See how we’re making the world a better place

Our researchers tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges, focusing on five priority areas: Healthy People, Resilient Societies, Prosperous Economies, Secure Planet and Innovative Technologies.

Our pioneering culture has encouraged and inspired researchers to break free from conventional thinking, and to actively shape the complex issues that define the future of the world we live in. Their research translates into real-world impact for society, culture, the environment and the economy.

Discover just a few of the innovative ways our researchers have created change:

Indigenous activism - Indigenous person filming a rally

The practice of being Indigenous online

Since the early days of Facebook, Professor Bronwyn Carlson has been overturning misconceptions about Indigenous peoples’ engagements with digital technology. Professor Carlson, Director of Macquarie’s Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, has...

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A technician using a surgical machine

The ethics of surgical innovation

­Technological change is critical to improving health care. But innovation comes with potential costs. As surgeons ‘try something new’, often with the intent of improving an individual patient’s outcome, they run the risk of seriousl...

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Close-up on a researcher's gloved hands, removing a specimen from frozen storage

Improving the lives of patients with MND

Since its inception in 2013, Macquarie’s Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre has driven the growth of MND research nationally and internationally. Motor Neuron Disease (MND) has a devastating impact on the Australian community. Two Australians die ...

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Rows of oyster baskets exposed at low tide. An oyster farmer tends to them from a metal dinghy.

Breeding disease resistant oysters

The iconic Sydney rock oyster is the mainstay of NSW’s oldest and largest aquaculture industry. When QX disease threatened the industry’s long-term viability, researchers from Macquarie’s School of Natural Sciences collaborated with oyst...

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The River Styles short course in Mulwaree. Instructors stand in front of a river, holding a whiteboard and a map up for the students seated nearby to see.

Guiding river management best practice

Know your river. Know your catchment. Work with nature. Understand that rivers are diverse, dynamic entities which we need to adapt to living with. These principles drive the international best practice River Styles Framework developed by Macquarie’...

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