education, Tourism & Hospitality Management, Graduate Skills, Event Management, Cross-Cultural Issues In Tourism & Hospitality 35 Paul Cerotti Globalization, Digital Transformation, Student Global Capabilities 35 Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne Consumer Behaviour, Marketing, Fashion 35 Ros Cameron HRM, Leadership, Diversity Equity & Inclusion 35 Rowan Machaka Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Business Strategy 35 Sabiha Akhter Economics, Finance, Learning & Teaching 35 Samudi Perera Sustainability, Supply Chain, Lean 35 Sarah Baker Design & Social Justice, Design Methodologies, Alternative Economies 35
Adjunct, External Collaborator & Partner
Name Supervision Areas FoR code Aaron Wijeratne Leadership, Organisational Behaviour, Emotions 35 Al Rainnie Labor Geography, Future Of Work/Workers, Regional Development 35 Alan Nankervis Human Resource Management, International HRM, Comparative Asian HRM 35 Beulah Moses Artificial Intelligence, Quality In Education, Academic Integrity, Cyber Security 35 Dimuthu Ekanayake Financial Accounting, Management & Cost Accounting, Economics 35 Edmund Goh Hospitality Management, Tourism Management, Marketing 35 Edwin Tongoi Regulation Of Digital Financial Services, Mobile Money Regulation, Commercial/Corporate Law 35 Gillies Ambler Spirituality, Grief & Wellbeing, Practical Theology 35 Management, Leadership, Social Sciences (Philosophy & Politics), Policing & Criminology, Defence & Security, Resilience & Business Continuity 35 Hugo Presser Film & Television, Media, Screen Studies 35 Hurriyet Babacan Social Work, Education Systems, Environmental Science & Management 35 Kijung Choi Consumer Behaviour In Tourism & Hospitality, Travel & Technologies, Hospitality HRM, Tourism & Hospitality Education 35 Louis Taborda Project & Portfolio Governance, Systems Development & Integration, Experiential Learning Pedagogy 35 Mandi Baker Leisure (Hospitality, Sport & Tourism), Sociology Of Leisure & Work In Leisure Sectors, Outdoor Sectors (Education, Recreation, Tourism, Therapy, Summer & Recreational Camps), Emotional Labour Or Emotion Work, Youth Employment, Positive Youth Development, Gender Experiences Of Leisure & Recreation (Particularly Employment In), Post-Structuralism, Power Relations, Subjectivities & Subjectification & Technologies Of Self, Inclusion, Equity & Justice 35 Melanie Dare International Business, Leadership, Organisational Change, Human Resources 35 Mohammad Kadir Psychology, Public Health, Health Promotion, Health Behaviour, Behaviour Change, Water Sanitation Hygiene, H&-Washing, Physical Activity, Walking, Health Risk Perception. Social Marketing. 35 Nuria Recuero Virto Cultural Tourism Marketing, Edtech, Neuromarketing 35 Paolo Mura Tourism & Gender, Tourist Behaviour (Several Aspects Of Tourist Behaviour, Including Emotional Experiences, Spirituality, Deviant Behaviour, Subcultures In Tourism, Art & Culture, Young Tourists), Phd Students In Tourism Academia - Experiences & Emotions, Qualitative Tourism Research 35 Philip Lawn Ecological Economics, Sustainable Development Indicators, Modern Monetary Theory 35 Rajesh Johnsam Leadership, Organisational Behaviour, Innovation & Technology 35 Rajka Presbury Australian Luxury Specialist Accommodation Experiences, Leadership In Hospitality, Australian Brushfires, Hotel Management 35 Scott Richardson Tourism & Hospitality (All Areas Except Finance) 35 Yuan Gao Business 35 -
FoR 42: Health Sciences
Torrens University Australia Supervisor
Name Supervision Areas Code Accamma Oommen Nursing, Child Health, Neonatal Nursing 42 Alex Gavino Digital Health, Rural Health, Public Health, Health Informatics, Cardiovascular Health, Community Health Screening 42 Belinda Lunnay Public &/Or Population & Preventative Health, Social Approaches To Understanding Health Inequities, Qualitative Research. 42 Chandana Unnithan Health Informatics, Health Technologies, Population Health Analytics 42 Clare Littleton Public Health With A Specific Focus On Children, Social & Political Determinants Of Health, Health Equity, Education & Health Policy. 42 Greg Connolly Medical Anthropology, Qualitative Social Health Research, Complementary & Traditional Medicine Intersecting With Biomedical Health Systems 42 Hailay Gesesew Public Health 42 Jude Taylor Cardiovascular Disease & Obesity, Neuro-Immunology & Neuro-Inflammation, Cancer Genetics & Pathology, Experimental Pathology, Immunology & Infectious Disease, Human Genetics & Disease 42 Lillian Mwanri Global Health, Migrants Health & Public Heath General, Medicine & Social Sciences, Communicable & Non-Communicable Disease 42 Michelle Mars Sex & Sexuality, Gender, Wellness & Wellbeing, Wellbeing & Tourism, Yoga, Psychotherapy, The Impact On Technology On Communication & Intimacy 42 Munim Mannan Non-Communicable Disease, Particularly Obesity, Diabetes & Depression. 42 Nelsenius Fauk Public Health 42 Paul Aylward Primary Health Care & Public Health Evaluation, Mental Health (Maternal & Refugee), Illicit Drug Use & Harm Reduction Approaches. 42 Paul Ward Public Health 42 Rachel Ambagtsheer Geriatrics & Gerontology, Health Services Research, Public Health 42 Selva Shan Health Management & Health Systems, Health Service Delivery & Policy, Chronic Disease 42
Adjunct, External Collaborator & Partner
