[13] Recent notable research includes the discovery of Gliese 12 b, an Earth-like planet 40 light years away making it the closest located to date.

The cause of the fire was a staff member activating a bank of light switches which, unbeknownst to them, were also connected to a wall strip heater obscured by computer printout paper.

[37] Students, staff, and faculty members of the university engage in a variety of extracurricular activities, such as taking part in the One Million Stars to End Violence project,[38] organising symposiums to change people's attitude about children with autism,[39] improving literacy for Indigenous children,[40] and providing healthcare to disadvantaged communities in Thailand.

[42] The members of the university's Golden Key Chapter (an invitation-only honour society, including of top 15% students from universities worldwide based on their academic achievement) also engage in a wide range of activities to serve the community, including volunteering with local schools, youth clubs, and state emergency service.

[45] The university'sLaw Society also organises events for law students to get career advice from professionals and learn to overcome challenges in the profession.

[52] Students also competed in other sport tournaments at national and international levels, such as represented the Queensland Blades in the 2017 Australian Hockey League Championships,[53] won the first places in ANB Qld State Championships[54], received the national Green and Gold merit after the annual 2016 Australian University Games,[55] and captained Australia in the 2018 Indoor Hockey World Cup in Germany.

[56] The university also supports year 11 and 12 students with skills to improve the quality of life in local communities through Change Makers program.

The program provides young students with financial support, guidance, and other resources to develop their visions of a better future and bring these ideas into practice.

According to the National Center for Student Equity in Higher Education, twenty projects have been completed by students through Change Makers programs, including building a garden in community school to feed homeless people, raising awareness of inequality through concerts, and managing other projects dealing with pollution in community environments.

[57][58] Students at the University of Southern Queensland produce plays, films, and entertainment shows addressing culture, gender identity, and the struggles of young people, including Ghosts of Leigh by Dallas Baker,[59] Velvet Bourlevard by Ian Fulton,[60] and I dated Batman by Tammy Sarah.

[21] Beside providing a digital learning platform (partly funded with $50 million by the federal government[71]) for all courses and disciplines, the university also provides students with face-to-face instructions and real-life experiences, including the opportunity for students in the Bachelor of Applied Media (BMA) program to do all parts of production and direction of Connected, a lifestyle show produced for 31 Digital.

[77] The university organised field trips for nursing students to provide healthcare in rural communities in Vietnam (funded through federal government's New Colombo program)[78] and for researchers to raise awareness of root-lesion in India.

[80][81] Professors and researchers at the university gained important positions with regional and international organisations, such as Fulbright[82] and Queensland's Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

[88] Visitor speakers and lecturers at the university come from different professional backgrounds, including NASA astronaut Colonel Robert S. Kimbrough,[89] Chief Justice of the High Court Susan Kiefel,[90] News Director Mike Dalton from Nine News Regional Queensland,[91] rugby player Steve Walter,[92] and bestselling author Steve Maraboli.

[97] In 2017, as a part of the mega $15m campus expansion, the university started upgrading the Agricultural Science and Engineering Precinct (ASEP) to facilitate agricultural and material engineering development, including constructing new microbiology laboratories, glasshouses, dehumidified storage, and controlled ecological environments, developing methods of soil pathogen resistance, and applying vision sensing and robotics trials.

[98] In 2017, the university hosted Australia's first regional meeting with Australia-ASEAN Council (AAC) in Toowoomba Campus to discuss the issue of trade and agriculture in preparation for the Sydney ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in 2018.

The participants addressed the global demand for food, the current problems in the industry, and the development of new technologies in environmental science, engineering, and agribusiness.

[100][101] Researchers at the university undertake different roles with international climate organisations, such as the president of the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (with the commission to design better services for global agribusiness and climate risk management)[102] and ocean expeditor in the Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (with the mission to examine how ocean currents affect the world's weather).

The university's Centre for Future Materials (CFM) has researched and applied the technique of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) in the project of Toowoomba City Hall renovation.

[107] The new telescope facility has been supporting Australian astronomers to discover planet systems and perform an important role in NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission.

[128] These surveys place more emphasis on criteria such as student experience, graduate outcomes and employer satisfaction[128] than perceived reputation, research output and citation counts.

The campus also includes a library with a rainforest and water features designed to increase air quality and contribute to the learning environment.

The decision to transfer the Campus was motivated by a desire to increase tertiary education opportunities in the region and to reflect the strategic objectives of each university.

[136] In stage two of the Sustainable Energy Solution project commenced in September 2017, 1198 solar panels were installed on building rooftops across campuses in Springfield and Ipswich, generating 586,949 kilowatt hours and reducing thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

Serving as a hub for digital production and performance, the campus offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs and includes a radio station, science and engineering laboratories, a television studio with spaces for rehearsal, collaborative teaching rooms, a fitness and recreation centre, an auditorium, and on-campus accommodation.