In last year’s Matariki Network of Universities Research Seed Fund competition, Dr. Jeremy Stewart, Associate Professor of Psychology, received funding as the lead investigator on a collaborative project with Dr. Michael Kyron from the University of Western Australia (UWA) titled “Towards Improved Understanding and Prediction of Suicide Risk Among Youth: A Transnational Collaborative Project.”
This partnership between Queen’s University and UWA exemplifies the Matariki Network’s commitment to purposeful, inclusive, and impactful research. Suicide remains a leading cause of death globally, and addressing its complex, multidimensional nature requires diverse perspectives and innovative methodologies. The project contributes directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for people of all ages.
A sincere thank you goes to Dr. Jeremy Stewart for sharing the following reflections.
Note: the Matariki Network Research Seed Fund (2025–2026) is open for applications.
Interested faculty should submit a collaborative project proposal by December 15th, 2025.
Learn more about the MNU Research Seedfund opportunity
Tell us a little about your Matariki Research Seed Fund project
The project aims to identify novel, actionable predictors of short-term changes (i.e., shifts that occur within hours or days) in suicidal thinking among youth. Our research team combines my lab’s experience and skill in intensive longitudinal methods with Dr. Michael Kyron’s (University of Western Australia) expertise in applying advanced statistical approaches to these data, and his innovative work in incorporating physiological measures (e.g., sleep; heart rate) into the short-term prediction of suicide risk.
We are presently using smartphone-delivered surveys to assess key variables (e.g., mood; stressors) several times daily for up to 21 days. We are particularly interested in psychological flexibility – our ability to identify and adapt to situational demands to pursue meaningful longer-term outcomes – because we think it may reduce the effects of established risk factors (e.g., severe low mood) on subsequent suicide ideation. Future studies (launching in 2026) will incorporate state-of-the-art physiological recording to capture sleep patterns, physical activity and heart rate changes. Ultimately, our approach will yield an improved understanding of what may drive fluctuations in suicide risk.
What do you hope this work will achieve or change in the field?
Suicide is a leading cause of death among youth worldwide, and rates of suicidal behavior are rising in this demographic. We know little about why suicidal thoughts emerge, and there are no reliable predictors of escalations in suicide risk. Consequently, our ability to identify who requires intensive support, and when their thoughts will worsen, is limited. This has hampered suicide prevention because it is challenging to target critical windows to deliver interventions.
Are there any early findings or insights you can share from the project so far?
We have completed a pilot project with participants in Australia, and begun data collection for our main study here at Queen’s. Preliminarily, our data are consistent with some recent findings in suicidology: for some individuals, suicidal desire and intent can change significantly within days. Specifically, for some participants, answers to Smartphone-delivered surveys indicate that suicidal thinking can escalate from low intensity and stable, for instance, high levels of suicidal desire and intent within a matter of hours or days. This is important because it opens the door to testing what predicts these types of changes, which, in the long run, may help refine suicide risk assessments and/or improve timely delivery of clinical supports.
How did your collaboration with the University of Western Australia come about?
Dr. Kyron deserves all the credit here. He had an eye on opportunities through Matariki based on guidance he had received from a senior colleague. In looking for partners for a Research Seed Fund application, Dr. Kyron came across my lab and noted many points of intersection. I was delighted to hear from him – I have followed Dr. Kyron’s work for some time. Things came together quickly; we had a tight timeline (only a few days) before the application deadline, so the overlap in our research questions and approaches helped us get “on the same page” rapidly!
In what ways is global collaboration important for research on mental health and suicide risk?
The Seed Fund has given us resources to effectively mirror key elements of the infrastructure available at the University of Western Australia, and vice versa for Dr. Kyron with resources we have here. Harmonizing our methods and measurement approaches is allowing us to double the efficiency of our data collection efforts. This is not a small benefit in the context of suicidology research; we deal with phenomena that can have low base rates, depending on the sample. Having larger numbers – which are achievable in multi-site efforts with paid staff and duplicated equipment – helps produce better and more replicable answers to our research questions. The Seed Fund allowed us to do our work more optimally, and will also set us up to apply for larger funding opportunities in the future.
Do you have any advice for Queen’s community members considering collaborating on a MNU Seed fund application?
I think my best advice would to be bold like Dr. Kyron was! Have a look at what scholarship in your field is happening at Universities within the Matariki Network while keeping an open mind about diverse perspectives on your topic. I think, when it comes to broaching new collaborations, some of us (or maybe it’s just me!) worry that we might be bothering another scholar with a “cold call”. I think most times it is quite the opposite – people are excited to hear from others in their field, and the creativity that can come from sharing different viewpoints on similar problems is a key ingredient to great science.
Learn more about the Open MNU Research Seedfund Call
Matariki Network of Universities (MNU) is an international group of leading, like-minded universities, each amongst the most historic in its own country, and recognized as being: a premier place of advanced learning, nationally and internationally; research-intensive across a broad subject base; focused on providing a high-quality student experience; and flexible, modern, innovative, comprehensive and globally oriented. ˴Ƭ is one of the founding members of the Matariki Network of Universities.