Research Project (CHEE4006)

Course overview

Self-directed learning under supervision by an academic staff member. Students arrange topic with supervisor & prepare an outline of proposed work, which must be accepted by the course coordinator prior to semester start.

This course involves a research project thesis conducted by you under the general guidance of an academic advisor over one semester for CHEE4006/CHEE4007 or two semesters for CHEE4026/CHEE4027. This is a research project, which could be experimental or computational. 

Why do a Research Project/Research Thesis?

Conducting a Research Project/Research Thesis is a fantastic opportunity to pursue a piece of work that is your own. It allows you to go a little bit more in-depth into a topic, helping you stand out in job applications within a competitive market. Students often list their projects on their CVs, which has helped many get the jobs they seek. Several graduate engineers have highlighted how this course actually got them job-ready and into a position where they could deliver to their new employer.

During the course, you will have the opportunity to develop valuable research skills, which may include: reviewing scientific literature, using advanced scientific equipment, and performing experiments and engineering processes. 

It will also allow you to develop and demonstrate your critical thinking; a key skill requirement in the engineering profession. It provides a great opportunity to demonstrate your job readiness to potential employers.

To find a project, please see the project selection guidelines below.

Project selection

You have three options when selecting a project:

1. Choose from the listed projects on the EAIT Student website and email a potential supervisor. (Note, this is not a complete list of projects available and academics may continue uploading projects)
2. If none of the listed projects is of interest, then consult School web pages and approach individual academics in research areas you are interested in. Should you be interested in any particular academic's research, you should enquire directly to them if they have a project or could consider creating or co-creating one.
3. You may also create your own project, but must approach an academic to supervise you.

For a guide on the research covered by UQ Chemical Engineering, including relevant contacts for particular areas that may interest you, go to the Research page of the School website.

Another useful source to discover the research at UQ and the School of Chemical Engineering is UQ Researchers database. This can be searched with keywords of areas of interest, or with a researcher's name to get more information on their research.

It is possible to do projects led out of different Schools at the University with permission from the coordinator.

How to apply

For any project, you must gain permission from the supervising academic and complete an Assignment of Topic Form (available on ChemEng website) - prior to the beginning of semester (submission by email is acceptable). Please include the following information in the email and upload the completed form as attachment in the email to the course coordinator Prof. Lianzhou Wang at l.wang@uq.edu.au. Once your form has been approved, the School will provide you with permission to enrol.

·    Student name

·     Student number

·     Name of UQ Academic Supervisor (Cc in your supervisor)

·     Project title

Read the guidelines in this course profile. Note there are several versions of this course: 

4006 – 2 unit thesis (Sem 1 only)

4007 – 2 unit thesis (Sem 2 only)

4026 – 4 unit across year (starting Sem 1)

4027 – 4 unit across year (starting Sem 2)

Confidentiality

If your thesis is to remain confidential for a period of time, include an accompanying Confidentiality Submission Letter cover page (DOCX, 22.5 KB) in your final report. This letter is normally located in the report immediately after the title page and before the abstract.

If your thesis does not need to remain confidential, use the Non-Confidential Submission Letter cover page (DOCX, 24.3 KB).

For any queries, please contact:

Course Coordinator: Professor Lianzhou Wang

Chemical Engineering Enquiries: studentenquiries@chemeng.uq.edu.au

Assessment

At the end of the year, the student will submit a project report in the form of a thesis that will be read and assessed by the supervisor and a nominated examiner. A short seminar abstract (for publicising presentation) and an oral presentation of about 15 min (~10 min presentation and 5 min questions) will also be required that will be assessed. For more specific details, please refer to the assessment section of each course.

All students are expected to provide an electronic version of their thesis report. 

Intellectual Property:

Intellectual Property created by students during the period of enrolment in the thesis course will be treated in accordance with the Intellectual Property Policy. The main clause is: Students other than HDR candidates

The University does not assert ownership of IP created by students other than HDR candidates. However, it is acknowledged that some students (in particular honours students or postgraduate coursework students with a research component) may collaborate with external entities on research projects. If there is potential for IP to be created, the University expects students to assign IP that the student may create to the University before project commencement. If the project does result in the creation of IP, students other than HDR candidates will be treated as HDR candidates per the Intellectual Property Procedures. 

However, it is suggested that you discuss IP with your advisor and assign any IP associated with the research projects/thesis to the university to be consistent with HDR students, as outlined here: https://study.uq.edu.au/admissions/phd-mphil-professional-doctorate/intellectual-property.

