James Cook University is launching a historic investment in research this month via the new JCU Horizons Program.
Through this program, JCU will invest more than $10M over the next seven years to accelerate the University's research agenda to address key global and Australian challenges.
The JCU Horizons Program is an exciting investment in the future of northern Australia and will provide funding to further build world-class research strengths, deliver impactful research, and enhance the University's global research reputation.
Research projects focused on climate-resilient infrastructure and single cell and spatial biology will be the first to benefit from this $10m investment as the University seeks to accelerate its impactful research agenda to address key global and Australian challenges.
JCU Vice Chancellor Professor Simon Biggs said the Horizons program is a strategic initiative designed to attract and embed exceptional research talent.
"The JCU Horizons Program is closely aligned with our priority areas for research investment and growth, including tropical health and medicine, marine and environmental sciences, Indigenous knowledge systems, disaster resilience, biosecurity, and sustainable regional development," Prof Biggs said.
"By targeting these areas, Horizons enables JCU to recruit global talent whose expertise complements and strengthens existing capabilities, while also opening new avenues for innovation and collaboration."
JCU Horizons offers a comprehensive package that includes long-term employment contracts, research funding, and tailored onboarding support.
The program is designed to support both individual researchers and the development of high-performing teams, as well as ensuring JCU's teaching is relevant to regional needs.
Applications are prepared by multi-disciplinary teams, centred around a portfolio of research that is aligned to the JCU research directions and teaching areas of strength.
The first project funded under the JCU Horizons Program will tackle the problems of resilience to cyclones, flooding, coastal change, and extreme heat.
Prof Bouchra Senadji and Prof Hurriyet Babacan will lead the research project targeting climate-resilient infrastructure solutions for tropical coastal and island communities across Northern Australia, Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific.
Head of JCU Engineering, Prof Senadji said the project combines JCU's expertise in engineering, climate modelling and environmental and social sciences to co-design modular, low-maintenance systems that improve community resilience to climate-based disasters.
"It builds on JCU's world-class specialist facilities, including JCU's Cyclone Testing Station, whose work has transformed building codes in Australia, making us safer during cyclones and tropical storms," he said.
The second project will recruit a high-level expert to lead a program integrating cutting-edge transcriptomic technologies across JCU's established strengths in immunology, infectious and chronic diseases, and coral reef, aquaculture and plant biology.
This portfolio will position JCU as a national leader in spatially resolved cellular analysis in tropical systems.
JCU Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Professor Jenny Seddon said the University is excited to see what is ahead for both projects as the Horizons Program contributes to JCU's broader strategic goals by enhancing international visibility and collaboration.
"With campuses in Townsville, Cairns, and Singapore – including the Tropical Futures Institute – JCU offers a unique platform for researchers to engage with global networks while remaining deeply connected to the region," she said,
"The program plays a critical role in positioning JCU as a destination for world-class research talent and in advancing disciplines where the university has the potential to lead transformative change in the tropics."
