Open doctoral topics | Specialisation in Science

DOCSCI-2026-06: Acoustic Monitoring of Chinese White Dolphin in Macao Waters: Distribution, Behaviour, and Conservation Implications🔗

This project aims to study the distribution, habitat use, and acoustic behaviour of the Chinese white dolphin (Sousa chinensis) in Macao waters using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). Acoustic data from fixed and mobile acoustic sensors will be analyzed to detect dolphin presence, temporal patterns of activity, and vocalization characteristics across different coastline areas, and in relation to seasons, tidal cycles and vessel traffic.
The project will contribute to the conservation and management of this vulnerable species by identifying key habitats, periods of higher acoustic activity, and potential exposure and impact of anthropogenic pressures. By integrating acoustic indicators with spatial and environmental data, the study will support evidence-based mitigation measures, long-term monitoring strategies, and management actions to reduce human impacts on Chinese white dolphins in Macao.

Supervisor(s): Raquel Vasconcelos (raquel.vasconcelos@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords:

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DOCSCI-2026-05: Urban Noise in Macao: Long-Term Trends, Acoustic Characterization, and Planning Strategies🔗

This PhD project will assess environmental noise in Macao by analyzing long-term monitoring data collected by the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) over the past two decades, identifying temporal trends, spatial patterns, and dominant noise sources across the territory. Complementary fine-scale acoustic surveys will be conducted to characterise current noise levels and spectral features in different urban areas and ecozones.
Based on this integrated analysis, the project will develop evidence-based noise planning and mitigation strategies to support urban planning, environmental management, and policy decision-making, contributing to improved environmental quality and sustainable development in Macao.

Supervisor(s): Raquel Vasconcelos (raquel.vasconcelos@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords:

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DOCSCI-2026-03: Multimodal Communication and Assistive Technology🔗

Multimodal communication uses multiple channels to convey a message, combining verbal, non-verbal, visual, auditory, and tactile elements for more effective communication. Different brain regions work together to interpret and respond to multimodal signals, influencing cognition, perception, learning, and social interaction. This PhD research focuses on the design, development, and evaluation of haptic devices for interactive computer-based applications. The work addresses both the technical aspects of tactile display hardware—such as actuation mechanisms, spatial and temporal resolution, and control strategies—and the user's perceptual and cognitive processes. This research combines insights from physical computing, cognitive science, linguistics, and education, and it has a real-world impact, especially for individuals with disabilities.

Supervisor(s): Alexandre Lebel (lebel.alexandre@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords: Communication, Assistive Technology, Haptic Systems

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DOCSCI-2026-02: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies🔗

Decentralized wastewater treatment technologies enable localized treatment, reuse, and resource recovery at the scale of households, communities, or small facilities. These systems aim to reduce energy consumption, infrastructure costs, and environmental impact while improving resilience and adaptability. This PhD research would investigate small-scale treatment concepts, with a particular focus on ultra-low-power operation and modularity. The work can focus on the evaluation and optimization of specific technical components or system integration. Potential applications include rural sanitation, small residential clusters, decentralized greywater reuse, and off-grid or solar-powered wastewater systems.

Supervisor(s): Alexandre Lebel (lebel.alexandre@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords: Wastewater, Decentralization, Sustainability

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DOCSCI-2026-01: Bioremediation Strategies for Wastewater Treatment 🔗

Water contamination from industrial, agricultural, and municipal waste is a growing global crisis. Traditional treatment methods can be expensive, energy-intensive, and produce toxic byproducts. Bioremediation offers a sustainable, eco-friendly alternative that aligns with global efforts toward circular economy and green technology. This research spans multiple disciplines: environmental science, microbiology/biotechnology, engineering (reactor design, pilot-scale implementation), and chemistry (biodegradation mechanisms, metabolic pathways).

