(2025) Our AEA Ignite project ‘Bioadhesives for Underwater Applications’ is in full swing. This week, we flew up to Cairns to meet our partners Reef Magic and Mars to learn how Reef Stars are manufactured, prepared for reef restoration, and deployed on Moore Reef to restore corals. We are developing coatings that are environmentally friendly, work on replacing plastic zip ties currently used for coral restoration, and test our bioadhesives in marine environments. On the first day, we learnt how Reef Stars are manufactured. The highlight was the second day when we had the possibility to visit Moore Reef – a site where Reef Stars are used to restore corals. The third day was set aside for planning our trials on Moore Reef in 2025 and 2026. A huge thank you to all the staff from Magic Reef and the Reef Cooperative.
- AEA Ignite Grant for underwater bioadhesives (2025) The Bioadhesive Team was awarded an AEA Ignite Grant to optimise our underwater bioadhesives for different methods of coral reef restoration as well as for use in marine industries.
QUT – ‘A champion of chemistry’: QUT chemist wins national award (2024)
Professor Leonie Barner has been awarded the prestigious Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) Chemical Service Award recognising her substantial contributions to the field of chemistry and enduring commitment to advancing the profession especially with regards to sustainability.
- CNN Interview – These devices are helping deliver 1 million baby corals to the Great Barrier Reef (2024)
CNN meets young scholars in Australia who are trying to rehabilitate parts of the reef using coral seeding devices and “bio glue.”
- THE AUSTRALIAN – QUT scientists developed underwater glue to repair reefs (2024)
QUT scientists are developing underwater adhesives for coral rubble stabilisation, coral transplantations, and many other marine applications.
- FINALIST – Shaping Australia Awards – Future adhesion – Sticking to reef restoration (2023)
Found out what our QUT Bioadhesives team is working on to help reef restoration.
- QUT NEWS – Future adhesion for reef restoration (2023)
The QUT Bioadhesives team led by Prof Scott Bryan and Prof Leonie Barner is a finalist in the Problem Solver category of the Shaping Australia Awards for their work developing a range of underwater bioadhesives to repair damage to coral reefs.
- ABC NEWS – These scientists have a novel way of solving the Great Barrier Reef’s coral rubble problem: glue (2023)
QUT researchers are searching for quicker ways to stabilise coral rubble, enabling coral regrowth. “Having a very stable, solid seabed is really important for reef recovery” said Professor Scott Bryan who is leading the research with his colleague Professor Leonie Barner.