ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Development of drought tolerant, high protein legume for arid Australia. The aim of this research is to demonstrate the molecular basis of a non-proteinogenic amino acid toxin accumulation by using genomics and genome editing to produce a non-transgenic, protein rich legume. The significance of the outcomes will be a fundamental understanding of how non-proteinogenic amino acids are metabolised in plants and an inexpensive, high-protein feed for the pork and chicken industries thereby reducing production costs and increasing profitability. The outcomes from the research are fundamental knowledge of non-proteinogenic amino acid metabolism and turnkey approach to identify, engineer, test and produce value added crops. The benefits of the research are a multi-purpose crop for Australian crop and animal producers. Field of research: 0703 - Crop and Pasture Production Our research outputs will deliver significant economic returns to Australian farmers by increasing the commodity value of common vetch seed and open new international export markets thereby positively contributing to Australia's balance of payments. Subsequent use of our non-toxin common vetch as an inexpensive, high-protein source in the pig and broiler chicken industries will reduce pork and chicken meat production costs and increase meat producers profitability. Broad adoption of our nitrogen fixing common vetch by farmers will reduce the need for application of expensive nitrogen fertilizers that require large amounts of greenhouse gas producing fuels to produce, and also reduce excess fertilizers application to crop fields and the subsequent run-off of nutrients into natural waterways that causes eutrophication.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

The Cherenkov Telescope Array - From Production towards Operation. The Cherenkov Telescope Array is a transformational facility in very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. It will be 10 times more sensitive than current instruments and will revolutionise many topics in high energy astrophysics, and in astro-particle physics such as dark matter. Over 1000 scientists from over 30 countries are involved and the first telescopes on the southern hemisphere site in Chile will be installed from about 2021. This project will ensure Australia's contribution to complete the facility, leading into its operations phase (starting in 2027). It will also fund unique optical astronomy hardware that will enable Australian scientific leadership in supporting some of the Cherenkov Telescope Array's Key Science Projects. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences This project will ensure Australia's contribution and leadership on the world stage in the construction of a new multi-national A$580 million facility; the Cherenkov Telescope Array. This facility will be 10 times more sensitive than current instruments and will revolutionise many topics in astrophysics. Through our development of sophisticated data-analysis algorithms and the construction and operation of high-tech gamma-ray cameras, this project will provide world-class training opportunities for Australian researchers and students to gain industry-relevant skills in areas such as high-speed electronics, optics, and machine learning techniques. Such training underpins our country's future growth in the space science industry, space situational awareness, defence and surveillance research, meteorology, and information technology sectors. A new ultra-sensitive optical detector will also be developed with local Australian industry, for deployment on optical telescopes in Australia and internationally which will further enhance Australia's significant global leadership in this area.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Pattern formation of precursor films: a new mathematical model. This project aims to develop a new mathematical model to predict the pattern formation of a new class of permanent lubricants. Ionic liquids are conductive and do not evaporate, creating a unique opportunity to develop such coatings. These thin films form patterns where the pattern type (patches, stripes or holes) depends on the liquid/surface interaction. Only some patterns result in good lubrication; current limited understanding of the pattern formation process hampers selection of a good lubricant for a chosen material. Current mathematical approaches are computationally expensive and time consuming. The new model expected from this project would provide a cheap, fast and reliable alternative for screening suitable liquid/surface pairs. Field of research: 0102 - Applied Mathematics The new mathematical model expected from this project will aid our understanding and prediction of the behaviour of novel smart lubricants, composed of permanent ultrathin films. The outcome will be a simple, cost-effective, fast and reliable mathematical tool to identify new candidates for lubrication of challenging mechanical contacts. This will reduce the need for expensive and time-consuming experiments. These application specific lubricating layers will have particular impact in the fields of advanced manufacturing, smart coatings and aerospace applications, by increasing energy recovery from renewable resources, preventing mechanical failures, reducing maintenance costs and decreasing energy consumption. This represents real economic benefits to Australia, with potential cost savings due to proper lubrication estimated at 1% of Gross National Product, as well as environmental benefits due to increased energy efficiency and decreased material wastage.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

