Swinburne University of Technology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

3D integrated crystalline UV optical lens-fiber couplers for astronomy. This project aims to create micro-optics for astronomical and bio medical applications by 3D sculpturing them out of crystals by ultra-short pulse lasers. This project will introduce a new 3D fabrication approach of optical probes which have self-aligned micro-optical elements and optical fibres for a wide spectral range and with high quality optical surfaces. Expected outcomes of this project include building new capabilities in micro-optical probes for industrial environments, establishing new solutions for international astronomy partners, and developing new techniques to image through optical fibres. This should provide significant benefits by improving astronomical instrumentation and also lead to less invasive endoscopy. Field of research: 4018 - Nanotechnology Light is capable of carrying large amounts of information at high speed, and the development of new micro-optics has a proven record of success from lasers to fibre optics in telecommunication. This project will use lasers to develop a fundamentally new approach to making 3D micro-optics out of crystals. These new optical probes can be used for light collection and imaging; in the short term, the project aims to develop a next generation of original Australian technology, “StarBugs”, to be used for optical readout of signals in astronomy instrumentation and to be implemented in the Keck telescope in Hawaii, one of the world’s largest telescopes. Long term, other applications for the technology include industrial, defence, space and medical imaging (e.g. endoscopy). This project also aims to develop an industrially scalable approach for 3D laser machining, which is becoming more widely used in material processing worldwide as the power of lasers increases. High precision machining with this method in Australia is currently lagging behind the leading worldwide trends, so this project also aims to support the national manufacturing priority and enhance sovereign capability to produce micro-optical solutions for industrial use and future medical applications. A new generation of researchers in laser material processing will be trained, and technology transfer of applied optics to 3D printing will be achieved.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Examining the impact of remand and the utility of bail risk assessments. Australia has experienced soaring incarceration rates, driven by the pre-trial detention of unsentenced people pending trial, not by rising crime rates. The decision to remand a person into custody pending trial has implications for public safety and individual rights. Although the impact of remand has gained increasing importance given adverse coronial findings, no studies have examined the mental health and justice impacts of remand. This project seeks to examine the effect of remand on future crime, justice outcomes, and mental health outcomes. This project will also examine the factors associated with bail decisions and develop mathematical models designed to accurately forecast bail release outcomes and reduce demographic disparities. Field of research: 5201 - Applied and Developmental Psychology Over the past thirty years Australia has experienced soaring incarceration rates driven by an increase in incarceration of people who have been denied bail and remanded pending trial. This has recently led to national discussions about the extent to which remand: (1) improves community safety; (2) imposes social and mental health costs on those remanded; and (3) is being applied to those who truly pose an unacceptable risk to the community. The national debate around the use of remand would benefit by being informed by rigorous empirical research to examine the effect that remand has on both community safety and on those who are remanded. At present, bail decisions may result in too many vulnerable people being remanded into custody despite posing little or no risk in terms of community safety. Bail decision making in Australia has not benefitted from scientific advances in assessing risk. This research will address these shortcomings by assessing the impact of remand on justice and mental health outcomes and developing novel risk assessment technologies to assist with the accuracy of bail decision making by judges. This dual focus will help ensure that decisions to release or remand are informed by an empirical foundation and are more accurate than unstructured judgement and are informed by awareness of the health and justice outcomes of remand. More accurate statistical approaches can also enhance fairness in decisions across vulnerable populations.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Illuminating the dark Universe with explosive astrophysical events. Explosive astrophysical events are critical to understand what the Universe is made of and its physics. This project aims to single out the most exciting exploding stars and extreme events out of the millions detected each night at the world’s largest optical telescope. It will magnify Australian leadership and optimise investment in astronomical facilities by obtaining unique information before these events fade forever. Expected outcomes include improved knowledge on the nature of exploding stars and the discovery of new events and physical processes. It will benefit the Australian community at large by training young Australians in data-intensive technologies required to lead ground-breaking research and advance our innovative economy. