The Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research (ACPIR) works in partnership with Pacific Island communities to deliver research that supports sustainability, resilience, and wellbeing across the region. Led by Professor Steven Underhill, the Centre’s strengths are strategic and applied research across nutrition-smart food systems, health and communities, climate change and adaptation, and aquaculture-based livelihoods and marine resources.

At the Centre for Bioinnovation, our research takes an integrated, systems-level approach that leverages our advanced expertise in biological processes. By combining this expertise with advanced capabilities in omics technologies and bioinformatics, we develop innovative and practical biotechnology applications to address some of the most urgent health challenges facing humans, animals and our planet, with solutions including rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests, singledose vaccine therapeutics and tools to support sustainable aquaculture.

At the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems, we aim to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges through innovative research that enhances safety, health and wellbeing and optimises overall system performance. We work closely with partners across industry and governments to provide expert insights and analysis, and to support individuals, businesses and communities to improve practice, performance and safety.

UniSC’s Forest Research Institute is Australia’s largest and most diverse forestry research group, bringing together more than 80 researchers with internationally recognised expertise to address challenges and opportunities across forest health, sustainable forest management, timber and bio-based products, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, community forestry, and emerging forest-based industries. Our mission is to lead applied and fundamental forestry research that supports environmental sustainability, forest-based livelihoods, and economic development through industry-aligned science, capacity building, and policy engagement.

The Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre is a vibrant, values-led research community dedicated to advancing the wellbeing, agency, and economic futures of First Nations and culturally diverse peoples across Australia and globally. At the Centre’s heart is a commitment to social justice, equity and inclusion, ensuring diverse knowledge, experiences and ways of being are listened to and valued. We align our efforts both with national priorities – such as the Closing the Gap targets – and the global imperatives articulated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our Centre is Australia’s only research centre working at the intersection of Indigenous and transcultural inquiry.

In the School of Business and Creative Industries, our mission is ‘educating to make a difference’ in a dynamic and fast-moving world. Our teaching and research are powered by strong industry connections, giving students hands-on experience and ensuring our work tackles real-world challenges – locally and globally. With a sharp focus on entrepreneurship, small business growth, and the creative industries, we lead impactful research that sparks innovation, drives social change, and shapes the next generation of leaders and changemakers.

At UniSC, the School of Education and Tertiary Access is dedicated to improving education for everyone, at every stage of life. Our team uses different lenses – including the academic, emotional, and creative – to explore how people learn, and how to best support the vital role of education in helping individuals and communities thrive. Through high-quality research, we aim to make learning more accessible, inclusive, and effective for all.

UniSC’s School of Law and Society brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines to address some of society’s most complex social issues. We work across the arts and humanities, law, criminology, counselling, social work, and urban design and town planning. Our graduates are trained for a rapidly changing world, fostering public service and justice, and advancing meaningful ideas and scholarship to benefit the wider community.

The School of Health is UniSC’s largest and most diverse school, home to over 8,500 students and 200 academic staff. Our expert researchers and educators are shaping the future of health across 12 disciplines, from nursing and midwifery to psychology, paramedicine, physiotherapy, biomedicine, public health and more. 

At UniSC’s School of Science, Technology and Engineering, we aim to tackle these challenges and more through research that matters globally – and also makes a real difference locally and regionally. Drawing on a culture of creativity and problem-solving, our purpose is to empower individuals to innovate through STEM for a sustainable future. We are committed to advancing research excellence through strategic partnerships, innovation and global engagement.

UniSC’s Thompson Institute integrates world-class research, clinical programs and education to address society’s most pressing mental health issues. Working with cutting-edge neuroscience, psychotherapies and brain-imaging techniques, our researchers and clinicians connect the mind and body and are uncovering promising new insights into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), youth mental health, healthy brain ageing and dementia, suicide prevention and more.