GM Holden and the Mobilisation of Private Industry during World War II. Through a focus on General Motors Holden (GMH), this project aims to explain how Australian industry adapted, diversified, and developed new workforce skills during World War II. Its significance lies in expanding knowledge of GMH’s under-recognised role and impact on Australia’s industrial economy during a pivotal moment in the nation's history. In doing so, it will contribute to broader current discussions about the importance of maintaining Australian manufacturing industries and their capacity to adapt rapidly in times of crisis to meet national needs. The expected outcomes and benefits include the generation of new interpretive texts and exhibitions for libraries and museums, and building research capacity in early career researchers. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies This project will explain how Australian industry adapted, diversified its production and developed new workforce skills during World War II, and, in doing so, it will contribute to broader contemporary discussions about the importance of maintaining Australian manufacturing industries and their capacity to adapt rapidly in times of crisis to meet national needs. It will advance knowledge about General Motors Holden’s lesser known contribution to Australia’s industrial economy and society during WWII. It will also advance our knowledge of the way Australian workers banded together under difficult conditions to develop innovative solutions to complex manufacturing problems, while carving new spaces for themselves in the workplace. The researchers' partnerships with the State Library of SA (Adelaide), the National Archives of Australia (Canberra), and the Shrine of Remembrance (Melbourne) provide cost-effective outlets for the communication of the project’s findings to the general public via exhibitions and the production of interpretive materials.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Exploring the High Energy Universe with Neutrinos detected in IceCube. The project aims to use the high energy neutrinos observed by the IceCube detector at the South Pole to uncover the nature of the most energetic objects in the Universe. This project expects to find out what distant objects made the neutrinos, understand their distribution through the Universe, and see if they are also cosmic and gamma ray acceleration and production sites. Expected outcomes of this project include solving this long-standing mystery in high-energy astrophysics, development of new data analysis techniques, training new scientists, and educating the public. These should provide significant benefits to science and society, through a better educated and critical thinking workforce and public, ready to face future challenges. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences This project will enhance Australia's reputation as an international leader in astrophysics, and help lead young generations into science careers, particularly in space science. By leveraging Australia's involvement in international projects in Antarctica worth over $300M, this project enables Australia to tap into global-scale teams in high energy astrophysics to study Nature's extreme phenomena in the Universe. In addition to astrophysics applications, the novel ‘big data’ analysis, simulation and statistical techniques developed and validated in this project will provide longer-term application in data-heavy Australian industry sectors such as cybersecurity, earth observation, and emerging efforts in space exploration. The project will further enhance the long record in Adelaide of providing students a diverse training environment in areas of complex data analysis, statistical methods and machine learning skills, leading to rewarding careers in high-tech industries such as defence and security, information technology, and space science - particularly important in the new era of Australia's Space Agency.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Price-Setting Rules and Allocative Efficiency in Oligopolies. This project aims to investigate under which circumstances restrictions on how often firms can change prices increase competition in an oligopoly and bring down prices. For this, we propose the use of laboratory experiments with a novel design followed by field experiments and a real price-data analysis for external validation. This study will result in both the advancement of theory describing how firms compete in dynamic oligopolies and practical policy advice on how price setting rules can be used to improve consumer welfare. This project has the potential to generate sizable benefits to Australian consumers, as the resulting policy advice would be applicable to large markets such as those for petrol, groceries and online retail. Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics This research project will inform policy makers in Australia about the circumstances under which regulating how often retailers can change prices can reduce consumer prices and therefore increase competitiveness and efficiency in an industry. Moreover, the insights gained from this project allow policy makers to predict in which industries technological advances that increase the ability of market participants to quickly react to competitors is likely to increase or decrease competition and with it consumer welfare. This knowledge will allow policy makers to appropriately develop rules on price-setting frequencies that improve competitiveness in Australian retail markets. More competitive markets increase total surplus through lower prices and put pressure on market participants to become more efficient.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Understanding working memory: from cells to brain stimulation. This project aims to understand the neural mechanisms of working memory, a fundamental cognitive function in humans, using a novel framework which combines non-invasive brain stimulation, neuroimaging, pharmacological and experimental manipulations, and biological modelling. Expected outcomes include a critical understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying both neural activity and working memory ability in healthy individuals and a detailed knowledge of how to non-invasively interact with these mechanisms using brain stimulation. This will provide significant benefits such as the development of individually optimised brain stimulation protocols, enabling tailored approaches to reliably alter brain function and cognition. