UQ Summer/Winter Research Program
2027 Summer Research Program
The Summer/Winter Research Program is an opportunity for undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students to get involved in exciting research projects within the school.
Summer research projects are available for 6 weeks between 11 January – 19 February 2027.
Applications for the 2027 Summer Research Program will open on 21 September 2026 and close on 11 October 2026.
For queries contact polsis@uq.edu.au
Available Projects
Policy Foresight and Futuring _ Literature Review
Hours and Delivery | For the Summer program, students will be engaged for 6 weeks (11 January – 19 February 2027). It is envisaged that the student(s) will undertake a minimum of 20 hours per week during the official program dates. |
About the Project | Governments and businesses have been experiencing ever greater complexities and challenges, sometimes known as ‘wicked problems’. Researchers and governments have recently recognised an urgent need for more adaptive and flexible approaches to better anticipate and manage not only current complexities, but also emerging and future crises. This involves thinking long-term rather than simply responding to immediate shocks. It requires the exploration of additional methods for considering public governance and policy challenges and opportunities. This research theme focuses on ‘futures thinking’ and ‘strategic foresight’ methods. Many organisations (governments, businesses, international bodies) have been developing these approaches for knowledge-sharing, scenario analysis, and multi-stakeholder workshops. Futures thinking and strategic foresight might seem speculative, but they have been found to be valuable for many organisations, and are currently being tested in diverse public governance settings. Internationally, UNESCO has been developing Futures Literacy approaches (https://www.unesco.org/en/futures-literacy ) The task is to map and evaluate these different approaches through a detailed comparative literature review. |
Project Outcomes | Students will gain skills in document analysis, comparative policy studies, policy planning methods, and risk management methods. If more than one student is involved, a co-authored report (based on a literature review) would be desirable. |
Who should apply? | This project is open to applications from students with a strong background in public policy (political science, or PPE). |
Team & Supervision | Professor Brian Head – brian.head@uq.edu.au |
Contact | The supervisor is willing to be contacted by students prior to submitting an application. |
Blowback: The International Security Implications of Climate Responses
Hours and Delivery | 25 hours per week, 6 weeks: 11th January- 19th February |
About the Project | Climate change is acknowledged as having important implications for national and international security. But there is growing concern that responses to climate change might also have consequences for international security. This potentially applies to the effects of hastily pursued adaptation projects that might involve population displacement; the pursuit of mitigation strategies that contribute to state fragility; the unilateral use of controversial technological interventions such as solar geoengineering; and the strategic implications of a rapid movement away from fossil fuels, particularly in regions (the Middle East and the Gulf, for example) where states are particularly reliant on fossil fuels for income and energy use. Such responses become more likely with the climate crisis with us and its effects worsening, encouraging actors to pursue urgent and extreme remedies. This project will examine the existing literature on this issue of climate ‘blowback’, providing a foundation for a future research funding application on this issue. |
What you’ll do | The student involved will develop an annotated bibliography on the existing literature in this area, and an associated research database using Endnote software. While locating, summarising and coding this literature and developing an Endnote library will be the key outputs, the student will also work with the supervisor to write a public-facing article for publication in an outlet such as The Conversation. |
Project Outcomes |
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Who should apply? | This opportunity is available for students of political science and international studies at the University of Queensland. Students must be currently enrolled (in February 2027) in an undergraduate program with a specified major (political science, peace and conflict studies and/ or international relations), or in a Masters program offered by the School. Students will be expected to be high-achieving undergraduate students who have completed at least three (3) semesters of study at UQ, or a high achieving student currently enrolled in a Masters of International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies or Governance and Public Policy (or combination of these). Students should be highly motivated, well organised and have a strong capacity to work independently. |
Team & Supervision | The successful candidate will report directly to Professor McDonald, who is a professor of International Relations in the School of Political Science and International Studies. He is also the contact point for the law, politics and policy stream of the UQ Climate Change Network. The candidate will meet regularly with him throughout the project period, including weekly in-person meetings. The student will have access to a desk space and IT facilities in the School during the period of the project. |
Additional requirements | While much of the work can be carried out externally and off-site, it is expected that the student will make themselves available for weekly in-person meetings to discuss progress. It is also expected that the relevant outputs (the annotated bibliography and endnote database) will be completed and handed over by the final day of the project. |
Contact | Students are encouraged to contact the supervisor, Professor Matt McDonald (matt.mcdonald@uq.edu.au), prior to applying. |