THE UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Landscape, language and culture in Indigenous Australia. This project aims to determine how culture and social diversity interact with landscape in representing physical space in the minds and grammars of speakers of Australian Indigenous languages. The project will conduct the first Australia-wide survey of Indigenous spatial description correlated with landscape, and the first large-scale investigation of diversity in spatial behaviour among individuals within communities. The findings are expected to inform crucial debates on the formative role of landscape in language, and advance our knowledge of human spatial cognition. It will collect completely new experimental and natural data in six endangered languages, with significant benefits for the maintenance of Indigenous languages and cultures. Field of research: 2004 - Linguistics This project will benefit Australian Indigenous communities and Australian society as a whole in several ways. By collaborating with Indigenous communities to document and understand Indigenous concepts of landscape and relationships with environment, it will provide traditional knowledge holders with the opportunity to make their expertise in managing the Australian environment available to the wider community. By focusing on Indigenous cultural and cognitive diversity, it will strengthen mutual understanding and respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. By recognizing the contribution Indigenous cultural concepts can make to understanding ourselves and the way we interact with our environments, it will acknowledge the significance of Indigenous culture. Finally, by documenting endangered Indigenous Australian languages and cultural concepts, the project will contribute significantly to the maintenance and vitality of Indigenous culture. This will benefit Indigenous communities, as knowledge of traditional languages has been shown to correlate with enhanced social and physical wellbeing.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Improving the diagnosticity of eyewitness memory choices. Eyewitness identification error is common and costly. This project aims to improve the quality of information provided by eyewitnesses, and the ability of police officers and triers of fact (e.g., juries, judges) to evaluate this information. Laboratory investigations will determine how best to test memory and confidence to achieve this aim. A new class of cognitive models will provide a unified account of response accuracy, response time, and confidence, suitable for application to computerized testing scenarios. The models and testing methods validated in the laboratory will be refined for application in eyewitness memory settings, facilitating better evaluation of identification evidence, and potentially reducing wrongful convictions. Field of research: 1702 - Cognitive Sciences Mistaken identifications are the leading cause of wrongful conviction in many criminal justice systems. Critical decisions (like eyewitness identification decisions) are usually made under great uncertainty, and are often based on uncertain choices made by other decision makers (e.g., when a juror must decide whether to convict based on eyewitness identification evidence). This project aims to develop new methods for eliciting decisions, and mathematical models of the way humans make choices, which predict the speed and confidence with which they are made. These developments will improve choices and quantify their quality so that they can be properly weighted when combined. Programs will be developed to take these new methods from the laboratory to the police station and courtroom, enabling investigators to better evaluate whether a witness is correct in her or his decision. This will potentially reduce wrongful convictions, benefiting innocent individuals, the Australian justice system (e.g., reduced court and prison costs), and society at large (i.e., increased public safety and trust in the legal system).

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Ayahs and Amahs: Transcolonial Servants in Australia and Britain 1780-1945. This project looks at female domestic care workers from India and China who travelled to Australia and elsewhere during the period of British colonialism. Accompanying colonial families along circuits of empire between Australia, Asia, and the UK over two centuries, these were extraordinarily mobile women. By exploring the historical experiences and cultural memories of these earliest global domestic workers, the project aims to illuminate a broader transcolonial history of domestic work. Expected outcomes include a number of publications and a website; and the project offers the social and cultural benefits to be gained by advancing our historical understanding of the forgotten cross-cultural relationships that have shaped our world today. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies This research project on transcolonial Indian and Chinese care workers in Australian and British history will contribute to Australia's national interest in three ways. Firstly, it will bring social and cultural benefits for Australians in advancing our understanding of the nation's diverse past, by highlighting the historical experiences and memories of family travel from Asia to Australia, and by exploring our historical connections with other British colonial societies. Secondly, in contributing to our knowledge of our historical connections with Britain and our Asian neighbours, the project will encourage a better understanding of our longstanding relations with these nations, and facilitate international engagements in our region. Thirdly, it will bring economic and political benefits to Australia by strengthening Australia's international reputation for scholarly excellence in historical studies, as the project will position our university education and research prominently on the world stage.