"At Edith Cowan University, we're building our reputation on our impact rather than our age. And as you'll see in the examples highlighted here, we're making that impact through world-class research."
Professor Caroline Finch AO
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
Edith Cowan University
Arresting Aliteracy
Reading for Life
ECU literacy researcher Dr Margaret Merga is developing strategies to prevent the rise of aliteracy – teenagers who have developed the basic mechanics of literacy, but are uninterested in continuing to read for pleasure in adulthood
Edith Cowan University
Microplastics
Drinking clean water
ECU researcher Professor Hongqi Sun is developing a treatment process that can simultaneously filter out the microplastics from water, while breaking down the organic pharmaceutical contaminants into harmless compounds.
Edith Cowan University
AI & cancer cell detection
Faster cancer detection
ECU’s Melanoma researchers have teamed up with artificial intelligence specialists to develop a way to use the technology to accurately and more quickly identify cancer cells circulating in the blood.
Edith Cowan University
Huntington's
Predicting disease
Edith Cowan University researchers have developed a new assessment tool that can predict the onset of Huntington’s disease, paving the way for more targeted treatment for sufferers of this rare genetic disorder.
Edith Cowan University
Environmental Management
Fighting disease
Researchers from Edith Cowan University are at the forefront of the fight against water-related diseases in the IndoPacific Region, with a focus on Fiji.
Unlike traditional medical research, the research team is intent on making a positive impact on human health through environmental management.
Edith Cowan University
Triage VR Simulation
Emergency Response
The Virtual Reality Mass Casualty Triage Simulator, developed by a team of researchers at ECU, is an innovative educational application that provides high fidelity training for mass casualty incidents to paramedics and tertiary paramedical science students.
Edith Cowan University
Flavonoid Research
Living Longer
Today, modern science is uncovering mounting evidence for a group of compounds with the potential to help ward off an early death.
They're called flavonoids, and taking them doesn't require expensive pills or drinks. In fact, they're probably already in your fruit bowl.
Edith Cowan University
Harnessing data to prevent injuries
On the playing field
For top-tier athletes or weekend warriors, playing sports is valuable for physical coordination, fitness, and self-esteem, and teaches important lessons about teamwork and discipline. Professor Caroline Finch at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia, is ensuring competitors at every level stay on the field, thanks to her research on sports-injury prevention, education and awareness.
Edith Cowan University
Suboptimal Health
A powerful predictive treatment
Suboptimal health is the state between health and disease. ECU's Professor Wei Wang, who coined the term in 2009, and has developed a tool to measure suboptimal health status, says the concept is the key to delivering predictive, preventive, and personalised medicine.
Edith Cowan University
Brain Injury Rehabilitation for Indigenous peoples
Bridging the gap
Edith Cowan University research is driving the provision of critical rehabilitation for brain-injured Indigenous patients otherwise hindered by geographical and cultural barriers.
This ground-breaking project has spearheaded international collaborations with other countries where colonisation has created health challenges for Indigenous peoples.
Edith Cowan University
ACRISP
Joining the world's best
Edith Cowan University is one of only 11 international research centres chosen by the International Olympic Committee to study the prevention of and treatment of sports injuries and illness.
This elite group of researchers across multiple disciplines is delivering ground-breaking insights and new knowledge that bridge elite sport, community sports and public health.
Edith Cowan University
Solar Glass
Greening the future
Researchers at Edith Cowan University have developed a high-tech type of glass that uses nanotechnology to harvest solar energy from the sun.
The energy-harvesting clear glass can generate up to 50 watts of power per square metre of surface area while still allowing visible light to pass through.
Edith Cowan University
Pianos
Research-informed restoration
It was the first piano to arrive in Australia. Now, more than 200 years later, the First Fleet fortepiano will make a return journey to the UK to be rehabilitated by master restorers.
Edith Cowan University
Haemochromatosis
Full blood count
Researchers have developed a way to use data already gathered in Australia’s most commonly ordered blood test to detect the iron overload disorder HFE Haemochromatosis.
Haemochromatosis is a common genetic disorder that affects people of Northern European descent and results in too much iron being absorbed by the body.
Edith Cowan University
Spinal cord
Hope for the injured
It's vital that people with spinal cord injuries remain physically ready for the breakthroughs on the near horizon.
A form of strength training rarely used on spinal cord patients due to concerns about its intensity has been shown to deliver a raft of health benefits in a small but potentially ground-breaking study by Edith Cowan University.
Edith Cowan University
Seagrass
Global impact
Edith Cowan University's ground-breaking marine science research will inform global climate change policy for years to come.
Edith Cowan University
Bone Scans
Early warning signs
Bone density scans that are routinely performed to identify the risk of fractures could also give and early warning for heart attacks and strokes, new research has found.
The scans can detect a build-up of calcium in the aorta, which researchers found was closely associated the risk of suffering a heart attack.
Edith Cowan University
Exercise is medicine
A world first
Genesis Cancer Clinic in Joondalup, Western Australia, has an exercise clinic set up next to their treatment suites. So patients can receive supervised prescribed exercise programs on the same day they receive their chemotherapy or radiation treatment.
Edith Cowan University
Melanoma research
A safer world
Edith Cowan University researchers have developed the world’s first blood test capable of detecting melanoma in its early stages, a breakthrough that will save thousands of lives, as well as millions of dollars for the health system.
Edith Cowan University
Cyber Security
A safer world
Fingerprints are fast-disappearing as a secure means to access smartphones – cyber criminals have found ways around it.
However, Edith Cowan University’s Security Research Institute is developing a biometric security system that scans both your fingerprint and the veins in your finger.