ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

2D electromagnetic Hopkinson apparatus for multi-axial dynamic testing Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

2D electromagnetic Hopkinson apparatus for multi-axial dynamic testing Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Digital Construction of CFRTP Reinforced Cement-Free Concrete Structures. The conventional construction industry is facing issues of high labour costs, high carbon emissions and material waste. This project aims to address these issues by adopting the digital construction of continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic polymer (CFRTP) reinforced cement-free concrete elements. A novel co-extrusion technology will be developed, allowing printing of concrete and CFRTP reinforcement simultaneously. Steel slag-based printable concrete with short fibres will be developed, and its basic material properties, mechanical properties, durability and self-healing properties will be explored. The project will lead to a revolution in infrastructure and building construction industries, contributing to a carbon-neutral society. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering This project aims to transform Australia’s construction industry and address the critical challenges of rising labour costs, material waste, and environmental impact. By developing a novel 3D printing technology for continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic polymer (CFRTP) reinforced cement-free concrete, this research will lead to more sustainable and efficient construction practices. The innovative process resolves a key limitation in current 3D concrete printing by allowing continuous reinforcement, which improves structural integrity and reduces reliance on traditional labour-intensive methods. The development of this concrete reduces industrial waste while enhancing the material's strength and durability, further promoting environmental responsibility. Importantly, the project's focus on pore structure optimisation will increase the concrete's carbon absorption capacity, contributing to a carbon-negative solution. This research will significantly reduce construction costs, improve material efficiency, and contribute to Australia's goal of achieving carbon neutrality. The outcomes will benefit both the infrastructure and building sectors, fostering innovation and sustainability in the industry. By reducing emissions and material waste, this project supports a greener, more cost-effective future for Australian infrastructure.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

National Atomic Layer Etching Facility Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

National Atomic Layer Etching Facility Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Innovative Fire-Resistant Composite Coatings for Steel Structures. This project focuses on creating innovative fire-resistant polymer composite coatings to mitigate fire risks in steel structures. Leveraging interdisciplinary methods, it aims to pioneer fire-resistant coatings and establish a thorough understanding of fire hazard prevention in steel structures. Anticipated outcomes encompass the development of cutting-edge fire-resistant materials and novel insights into protective coating methodologies. This research is poised to significantly benefit the Australian coating and steel industries, while crucially safeguarding the lives and properties of Australians against fire hazards. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Despite many advantages of steel structures, fire hazards are currently emerging in Australia due to steel’s weak resistance to fire, with the high temperatures causing serious deformation and collapse disaster. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide new strategies and solutions to tackle these fire hazards. Using interdisciplinary approaches, this project will develop innovative and fire-resistant coatings to maintain the mechanical strength of steel constructions when exposed to fire by forming an insulated and mechanically robust ceramic layer. This will hinder the fire and give more time for escape and rescue efforts. The benefits of this project include ensuring the safety of personnel and buildings in a fire, giving more rescue time to protect and save lives and property, boosting Australia’s coating and steel industries and reinforcing Australia’s research strength in advanced materials and safe technologies. To promote uptake, the project results will be presented at trade conferences and via direct engagement with Australian steel, polymer and coating industry specialists.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Stabilising tailings dam capping with plant-based enzymes Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Enacting ChatGPT in Fintech: Identities, Institutions, Iterations Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Illuminating the functions of alternative splicing Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Collaborative Trust Marks: Marketing Aboriginal Tourism. Using community-based participatory action research, this project works with Aboriginal tourism stakeholders, developing marketing knowledge, to improve consumer participation. The project will generate new knowledge on how to use market-based assets to increase participation in Aboriginal tourism. Expected outcomes of this project include modelled collaboration on collective marketing, understanding how to nudge consumers towards participating, and advice for policy makers on supporting Aboriginal tourism growth. Benefits of this research will include supporting Aboriginal tourism operators, advice for tourism industry policy makers, and supporting Aboriginal economic participation. Field of research: 3506 - Marketing For thousands of years, Aboriginal people traded in local and intercontinental economies. Today, many Aboriginal tourism operators in Australia are ready for tourists. Yet, while many Australians are keen to engage in Aboriginal tourism, not many are doing it. This project will use a