Name Supervision Areas Code Hom Nath Chalise Social Gerontology, Public Health, Monitoring & Evaluation 42 Katy Osborne Social Determinants Of Health & Health Inequities: Including Gender & Location As Determinants Of Health, Community Development & Community Participation, Qualitative & Mixed Research Methods 42 Linda Slack-Smith Public Health, Inequities, Oral Health 42 Maximilian P de Courten Public Health, Health Promotion, Health Policy, Chronic Disease Prevention, Health Systems, Chronic Disease Surveillance, Epidemiology 42 Philip Dalinjong Maternal Health, Health Policy, Health Systems, Health Economics 42 -
FoR 46: Information and Computing Sciences
Torrens University Australia Supervisor
Name Supervision Areas Code Ammar Alazab Cyber Security: IoT Security, AI For Cybersecurity, Malware Analysis & Cybercrime Investigation & Forensics, Data Science: Algorithms/Techniques: Hyper-Heuristics, Evolutionary Computation, Automatic Design Of Optimization Methodology, Machine Learning, Automatic Design Of Deep Learning Methods & Meta-Learning Approaches, Emerging Technologies: (AI). Blockchain, IoT, VR & AR 46 Amr Adel Information Systems, Industry 5.0, Smart Infrastructures 46 Aslıhan Tece Bayrak Game Design/Development, Human Computer Interaction 46 Azi Shirrafiardekani Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Statistical Analytics 46 Aaron Bere Digital Technology Adoption, Impact Of Educational Technologies, Machine Learning Systems 46 Ali Mirjalili Artificial Intelligence 46 Ali Saher Biomedical Education, Educational Technologies In Tertiary Institutions, Cardiovascular Biology 46 Mifrah Ahmad Game technologies for education 46 Belinda Moloney Information Technology & Systems, Higher Education Teaching & Learning, Leadership & Governance. 46 Chris McCutcheon Esports, Games & F&OM, Sport Ontology & Philosophy, Exploitation & Entrepreneurship, Cosplay & Streaming, Events Management 46 Fiona Chatteur Design, Educational Technology, Design Pattern Languages, UX/UI, Games Design, Graphic Design 46 Ian Storey Cybersecurity/Information Security, Risk Analysis In Information Security, Control Theory/Suspension Control 46 Imran Khaliq Automata Theory, Algorithmic Games, Computer Games, Virtual Reality 46 Meiru Che Software Engineering (Software Architecture & Design, Software Evolution, Software Testing, Empirical Study In Software Engineering), Mobile Software System Analysis, Synergy Between Software Engineering & AI (SE For AI, & AI For SE) 46 Michelle Douglas Design Culture, Design Innovation, Human/User-Centred Design, Design Value & Economies, Design Policy, Co-Design 46 Mike Watts Artificial Intelligence, Computational Ecology, Data Mining 46 Moe Assoum Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Disease Modelling, Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTS) 46 Muhammad Atif Qureshi Software Architecture & Business Analysis, Software Governance, & Meta Data Modelling. 46 Nandini Sidnal Semantic Web & Big Data Analytics, Soft Computing & Expert Systems, Contemporary Learning & Teaching Methodologies 46 Nardine Basta Vehicular Network, Zero Trust Networks, 5G 46 Nirzhar Saha Cyber Data Analytics & Machine Learning, D2X Communication & Iot Network Optimization, UAV Communication & Optimization, Health Informatics, Cyber Data Analytics & Machine Learning, Communication & Iot Network Architecture, UAV Communication Applications 46 Philip Whiting Circular Economy & Sustainability, Design-Led Research, Design Thinking, Innovation & Creativity, Problem Based Learning, 2D & 3D Branding 46 Ranju Mandal Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing 46 Ranpreet Kaur Artificial Intelligence- Machine Learning & Deep Learning, Computer Vision, Biomedical Image Processing & Related Areas 46 Ritu Sharma Student Engagement & Retention, Social Media In Education & Business, Cybersecurity & Business Analytics 46 Shazi Saremi Augmented Reality, Gesture Recognition, Human Computer Interaction, Optimization, Information Technology 46 Kamran Shaukat Machine learning for smart application and digital automation. 46 Khimji Vaghjiani To be advised 46 MD (Wahid) Whaiduzzaman Distributed computing - cloud computing, fog computing, edge computing and smart industry automations. 46 Mifrah Ahmad Game technologies for education 46 Ratna Saha To be advised 46 Sarah Immanuel To be advised 46 Supriya Supriya Brain signal analysis, statistical learning and decision analytics 46 Tayab Memon Control engineering, conditional monitoring. 46 Thien Nguyen Computer networking and communication engineering. 46 Tony Jan Machine learning for cybersecurity, smart industries, edge computing and IoT security. 46
Adjunct, External Collaborator & Partner
Name Supervision Areas Code Ali Safaa Sadiq Wireless Networks, Artificial Intelligent Applications & Meta-Heuristic Optimisation 46 Andrew Cunningham Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Computer Science, Information Visualisation, Narrative Visualisation, Human-Computer Interaction, Human-Machine Interfaces 46 James Calvert Virtual Reality, Educational Technology, Interactive Media, 3D Design & Animation 46 Nguyen (Beo) Thai Consumer Behaviour, Experimental Design, Choice Overload 46 Niusha Shafiabady Artificial Intelligence, Prediction, Optimisation 46
Research Centre Directors
Professor Ros Cameron, Centre for Organisational Change and Agility (COCA)
Professor Craig McLachlan, Centre for Healthy Futures (CHEF)
Associate Professor Tony Jan, Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Optimisation (AIRO)
Professor Paul Ward, Centre for Public Health, Equity and Human Flourishing (PHEHF)
Associate Professor Clare Littleton, Centre for Healthy Sustainable Development (CHSD)