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology The ability to retain information in short term memory underlies all aspects of daily living, including intelligence, emotion, and social behaviour. Short term memory ability is closely linked with learning and education in healthy people, whereas memory impairment strongly contributes to poor functional outcomes as people get older and in numerous brain disorders. This project will develop a detailed understanding of how the healthy brain stores short-term memories and will investigate how to alter both neural activity and short term memory ability using a form of non-invasive brain stimulation. The outcomes of this research will provide new tools for causally studying brain-behaviour relationships in healthy humans and more effective ways for improving memory over the normal human life course, with benefits for the Australian reserach, education, aged care, and health care sectors.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Understanding and Addressing Informal Voting in Victoria. Victoria's informal vote rate is high and rising. In order to combat the problem of hundreds of thousands of 'lost votes' at Victorian state and local government elections we must first understand it. This collaboration with the Victorian Electoral Commission addresses the problem at both state and local levels over 3 election periods using 4 distinct studies. We combine experimental data, aggregate-level data and individual-level data to provide a thorough and multi-dimensional picture of informal voting. We will then propose remedies to be trialled and assessed. Taken together, our studies will represent the first multi-dimensional analysis of informality to be conducted in any Western democracy. Field of research: 1606 - Political Science This collaboration with the Victorian Electoral Commission will advance knowledge of the patterns and sources of informal voting at both state and local elections in Victoria. We will produce the first large scale, multi-dimensional study of informal voting ever conducted in an advanced democracy. We will also develop test solutions for arresting the problem and thereby assist the VEC in meeting its goal to reduce the high informal voting rate. Although our study is focused on Victoria, findings will have resonance for all Australian jurisdictions, including the Commonwealth, as well as other compulsory voting regimes the world over. This will enhance our reputation as one of the most successful and innovative voting systems in the world.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Rebooting the Muse: Post-COVID-19 sustainability in the performing arts . Rebooting the Muse advocates new ways of tackling the urgent challenges facing the Australian performing arts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change emergency. The research explores how new digital technologies can be deployed to offer new audience experiences, and documents the impact on artist and community wellbeing of these innovations. Project participants include prominent South Australian music and theatre organisations, and features children's theatre and Indigenous music performance groups. The research findings will drive a revision of organisational business models to better ensure sustainability across the sector, and with that, improve the wellbeing of individuals and the broader community. Field of research: 1904 - Performing Arts and Creative Writing Rebooting the Muse addresses the sustainability of the performing arts in Australia in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing requirements have slashed audience numbers in an industry that is also grappling with its carbon footprint. This project confronts these challenges by analysing the impact of immersive technologies on creativity, artist participation, and audience reception, heeding the call by The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts (August 2020) to ‘rethink the way we create and interact with art’. Partners include prestigious arts organisations and festivals, Indigenous musicians, and children’s theatre groups. Benefits include delivery of business models informed by the creative potential of technology, and innovative modes of artist collaboration that offset the economic impact of COVID, and reduce the need for travel. Evidence-based insights into the links between technology, creativity and wellbeing will build industry resilience, resulting in greater career certainty for arts workers, while culturally enriching the community at large.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Maximising the value of Australia’s sheepmeat industry with smart photonics. This project aims to investigate new photonics technologies to measure meat quality in lamb and mutton. It expects to develop new knowledge in the areas of fibre optics and 3D printing for use by the red meat and livestock industries. Expected outcomes of this project include development of a new technology to rapidly identify premium meat during meat processing. This should provide significant benefits for Australia’s red meat industry, helping to establish Australia as a leading supplier of high-quality meat to domestic and international markets. Field of research: 0908 - Food Sciences Australia is the world’s largest exporter of lamb and mutton. However, Australia has only a small proportion of the world’s sheep flock and has several long-term threats to its position. There is an urgent need to develop Australian technology to provide our red meat and livestock industries with a competitive advantage. Our most significant and profitable opportunity lies in supplying premium lamb, which builds upon Australia’s established brand as a provider of high-quality agricultural products. This project will develop a new technology to rapidly assess meat quality in sheep and mutton. This could allow Australian producers to offer a new, premium product to both domestic and international markets. It has the potential to increase the value of Australian sheepmeat sales by up to $183mil annually and help to support the 190,000 Australians employed in the red meat and livestock industries.