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences This project will develop new techniques to comb through the massive data from the world's biggest telescope. It will single out and communicate sudden astrophysical events so scientists around the world can study them in real time. Events like exploding stars and radiation bursts, create chemical elements, stars and galaxies. They are crucial to understanding the fundamental chemical and physical processes of the Universe that form the basis of all ‘life’. Unfortunately, the conditions that create them remain unknown and, because they happen so quickly, current algorithms cannot accurately identify them in time to gather the data needed to closely examine them. Due to its geographic position and infrastructure, Australia is the only place in the world where many of these events can be observed before fading. With this data, we will answer long-standing questions about the creation of elements and the nature of matter and gravity. Understanding these events is critical to humankind’s survival and that of our planet. The project will develop artificial intelligence techniques to sift through massive datasets which will ultimately benefit any industry that uses or relies on large datasets such as marketing, medical diagnostics and economics.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery. ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery. The mission of our Centre is to use gravitational waves to investigate the fundamental nature of relativistic gravity, ultra-dense matter, and cosmology. This will generate critical discoveries that cement Australia's leadership role in the gravitational wave mega-science instruments of the 2030s and 2040s. By bringing together a world-class team with broad and complementary expertise we will develop core technologies for future detectors, discover new sources of gravitational waves, probe fundamental physics, and lay the foundations for an Australian gravitational wave observatory. Our discoveries will inspire Australia's youth to pursue high tech careers and position our staff and students to become leaders in both industry and academia. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences This Centre will spearhead Australia’s involvement in one of the most exciting scientific quests of this century, using gravitational waves to understand our Universe. We will harness a national and international network of highly trained astrophysicists to detect and analyse gravitational waves, which will expand our knowledge of fundamental physics, the Universe, and the nature of ultra-dense matter. The Centre will develop technologies to support Australia’s involvement in high-tech industries and global megascience projects. These technologies range from high-powered lasers and precision optics, to advanced supercomputing and artificial intelligence. The Centre will leverage approximately two billion dollars of international investment in gravitational-wave science. It will benefit Australia’s defence and space industries, create spin-off companies, and nurture the future leaders in science and high-tech industries and space research. The Centre will expand strategic partnerships and pave the way for a future Australian gravitational-wave observatory.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Unveiling the dead and dusty Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope. This project aims to find the earliest dead and dust obscured galaxies in the Universe. Understanding their astrophysics, explosive growth, and demise have long been among the most important unsolved mysteries of astronomy. Decades in the making, the imminent availability of the James Webb Space Telescope mid-2022 marks a watershed moment. This project uses guaranteed access to the revolutionary space telescope to discover the first dead galaxies and unveil the previously hidden "dusty" galaxies and shed light on their suspected evolutionary link. The project is expected to significantly enhance Australia's international standing through leadership in use of the world's flagship scientific facility. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences The James Webb Space Telescope (JWSWT) has revolutionised space sciences. This project leverages an $18M award from NASA to use observations with the JWSWT to discover the first mature galaxies formed after the Big Bang. Revealing galaxies previously obscured by dust, it will increase our understanding of their origins, evolution and extinction and document the first chapter of our cosmic origins. Involving 50 researchers from leading institutes in the USA, Europe and Israel, it will increase global networking opportunities for Australian students and researchers. The high-profile discoveries will be shared with this international community and will inspire and attract young Australians to take up careers in science and technology. It will train Australian students and develop new methods in space-based data analysis and support the key national investment strategy of the Australian Space Agency and contribute directly to 3 of the 4 Strategic Pillars of the Australian Civil Space Strategy 2019-2028: develop international collaborations, increase national capability in space, and inspire all Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Cost-effective Edge Service Provisioning in the Last Mile of 5G. This project aims to deliver a suite of novel approaches for enabling cost-effective last-mile service provisioning in the 5G mobile edge computing (MEC). This project is the world's first attempt to systematically tackle the critical service provisioning challenges in the last mile where base stations link users to MEC applications. It offers a practical solution for provisioning software vendors' MEC services cost-effectively. This project should drive Australia's 5G transition and innovations, promote its post-COVID economic recovery and resilience by enabling various real-time mobile and IoT applications, e.g., telehealth, remote learning/working, industry 4.0, and ensure its pioneering position in the global 5G research. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science The Australian population is becoming increasingly reliant on the mobile network and mobile technology. The quality and diversity of mobile applications play a significant role in people’s experience in life, work, and study. This project will help software providers transition their services to the 5G network to enable unprecedented real-time information sharing, rapid decision making and immersive online collaboration. It will deliver a framework and a suite of integrated tools to help software vendors implement and manage their 5G services with ease, which is crucial to Australia’s expected $67 billion 5G-driven GDP growth by 2030. Providing a cost-effective way to deploy, deliver and protect 5G services will accelerate Australia’s growth in the digital economy. This project will allow businesses in many of Australia’s key industries, e.g., health care, smart transportation and advanced manufacturing, to take full advantage of Australia’s considerable investment in 5G infrastructure while consumers enjoy an enhanced user experience.