collaborative community participatory research approach with Aboriginal tourism stakeholders to address this issue. Guided by a steering committee of stakeholders, first the project will determine a collaborative approach to marketing that works for Aboriginal tourism operators in remote areas. Next it will work with operators to develop and implement marketing strategies aimed to increase marketplace trust and encourage participation in Aboriginal tourism. Finally, the project will develop a way to evaluate when collaborative trust marketing strategies have been impactful. Research shows that Aboriginal businesses employ more Aboriginal people, therefore, supporting Aboriginal tourism operators in their work will support Aboriginal people and communities working towards self-determined economies. The processes and outcomes of this work will be communicated through local gatherings, national conferences, engagements with policy makers, and in academic journals. These outcomes align with Australia’s Closing the Gap targets, commitments to Sustainable Development Goals, and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Safe collaborative control for heterogeneous multi-agent autonomous systems. This project aims to develop safe and effective collaborative technologies combining control and learning for diverse autonomous entities, adapting to complex and hazardous environments. It expects to contribute to the fields of control systems, robotics, and reinforcement learning. Expected outcomes include novel collaborative anomaly analysis, optimal task allocation, and safety-critical control methods that address two fundamental limitations in the state-of-the-art: sustained safety in complex environments and efficient collaboration among energy-limited various entities. This should provide significant benefits, such as intensifying harmonious collaborations among ground vehicles and drones for disaster response and transportation. Field of research: 4007 - Control Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics Australia's need for innovation in autonomous systems is driven by its low population density and high labour costs. These systems are essential in critical industries, replacing humans in high-risk and high-efficiency-demand tasks, such as disaster response and intelligent transportation. The complexity of these tasks requires various types of autonomous systems, managed by advanced control technology for effective collaboration. However, challenges to collaborative safety in the form of cyber-attacks or physical failures hinder their broader implementation in complex real-world environments. By combining control and learning for diverse autonomous systems, the project will develop ground-breaking collaborative control methods, offering sustainable stability and autonomy with much improved safety and efficiency compared to conventional autonomous systems. It directly benefits Australians by improving safety in hazardous environments and optimizing logistics operations, through the development of ground-air collaborative unmanned prototype systems for typical scenarios in Disaster Response and Logistics. Working with potential partners, such as the Department of Infrastructure and Transport and Australia Post, we aim to develop better solutions for real-world applications. We will also promote the project’s research outcomes through publications and media to reach a wider audience, engaging the broader community and industry stakeholders.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Ab initio design of high-entropy alloy catalysts for metal-CO2 batteries. This project aims to rationally design efficient high entropy alloy (HEA) catalyst cathodes for applications in metal-CO2 batteries and CO2 electrolysers. Ab initio HEA design will be conducted with the development of advanced electrochemistry modelling tools. This project will provide insights on interfacial reactions and establish design protocols. The anticipated outcomes would transform materials and electrochemistry technologies, while providing fundamental knowledge for commercialisation. This project will put Australia at the forefront of intelligent energy materials design for combating global energy crisis and resolving climate change, by introducing safe and inexpensive batteries to the future Australia’s green energy ecosystem. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are a new class of materials with superior capacity and durability in chemical catalysis and energy storage. Because HEAs can consist of five or more elements, the possibilities for discovery and design of new HEA catalysts are huge. This project aims to develop new HEA catalysts for metal-CO2 batteries with improved efficiency in producing electricity and converting CO2 into fuels. Using advanced atomic simulations and new computational approaches, this project expects to produce fundamental knowledge on key reaction mechanisms and properties at the interfaces, which are important for practical battery and electrolyser applications. With a capability to design and develop robust HEA catalysts purely from simulations, this project is expected to generate new knowledge in materials science and electrochemistry. The benefits include a quicker and more cost-effective material’s design and engineering process for Australia’s energy and chemical industries. Project outcomes will be disseminated via articles, conferences, and workshops, with patenting of commercially valuable IP in collaboration with industry. Through the adoption and commercialisation of this research, this project will assist Australia to achieve significant economic and environmental benefits, and contribute to meeting its 2050 net zero target, by providing breakthroughs in energy conversion and storage technologies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Shark-inspired remote sensors. The project aims to develop new-generation sensors, inspired by specialised receptors in shark skin, that will remotely detect objects based on their unique electrical, optical, and thermal fingerprints, by integrating advanced materials into smart architectures. This is expected to generate new knowledge in bioinspired engineering, using a multidisciplinary approach to develop materials with precisely tailored nanoscale properties for unprecedented remote sensing. The outcomes are likely to lead to advanced remote sensors that overcome the limitations of current systems, with significant benefits for addressing global challenges such as space exploration, personalised healthcare, climate change monitoring, and national security. