James Cook University (JCU) is a leader in research that addresses critical challenges facing societies and the environment in the tropics, world-wide.

The Singapore campus of James Cook University is fully owned by James Cook University Australia, which is ranked in the top 2% of universities in the world¹

JCU is committed to providing shape and direction to our research by alignment with four major themes:

• Tropical ecosystems, conservation and climate change
• Industries and economies in the tropics
• People and societies in the tropics, and
• Tropical health, medicine and biosecurity

James Cook University Singapore is an important contributor into these four themes and has a particular focus towards the conduct of innovative and impactful research relevant to Singapore and the immediate region.

At our Singapore campus, areas of research strength include aquaculture and marine science, business, education, psychology and tourism. Within these research strengths our highly qualified academics are delving into research interests as diverse as reef fish evolutionary ecology, selective breeding of aquaculture species, vandalism in tourism, machine learning, data mining, behavioural learning theories, social and cross-cultural psychology, healthy ageing, interpersonal attraction, suicidology and mental health interventions.

JCU is committed to conducting research of excellence and high impact, particularly on issues of critical importance. We seek to engage with industry, business and government, commercialise our research findings and achieve critical mass through productive research partnerships with other research organisations. If you have a particular research need, JCU encourages you to engage with the University so we can explore how best to provide a R&D solution that translates into an impactful outcome.

Research Strategy

JCU Singapore is building on the strong research undertaken by the Australian campuses of this University.

JCU Staff can access the 2018-2022 Strategic Research Plan for the Singapore campus here (under Academic Division).

What we've done

• Appointed academic staff with strong research track records or research potential
• Incorporated research output as a Key Performance Indicator for academic staff
• Created a research institute focusing on our strengths and as a vehicle to partner with industries and other institutions to conduct high quality, socially relevant research

What we're doing

• Pursuing high-quality, curiosity-driven and strategically significant research to achieve international excellence in all areas
• Publishing and disseminating research findings and their implications
• Promoting interdisciplinary research and cultivating the development of new disciplines
• Collaborating with public, industrial and commercial partners on technology transfers and the application of research, both in Singapore and the region
• Maximising international opportunities through school and university-led collaborations
• Pursuing world-class appointments to our remaining research positions
• Implementing the first phase of our Graduate Research program
• Establishing strategy groups to take lead responsibility for these thematic areas
• Early and Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Mentoring Scheme (Click the link to find out more about this scheme)

¹ 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and 2023 ShanghaiRanking Academic Ranking of World Universities as a percentage of higher education providers in the International Association of Universities (IAU) database