Summer and Winter Research Programs
About
As an undergraduate at UQ, you may participate in research programs over the summer and winter vacation periods.
You'll have the opportunity to work with a researcher in a formal research environment, experience the research process, and discover the research being undertaken in your field of interest at the School.
Please note that no course credit is offered in the Summer and Winter Research Programs.
How to apply
Read the detailed information guide on how to apply for a research program.
The 2027 Summer Research Program runs for six (6) weeks early in 2027 (dates to be advised) and are anticipated in open in September, 2026.
The 2026 Winter Research Program runs for four (4) weeks between 29 June - 24 July 2026.
Applications open 23 March 2026 and close 12 April 2026.
Winter Research Projects
Comparative Constitutionalism – Federal Systems
| Hours of engagement and delivery mode | Duration of the Project: Total of 4 weeks between 29 June – 24 July 2025 Offered through a hybrid arrangement: onsite and remotely |
| Description | This project will undertake a selected comparison of the constitutional arrangements of several federal countries. The countries to be compared will depend partly on any particular language and background knowledge that the selected student can bring to the project. Possible countries include: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain and Switzerland. |
| Expected outcomes and deliverables | Students will develop skills in data collection, legal analysis and theorisation in the general field of comparative constitutional law, with particular attention to issues in federalism. The research will contribute to the development of publications in the field. Publication with the student is possible, but this will depend on the results of the research. The training provided to the student will enable them to understand the methods and standards required for publishable research and RHD study. Benefits to the school will include training of the student in advanced research methods and contribution to publications in highest quality law journals in the field. |
| Suitable for | The research project is suitable for students who have successfully completed Constitutional Law and have relevant experience and language skills (eg, personal knowledge of a particular federal country or fluency in its language. Students who have studied politics or government, especially comparative government, will be especially suited to the project, but this is not essential. |
| Primary supervisor | Professor Nicholas Aroney |
| Further information | Students are welcome to contact Professor Aroney at n.aroney@uq.edu.au if they have any particular questions. |
Systems abuse in family law – examining the use of harmful proceedings orders to address ongoing family violence under the Family Law Act 1975
Hours of engagement & delivery mode | For the Winter program, students will be engaged for 4 weeks only.
Hours of engagement must be between 20 – 36 hrs per week and must fall within the official program dates (29 June - 24 July 2026).
Project to be conducted at St Lucia campus |
Description: | The Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) and Federal Circuit and Family Court Act 2021 (Cth) were amended and came into force on 6 May 2024 introducing a new concept of ‘harmful proceedings’ and powers for the court to make such orders (s102QAC). These orders prohibit a person from instituting proceedings without court leave if the court thinks it would cause harm to another party or a child. The amendments recognised that family violence doesn’t end when the relationship ends and abuse is very often perpetrated through the courts; what is often called ‘systems abuse’. The new laws encourage and empower family courts to recognise and to address this behaviour. In the last 18 months, there have been over 50 applications for a harmful proceedings order. Yet there is a gap in the research as to how the courts use this power and whether it is successful in addressing systems abuse. This project will consider the case law to examine how the courts have interpreted and applied this provision. How do these new orders fit in with the range of other procedural measures to prevent systems abuse? The project will map the distinction between harmful proceedings orders and vexatious litigant orders (which have been available for some time with a different onus of proof). Is this new power being used more or differently to address systems abuse? The project will also consider whether the courts have regard to the behaviour of the lawyers where the parties are represented including enforcing ethical obligations and the impact of the new s60D. The project is a desk-based analysis of the legislation and cases, as well as reference to the FC Best Practice Principles and secondary literature that explains what family violence is and its harms. |
Expected learning outcomes and deliverables: | The student will deepen their understanding of family law and how domestic violence occurs and is addressed by the law. The scholar will develop their legal research skills and have an opportunity to generate publications (co-authored) from their research. |
Suitable for: | This project is open to applications from students with at least 2 years of legal studies, preferably having undertaken LAWS5121 Family Law. |
Primary Supervisor: | Associate Professor Francesca Bartlett |
Further info: | If you would like to discuss the project further, please contact research@law.uq.edu.au |
Deaths in Custody
Hours of engagement & delivery mode | Students will undertake a total of 100 hours work over the summer break. They can choose their hours, as long as they do not exceed 36 hours per week and work between 29 June - 24 July 2026.
Students can undertake the work remotely but will be required to check in with Tamara on a weekly basis. |
Description: |
In 2024/25, there were 113 deaths in custody in Australia – this is significantly more than the year before, and much higher than the yearly average. Since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, there have been more than 600 Aboriginal deaths in custody, equating to around 20% of all deaths. It seems that deaths in custody are increasing.
Few bodies provide oversight of deaths in custody in Australia. The Australian Institute of Criminology publishes annual reports on how many people died, but they provide only basic information: gender, Indigenous status and whether the death was in prison or police custody.
Coroners’ reports provide the best source of information on the circumstances of individuals’ deaths and how future deaths can be avoided. The UQ Deaths in Custody project was established 10 years ago. It created, and continues to administer, a public website that provides extensive information on each death in custody.
The UQ Deaths in Custody project is writing a book which will collect all the research that project staff and volunteers have conducted over the last decade into a single volume. We need a winter scholar to assist us with a literature search and other documentary research.
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Expected learning outcomes and deliverables: | Scholars will gain skills in socio-legal research and writing. They will work closely with Tamara and two lawyers (both former UQ law students). They can expect their research and writing skills to develop during this project.
The scholar will deliver a completed report to Tamara by 24 July. If the work is of high quality, the scholar will be named as a contributor to the book. |
Suitable for: | This project is suitable for students who have completed their third year of study and beyond. Students who are interested in an academic or research career would benefit from this experience. Students who are interested in criminal law and criminology should also consider this project. It should be noted, however, that this is a very distressing subject, so it might not be suitable for everyone. |
Primary Supervisor: | Professor Tamara Walsh |