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Shark skin has been precisely engineered by nature over millions of years to remotely sense tiny variations in electric and magnetic fields, pressure, temperature, and salinity. Synthetic sensors that can mimic this extraordinary biological capability will enable transformative technology for the detection of objects, and enhanced decision-making, and situational awareness. This project will develop integrated bioinspired nanosensor structures, gels, and multi-dimensional functional systems aimed at ultrafast responses and prediction that exceed the natural structures in shark skin. This shark-inspired remote sensing approach will address the constraints of current synthetic sensing technologies in functions, adaptability, and detection range that arise from their energy-intensive and inefficient information transduction mechanisms and rigid structure. The research is expected to provide Australian scientists and industries with cutting-edge tools that benefit multiple emerging technologies (e.g., human–machine interfaces, wearable sensors, artificial skin, and autonomous navigation) devised to solve national challenges such as climate change monitoring, medical and health diagnosis, and national security and defence. The research outcomes will be disseminated via publications, conferences, public talks, and social medias. Technological translation and commercialisation will be accelerated by close collaboration with industries in the advanced manufacturing sector.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

High-energy cathode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are failing to meet the needs of developing technologies due to their limited energy densities, stemming primarily from cathode materials in use. This project aims to develop high-energy and low-cost Li-rich manganese-based oxide cathodes for next-generation LIBs, and pursues an integrated strategy from material synthesis to full battery performance optimisation to promote their practical application. This project will innovate in modification strategies and structure designs to tackle their existing issues. Project success will position Australia as a leader in the development of high-performance battery technologies, particularly for electric vehicles, contributing to both economic and environmental benefits. Field of research: 4004 - Chemical Engineering Vehicle electrification has gained worldwide popularity as a response to global climate change, yet it encounters power supply challenges due to the limited energy densities of lithium-ion batteries. Currently, cathode materials control both the performance and cost of lithium-ion batteries. This project aims to address battery performance limitations by developing novel, high-performance, and cost-effective cathode materials. This project will establish a full integrated strategy from material synthesis to performance optimisation in practical batteries to accelerate the process of commercialisation. In addition, this project will create new frontier knowledge and intellectual property in materials engineering, electrochemistry, and energy storage for Australia. Project breakthroughs will lead to Australian or United States patents, creating new business opportunities for battery industries. The success of this project will position Australia as a leader in implementing next-generation, high-performance lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, and will reduce Australia’s reliance on non-renewable fossil fuels thus contributing to net-zero targets. Project outcomes will be promoted through academic seminars and industry expos, public talks and social media, and included in the high school STEM curriculum.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Quantifying Australia's long-term risk of rainfall extremes. Rainfall extremes, such as droughts and floods, severely impact the Australian economy and society. This project aims to quantify the range of Australian rainfall extremes during past centuries—including long-lasting events beyond recent experience. This will allow accurate assessment of Australia's rainfall risk in the coming decades, by accounting for natural rainfall variability as well as human-caused climate change. Geochemical data and numerical methods developed in this project have applications for water security and biosecurity, and will transform future research into long-term climate risk. This should provide significant benefits for water resource managers, allowing preparation for rainfall extremes we might face in the future. Field of research: 3702 - Climate Change Science The Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities states "We cannot prevent weather events, but that does not make disasters inevitable". To avoid disaster, Australia must be ready for extreme rainfall events, but we cannot prepare if we do not know what sort of events might be coming. For example, the 2017-2019 Tinderbox Drought was beyond anything experienced in the past century, and cost Australia $63 billion. Currently, we do not know what sort of extreme rainfall events to prepare for, because rainfall records are too short for us to have experienced the full range of natural variability. This project will address that knowledge gap: revealing past Australian rainfall trends by combining information from observations, climate models and tree ring data. Together, these sources of information will provide a comprehensive assessment of Australia's rainfall-related climate risk, advancing the National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy by delivering "world class climate science that informs successful adaptation". Water management authorities will be able to use these results to plan for the worst-case extreme rainfall events identified as part of the natural range of variability. Building on my excellent track record of impactful science, findings of the project will be communicated to the Federal government and industry leaders via briefing notes, and to the Australian public through media engagement and popular science articles.