Current research
Featured projects
Identifying high-risk communities for climate-sensitive child undernutrition in Maluku Province, Indonesia
Poor diet and food insecurity significantly contribute to childhood malnutrition in Southeast Asia. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 Zero Hunger aims to eradicate all forms of malnutrition by 2030. However, the climate crisis is hindering and reversing progress towards these goals. This project will explore the complex relationship between climate stress and child undernutrition in Maluku Province, Indonesia. The study aims to deepen understanding of climate-nutrition links in specific settings, informing evidence-based strategies to address climate-sensitive undernutrition alongside nationwide assessments. The findings will generate a risk map for climate impact on child undernutrition.
Lead investigator: Professor Michael Dibley
Investigators:
- Associate Professor Eleanor Bruce
- Dr Kevin Davies
- Dr Tanvir Huda
- Associate Professor Floris Van Ogtrop
- Associate Professor Christina Titaley (University of Pattimura)
- Dr Iwan Ariawan (Universitas Indonesia)
- Dr Siswanto (Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics, BMKG)
- Mrs Siswi Puji Astuti (Statistics Indonesia, BPS)
This project is supported by a SSEAC 2024 Ignition Grant.
Optimising protein nutrition for improved poultry resilience and performance in tropical climates
Poultry is a crucial source of affordable, high-quality protein in Southeast Asia, with widespread acceptance across religious and socioeconomic groups. As demand and production increase, feed costs, which make up 70–80% of expenses, remain a significant challenge. The reliance on imported poultry genetics, not optimised for tropical climates, further complicates efficient production.
In Thailand, crossbred native Korat chickens have been developed for small-scale producers. However, their amino acid nutrition and veterinary care is still in the early stages. The project aims to optimise small-scale poultry production for native Korat chickens in Thailand and large-scale centralised production using commercial breeds.
Lead investigator: Associate Professor Sonia Liu
Investigators:
- Dr Jose Quinteros (Sydney School of Veterinary Sciences)
- Professor David Raubenheimer (School of Life and Environmental Sciences)
- Dr Amonrat Molee and Dr Wittawat Molee (Suranaree University of Technology)
Lead investigator: Associate Professor Sonia Liu
Investigators:
- Dr Jose Quinteros (Sydney School of Veterinary Sciences)
- Professor David Raubenheimer (School of Life and Environmental Sciences)
- Dr Amonrat Molee (Suranaree University of Technology)
- Dr Wittawat Molee (Suranaree University of Technology)
This project is supported by a SSEAC 2024 Ignition Grant.
Alternative fuel technologies: A Thailand–Sydney partnership
As one of the largest producers of rice husk and sugarcane bagasse waste, Thailand faces significant environmental challenges. These agricultural residues are often burned, contributing to poor air quality, reduced visibility and haze. While Thailand has implemented policies to address residue burning, challenges remain, especially for small-scale farmers who rely on manual harvesting methods.
This project aims to develop innovative and sustainable processes for converting biomass waste from rice and sugarcane into biofuels in Thailand, fostering a local biofuel economy. Additionally, the project will provide new alternatives for converting gaseous air pollutants such as CO2 and ammonia into other fuel products, potentially reducing the environmental and health impacts associated with traditional biomass management practices.
Lead investigator: Associate Professor Alejandro Montoya (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
Investigators:
- Professor Deanna D’Alessandro (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
- Professor Marjorie Valix (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
- Professor Jun Huang (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
- Associate Professor Sarina Sarina (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
- Dr David Wang (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
- Dr Marcello Solomon (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
- Dr Lizhuo Wang (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
- Professor Siriporn Jungsuttiwong (Ubon Ratchathani University)
This project is co-funded by SSEAC and the Net Zero Institute.
More research projects
Southeast Asia is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, including typhoons, floods, and droughts, which have led to significant loss of life and infrastructure damage. The urgency for more effective disaster preparedness and resilience strategies are evident, particularly in countries like Vietnam where in 2024 Typhoon Yagi had a catastrophic impact.
This project aims to investigate how immersive technologies (e.g., virtual reality, augmented reality) and AI-supported tools can enhance community engagement and build crisis resilience in Southeast Asia, with a focus on Vietnam.
This project is supported by a SSEAC 2024 Incubator Grant.
Lead investigator: Dr Joel Fredericks
Climate change, COVID-19, and the global food crisis exposed the vulnerability of food systems in Southeast Asia, where hunger and malnutrition have increased for the first time in years. Whole-of-food system governance – governance mechanisms and structures that help streamline action across all food system actors – is widely seen as the solution. Indonesia is one of the few innovators globally that has established a whole-of-food system governance approach.
This project will investigate whole-of-food system governance in Indonesia by mapping the government agencies working across food systems and the governance mechanisms connecting them. It will also explore lessons that can be drawn for other Southeast Asian countries seeking to create healthy, sustainable and equitable food systems.
This project is supported by a SSEAC 2024 Incubator Grant.