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Revealing the Unseen Universe with Gravitational Lensing. This project will analyse new Australian led observations from the Hubble Space Telescope of light being bent around massive galaxies by gravity. To analyse these images we must develop advanced physical models and statistical techniques. This analysis will give us highly magnified views of early galaxy evolution revealing physical details otherwise impossible to see. It will also allow us to put constraints on the nature of invisible dark matter with the possibility of detecting warm dark matter signatures and enable us to probe the expansion of the Universe, testing whether the unseen dark energy is evolving in time. The Hubble sample is much larger and a major advance on previous work, and enables breakthrough science in these areas. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Currently we are limited in how much of the Universe we can see. This restricts our understanding of how galaxies are formed and how the Universe is expanding. Dark matter that drives galaxy assembly and dark energy that drives the expansion and fate of the Universe simply cannot be seen. By using the Hubble Space Telescope to observe how dark matter and dark energy bend light, and by developing advanced statistical modelling techniques, this project will allow us to find, investigate and determine the nature of the unknown dark matter particle and how the universe is expanding under the influence of dark energy. It will also offer us a magnified view of galaxies in the early universe revealing their structure and composition. Statistical modelling techniques utilising new methods of machine learning will solve problems previously thought too difficult. These will have application in any sector requiring the application of data science methodologies such as health data modelling and remote sensing. The breakthrough, scientific results of this project will generate intense global interest.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Efficient and secure data integrity auditing on cloud. Data auditing presents a promising way for verifying user data integrity on cloud, i.e., whether user privacy sensitive data such as identity information on cloud is modified or lost. Current auditing approaches lack sufficient efficiency and security. This results in that they cannot provide timely warning and precaution on potential data loss threats. This project aims to systematically investigate this significant challenge and expects to establish innovative research and solutions for enabling efficient and secure data integrity auditing on cloud. The project outcomes will help to safeguard Australian community in fast-growing cyber world, and benefit to fast-growing user privacy sensitive data hosting and applications on cloud. Field of research: 4604 - Cybersecurity and Privacy This project falls within Australian Cybersecurity priority about efficient and secure data integrity auditing on cloud. With more and more user privacy sensitive data such as identity information being hosted on cloud, users are increasingly worrying about their data integrity, i.e., whether their data is modified or lost in cloud. Loss of user privacy sensitive data can cause serious economic, commercial and social consequences such as cyber bullying or fraud. Current approaches for verifying data integrity lack sufficient efficiency and security, hence cannot provide timely warning and precaution for removing potential data loss threats. As such, this project aims to develop innovative research and solutions for efficient and secure data integrity auditing on cloud. This will lead to timely warning, and further significant reduction or avoidance of data loss incidents and corresponding cyber bullying or fraud events. This project will help to safeguard Australian community in fast-growing cyber world.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Cost-effective and Reliable Edge Caching for Software Vendors. This project aims to deliver a suite of models and techniques for cost-effective and reliable data caching in the multi-access edge computing (MEC) environment facilitated by 5G mobile network. MEC offers great promises for rapidly advancing mobile and IoT applications in various domains in Australia, e.g., smart cities, remote medical services, advanced manufacturing, etc. Combining graph analytics, optimisation techniques and game theory, this project tackles the new challenges in the placement, update and adaptation of edge data faced by software vendors embracing 5G. The outcomes can ease software vendors' cost and security concerns during the transition from 4G to 5G, and significantly promote the wave of 5G innovation in Australia. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science Innovations in many Australian industries like health, education and manufacturing require a fast and powerful mobile data network. Over 5G networks, software vendors can provide ultra-fast data access by hosting their data at locations close to end-users and their devices (known as edge caching). Since edge caching follows the pay-as-you-go business model, it is important to decide which and how many computing resources a business requires. What is the best way to utilise these resources to reduce costs, minimise service delays, and improve data reliability? This project will investigate and develop a suite of techniques offering practical solutions to how a business chooses to store and access data over 5G networks. The techniques will be used by our industry partner to economically and securely provide virtual and augmented reality classes on their education platform. The outcomes will help remove an economic barrier to Australian businesses’ transition to 5G, particularly small businesses in telehealth, remote work and online education, where fast, cost-effective, and reliable communication is essential.