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Aboriginal unborn reporting and infant removals by child protection. This project addresses a significant preventable problem: the high incidence and disproportionate removal of Aboriginal infants by child protection, experienced by Aboriginal people as another Stolen Generation. Privileging Indigenous perspectives and methodologies, this Aboriginal-led project will generate new knowledge to prevent infant removal by showcasing how Aboriginal people (parents, family, community, professionals) experience child protection intervention during pregnancy and after birth. Expected outcomes of this project include an improved understanding of factors that contribute to and prevent Aboriginal infant removal, providing significant benefits including new Aboriginal-led policy and practice solutions to close the gap. Field of research: 4505 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Society and Community The overrepresentation of Aboriginal babies, children and young people in child protection is a major failure in our efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of all children in Australia. This project aims to address the overrepresentation of Aboriginal babies and children in the child protection system. We will access Aboriginal perspectives to identify protective factors, but also factors that may increase the likelihood of removal. The research has social, cultural and economic benefits. It will benefit relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, with a focus on improving the lives of Aboriginal children and families, by addressing a key Closing the Gap target and a priority in the 10-year national child protection plan. The economic cost of statutory intervention is stark; past analysis has found that Australian governments spend $15.2 billion annually on crisis and high-intensity services that could be prevented. This research focuses on preventing Aboriginal infant removals, thus contributing to financial savings for all Australians. The research findings will be circulated via government agencies, community organisations and professional associations. Importantly, this project involves partnerships with three Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (national and state-based), including the peak body for Aboriginal children and young people, with knowledge from this project being shared with these ACCOs to improve practice and policy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Real-time detection of Asbestos in the field. This project will develop a new technique for reliable, real-time detection of Asbestos. Despite being banned for 30+ years asbestos remains an outstanding health issue, with no reliable method for identification without samples needing to be sent to a lab for analysis. Utilising new optics and fluorescence detection techniques along with machine-learning analysis, we will develop and validate a portable device that can be used to detect asbestos in real-world scenarios where it may be encountered, such as within homes, workplaces, customs inspections, material and mulch recycling centres and mining operations. This has the potential for significant public health and economic benefits through reduced exposure to hazardous asbestos dust. Field of research: 4009 - Electronics, Sensors and Digital Hardware Asbestos is a fibrous mineral widely used in building materials before a ban in Australia in 2003 due to severe health issues caused by inhalation of fibres. Real-time detection of asbestos in homes, construction, mining sites and border control is critical to protect the health and safety of both workers and the general public. Real-time identification of asbestos on-site is currently impossible: licensed professionals rely on time-consuming and expensive specialised laboratory testing, required under Work Health Safety legislation as existing hand-held devices using near infrared light fail Australian standards. In partnership with the Australian Government Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency, Loughan Technology Group and Rio Tinto Exploration we propose a new fluorescence and machine learning based technique to identify asbestos and enable development of a next generation hand-held asbestos analyser. Social benefits are protection of public and employee health and wellbeing. The proposal aligns with the Asbestos National Strategic Plan to eliminate asbestos-related diseases, providing health, commercial and economic benefits by changing the way asbestos risk is managed. Outcomes will be promoted through professional journals and beyond academia to end-users by social and mainstream media outreach. Translation will be fuelled by engagement with potential end-users and government departments ensuring a user-friendly and fit for purpose device is developed.