Lead investigator: Dr Dori Patay
Leukaemia is the most prevalent form of childhood cancer, accounting for approximately one-third of all cases; and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) accounts for 75–80% of leukaemia cases. Most ALL cases in children are cured with regular chemotherapy utilising medicines such as asparaginase (ASP), listed on the WHO Essential Medicines for Children List. However, ASP-associated hypersensitivity can lead to a failure to receive the full course of ASP chemotherapy, leading to poorer cancer outcomes in children with ALL in low-to-middle-income countries.
This project will study the magnitude of the burden of ASP hypersensitivity in children with acute ALL in Vietnam. To inform national or regional clinical approaches, it will examine the incidence of ASP hypersensitivity in children with ALL in five hospitals in Vietnam, the factors associated with ASP hypersensitivity in Vietnamese children with ALL, and the barriers and facilitators to safe and effective ASP treatment in selected hospitals in Vietnam.
This project is supported by a SSEAC 2024 Incubator Grant.
Lead investigator: Dr Md Irteja Islam
Addressing hearing loss, vision loss and social isolation are health priorities globally. Southeast Asia has the second-highest number of people with hearing loss and the highest number of people with blindness. The World Federation of the Deafblind estimates that 2.1% of the population has combined sight and hearing loss (2018).
In Indonesia, access to assistive technologies is problematic and uncommon. The impact of being without communication support for deafblind people is evident at all life stages. This project aims to assess the usefulness of a low-cost assistive technology to enhance the work of an Indonesian community organisation that supports people with deafblindness.
This project is supported by a SSEAC 2024 Incubator Grant.
Lead investigator: Dr Annmaree Watharow
Most studies evaluating the role of antibiotics on the microbiome have been conducted in adults (with cancer), despite evolving evidence suggesting antibiotic exposure in infancy can have profound long-term health impacts by disrupting metabolic and immune pathway development. The small observational studies that have been conducted in neonates identify the need for comprehensive, longitudinal studies to evaluate the neonatal microbiome and resistome, utilising cutting-edge sequencing technology to inform our knowledge regarding microbiome development and to reduce infant morbidity and mortality.
This project will evaluate the impact of antibiotic exposure on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) transmission dynamics and clinical outcomes in neonates admitted to national referral hospitals in Vietnam and Indonesia. It will also evaluate local prescribing patterns and construct local and regional antibiograms, to improve the treatment of life-threatening neonatal infections and promote antibiotic stewardship.
This project is supported by a SSEAC 2024 Incubator Grant.
Lead investigator: Phoebe Williams
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and mental health disorders, pose a significant public health challenge in Southeast Asia. Modifiable risk factors such as poor diet, physical inactivity smoking, and vaping are increasingly prevalent among adolescents, a crucial life stage for shaping lifelong health behaviours. Studies show that engaging adolescents in meaningful participation in research, policy and program development enhances outcomes and develops their leadership capacity. However, there is a critical gap in identifying adolescents' own priorities and target areas for NCD prevention.
This project aims to fill this gap by integrating adolescents’ lived experiences with existing scientific evidence to inform effective NCD prevention strategies in Southeast Asia, focusing on assessing adolescents’ perspectives on NCD prevention in Australia and Indonesia.
This project is supported by a SSEAC 2024 Incubator Grant.
Lead investogator: Dr Stephanie Partridge
Valued at US$312 billion dollars globally, aquaculture is the fastest growing primary industry, employing 61.8 million people in 2022 – 85% in Asia. Thailand, a key producer in Southeast Asia, currently ranks 11th in the world for aquaculture production and is expected to grow its industry by 14.6% by 2032.
The global importance of aquaculture, particularly in the context of human population growth and food security, has stimulated its rapid expansion and has led to the emergence of highly pathogenic microorganisms that often receive little attention. Between 2010 and 2016, disease outbreaks in Thailand's aquaculture industry led to losses of US$11 billion dollars and 100,000 jobs.
This project will explore the ecological and evolutionary drivers of microbial transmission in aquaculture in Thailand, aimed at developing biosecurity measures to reduce economic losses and zoonotic infection at the human-animal interface. It will employ metagenomic sequencing to assess the risk of microbial spillover in aquaculture, applying a One Health framework.
This project is supported by a SSEAC 2024 Incubator Grant.
Lead investogator: Dr Vincenzo Costa
Southeast Asia has seen a sharp rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and respiratory conditions. According to the World Health Organization, NCDs account for over 60% of deaths across the region, and 74% of fatalities in Vietnam. This burden of disease is compounded by insufficient public health services, which are often underfunded and fragmented, leaving much of the population vulnerable, especially during times of natural disasters, conflicts or outbreaks of infectious diseases. The rising demand for healthcare, especially as the population ages, calls for innovative solutions to address this growing crisis.
This project aims to develop a cost-effective smart patch capable of simultaneously monitoring physical and biochemical markers crucial for early disease detection, providing cost-effective, person-centric healthcare in Vietnam.
This project is supported by a SSEAC 2024 Incubator Grant.
Lead investigator: Dr Syamak Farajikhah