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Beyond the limits of corrosion detection in inaccessible areas. The project will develop a new technology for medium-range corrosion mapping in inaccessible areas of infrastructure. This will overcome the limitations of existing corrosion inspection techniques for corrosion inspection at inaccessible areas. The project will create a new concept and generate new knowledge on accurate corrosion mapping in inaccessible areas. The expected outcomes are significant improvements in the capability and practicability over existing corrosion inspection technologies adopted by industry for a wide range of infrastructure, in particular the Oil and Gas, Mining, Energy and Water infrastructure, as well as improving the reliability and cost-efficiency of the corrosion inspection. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering The project will advance the scientific and technological basis for corrosion inspection at inaccessible area for high-value asset infrastructure for Oil and Gas, Mining, Energy and Water infrastructure, and infrastructure for Future Fuel, Hydrogen. By exploring the physical natures of guided waves in metallic structures of these industry sectors, a much more advance and practical corrosion mapping technology will be developed. It will enable engineers and asset owners to achieve a more cost-effective and reliable corrosion inspection at inaccessible area, as well as increase reliability, sustainability and operational safety. It will result in cost savings for Australian operators of high-value assets, as well as increased competitiveness of Australian industry sectors. The outcomes will contribute directly to the Science and Research Priorities of Energy through “new clean energy sources and storage technologies that are efficient, cost-effective and reliable” and Resources, through “technologies to optimise yield through effective and efficient resource extraction, processing and waste management”.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Mind the Worker: Transformative Future Human-Centred Corporate Climate. The project will assist Australia meet its UN Sustainable Development Goal to promote decent and safe work by producing new knowledge to support radical reform to Australia’s corporate climate. Only 52% of Australian workers report that their workplace is psychologically healthy. Bullying rates are high, work pressure is increasing. The Fellowship will establish the world’s first Psychosocial Safety Climate Observatory, a research platform to gather, analyse, and synthesise, national and international data. By inspiring world-class researchers to build state of the art knowledge and tools for work climate change, Australia will be an authoritative leader in human-centred, more psychologically healthy, innovative and productive workplaces. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology This innovative research is designed to discover the drivers of a corporate climate that values and protects worker psychological health and safety in order to radically improve Australian industry. New knowledge will help business and society implement a human-centred agenda that can revolutionise conditions in the workplace. The Fellowship is of national interest as policy makers seek leading indicators (such as corporate climate) for the parlous state of the nation's mental health. It is important for the economy, society and governments to reduce human damage in work systems, that may manifest in lost productivity, and workers compensation costs. The research will explore how the corporate climate can be used to address new risks associated with Industry 4.0 to ensure innovation, sustainability and long term benefits for corporations and employees. The project, focused in the context of work systems, addresses the national research and innovation agenda by developing compelling evidence to improve efficiency, health and social policy, and will provide new ideas to create safer, better quality workplaces.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Rebuilding Troubled Regions: The Difference that Space Makes. This project aims to examine economic restructuring processes focusing on the parts of regional Australia that are being left behind by globalisation. The project will examine patterns of firm entry and exit in disadvantaged local economies following major plant closures and identify the causal pathways associated with sustainable employment and industry growth. The project will deploy the innovative methodology of Qualitative Comparative Analysis and utilise recently developed datasets with a view to isolating causal relationships. By generating new knowledge about how space, positioning, and state interventions temper the nature and form of business births and deaths, the project will generate new regional policy insights and approaches. Field of research: 1604 - Human Geography Since the 1980s, Australia's economy has become more spatially uneven as many regional areas have been left behind while the core cities grow rapidly. As in other parts of the world, this division is generating social and cultural discontent in some deindustrialising places. While State and Federal governments have committed to growing the populations of non-metropolitan cities and towns, the question of how to provide sufficient numbers of quality new jobs in non-Metropolitan places remains unanswered. This project’s examination of the patterns of firm entry and exit associated with major plant closures and structural adjustment will identify strategies to expand business and employment growth in the regional Australian context. The project will seek to identify new approaches to building job growth, prosperity and social cohesion in regional Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Revealing molecular detail of DNA triplexes to underpin antigene technology. Variations from the classic DNA double helix structure are proposed to play key roles in a range of cellular processes, particularly gene regulation. However, the biological function and therapeutic potential of these unusual DNA structures are poorly explored, since the fundamental molecular details which govern their formation and interactions with cellular machinery are not well described. This project aims to develop innovative methods to investigate, and importantly modulate, DNA and RNA triple helix assembly, specificity and molecular interactions. Resulting insights will underpin novel approaches to gene regulation, principally in the context of designing new antibacterial agents to address the antibacterial resistance problem. Field of research: 0304 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry The use of synthetic oligonucleotides (such as chemically modified short stretches of DNA) in gene therapy has had transformative impact in biotechnology and medicine. This project will pioneer a unique combination of experimental and theoretical approaches to provide an unprecedented molecular view of triple helix DNA and its role in gene regulation, which will drive further Australian innovation in this field. In the context of developing new antibacterial agents critical in the growing fight against antibacterial resistance, this can have longer term translational benefits leading to reduced national health costs and better health outcomes. More broadly, development of antigene technologies ultimately presents widespread potential for economic impacts in the Australian bio-pharmaceutical sector through commericalisation of currently under-explored antigene oligonucleotides. Finally, this project provides opportunities to enhance collaborative, interdisciplinary research capacity and provide research training particularly relevant to areas of national economic importance such as the biotechnology industry.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

The Australian Mosque Today: Architectural Collaborations. This project aims to investigate collaborations between architects and Muslim communities in Australia. The project will analyze ten mosques, from design consultation through to construction, completed since 2000. This focus on the professional design process will provide innovative insights into creative collaboration and cross-cultural engagement. Expected outcomes of this project include a significant, richly nuanced counter-narrative to pervasive, isolationist representations of Australian Muslim communities. The findings will be presented in scholarly publications and a major public exhibition to promote new knowledge about the place of Islam in Australia and to build faith (literally and metaphorically) in multicultural Australia. Field of research: 1201 - Architecture This research project will generate new knowledge about Muslim communities in Australia through a rigorous critical analysis of the collaborative and creative process of architectural design. This professional process is based on establishing relationships, sharing knowledge and building trust between architect and client. The research team will investigate case studies of ten congregational mosques completed since the year 2000. These mosques are the result of architects working together with Muslim clients to build successful community projects. The research findings - based on building relationships with different communities through interviews and workshops, contextual studies and critical design analysis - will contribute to knowledge of Australian society today and further the priorities of the Australian Multicultural Council (Department of Home Affairs Portfolio). Accordingly, the project contributes to Australia's national interest by promoting greater intercultural and interfaith understanding and dialogue and contributing to knowledge of socially cohesive communities.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Between Indian and Pacific Oceans: Reframing Australian Literatures. Between Indian and Pacific Oceans: Reframing Australian Literature. This project aims to analyse the presence and role of Pacific and Indian Oceans in Australian literature from the mid-nineteenth century until the present. Using innovative approaches developed from interdisciplinary oceanic and archipelagic studies, the project aims to generate new knowledge about how Australian culture has formed in relation to these oceanic regions. Expected outcomes of the project include building knowledge of Australian literature and enhancing research capacity in literary oceanic studies. It will benefit scholars in literary, historical and cultural fields, contributing to current debates about Australia’s place in the world. Field of research: 2005 - Literary Studies The project will enhance understanding of what it means to be Australian by examining our relationships to the oceans around us, and with nations and peoples beyond our shores. It will do this by investigating Australian literature, both contemporary and historical, to study how our coasts and oceans are depicted over time. Literature gives a detailed and often complex picture of national life and provides unique insights into Australian history and social organisation. This project will show how Australian literature casts light on the oceanic links across our region that have been and continue to be significant in forming the nation. For instance, it will fill out views of Australian identity to include groups that have often been overlooked, such as South Sea Islanders (descended from indentured labourers). The cultural, environmental and social benefits will include greater understanding of Australia’s oceanic past and present, which will enable us to build an informed future across the region. This aligns with the Federal Government’s Pacific Step-up, and with national interests in the Indian Ocean.