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Micro-photoluminescence (µ-PL) Facility for unique materials identification. There is demand for robust, field-deployable material characterisation technologies in multiple industries, e.g., mining & mineral processing, advanced materials (laser & telecom glasses), Defence (CBRNe), Safety (asbestos sensing, toxic chemicals), pathogen detection & Food and Agriculture. Our unique Micro-photoluminescence facility enables spatially resolved analysis of samples using both conventional and multi-photon Upconversion Fluorescence (Novel Fluorescence, NF) excited by any wavelengths from UV to mid-IR. Machine learning analysis of the NF signals will train a library for rapid identification of unknown materials, delivering a new sensing capability, and enabling future low-cost devices to be developed to target these signals. Field of research: 4009 - Electronics, Sensors and Digital Hardware The detection and identification of tiny quantities of unknown materials in real time out in the field is an unmet need for many industries. The proposed micro-photoluminescence facility is a critical step towards developing new devices to satisfy this need in a robust, practical, and cost-effective way. This facility will obtain information about a material just by “looking at it” using sophisticated light-based analysis. It will be capable of generating light in a range of colours to illuminate samples, then capturing the emitted light – i.e. photoluminescence - and analysing properties such as the colour or timing of the light with a range of detectors and machine learning methods. This facility will enable wide economic and environmental benefits across multiple industries because results will be translated into the development of customised portable sensors to address diverse needs in areas such as environmental monitoring, Defence and National Security, and health and medical industries. For example, this facility could identify different minerals to enable improved processing methods, measure the performance of new laser glasses under development for defence and telecommunications applications, and optimise optical sterilisation techniques for treating antibiotic resistant pathogens. Outcomes will be promoted to potential end-users through engagement with professional societies, exhibiting at trade-shows, and beyond academia by social and mainstream media outreach.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Enabling the future of the Australian collider physics program. The project aims to fund the continuation of Australia’s very successful experimental particle physics program to explore how the universe works at its fundamental level. We interrogate subatomic matter at the energy frontier at CERN's Large Hadron Collider and the intensity frontier at Japan's SuperKEKB collider. The basic contributions required for Australian membership of these two key programs will enable scientists to continue capitalising on decades of hard work and accumulated expertise, significant project outcomes and benefits include: access for Australia to advanced instruments and international research facilities; training of the next generation of researchers in detector construction and operation; and a rich science program. Field of research: 5107 - Particle and High Energy Physics Through collaboration with the world-leading European Laboratory of Particle Physics at CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) and the KEK Laboratory in Japan, this project will provide continued access to both the high energy and high precision frontiers of high energy physics represented by the ATLAS, LHCb and Belle II experiments that is otherwise unavailable to Australian researchers. Usage of these facilities will maintain Australia’s international collider particle physics program, enabling current and future generations of students to learn from these hubs of advanced technology and grow throughout the country. New hardware, software, and analysis methodologies will be developed to fill a research gap in measuring how these particles interact. The team will inspire and train a new generation of Australian graduates, enhancing Australia’s technology and data science industry. The outcomes will yield applications in detection devices and telecommunications, financial services, data analytics, and help protect Australia, securing national assets potentially improving privacy and securing data of individuals. An additional cultural benefit is positioning Australian science at the forefront of the international quest for Nobel-worthy physics discoveries. The team will promote and disseminate our research outcomes to Australian technology and data science industries through our collaborative networks to maximise future benefits of particle physics developments.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

2D electromagnetic Hopkinson apparatus for multi-axial dynamic testing. This project aims to establish an innovative biaxial electromagnetic Hopkinson apparatus to study the dynamic property of materials. Current Hopkinson bars struggle with reliably delivering impulse loads due to various factors, resulting in inaccurate findings. The proposed equipment utilises electromagnetic force for precise control, surpassing the limitations of traditional method. Ensuring resilience against multiple hazards is crucial for structures in Australia, including aerospace structures. This apparatus, yet to be introduced in Australia, offers significantly higher accuracy in dynamic property assessments. It boasts versatile applications, including analysing new composites materials, green building materials and soil properties. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering Australia urgently needs resilient structural design methods to cope with its decaying infrastructure. By introducing a new-generation biaxial electromagnetic Hopkinson bar, a technology not yet present in Australia, the project aims to fill this critical research gap. This innovative equipment applies pressure in two directions using electromagnets to investigate how materials respond to extreme conditions. It overcomes the inaccuracies of current Hopkinson bars and promises precise evaluation of dynamic material properties, essential for creating sturdy structures and systems to protect against increasing natural and man-made disasters. The research's outcomes offer diverse benefits for Australians. Economically, it could mitigate the projected $39 billion cost of natural disasters by 2050 by reducing infrastructure damage. Socially, it may enhance human life and safety, strengthening communities against evolving threats. Environmentally, it could minimise disaster impact by boosting infrastructure durability and sustainability. Culturally, it may foster confidence in the nation's resilience, promoting solidarity. To disseminate the research effectively, collaboration with government, industry, and community stakeholders is crucial. Integrating the new technology into practical solutions through industry partnerships facilitates its adoption. Leveraging digital platforms and media amplifies awareness and gathers support, ensuring the research's impactful implementation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