Supervisor(s): Alexandre Lebel (lebel.alexandre@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords: Wastewater, Bioremediation, Biotechnology

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DOCSCI-2025-09: Stress tolerance as a phenotypic trait🔗

Stress tolerance is the ability of an organism to withstand, adapt to, and recover from stressors while maintaining physiological and behavioural stability. This project will investigate whether stress tolerance can be considered a phenotypic trait, with some individuals displaying greater resilience to stressors, independent of their nature. The focus will be on environmental stress adaptation, particularly in the marine environment, where organisms face increasing challenges such as ocean acidification, rising temperatures, and hypoxia.
Using the marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma), a model species well-suited for laboratory experiments, the project will develop artificially selected lines for high and low stress tolerance. Through controlled exposure experiments, it will assess whether tolerance to one stressor translates into generalized resilience to others. Additionally, the study will investigate the genetic and neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying interindividual variability in stress tolerance, aiming to identify physiological and molecular markers of resilience. By uncovering the mechanisms driving stress tolerance, this research will provide key insights into adaptive plasticity and population resilience in response to global environmental change. The selected candidate will work within a multidisciplinary research team as part of a project funded by the Macao Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT).

Supervisor(s): David Manuel Flores Gonçalves (david.goncalves@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords: stress, phenotypic plasticity, marine medaka, global change

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DOCSCI-2025-08: Neural mechanisms of aggression🔗

Aggression is a fundamental behaviour with deep evolutionary roots, yet its neural mechanisms remain incompletely understood. The Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) provides an ideal model for investigating aggression due to its natural high aggression levels, exacerbated by long-term artificial selection for winning. This project aims to take advantage of the comparison between fighter lines, selectively bred for high aggression, and wild-type lines, which retain natural levels of aggression, to map the neural circuitry and possible neuromodulators responsible for aggressive behaviour. The work will include the application of state-of-the-art methods in neuroscience, including calcium imaging, genetic manipulation and endocrine profiling, providing a solid training in these techniques. Understanding how aggression is modulated in a well-established fish model will provide broader insights into the proximate and evolutionary mechanisms of aggression across vertebrates. There is the possibility to develop part of the work in Portugal under a cotutelle scheme.

Supervisor(s): David Manuel Flores Gonçalves (david.goncalves@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords: Aggression, androgens, brain, Betta splendens

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DOCSCI-2025-07: Gut-brain modulation of behaviour🔗

The discovery that gut bacteria can influence brain function and behaviour has opened exciting new research avenues and led to innovative clinical applications in brain health. However, the precise mechanisms underlying this communication are only now beginning to be uncovered. This project will investigate the gut-brain connection using the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) as a model, focusing on the influence of gut microbiota on social behaviour, particularly aggression and stress regulation. By integrating microbiology, molecular biology, and neuroscience, the study will explore how gut microbiota composition and metabolic signaling modulate neural and endocrine pathways involved in social interactions. These findings will provide broader insights into the role of gut-derived signals in shaping social and stress-related behaviors across vertebrates. The selected candidate will work within a multidisciplinary research team as part of a project funded by the Macao Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT), with the possibility of conducting part of the work in Portugal under a cotutelle scheme.

Supervisor(s): David Manuel Flores Gonçalves (david.goncalves@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords: microbiota, gut-brain axis, aggression, stress

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DOCSCI-2025-05: Air Quality Modelling and Monitoring🔗

Air Quality Modelling and Monitoring are fundamental for air quality research. Air Quality Modelling is a research topic that studies various methods to predict air quality for the next couple of days, including deterministic models, statistical models, and machine learning models. On the other hand, Air Quality Monitoring is a research topic that can be performed using various equipment, such as EPA equivalent reference machines, portable handheld devices, passive samplers, and low-cost sensors. At USJ, we would utilise both modelling and monitoring methods as important tools to manage the air quality in Macao, which are essential for the well-being of our community.