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Adaptive Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography for Multiphase Flows. This project aims to establish a cutting edge adaptive electrical capacitance volume tomography facility for real-time metering / imaging of multi-phase flows. Optimisation of these flows which are encountered in many industries, is paramount in today's carbon-constrained global economy. This project expects to generate the new knowledge necessary for such optimisations. Expected outcomes include enhanced national capability for characterisation of multi-phase flows in real-time under both ambient and high temperatures. This should benefit and greatly facilitate the commercial rollout of novel technologies in industrial sectors as diverse as mineral processing, clean energy, fuels/chemicals, oil/gas, food and environmental remediation. Field of research: 0915 - Interdisciplinary Engineering Multi-phase flows such as two phase gas/solid or solid/liquid flows are vitally important in development and optimisation of technologies that underpin the competitiveness of critical areas of the national economy, for example, resources, renewable energy, mineral processing (including bulk solid handling), fuels/chemicals, and food processing. This project will significantly enhance Australia’s research and innovation capacity in the field of multi-phase flows by establishing a fully-portable multi-node and multi-use facility for characterisation of two and three-phase flows. The knowledge generated from the use of facility will lay a strong foundation for the development of novel and exciting technologies beyond the project time-frame in a diverse range of industrial applications. The ability to optimise the performance of these technologies will lower their complexity and cost; de-risking their scale-up and commercial roll-out. The socio-economic benefits will include: research and development of innovative technologies; Intellectual Property revenue and licensing, market creation and export potential.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Longer-term progression of localised corrosion of critical infrastructure. This project aims to help Australian and international industry better predict the severity of localised corrosion at structural steel details, over years and decades. This is significant for the safety, reliability and economics of critical steel infrastructure, such as offshore structures and pipelines and defence facilities operating in and near marine environments. To reduce first cost, these often are not provided with coatings (paints) or other protection. The expected outcomes include improved scientific understanding and world-leading corrosion prediction models. Benefits can be expected for Australian industry, infrastructure and economics, and keeping Australian engineering consultants internationally competitive. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering By better predicting the severity of localised corrosion at critical locations of steel infrastructure this project has the potential for significant commercial, economic and environmental benefits for Australia. It will contribute to optimal management of the safety, reliability and life-time economics of offshore structures and pipelines and defence facilities benefiting both industry and government end users. The project outcomes can also be expected to further enhance Australia’s research expertise in marine corrosion. This will enhance the competitiveness of high-level Australian engineering consultants and their potential export earnings.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Deep Learning Augmented Intelligent Grinding Mill Simulation and Design. Comminution is a key operation in mineral processing that utilises grinding mills to reduce the size of ore for further mineral enrichment processing. The aim of this project is to provide a step change improvement in the operational efficiency and service life of grinding mills through the development of advanced numerical models to simulate the grinding mill process. The outcome will be a hierarchical deep learning program to select optimal model parameters from which computational algorithms will optimise grinding mill geometries. This research project will deliver substantial improvements to equipment used to process our most valuable exports and result in immediate industry impact. Field of research: 0913 - Mechanical Engineering The economic wealth of Australia is heavily dependent on the resource-based industries, notably those associated with mining and mineral production. With the current raw material market shift towards emerging minerals, such as copper and gold, it is critical for the Australian mining industry to undertake step changes to deliver safer and increased productivity to meet the significant demand both nationally and internationally, particularly when the global copper demand from electric vehicles is expected to soar from current levels to be nine times higher by 2027. Mineral processing is the most important stage of copper and gold production, during which a comminution circuit is utilised to reduce the size of the ore materials for further mineral enrichment processing. The comminution circuit often accounts for 30% to 50% of the total production cost. This project will provide step change improvements in the operational efficiency and service life of grinding mills by combining novel measurement and design methodologies, with the latest technological developments in the Internet-of-Things and deep learning.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Synthetic Biology: from Genomics to Valuable Bioproducts. Genomics has led to the discovery of both the fine and gross characteristics of specific microbial physiologies. This project aims to take the genetic diversity inherent in microbial systems and exploit it for biotechnology applications, using the cutting-edge facilities available for synthetic biology. The acquisition of a long-read sequencing platform, droplet digital PCR machine, pulsed-field electrophoresis apparatus, DNA library system and small scale bioreactor will address the limitations of short-read sequencing, large fragment cloning and gene expression technologies, currently creating bottlenecks for synthetic biologists. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology The instruments requested in this proposal will take bench-scale research in genomics to the next level by enabling characterisation of the genetic basis for a range of diverse metabolic pathways, as well as their capture, optimisation and exploitation in advanced biomanufacturing. This new, state-of-the-art capability will be used in a wide variety of applications by Australia’s fledgling synthetic biology community. The work performed is expected have significant commercial outcomes in the fields of industrial, biomedical and environmental biotechnology. These impacts will in turn benefit the economy, human health and the environment.