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Root-to-shoot: modeling the salt stress response of a plant vascular system. Salt and drought are the two major abiotic stresses affecting crop plant health, growth and development. We aim to understand salt and water transport in plants and the physiological effects of soil salinity. Using biophysical models, we will quantify the movement of salt through plant organs, tissues and cells, from root to leaf. We aim to answer the question of how salt moves across the different tissues and major organs, how salt accumulates in root, leaf and shoot cells, and how movement and accumulation is controlled by the diversity of transport mechanisms operating in plants. We aim to quantify tissue tolerance, osmotic tolerance and ionic tolerance and discover new mechanisms by which plants can stave off the effect of salt stress. Field of research: 0102 - Applied Mathematics Salt and drought are the two major abiotic stresses affecting crop growth and development in Australia. The increasing aridity of farmlands leads to inadequate leaching of root zone salts, while increased irrigation results in increased water salinity levels. Consequently, Australian agriculture is often forced to operate under poor conditions where salinity and drought are prevalent. To improve the yield of Australia’s cereal, fruit and vegetable crops requires a better understanding of how plants are affected by salt. Unfortunately, our picture of the fundamental mechanisms and impact of salt uptake, transport and accumulation in plant tissues is incomplete. This project will generate new appreciation of the biophysical and biochemical factors influencing the uptake and transport of salt in plants. It will thus allow a more precise and more effective targeting of the genetic control of ion-sensitive mechanisms to enhance the sustainability of Australia's agricultural industry, lift productivity and improve the economic viability of Australian farms.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Coarse Geometry: a novel approach to the Callias index & topological matter. Coarse geometry is the study of the large-scale structure of metric spaces, in terms of operator algebras. This project aims to use coarse geometry to develop novel approaches to Callias index theory and its applications, and to topological phases of matter, where the Nobel Prize in physics in 2016 was awarded. This will yield new techniques in index theory and other areas, and solutions to several important problems. Outcomes include a noncompact generalisation of the famous Guillemin-Sternberg conjecture that quantisation commutes with reduction, and new models of topological phases of matter in terms of K-theory of operator algebras. This project will benefit Australia by reinforcing its position in these highly active areas in science. Field of research: 0101 - Pure Mathematics This project involves interaction within and between various disciplines in mathematics and physics, and their Australian practitioners. It will undoubtedly lead to advances in all of them, and provides the fertiliser and framework for such interaction, strengthening Australia's position. Due to the popularity of the research area, this project will help us attract and train many bright postgraduate students and researchers from all over Australia and overseas; this is a key part of this proposal. Support for the provision of fundamental research, often the spark for innovative applications in the longer term, remains an essential aspect of the research landscape in Australia. Our results on topological matter may lead to the development of new materials with applications in industry. Applications mentioned in the literature include heat-to-electricity conversion, superlenses for microscopes, and transistors. The US Department of Energy recently opened the Center for the Advancement of Topological Semimetals, which studies applications of topological matter to spin-based electronics, computing and sensing.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Everything in its Place: Location, Persistence, and Change. This project aims to critically examine a number of accounts of how and if we may reconcile what we know about ordinary objects with the unexpected things science has taught us about space, time, and the fundamental building blocks of nature. The project anticipates generating new knowledge in metaphysics, exploiting the recent 'locative turn' to revitalise perennial questions about existence and change. Expected outcomes of this project include publications and conference activities, the initiation of new international collaborations, and enhanced research capability in scientific metaphysics in Australia. Benefits include improved understanding of our place in the natural world and enhancing Australia's reputation and research skill base. Field of research: 2203 - Philosophy This project aims to conduct basic philosophical research, develop Australian research capacity, and initiate and sustain international research connections. The intended outcomes of the project will enhance and deepen Australia's distinctive contribution to this cutting edge area of research and help to maintain our tremendous international reputation in theoretical philosophy. The project anticipates developing a framework to scaffold further research in philosophy and relevant to projects in foundations of physics, which we aim to communicate through traditional scholarly channels as well as engagement activity with the scientifically interested general public, including public lectures and other accessible forums. Projected benefits to the community are cultural (improving our understanding of the complexity of our ordinary world-view, and developing our ability to ask and answer big questions about our place in the physical world) and social (increasing our international links, developing Australia's research reputation, and building Australia's skill base in foundations of science).