All-Optical Upgrade to the Adelaide Atom Trap Trace Analysis Facility. This LIEF will upgrade the University of Adelaide Atom Trap Trace Analysis facility with a state-of-the-art analysis system that incorporates new all-optical methods. The system will provide ultrasensitive measurement of trace argon and krypton gas for groundwater dating. The project addresses a global demand for measurements by increasing the capacity at the Adelaide facility and enables new applications through analysis of smaller sample volumes. It will benefit the Australian environmental and earth sciences by providing unique datasets, generating new knowledge into the flow and transport mechanisms of groundwater systems. It will address national water security and sustainability goals, and support growth of population and industry. Field of research: 3707 - Hydrology Water security is a major issue. Globally, water crises continue to pose a real threat to the well-being of people. In Australia, many communities and industries rely on groundwater. Yet, the impact of extraction and contamination of groundwater resources and its quality are still poorly understood. This LIEF project will upgrade the Adelaide facility for Atom Trap Trace Analysis, addressing a global measurement bottleneck, and enabling Australian groundwater research. The facility measures naturally occurring noble gas tracers via quantum technology for better understanding and managing our groundwater resources. It will provide data to quantify natural groundwater flow paths and flow rates for resource sustainability estimates, mapping of contaminant migration, and to accelerate the discovery of hidden water resources. This research provides social, environmental, and commercial benefits as Australia adapts to a changing climate. It will support development of new government policy, improve sustainable use of water resources that support quality of life and the sustainable development of the critical minerals, hydrogen production and food production industries. Research outcomes will be shared with policy makers, industry stakeholders and community stakeholders through direct engagement. Project highlights will be communicated with the public through various media channels, including social media, press releases, and public seminars.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

National Atomic Layer Etching Facility. This project aims to create Australia’s first and only facility for Atomic Layer Etching, which allows layer-by-layer removal of semiconductor materials with excellent etch depth control and uniformity, while the etched surface exhibits ultra-low surface damage and roughness. The etch and surface quality is crucial for advanced nanoscale electronic and photonic devices, as the surface is a significant fraction of nanoscale devices, severely affecting their properties. The diverse variety of applications supported by this facility will make it a nexus point between multiple disciplines, enabling research in quantum technology, broadband networks, sensing, materials science, and beyond, accelerating its adoption by Australian manufacturing. Field of research: 4009 - Electronics, Sensors and Digital Hardware With growing domestic and global security threats, Australia’s intelligence sectors need sophisticated security and communication technologies to identify threats early and keep Australians safe. To do this, Australia's intelligence agencies need fully integrated devices the size of a fingernail that can use advanced materials to power new technologies like quantum computing, super-fast electronics, and high-tech sensors. However, Australia currently lacks the manufacturing capability to process these materials with the precision and quality that is required for such fully integrated devices. This project brings a world-class facility to Australia that allows precise layer-by-layer removal of semiconductor materials needed for devices, while retaining material quality. The National Atomic Layer Etching Facility will operate as a shared and open-access research facility available to Australian and international companies. It will benefit Australians commercially, by enabling cutting-edge research as part of a new Australian industry capability. Additional social benefits will be realised by increasing Australia’s competitiveness in energy, information, and communication sectors. Project outcomes will be communicated to the public through media releases, social media and proactive engagement of the media. Overall, this facility will benefit national security by giving our defence and intelligence agencies the tools they need to keep Australia secure in the future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Australia's Engagement in the Cherenkov Telescope Array. The Cherenkov Telescope Array is a transformational multi-national facility in gamma-ray astronomy. It will be 10 times more sensitive than current instruments and provide a paradigm shift in understanding many challenges in high energy astrophysics and in the makeup of dark matter. The facility is now in its construction phase and full operations are expected from about 2029. This project will provide essential contributions to Australia's subscription to access the facility, recently approved enhancements to the facility, and provide hardware to kickstart new and expanded research programs using Australia's optical and radio astronomy telescopes critical to the Cherenkov Telescope Array's flagships Key Science Projects. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Australia is internationally-renowned for its leadership in astronomy. This project will ensure Australian scientists have access to the world's best facility for gamma-ray astronomy research, worth over 330 million Euro. The science of this facility (the Cherenkov Telescope Array) is fundamentally linked to Australia's key investments in radio and optical astronomy such as the Square Kilometre Array, and the fully robotic 2.3 metre telescope run by the Australian National University. Parts of this project's funds will equip the 2.3 metre telescope with a new optical astronomy instrument to support the Cherenkov Telescope Array's Key Science Projects that study mysterious transient sources in the sky. Australian industry will also directly supply critical hardware for the Cherenkov Telescope Array, providing economic benefits to advanced manufacturing industries. The project expects to unveil Nature's extreme phenomena in space through collaboration of world-leaders in astrophysics, nuclear and particle physics, and machine learning. The potential social benefits include supporting Australia’s security needs through developing a workforce of researchers experienced in high-speed electronics, optics, nuclear physics and machine learning techniques. Results will be shared with the public through mainstream media, social media and outreach events to encourage translation and to inspire future young scientists into scientific and technology careers.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Oceanic Oxygen in Deep Time: Have We Been Looking in the Wrong Places? Dissolved marine oxygen supports animal life and controls the distribution of redox-sensitive critical metals. Yet the evolution of oceanic dissolved oxygen, when complex cells evolved and links to major critical metal deposits are poorly known—largely because existing studies are from rocks formed in the same Baltic-like sea 1.5 billion years ago (as revealed by new plate-tectonic reconstructions). We will address this by studying ancient rocks that formed in different oceans (rocks now in WA & India). Geochemistry, geochronology and biogeochemical modelling are used to build paleogeographic maps of ocean redox to benefit Australia by understanding the conditions that led to the proliferation of complex cells and critical metal deposits. Field of research: 3703 - Geochemistry Oxygen is a fuel for life and a primary influence on evolution. Oxygen also controls the solubility and mobility of many critical metals needed for a sustainable energy transition. Despite this, the history of how Earth’s oceans and atmosphere became so rich in oxygen is poorly known, hindering our understanding of the evolution of life and the controls on where to find critical metals. This project uses new billion-year scale models of deep-time plate-tectonic geography of the planet coupled with new ways to date ancient sedimentary rocks and track dissolved oxygen levels, pioneered by the investigators, to map the evolution of oxygen in our atmosphere and hydrosphere. This project will place Australian research in the forefront of global efforts to understand how earth systems evolved in deep-time leading to cultural benefit (greater understanding of how the Earth works), training of researchers, and economic benefits through understanding the controls on ancient ocean chemistry that can help target prospective rocks for critical metal discovery. This new knowledge will also provide advanced solutions to benefit industry by mapping times and places in Australia to target critical metal discovery and exploration. For industry and government stakeholders, results will be translated and widely dispersed through industry networks, trade and popular publications, and freely available software.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Climate, fire and Kangaroo Island: resolving the past to manage the future. Bushfire impact depends on interacting factors (e.g., people, vegetation, and climate) that complicate development of fire mitigation and conservation strategies. Our project aims to explore the unique Australian case of Kangaroo Island, where traditional land management putatively ceased ~4,100 years ago, to unravel the effects of climate, vegetation and people on changing fire regimes. By combining a suite of novel analytical techniques, including sedimentary ancient DNA and organic biomarkers for fire and people, we seek to develop complimentary records of climate and environment. Our aim is to develop new knowledge to inform sustainable fire management and biodiversity conservation both on the island and across south-eastern Australia. Field of research: 3709 - Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience Fire has been integral to the evolution of Australian ecosystems, so managing contemporary fire risk while preserving biodiversity requires a deep understanding of how past fire and climate have shaped our unique vegetation. Using the case study of Kangaroo Island (KI, South Australia), this project aims to develop actionable landscape management recommendations to mitigate fire risk while conserving rare taxa. Our research will reconstruct accurate, island-scale histories of vegetation cover, climate, and fire incidence to provide new knowledge on the natural recurrence, cause and impact of regional-scale fire events. We will also develop and validate next-generation genetic and geochemical proxies for past vegetation and fire regimes, benefitting global research efforts to develop an improved understanding of climate, fire and ecosystem dynamics. Through consultation with the SA Government, the research will benefit regional and national agencies by developing risk management strategies and guiding landscape management and conservation of threatened ecosystems. In doing so, the research will benefit tourism, agriculture and economic activity in the region. Our findings will be promoted through SeaLink, a new KI Visitor Centre, and 2 public fora on the island; and more broadly through traditional and social media.