Supervisor(s): Thomas Lei (thomas.lei@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords: air quality, air quality monitoring, air quality modelling

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DOCSCI-2025-03: Epithelial Science and Organismal Physiology🔗

Epithelium is the frontline protective barrier of the body, and epithelial integrity closely associates with physiological state and health status of multicellular organisms. Defects in epithelial function associate with a variety of pathological conditions and diseases in both animals, plants and some microorganisms. How cells ensure themselves to receive the necessary nutrients they need can directly impact epithelial physiology and, therefore, the state of the organism. Elucidating the science of cellular nutrition and epithelial cells can help us deepen our understanding of the biology of multicellular organisms with complex cellular structures, including health conditions in humans and other organisms. At USJ, we have established a close collaborative network with research institutions in mainland China and beyond, using an integrated cross-disciplinary approach combining with a wide range of technologies and methods, to delve into our understanding of epithelial function in health and disease of multicellular organisms.

Supervisor(s): Winnie Shum (winnie.shum@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords: Epithelial science, epithelial cell biology, cell nutrients, human health

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DOCSCI-2025-06: Microbe-mineral interactions: Environment and Biotechnology🔗

The precipitation of carbonate biominerals by microorganisms is a field that has been attracting considerable interest. They can be used for a wide-range of applications, including civil engineering, historical restoration activities, soil improvement, carbon sequestration, and bioremediation. Their production seems to be a by-product of microbial metabolism, but there are still significant gaps in our understanding of this process. Testing for production of biominerals is not standardized, which makes it difficult to compare results from different studies, and many known microbes have never been tested.
This project proposes to obtain new insights into the production of biominerals and their application via a multi-sided approach that can include isolation of new strains, characterization of biominerals, study of the effects of environmental conditions, and assessment of impact in biotechnological applications. Data from microbiological and mineralogical analysis will be combined with images of the crystals (stereo-, optical-, and electron-microscopy), and analysed using computational-assisted methods.

Supervisor(s): André Antunes (andre.antunes@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords: Microbiology, Biotechnology, Biominerals

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DOCSCI-2025-04: Environmental and Applied Microbiology🔗

There are more bacteria in our oceans than stars in the Universe! Despite being the dominant life forms on Earth, our knowledge on microbes is still very limited (<1.0 % have been grown in the lab). Microbes play vital roles in the environment but much of their activity remains unassessed Furthermore, microbes are increasingly seen as vital in addressing major societal challenges: feeding, healing, and fuelling the World. Some of the most promising breakthroughs in biotechnology came from extreme environments and their microbial inhabitants. Innovation in biotechnology is hampered by our (in)ability to isolate new strains.
Recent research focuses on molecular-based methodologies, but added efforts are needed on isolating strains. Innovation in biotechnology is hampered by our (in)ability to isolate new strains. This project will survey microbial diversity in underexplored locations (ranging from deep-sea, to the Antarctic, to coastal sites in Asia, Africa, and Europe) and aims to isolate and characterise new strains and assess their ecological and biotechnological impact.

Supervisor(s): André Antunes (andre.antunes@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords: Microbiology, Biotechnology, Biodiversity

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DOCSCI-2025-02: Nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation in Macao SAR🔗

Like many coastal cities, Macao faces increasing climate risks such as the urban heat island effect, flooding, and extreme weather events. This research aims to explore the potential of nature-based solutions (NbS) in addressing these challenges. It will specifically investigate the implementation of NbS strategies, such as the sponge city concept, which integrates green infrastructure elements like green roofs, rain gardens, bioswales, and wetlands to enhance urban resilience. Nature-based solutions are innovative approaches inspired by natural processes and ecosystem functions, offering sustainable and cost-effective solutions to societal and environmental challenges. The study will combine GIS-based spatial analysis, field experiments, and stakeholder interviews to provide insights into the feasibility of these solutions for Macao’s urban planning framework.

Supervisor(s): Karen Tagulao (karentagulao@usj.edu.mo)

Academic Unit: Institute of Science and Environment

Keywords: Nature-based solutions, sponge city, wetlands, climate change

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Last Updated: January 24, 2024 at 1:58 pm

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