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Codesigning processes to improve technology service provision for aged care. This research investigates the learning and implementation of novel technologies applying a participatory approach with aged care residents. In partnership with Martin Luther Homes (a not-for-profit aged care provider) and The Brainary (an educational technology provider), we will co-design recommendations and innovative services that are necessary to enable strategic planning and technology uptake of residents. We create value through the shared goal orientation bringing use of technology in aged care and business together as a service. Co-creating processes exploring technologies with older adults will translate into residents receiving the support they need. We can expect to achieve better quality of care and equity in technology use. Field of research: 3303 - Design This project aims to improve the experience of technology use and provision in residential care. Despite using technology such as smartphones for information and connection, older adults often feel overwhelmed by technology. Staff in residential care often do not have the time or skills to support technology set up or training for residents as part of their activity programs. There is no possibility for trialling different novel technologies before purchasing, so expensive technology remains unused or is not updated due to inadequate business models. In collaborating with a technology provider for educational robots and robotic kits used in schools, older adults can explore and gain an understanding on the mechanics and benefits of technologies. We anticipate our approach will increase self-efficacy and enable residents to transfer the knowledge to other technology. We will co-design a set of recommendations for innovative service models to bring effective use of technology in aged care and business together. These outcomes can be implemented by businesses to improve technology take up in aged care settings.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Biocemented recycled glass columns: Green technology for ground improvement. This project aims to develop a green ground improvement technology using biocemented recycled glass column inclusions. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the performance of novel biocemented glass wastes when used as ground inclusions to improve the engineering properties of problematic soils subjected to traffic loads, through experimental, numerical approaches and field trials. Expected outcomes include evaluating the performance of biocemented recycled glass via experiments, establishing constitutive models, developing numerical tools and building enduring collaborations with industry. Benefits include diversion of wastes from landfills, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and commercial applications of glass wastes. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering Current technologies used for ground improvement in construction utilise virgin quarry materials and significant quantities of cement or lime. This project explores an alternative green ground improvement technology by using recycled glass wastes and an environmentally friendly biocement. This project will benefit Australian civil construction and waste management industries by opening new markets for recycled wastes and biocement in ground improvement projects, significantly reducing carbon footprint, and achieving longer lifespan than traditional methods. National benefits arising from this research include: (a) carbon savings by the diversion of 1.2 million tonnes of glass wastes annually from Australian landfills, (b) reducing carbon emissions by 50% compared to traditional methods with the novel usage of biocement, (c) significant reduction in the need for quarry materials, (d) economic benefits in cost savings by eliminating long-haul transportation of depleting quarry resources (~ $82 million/annum), and (e) opening new markets for Australia’s civil construction and waste management industries.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Co-designing and co-evaluating technology experiences in residential care . This project aims for meaningful experiences and skill development by older adults living in residential care using technologies. Based on the interests, abilities and everyday context it is important to introduce technologies in a way that supports agency and confidence. Through co-design and co-evaluation we develop a process to explore technology choices and learning. We will (i) generate guidelines for introducing technology, (ii) develop methods and success criteria for the co-evaluation of the process, and (iii) gain in-depth understandings of how facilitation and technology uptake are enacted in a range of residential settings. Older adults in residential care will benefit through increased digital equity and technology adoption. Field of research: 4608 - Human-Centred Computing Our proposed project aims to increase uptake of technology by older adults in aged care settings. The project will deliver a process for introducing technology to residents in a participatory way based on their individual skills, interests and needs. We will develop new and inclusive methods and guidelines involving all stakeholders for both setting technology adoption goals collaboratively and evaluating success criteria through co-design . The project will benefit older adults in residential care, their family and other supports, health care professionals, aged care providers and city councils by providing a structured uptake process that allows for strategic planning for successful technology adoption by older adults in an Australian context. The outcomes of the research should result in increased equity in technology use and better quality of life in aged care through introducing technologies in more targeted and positive. We expect that research could be generalised to other groups that are marginalised in Australia with respect to technology uptake.