Monash University > MUARC > Postgraduate >

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at MUARC

*Biostatistics *Computer Science *Engineering *Epidemiology *Human Factors *Industrial Ergonomics *Medicine *Nursing *Psychology *Public Health *Statistical Analysis

Whatever your area of study, the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) has a PhD project of interest to you.

Examples of principal areas of research

Ageing	Injury among Australia’s ageing population is a growing problem that is already beginning to impact on society and the economy. Consequently research in this area is a priority issue for government. The vision for ageing research at MUARC is to promote safety and enhance mobility in order to maintain independence and quality of life for older people. In recognising the complex relationships between injury mobility restrictions or disability, functional independence, and healthy ageing, MUARC is undertaking research in all settings that relate to older people from private homes, public roads and other public spaces to workplaces and residential care settings. Cross-cutting themes include the development and utilisation of health and transport sector databases, economics and measuring the burden of injury, and the design of safe systems and products.
Children and young people	Child injuries are a global public health problem and the leading cause of death for children after their first birthday. Moreover for every child who dies there are many more children who are injured and live with varying degrees of disability. MUARC research in this area is diverse and far-reaching with a focus on the major areas of concern from product and household injury prevention to safety programs for young pedestrians and crash prevention strategies for young drivers. MUARC researchers are involved at the local, national and international level, providing significant research outcomes and consultancy advice around the world.
Community safety	A major focus of the Centre is the development of community based intervention strategies. By concentrating on programs that alter behaviour, promote environmental change within the community, or advocate a change in legislation, these interventions seek to challenge social norms about acceptable safety behaviours. MUARC is working with industry, government and community groups in order to increase ‘community ownership’ and the likelihood of acceptance and peer support for the widespread adoption of specific safety behaviours.
Design and product safety	An understanding of the impact of technology on safety and the interface between technology and the individual (human factors) is becoming increasingly important as technology races ahead at an unprecedented rate. In addition, there is increasing recognition of the role of technology in enhancing transport and other aspects of safety. Unfortunately very little attention is given to the role of Human-Machine-Interactions, associated with the design, deployment and evaluation of these technologies, which could undermine their potential safety benefits. MUARC is working to change this situation, and with considerable experience in this area, continues to take a leading role in product-related injury prevention strategies to improve consumer safety.
Developing countries	More than 90% of all injury deaths occur in developing countries with 98% of child injury deaths occurring in these countries. MUARC has been working internationally for many years. To further expand the area of injury prevention in developing countries. MUARC researchers are currently undertaking essential groundwork across several areas and fostering relationships with in-country partners, government agencies and non-government organisations. They are also expanding existing relationships with international agencies such as the WHO, UNICEF, and the World Bank. As a designated WHO Collaborating Centre on Violence, Injuries and Disabilities for the Western Pacific, MUARC has a specific focus on the 27 countries of this region.
Rail, air and sea safety	As domestic and international travel expands at a phenomenal rate and goods transportation remains a major factor in domestic economies, safety issues across the rail, air and sea transport networks continue to be a significant public health problem in most western, and increasingly, developing countries. MUARC is well placed to expand its research program in this area and to take a leading role across the field, given the Centre’s existing expertise and capabilities in motor vehicle and road transport safety, marine safety, and general aviation safety.
Road safety	Road safety has been the cornerstone of MUARC’s transportation injury prevention activities since its inception. The Centre has gained international acclaim for its work in this area and is recognised as one of the world’s leaders in road safety and injury prevention. While current research activities cover significant Australian and international road safety problems, there are new emerging issues that need to be addressed and MUARC will continue to lead the field to combat the immense social and economic consequences of road injury. The Centre aims to expand its research agenda to include further work on vehicle occupant safety, the role of safety regulations, the future of consumerism, crashworthiness versus crash-avoidance, the relationship between human factors and technology, and the role of public transport in safety.
Simulation and modelling	Transport remains a leading cause of death and serious injury in Australia, despite the significant advances that have been made in reducing the road toll. Computer modelling, driving simulation research and on-road vehicle testing using instrumented vehicles have played a central role in these advances. These technologies retain significant potential to increase the sophistication of our approach to injury prevention across the transport network, and in the future may be applied to other areas where injury can occur.
Surveillance & injury data	Access to quality surveillance data relevant to injury prevention provides immense research potential and is crucial to the understanding of the injury process and the development of effective countermeasures. MUARC will continue to enhance existing surveillance data sets and work to develop data linkage between health datasets and the TAC and WorkCover datasets which will add significant value to the systems and help answer research questions that are currently beyond the capacity of individual datasets. A key research area for the Centre involves the identification of current problem areas in injury and projecting future problems to support proactive, rather than reactive, priority setting. This involves making the best use of available data, formulating appropriate measures of the problem, developing methodology for accurate projection of future problems and the identification of countermeasure targets.
Work safety	The ‘workplace’ is a vast and diverse arena, presenting a significant challenge for injury prevention. Much of the Centre’s work in this area has focused on the development of safe systems by understanding human abilities and weakness (or errors) in each workplace, as well as typical tasks undertaken by operators, the environment in which the work is performed and the equipment used. MUARC has identified the need to expand its research efforts in occupational injury. The Centre is working with relevant industry bodies, WorkCover and other government agencies, insurers, regulators and non-government organisations to identify the key issues and industries involved, as well as strategies for understanding the causes of workplace injury and the best methods for prevention in each sector.