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

3D printing of custom musical instruments for heritage and industry needs. This Project will explore innovative heritage and commercial applications for the 3D modelling and printing of custom musical instruments to advance Australia’s flexible-manufacturing industry. Musical instruments are complex devices, often made with multiple parts and/or materials, that are commonly built to produce sound through a multitude of manufacturing processes to meet high-performance requirements. When hand-crafted, they can present considerable morphological variations, even within a single instrument type. The Project’s novel challenge of flexibly manufacturing custom music instruments to meet a diversity of end-user needs will create new digital heritage strategies and market opportunities for Australian research end-users. Field of research: 1904 - Performing Arts and Creative Writing The proposed research will bring substantial economic, commercial, social and cultural benefits to the Australian community by scaling up Australia’s flexible-manufacturing industry. The Project’s novel challenge of flexibly manufacturing custom musical instruments to meet diverse end-user needs will markedly strengthen the international competitiveness of this industry in Australia by exploring innovative heritage and commercial applications. Advanced 3D-printing materials will be trialled to flexibly manufacture different instruments more affordably, more durably and with better resonant qualities. Australian collecting institutions will gain the industry advantage of being first movers in Australia in commericialising their own flexibly-manufactured musical instruments, and will collaborate in creating innovative new digital-heritage strategies to safeguard against cultural endangerment and loss. The Project will provide beneficial peer research training to Indigenous end-users, thereby facilitating an unprecedented transfer of highly-desirable knowledge and skills into a remote Indigenous community.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

LGBTQ Migrations: Life Story Narratives in the South Australian GLAM Sector. This project investigates the role gender and sexual diversity play in migration and mobility to South Australia 1950-1999 and how stories of migration can be collected and preserved. Histories in relation to interstate, international, and global migration into South Australia exist, however there is a significant need to address the lack of knowledge on, and record of, how minority sexuality and gender influenced moving to South Australia. Limited information prevents a full understanding of migration histories. This project works with the History Trust of South Australia to address a recognised and strategic need for greater inclusiveness of gender and sexual diversity in the context of migration. Field of research: 2002 - Cultural Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Establishing a global framework to trace the provenance of seafood. The global importance and demand for seafood is higher than ever; yet, sustainable seafood production is threatened by seafood fraud. This research will develop a new technology that will trace the geographic origins of seafood from catch to table and empower authorities to combat fraud. In doing so, this research will use natural chemical variation in biominerals to build maps of ocean chemistry and create universal markers of seafood provenance. These markers will be intrinsically tamper-proof: enabling the chemical geolocation of seafood across international trade routes. The outcome of this research will address a global environmental challenge and, in doing so, deliver benefits to the Australian economy, consumer and environment. Field of research: 0602 - Ecology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Resolving the impact of pressure on hot and low-oxygen combustion. Despite the important role of renewable energy sources, combustion will remain essential for transportation into the foreseeable future. This project aims to investigate flames burning in a hot and low-oxygen environment. The objective is to better understand how these conditions could be applied to gas turbines. This project expects to generate new knowledge to enable a reduction in emissions, improvement in efficiency and increase in power output. Expected outcomes of this project include improved understanding of the governing physics to enable development of design tools for next-generation engines. This should provide significant benefits, such as reduced reliance on fossil fuels and a critical reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Field of research: 0913 - Mechanical Engineering