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Building green roads with gasified municipal solid waste composites. This project aims to develop gasified municipal solid waste composites as a novel and green road material. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the fundamental properties of the developed waste composites when used as road subgrades and bases, through experimental study, physical modelling, numerical simulation, and field trials. Expected outcomes include understanding the mechanical behaviour of these waste composites under static and cyclic loads, development of versatile constitutive models and numerical analysis tools, and determination of their optimal performance. Benefits include diversion of municipal and demolition wastes from landfills and the development of sustainable materials and technology for future roads. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering Constructing pavements and roads currently requires the use of new quarry materials and significant quantities of cement or lime, both of which generate large amounts of waste and carbon dioxide. This project explores an alternative for road construction by combining ash produced by the processing of municipal solid waste with sustainable non-cement binders. In the short term, the project will develop an understanding of the method of construction, mechanical behaviour and performance of roads built from waste and non-cement binders. In the long term, use of municipal and demolition wastes in road construction will divert up to 35 million tonnes annually of these wastes from landfill, significantly reduce both cost and carbon footprint of roads, and drastically reduce the need for quarry materials. With an Australian waste-to-energy industry partner, this project will identify new markets in the Australian waste-to-energy, waste management and road construction industries for their waste by-products, reducing waste in landfill and increasing sustainability of future green metropolitan and regional roads.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

A few-body perspective on polaron physics and polaron interactions. This project aims to develop novel approaches to investigate one of the most celebrated quasiparticles, polarons, and polaron interactions, which plays a critical role in understanding the properties and functionalities of various advanced materials. However, the complexity of real materials poses challenges to a fundamental understanding. This project innovatively applies the clean and controllable cold-atom system to simulate the same physics, where an innovative integration of few-body formalisms will be developed and precisely tested. The new knowledge generated in this project expects to shed new insight into polaron physics and pave the way to engineer polaron-based materials for applications in emergent quantum technologies. Field of research: 5108 - Quantum Physics This project investigates the physics of polarons, which describe disturbances to particles when immersed in a quantum environment. Understanding polaron physics is vital for harnessing the quantum properties of advanced materials and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness for energy harvesting, storage, and transmission processes. By unravelling the quantum nature of materials, this project addresses a critical knowledge gap and unlocks the potential for significant technological advancements. The research offers benefits from research leadership and capacity for Australia's emerging quantum industry, forecast by CSIRO at $2.2B market value and generating 8,000+ jobs by 2030. The project will enable Australia to lead in quantum research and equip the workforce with cutting-edge theoretical modelling and computational skills, fostering a high-level talent pool ready for the quantum industry era. This project aims to ensure practical applicability by facilitating knowledge transfer to the industry sector, enabling the implementation of advanced technologies in energy storage and transportation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Innovations in Green Chemical Manufacture from Synchrotron based Techniques. This project aims to find sustainable ways to produce commodity chemicals by developing new catalysts. New synchrotron techniques will be developed and applied to provide new knowledge about the spatial and temporal factors affecting the selectivity and efficiency of electron transfer, redox reactions and diffusion, key for catalyst design. Expected outcomes include the development of new catalysts, new catalyst design concepts and a knowledge repository/database of analytical observations key for unlocking new materials knowledge. This should provide significant economic and environmental benefits by placing Australia at the forefront of the sustainable production of commodity chemicals. Field of research: 3402 - Inorganic Chemistry The project will use synchrotron-based techniques to probe and develop new materials capable of manufacturing commodity chemicals from common gases, water, and sunlight. It will produce new knowledge on sustainable chemical manufacture, laying the groundwork to make production of fuels and chemicals carbon neutral. This will contribute to Australia’s commitment to zero carbon emissions by 2050. The project leverages existing government investment in the Australian Synchrotron and offers further benefits including the development of new knowledge about critical materials and systems as well as new ways to characterise them. Translation and adoption pathways include publication, patents, and direct sharing of knowledge including datasets with other researchers and companies. Adoption will be further facilitated by collaboration with industry for commercialisation to realise the value of new materials, system improvements and novel ways to characterise materials.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