Course requirements

Assumed background

This depends upon the specific topic chosen, but in general one should have undertaken the normal chemical engineering course work for the first six semesters.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

Permission of Head of School. Please email studentenquiries@chemeng.uq.edu.au.

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

CHEE4026 or CHEE4027 or MINE4205 or MINE4206 or MINE4216

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

The contact hours need to be arranged between the students and their thesis supervisors. The students are strongly advised to have regular meetings with their supervisors to enable them to monitor, critique and advise on the students’ progress. The expectation is that students meet with their supervisors regularly and that typically students spend about 10 hours per week (per 2-unit) working on the project. The supervisors often co-supervise students with their postdoctoral researchers and Higher Degree Research students who can work more closely with students in the laboratory and provide advice and guidance in a timely manner.ﾠ However, it is recommended that students arrange to meet with their thesis supervisors at least fortnightly.ﾠ

Lecture/workshop:ﾠ There will be a lecture/workshop in the first/second week of the semester to go through: expectations of course, OHS,ﾠ research methodology, report writing, presentation skills, etc. as well as highlighting the value of scientific research from an academic and industry perspective. There will be a second lecture/workshop in Week 8 or 9 in the semester focusing on thesis writing, presentation skill and assessment.

Seminar Day:ﾠ Presentations will be held during exam period and students will be required to attend and ask questions during the entire session (up to 4 hours) in which they present.

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to stretch and develop student's problem solving and creative thinking abilities by exposing them to an open-ended research oriented problem. It also provides an opportunity for the motivated student to further enhance these skills in a situation where self-motivation is an added requirement.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Project Execution

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Project

Weight

15%

Due date

Throughout Semester submission not required.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Supervisor to Course Coordinator.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

OHS

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Written

Category

Participation/ Student contribution

Weight

PASS/FAIL

Due date

5/03/2025 - 5/03/2025

16:00

Learning outcomes

L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Online submission on UQSafe.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Seminar Abstract and Thesis Report

Mode

Written

Category

Participation/ Student contribution, Thesis

Weight

70%

Due date

Seminar Abstract PASS/FAIL 20/05/2025 4:00 pm

Thesis Report 9/06/2025 4:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Electronic version to Turnitin on Blackboard.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The Seminar Abstract is required to prepare the formal program for the seminar, so it must be submitted prior to the event. Therefore, the maximum possible extension length is 7 days.

Extensions for the Thesis report are capped at 28 days to ensure alignment with the overall course timeline and to maintain fairness for all students. This limit also ensures timely assessment and feedback, which are critical for meeting subsequent academic or graduation deadlines.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Assessments for Thesis Report must be submitted on or before the due date. Late submissions of assessment items will only be accepted if approval for late submission has been obtained prior to the due date.

Penalties Apply for Late Submission

Refer PPL Assessment Procedure Section 3 Part C (48)

A Student Access Plan (SAP) can only be used for a first extension. Extensions based on an SAP may be granted for up to seven (7) days, or the maximum number of days specified in the Course Instance (CI), if it is less than seven (7) days. Any further extensions will require additional supporting documentation, such as a medical certificate.

Exam - during Exam Period (School)

Mode

Oral

Category

Examination

Weight

15%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.

Assessments must be submitted on or before the due date. Late submissions of assessment items will only be accepted if approval for late submission has been obtained prior to the due date.

Penalties Apply for Late Submission

Refer PPL Assessment Procedure Section 3 Part C (48)

A Student Access Plan (SAP) can only be used for a first extension. Extensions based on an SAP may be granted for up to seven (7) days, or the maximum number of days specified in the Course Instance (CI), if it is less than seven (7) days. Any further extensions will require additional supporting documentation, such as a medical certificate.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

• Thesis topics: https://student.eait.uq.edu.au/projects/
• Library research information including ‘Assignment Essentials’: https://web.library.uq.edu.au/research-tools-techniques/assignment-essentials/
• Student Services workshops, including ‘Thesis Writing’ and ‘Referencing Correctly and Avoid Plagiarism’: http://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/learning.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

School guidelines

Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course:

• Safety Induction for Practicals

Course guidelines

Anyone undertaking courses with a practical component must complete the UQ Undergraduate Student Laboratory Safety Induction and pass the associated assessment.

Specific instructions, usage guidelines and rules for each of the undergraduate laboratories will be delivered as part of each course.

In some cases, students may be required to attend a specific face-to-face laboratory induction/training session.