Foreign Direct Investment and Its Impacts on Domestic Firms

Foreign Direct Investment and Its Impacts on Domestic Firms

Advisor/s

A/Prof Ulf Schmitz, Dr Daniel Xing, Prof Andreas Lopata

College or Research Centre

College of Medicine & Dentistry; College of Public Health, Medical & Veterinary Science

Summary of Project

Join our dynamic research team at JCU and the Townsville Cancer Centre (TCC) for an exciting HDR (Higher Degree by Research) project that merges cutting-edge technology with critical clinical applications. Our umbrella project encompasses two groundbreaking research initiatives aimed at improving cancer treatment outcomes and patient care. Project 1: Enhancing Glioblastoma Treatment with Magnetic Resonance and Radiotherapy Glioblastoma (GBM) remains one of the most aggressive brain cancers, with limited survival rates despite recent advances in treatment. Our research focuses on the novel application of tumour treating fields and the integration of a magnetic resonance linear accelerator (MRL) to explore the biological effects of combining magnetic fields with ionizing radiation. We aim to uncover how these combined modalities impact tumour and immune cell interactions, ultimately seeking to improve GBM treatment efficacy. Project 2: Developing Blood-Based Surveillance for HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer Human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-OPSCC) presents unique challenges in post-treatment surveillance, particularly for patients in remote regions. Our research aims to develop and validate a blood-based circulating HPV-DNA (cHPV-DNA) test using next-generation sequencing (NGS). This innovative approach will enable earlier detection of recurrent disease, reduce patient burden, and improve survival outcomes for HPV-OPSCC patients.

Foreign direct investment has played an important role in economic development, particularly for developing countries. The presence of foreign firms in the host economy is likely to affect domestic firms. For example, a number of existing studies have found FDI generates productivity spillovers to domestic firms. Researchers have summarized three channels that such spillovers can occur, namely the forward and backward linkages, worker mobility and competition and demonstration effects. Given the potential productivity spillovers from FDI, this project seeks to investigate how the presence of FDI affects domestic firms’ behaviour, such as innovation, advertising, and exporting, both theoretically and empirically in a host economy.

Advisor: A/Prof Sizhong Sun

Key Words

brain cancer; head and neck cancer; radiation oncology; biomarker; bioinformatics next generation sequencing

Would suit an applicant who

We invite motivated students with a passion for oncology, molecular biology, and innovative technology to apply. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to transformative research with the potential to significantly impact patient care and treatment outcomes.

Updated: 11 Apr 2020