ARC Research Hub for Future Digital Manufacturing. This Hub aims to grow and accelerate Australian digital manufacturing (DM) transformation by devising novel DM technology and commercialisation/adoption pathways. The Hub expects to transform industry by developing novel AI and IoT-powered DM technology that provides for dramatic improvement in manufacturing productivity, resilience and competitiveness. Expected outcomes include novel DM technology for digitally representing, predicting, and improving production and its outcomes via an open platform that supports reusing industry co-created DM solutions. Through supporting advanced manufacturing priorities and Industry 4.0, the Hub should provide significant benefits by increasing Australian manufacturing productivity and resilience by 30%. Field of research: 4606 - Distributed Computing and Systems Software Recent world events have exposed severe limitations in Australia’s manufacturing capabilities and resilience to supply chain shocks, increasing energy costs and unplanned production stoppages. In response to these issues and in accord with the vision of industry 4.0, the ARC Research Hub for Future Digital Manufacturing aims to transform Australian digital manufacturing through dramatic improvements in manufacturing productivity, resilience and competitiveness. The Hub will develop novel digital representations for use in digital manufacturing solutions; enhanced ability to predict production outcomes and use those predictions to improve manufacturing processes; and support the co-design with industry of an open platform for the use and reuse of Hub outcomes and technologies in diverse manufacturing sectors, products, machines, and processes. Through collaboration with national and international partner organisations, the Hub outcomes will facilitate the growth and acceleration of Australian sovereign manufacturing capacity and capability across all manufacturing sectors.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Energy absorption and impact mechanics of origami structures and materials. This project aims to understand the dynamic behaviour of origami structures and metamaterials by utilising interdisciplinary approaches. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of origami engineering and structural mechanics. The success of this project will form a foundation for studying energy absorption and impact mechanics of origami family; the fundamental physics and mechanics will be applied to characterise microstructures and design novel metamaterials and offer a way of exploring new materials with superior and tuneable performance. This should provide significant benefits to improvement of their safety, stability and reliability performance in applications such as vehicles, warships and offshore engineering. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering This project studies the properties of origami to inform the development of structures and materials that can safely absorb kinetic energy from impacts. These energy-absorbing materials will have significant benefits for Australian industry, allowing the development of safer and more reliable equipment for use in mining, construction, manufacturing and many other local sectors. They will also provide opportunities for Australian industries to take a global lead in the design and manufacture of protective structures and advanced materials, providing benefits for the Australian economy and creating more highly skilled job opportunities here. These materials will also have social benefits thanks to their use in creating safer vehicles, from cars to ships, that provide greater protection for passengers during crashes and impacts.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

MemberGuard: Protecting Machine Learning Privacy from Membership Inference. Machine Learning has become a core part of many real-world applications. However, machine learning models are vulnerable to membership inference attacks. In these attacks, an adversary can infer if a given data record has been part of the model's training data. In this project, the team aims to develop new techniques that can be used to counter these attacks, such as 1) new analytical models for membership leakage, 2) new methods for susceptibility diagnosis, 3) new defences that leverage privacy and utility. Data-oriented services are estimated to be valuable assets in the future. These techniques can help Australia gain cutting edge advantage in machine learning security and privacy and protect its intellectual property on these services. Field of research: 0803 - Computer Software Australia is a remarkably cyber-dependent country and securing its cyberspace is a national priority. There is an increasing number of Australian enterprises that use data-oriented machine learning services every day. Billions of dollars could be lost and people's privacy be breached if membership inference attacks are realised. Therefore, the capability that is gained through this project is essential to the Australian cyberspace security and stability. The developed new techniques safeguard the Australian digital infrastructure and its publicly accessible machine learning services by mitigating membership inference attacks. This project contributes to stopping membership inference attacks on machine learning models, and prevents leakage of confidential/sensitive information from people, companies, organisations, and governments.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Illuminating the cosmic web with Fast Radio Bursts. This project aims to establish the use of millisecond-duration Fast Radio Bursts as a wholly new means to map out the distribution of matter in the Universe. This project expects to localise 100s of bursts using novel infrastructure deployed on Australia's largest radio telescopes. Expected outcomes include an understanding of the processes that shape both the large-scale structures of the Universe, and the extreme conditions that exist at the sites of Fast Radio Bursts. This should provide significant benefits to our fundamental knowledge of the Universe, inspire students into careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and develop signal processing techniques of application to both the Square Kilometre Array and industry. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences Australia has a long and proud history in the discovery of Fast Radio Bursts, one of the most exciting developments in modern astronomy. The first discovery of a Fast Radio Burst was made with the iconic Parkes 64 metre radio telescope, and Australia's most recent array at the Square Kilometre Array site (ASKAP) produced the most convincing discovery of the so called missing baryons (normal matter). These prize-winning discoveries have been published in high impact journals and inspired young Australians to pursue careers in STEM. This project pushes the limits of energy-efficient advanced computing and signal processing, skills of relevance to the construction of the Square Kilometre Array and easily transferable to industry. This project will take common signal processing elements and deploy them at three major Australian radio facilities to maximise their scientific yield.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Modelling and Searching Cohesive Groups over Heterogeneous Graphs . Heterogeneous information networks (HINs) contain richer structural and semantic information represented as different types of objects and links. Searching cohesive groups from HINs finds many applications and also brings challenges at both conceptual and technical levels. This project aims to investigate the effective modelling of cohesive groups that take both homogeneous and heterogeneous information into account for different applications and devise efficient algorithms for searching and monitoring those cohesive groups based on different models. The methods, techniques, and evaluation systems developed in this project can be deployed to facilitate the smart use of heterogeneous information networks across the nation. Field of research: 0804 - Data Format Real network systems (social media, biological networks, collaboration networks, hidden terrorist networks and computer network systems) consist of many different and varied components. These systems can be thought of as heterogeneous information networks (HINs). Current methods of searching these networks to yield knowledge are inefficient, do not take into account the varying components, and do not cope with system changes, thus restricting their usefulness. Using big data analytics, this project will develop a complete framework for modelling and searching within these networks. The techniques, algorithms, and prototype systems developed can be deployed to facilitate the smart use of big data for many advanced real applications, including cybersecurity and better decision-making, for business, society and government.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Holobody: Advancing the Future of Mixed Reality Technologies. This project aims to advance our understanding and use of mixed reality technologies by pioneering a new approach to interaction in virtual systems that recognises, capitalises on, and expands the potential of the human body as a human-machine interface. The project expects to apply the unique, embodied methodologies of dance and movement technology, integrated with customised software, advanced visualisation and artificial intelligence, to develop next-generation principles of embodied interaction in virtual systems. Expected outcomes are improved assistive technology, new prototyping techniques for manufacturing, and improved productivity through interactive and immersive systems, benefiting Australian businesses, healthcare and the arts. Field of research: 1902 - Film, Television and Digital Media This project will place Australian research at the forefront of technology development by providing a unique and powerful creative approach to mixed reality design. New interactive systems will be developed enabling hands-free capabilities to access unique assistive technologies for Australians with disabilities, enhancing the lives of differently abled Australians. The new interactive systems this project will develop will also enhance the productivity and usability of mixed reality in Australian manufacturing, information and communication technology, social media and health care and the arts. These systems will expand Industry 4.0 capabilities across all of Australia's priority growth sectors; manufacturing, cyber security, food and agribusiness, medical technologies and pharmaceuticals, mining and energy, delivering economic and social benefits across Australian society, and enhancing the global competitiveness Australian businesses and technology start-ups.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Ultra Diffuse Galaxies: Challenging the galaxy formation paradigm . We aim to understand the origins of newly discovered Ultra Diffuse Galaxies. Their extreme properties challenge many assumptions underpinning the accepted cosmological framework within which galaxies form, especially the role of dark matter and its interaction with normal matter. Outcomes, enabled by the world’s best telescopes, novel machine learning techniques and supercomputer simulations of galaxy formation, will be a large new sample with measurements of their key properties and a clarification of their formation pathways. Benefits are the development of machine learning galaxy detection techniques, essential for future large data volumes, and a firmer understanding of the role of dark matter in forming galaxies over cosmic time. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences This project questions current assumptions about how galaxies form by investigating the origins of the recently discovered Ultra Diffuse Galaxies. These galaxies exhibit extreme properties which warrant close investigation as they challenge the accepted cosmological framework. The knowledge produced from this project will enhance Australia’s position as a world leader in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology and leverage Australia's multi-million dollar investments in large telescopes. Machine learning and enhanced imaging techniques developed in the project will also have wide commercial application within Australia's data science and burgeoning space industries, for example, in remote sensing from satellites and in medical imaging. The planned vehicle for communicating the research findings (an animated film) will help to attract students into Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics subjects and careers, providing further long-term cultural, economic and social benefits for Australia and its commitment to its national space strategy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Precision cosmic expansion in the era of gravitational-wave astronomy. The disagreement in the size of the cosmic expansion rate, between measurements from local galaxy indicators and predictions from the early Universe, is a crisis for cosmology. This Project aims to resolve this situation using recent scientific breakthroughs in both observations and theory. We will optimise expansion measurements from the standard sirens discovered by gravitational-wave astronomy by accurate modelling of the cosmic velocity field which limits this analysis. And we will use recent breakthoughs in numerical general relativity to explore the influence of space-time curvature variations on these measurements. We will hence improve our understanding of the most important parameter describing the Universe, and its physics. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences This Project aims to solve one of the leading puzzles in astrophysics: the conflicted measurements of how fast the Universe is expanding, which determines the age of the Universe. Australian scientists and students will approach this measurement using breakthrough advances in gravitational-wave astronomy and supercomputing technologies, enhancing Australia's reputation as a leader in astrophysics. This Project will provide outstanding training opportunities in cutting-edge statistical and computational techniques, and invaluable international exposure, for multiple researchers and STEM students. Development of these skills and techniques creates excellent opportunities for the interchange of technology and personnel between academia and industry. Moreover, by studying the origin and evolution of our Universe, this Project is a powerful tool for engaging the public, providing an inspiring example of applying science to some of the most fundamental questions we can consider.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Uncovering the laws of gravity using the largest map of the cosmos. This project aims to map out the behaviour of gravity across the Universe. This research will address a key gap in our understanding of physics, with significant implications for fundamental theory: we cannot account for the fact that the expansion of the Universe appears to be speeding up. This project will use the largest 3D map of how galaxies are distributed across the Universe, together with complementary datasets tracing the deflections of light -- obtained through unique international partnerships -- to produce a novel description of how Universal gravitation depends on separation and time. This work will provide new limits on allowed deviations from General Relativity (with 2% accuracy), or map out new and unexpected phenomena. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences This Project aims to solve one of the leading mysteries in astrophysics: the nature of the mysterious dark energy which fills the Universe. Australian scientists and students will work in a leading international collaboration of 600 researchers, using the world's best instrumentation and applying new analysis techniques to big data, enhancing Australia's reputation as a leader in astrophysics. This Project will provide outstanding training opportunities in cutting-edge statistical and computational techniques, and invaluable international exposure, for multiple researchers and STEM students. Development of these skills and techniques creates excellent opportunities for the interchange of technology and personnel between academia and industry. Moreover, by studying the origin and evolution of our Universe, this Project is a powerful tool for engaging the public, providing an inspiring example of applying science to some of the most fundamental questions we can consider.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

The Australian Emulation Network: Born Digital Cultural Collections Access. This project aims to conserve and render born digital artefacts widely accessible by establishing an Australian Emulation Network. High value cultural collections from university archives and the GLAM sector requiring legacy computer environments will be targeted. The project expects to generate new knowledge across media arts, design, and architecture. Expected outcomes include stabilising and providing researchers with emulated access to born digital cultural artefacts, sharing legacy computer environments across the network, and establishing an Australian software preservation community of practice, building skills in preserving and emulating digital cultural artefacts with substantial future applications also in scientific preservation. Field of research: 1902 - Film, Television and Digital Media The Australian Emulation Network will deliver cultural benefits to researchers, galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) organisations, and the community at large. A national, cross-sector consortium will assemble ‘end-to-end’ software preservation infrastructure in Australian university and cultural institutions. The project leverages collective effort and investment to build nationally significant digital infrastructure, rendering digital cultural heritage accessible. Through a combination of technical infrastructure, collaboration and human knowledge transfer, the project will deliver software preservation and emulation capabilities across 6 of the 8 states and territories, with potential for expansion. The project will help to ensure that Australia's cultural heritage that resides in digital records across arts, cultural and indigenous organisations is not lost.