Population growth, technological innovation and climate change will affect us all in future years. The Global Change Institute recognises that addressing such challenges requires a truly multidisciplinary approach to research. The University of Queensland established GCI as a unique collaborative hub to draw together researchers from various disciplines including social science, economics, marine biology and physics to address these big issues across four themes: Healthy Oceans; Clean Energy; Sustainable Water; and Food Systems. The Institute is housed in a 6 Green Star $32m ‘Living Building’, ranked 34th in the world’s most impressive environmentally friendly university buildings. A zero-carbon building, it has 60,000L rainwater storage, generates more energy than it consumes with enough solar panels to power 21 homes, and has a green wall that represents the lungs of the building.

Website

https://gci.uq.edu.au/

Organisation type

• University Research Centre

Number of research staff

Up to 20 research staff

Address

Building 20, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072

Strengths and capabilities

• Healthy oceans research
• Food systems research
• Sustainable water research
• Clean energy research
• Climate change research
• Population growth research
• Technological innovation

Facilities and major equipment

• GCI 'Living Building'
• 3.275MW 10ha solar research facility

Lead researcher

• Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg—Discovered the molecular mechanism behind coral bleaching, directly influencing global policy
• Professor Bill Bellotti—More than 30 years' experience in agricultural production system research in southern Australia, western China and eastern India
• Professor Tapan Saha—Condition monitoring of electrical equipment, power system stability and control and integration of renewable energy to the national grid

Achievements of the centre

• XL Catlin Seaview Survey researchers have captured more than 500,000 images of coral reefs to enhance future monitoring and management efforts
• The 3.275MW Gatton Solar Research Facility is improving understanding of cost efficiencies and grid integration of large-scale solar
• The Capturing Coral Reef & Related Ecosystem Services Project seeks to unlock the natural wealth of East Asia
• Pacific coastlines.

Key science sectors

More information about the sectors this centre is involved in:

• Engineering
• Energy
• Environment and nature
• Food and agriculture
• Health and medical
• Social sciences
• Tropical