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals. The aim of the Centre is to progress scientific knowledge to establish transformational improvement in minerals beneficiation, essential for meeting global demand for metals. The research aims to achieve more selective, faster, and efficient separations, combining major advances in separation technologies with increased functionality of new reagents. The Centre outcomes will also ensure the sustainability of the minerals industry in Australia, through a significant reduction in cost, environmental impact, and through lower energy and water usage. The Centre also seeks to establish a new generation of scientists and research leaders in minerals beneficiation to support the innovation needed into the future by this major Australian industry. Field of research: 0914 - Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Oyster biomonitor for endocrine disrupting chemicals. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can produce alarming detrimental impacts on the reproduction and survival of aquatic species, though little is presently known in terms of their effect and impacts on sensitive marine invertebrate species. We propose the development and validation of the first marine mollusc as a biomonitor for the detection and impact assessment of estrogenic contaminants in Australian estuarine and marine waterbodies. Such biomonitors will provide water management agencies with the capability to manage estrogenic effluent discharges and provide the oyster industry with a tool to prevent product contamination, ensuring the continued health and sustainability of our aquatic resources. Field of research: 0502 - Environmental Science and Management The outcomes of the proposed project will provide water management bodies within Australian waterways validated molluscan biomonitoring tools to make informed decisions and facilitate protection of estuarine/marine communities in response to estrogenic diffuse and point inputs. A validated biomonitor will also protect the oyster industry from potential impacts of anthropogenic contamination, associated public health risks and perceptions influencing product marketability.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Surviving the inferno: how threatened macropods survive catastrophic fire. This project aims to determine the impact of the catastrophic black summer fires of 2019/20 on threatened wallabies, including the parma wallaby (that had 70% of its entire distribution burnt) and the red-legged pademelon. Following these fires, wildlife across Australia has been decimated. This project expects to generate new knowledge by comparing burnt and unburnt areas before and after the fires to determine their impact on threatened wallaby conservation ecology. The expected outcomes of this project include improved understanding of the impact of fires on Australia's iconic wildlife. This should significantly improve our ability to reduce the risk on these species in future megafires. Field of research: 0502 - Environmental Science and Management Australia possesses some of the most unique biodiversity on the planet, however the catastrophic, 'black summer' fires of 2019/20 have placed many of these species at extreme risk of being driven completely extinct. The broader society has recognised this with vast sums of money donated to wildlife rehabilitation organisations, however it is also critical that we understand the impacts of the fires on our biodiversity via sustained research. The NSW government recognises that via their support for this critical project to understand the impacts of the fires on the threatened macropods, including the parma wallaby that has had over 70% of its entire distribution burnt since September 2019. This project will yield fundamental information on the impacts of the fires and identify methods of how to cope with such fires that are forecast to become more frequent in the future. These methods are likely to improve the conservation of a suite of Australia's iconic wildlife species.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Ship response under corrosion, fatigue and complex sea-state environments. This project will improve understanding of the gradual deterioration of ships and maritime structures subject to metal corrosion, fatigue and extreme sea-state conditions. Increasingly such understanding is necessary for optimal asset management decisions. These include the potential economic, personnel and other risks involved for ship owners and operators, including the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The project will use numerical simulation. It will tackle the Fluid-Structure Interaction problem of ships in waves by integrating Finite Element structural response analysis with cutting-edge Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics methods. The outcomes will provide new insight into remaining asset life and for exploring optimal maintenance strategies Field of research: 0911 - Maritime Engineering By better predicting the structural response of naval vessels and commercial maritime assets subjected to severe operational and deterioration environments, this project has the potential for significant defence, commercial, economic and environmental benefits for Australia. It will contribute to more optimal management of the structural integrity of defence vessels, and also to the safety, reliability and life-time economics of such vessels, offshore structures, and other maritime assets. This will have benefits to national defence preparedness and to both industrial and government end-users in areas such as improved asset functionality and reduced downtime due to repairs. Indirect benefits include safer structures and lower risks to the environment. These matters are important not just for operational preparedness, as for the Royal Australian Navy, but also for the optimization of the economic and commercial benefits of other, usually, very expensive, maritime assets.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

A novel platform for the biosynthesis of commercially valuable saxitoxins. Saxitoxins are potent microbial toxins, which pose a significant threat to food and water quality. Highly pure saxitoxins are required for environmental monitoring and studies of cell physiology. Certain analogues have also shown promise as long-lasting and non-addictive pain blockers. However, the procurement of these compounds from natural sources is convoluted and unsustainable. This project aims to use the latest synthetic biology techniques to characterise, modify and express saxitoxin biosynthesis pathways, thereby providing a sustainable source of toxin analogues of value to industry and research. This novel 'green technology' will benefit the environment, human health and the Australian economy. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology The development of a 'green' technology platform for the production of saxitoxin analogues will benefit the environment, human health and the Australian economy. Saxitoxins, are valuable commodities, retailing for ~$1,000 AUD per gram. They are sourced by water quality and food safety utilities around the world as analytical standards for environmental monitoring, and also by toxicology and cell physiology researchers studying pain. Current methods for procuring these compounds are expensive, time-consuming and unreliable. Our proposal will enable the efficient and sustainable manufacture of saxitoxin analogues in Australia, thus capitalising on and expanding the current niche market. Presently, there is no compound that binds with exquisite selectivity to pain-signalling receptors. Similarly, we have unreliable sources of analytical standards for testing food and water. Should such a molecule be manufactured in sufficient quantity, its market value would be globally significant.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Bayesian back analysis for settlement prediction of soft soils. The settlement of road embankments built on soft soils can take many years which has created additional challenges for road design and construction. Despite many years of experience with the Pacific Highway Upgrade, industry partners have seen many examples where embankments have settled more than expected during construction and after road opening. This causes potential delay delivering projects, ponding, potential aquaplaning and unexpected maintenance. This project aims at developing useful tools for industry to better predict the settlement of embankment built on soft soils. The intended outcomes can help to increase the safety level of road transportation system of Australia, reduce construction and maintenance costs. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering Population growth in Australia has increased demand for new and upgraded transport infrastructure within intervening coastal areas underlain by soft soils. This project aims at providing industry a useful tool to better predict the settlement of embankment built on soft soils. Immediate benefits of this project include the reduction of construction and maintenance costs of road transport system. The broader impacts of this research will lie ultimately in a reduction of societal and economic costs achieved through better engineering guidelines and government regulations for embankment built on soft soils. The research will have broader impacts in geotechnical science and engineering through improved understanding of settlement behavior of soft soils, and development of more scientific methodologies for dealing with uncertainties and risks associated with soft soil engineering.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Solving the scale effect for rock discontinuities. This project aims to create a ground breaking approach for the scale-free prediction of shear strength of large in-situ rock discontinuities. Failure of rock slopes or rock cliffs can have disastrous consequences for human life, infrastructure and the economy. The stability of a fractured rock mass is controlled by the presence and characteristics of discontinuities, and any rigorous stability assessment requires quantification of discontinuity shear strength. The issue of rock instability affects both the civil and mining sectors. Developing a design methodology that addresses the scale effect for rock slope stability will provide safer civil environments and will allow the optimisation of resource extraction. This project will have significant economical and societal benefits which will apply not only to Australia but also internationally. Field of research: 0914 - Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Combination of electrochemistry with sono to destroy and detoxify PFAS. Previously the major means of dealing with per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is by adsorption, to collect and remove PFAS from contaminated sites. However, PFAS still exist, non-degraded and waiting for destruction. Targeting slurry waste from current remediation / adsorption plants, this project aims to efficiently degrade PFAS by combining electrochemical oxidation with sono-chemistry to enhance degradation capacity, to accelerate PFAS desorption / transportation from slurry waste, to avoid electrode fouling and to detoxify PFAS. The expected outcome of this project is to clean up contaminated sites, including PFAS / precursors and other persistent organic pollutants, leading to significant environmental benefits. Field of research: 0907 - Environmental Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

PFAS Harvester: A Technology for Destruction / Resource Recovery from PFAS. This project is concerned with the development and advancement of the PFAS Harvester: a novel poly-generation thermal process for combined destruction and resource recovery from PFAS contaminated media. The proposed research seeks to determine the fundamental science underpinning the creation of the PFAS Harvester and identify operating conditions necessary to support its commercial rollout. The project will pay a special attention to field testing of a pilot-scale prototype of the technology using PFAS concentrates generated at an active remediation site. The project is expected to deliver the scientific building blocks necessary for development of the Harvester; representing a vital step towards an end-to-end PFAS remediation solution. Field of research: 0904 - Chemical Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Optimal trade-offs for managing environmental water in inland wetlands. This project aims to optimise long-term water trade-offs in inland wetlands on managed catchments, without compromising their environmental value. These managed wetlands compete for water allocations with irrigation and other uses. Realistic predictions of wetland status will be achieved through the development and integration of an ecohydrological model and a water management decisions model. Application of the tools will improve existing decision support models to help analyse the effects of individual local management decisions on the long-term evolution of the system and the effects of changes in operation policies and climate over the long term. The project will provide critical new information for the improved prediction of wetlands evolution and as a consequence better management. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Lexical access in Australian languages. This project aims to investigate how listeners use cues from the way speech sounds are produced to break the speech stream into individual, recognisable words. The project investigates Australian languages which show unusual patterns in the production of speech sounds to generate new knowledge about speech perception and production. Outcomes will include advances in theories of speech processing, informing the development of speech processing systems, and contributions to Indigenous cultural maintenance. Field of research: 1702 - Cognitive Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Information-theoretic secure communications via caching. This project aims to address the cybersecurity problem of securing telecommunication networks to prevent data leakage. Current widely-adopted data-encryption approaches to secure communications will be broken with large-scale quantum computers, and existing information-theoretic approaches rely on the channel quality of the network. To circumvent these risks, this project proposes a new information security approach using information cached at devices to camouflage data. The project will future-proof secure communication systems against large-scale quantum computers, which threaten current encryption approaches. This should ensure that data transmitted over communication networks can never be revealed to interceptors or hackers, even in public WiFi. Field of research: 0804 - Data Format

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Unravelling the dominant drivers of ion specificity. This project aims to understand what governs the sensitivity of many technological and biological processes to the precise nature of the salt present in solution. The term ‘ion-specific’ encompasses all the circumstances in which the influence of a salt in solution depends on the precise chemical nature of the salt, not just the electrical charge on the ions that form the salt. As such, ion-specific effects abound and have important consequences in most situations involving solutions, including cellular functions and battery technology. This project will enable us to understand and control the influence of specific ions, building on our recently described fundamental ion-specific series with colloid science experiments and quantum simulations. This project should overcome current challenges in predicting ion-specific effects leading to progress in a wide variety of applications of colloid and interface science, from sensor interfaces to self-assembly. Field of research: 0306 - Physical Chemistry (Incl. Structural)

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Contraceptive choice for women with chronic disease. This project aims to understand the contraceptive decision-making practices of Australian women of reproductive age with chronic disease. To reduce high-risk unintended pregnancies in this vulnerable population, this project will develop a tailored educational app to support these women to make contraceptive choices and establish a reproductive life plan. The expected outcomes of the project are to assist women with chronic diseases safely plan pregnancies to ensure maternal personal, social and economic well-being and optimal birth outcomes. Field of research: 1117 - Public Health and Health Services

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Young hospitality workers and value creation in the service economy. This project aims to investigate how labour performed by young people in the hospitality industry contributes to the creation of economic value. The project intends to examine the specific practices through which hospitality workers create value as well as the personal capacities and forms of identity that allow young people to become a successful part of the hospitality labour force. The knowledge gained in this project will inform current social and political debate about working conditions, wages and penalty rates in the service economy. This project will enhance growth and job creation within the service sector together with the quality of Australia’s service workforce. Field of research: 1608 - Sociology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

A new framework for large-scale dynamic geotechnical simulations. This project aims to develop an accurate and efficient simulation framework that allows the consideration of realistic discrete behaviour in geomechanical models without the computational overheads of current models. New computational methods and open-source simulation tools will be developed which will enable the efficient and accurate dynamic simulation of large-scale problems in geomechanics, problems that had formerly been intractable because of their computational size. The unique combination of discrete and continuum methods will allow the economical solution of a range of important geotechnical problems such as the accurate prediction of dynamic effects due to tunnelling, underground workings and mining activities. The outcomes will lead to safer and more economic construction methods and a more accurate assessment of the environmental effects. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Wall turbulence control: beyond the canonical smooth wall case. This project aims to fill a critical knowledge gap in the area of wall turbulence by investigating how a rough wall turbulent boundary layer responds to changes, such as wall suction and blowing. The economic and environmental costs caused by the roughening of surfaces on moving vehicles is staggering in the transport industry (roads, rails, air and sea) and ultimately for Australia. This project will generate new knowledge to ascertain whether or not turbulent flows over rough surfaces can be controlled or managed to achieve outcomes such as reducing the drag of a roughened bluff body, for example a ship whose hull is roughened by fouling. The project expects to improve understanding of wall turbulence control, and will lead to significant benefits such as improved control technologies and better prediction and description of wall turbulence. Field of research: 0915 - Interdisciplinary Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Robustness, resilience and security of networked dynamic systems. This project will develop advanced digital control techniques to address security, resilience and robustness in complex networks and deliver fundamental advances in the technology for secure and reliable networks. The project will advance the theory on consensus of networked multi-agent systems to facilitate the fast adoption of the internet of things and the continuous growth of cyber-physical systems These systems in many cases work with high efficiency, stability, and low communication overheads. However, there are cases where disturbance amplification and cascading failures can arise from relatively small unforeseen events. The theoretical work will be complemented by detailed nonlinear networked simulations, using intelligent vehicle systems as a case study. Field of research: 0906 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering