James Cook University

James Cook University stands as Australia's top public research university because it specializes in researching global tropical problems. The university operates its main campuses in Townsville and Cairns tropical cities while maintaining an international campus in Singapore which connects to the entire northern Australian and Southeast Asian region. The university receives recognition for conducting high-impact research while sustaining efforts to protect both the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics region rainforests. 

The university began its history with the establishment of University College of Townsville in 1961 as a satellite campus of University of Queensland. The James Cook University of North Queensland Act became law on April 20 1970 which granted the university full independence from its previous governmental control. The university established its existence as Queensland's second university when it adopted the name James Cook University of North Queensland which served as its official title. The university expanded its operational reach with major developments which included the 1987 establishment of its Cairns campus and the 2003 launch of its first international campus in Singapore which transformed the institution into a worldwide center for tropical research.