THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

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

Xenotransplantation a Next Generation Cure for Diabetes using Transgenic... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Atomic-scale mechanisms of mechanical behaviours of metallic materials. This project aims to utilise atomic-resolution in-situ deformation transmission electron microscopy to unravel the mechanisms governing the mechanical behaviours of metallic materials. The mechanical properties of materials depend on their atomic-scale deformation responses under stress. These deformation behaviours are further influenced by local microstructures, a relationship that remains inadequately comprehended. Successful completion of the project will reveal how different microstructural features of materials impact their mechanical properties. This should guide the design of metallic structures with optimal mechanical performance, offering substantial benefits to Australian metallurgical and related industries. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Understanding the stress-induced atomic-scale behaviour of materials is crucial for determining how microstructures impact their mechanical properties and for designing materials with superior mechanical performance for advanced structural applications. However, experimental investigations in this area have been challenging due to the lack of appropriate techniques. This project aims to leverage the latest advancements in microscopy technology to explore the atomic mechanisms of defect interactions in metallic materials and to understand their impact on mechanical properties. The outcomes of this project will guide the future design of ultra-strong and tough metallic materials, enhancing the competitiveness of Australia’s metallurgical industry. This could lead to the development of lighter and more energy-efficient vehicles, making road travel more cost-effective for Australians, reducing environmental impact, and promoting sustainable transportation solutions. To maximise the understanding, translation, use, and adoption of the research beyond academia, we will engage with industry partners, participate in public outreach initiatives, and disseminate findings through various media channels and industry conferences. Collaborations with manufacturing firms and policy makers will be sought to ensure practical application and commercial development of the new knowledge.

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

Towards New Reference-free Cancer Genome Analysis for Better Addressing... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Understanding odour information to influence mammalian herbivore decisions. This project aims to quantify how plant odour information, its quality and utility, affect herbivore foraging decisions. It also aims to apply this knowledge to test artificial odours designed to alter food choice and so improve plant growth and survival. Expected project outcomes are an understanding of when, why and how herbivores respond to olfactory information as well as the quantitative characterisation of odour information as it degrades to “noise”. Translating this knowledge should provide significant environmental and economic benefits by generating a novel, non-lethal strategy that manipulates odour information to nudge animals away from valued plants, thereby protecting threatened plant species, revegetation programs and crops. Field of research: 3103 - Ecology By consuming their favoured plants, mammalian herbivores shape ecosystems, destroy revegetation projects, drive rare plants towards extinction, and cost millions of dollars in lost crop production. We urgently need new ways to reduce the environmental and economic damage these herbivores cause. Plant odours provide crucial information herbivores use to find and decide which plants to eat, and artificial odours mimicking informative odours can alter this process. But key fundamental questions need answering to create odours that efficiently and predictably use or distort information to reduce damage. How closely must artificial odours match informative plant odours to be effective? Does plant quality alter the response of herbivores to these odours? Our project aims to answer these two questions and then go the next step, in applying this knowledge to a real word problem. We will test the strategic use of artificial odour as misinformation so herbivores ignore valued plants. With this new approach, our work will overcome the current stalemate in developing better management tools, urgently needed to deliver on current government strategies and initiatives to protect valuable plants across environmental and economic contexts. We can then work with end-users to translate our findings into practical methods and tools, helping restore biodiversity, sequester carbon, protect threatened plant species and reduce economic loss.

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

Xenotransplantation a Next Generation Cure for Diabetes using Transgenic... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Re-Imagining Pain: Mental Imagery Impact on Pain Perception. This project aims to explore how mental imagery influences pain perception, anxiety, and expectancy. By leveraging cutting-edge virtual reality technology, we'll uncover the role of mental imagery in pain experiences. Our interdisciplinary team, collaborating internationally, will conduct controlled experiments and ecologically valid experience sampling, to better understand the impact of mental imagery on pain perception. The outcomes may pave the way for novel interventions beyond this project, benefiting over 3 million Australians suffering from chronic pain. This research not only enhances our understanding of pain dynamics but also holds potential for future cost-effective clinical treatments, reducing suffering and healthcare costs. Field of research: 5203 - Clinical and Health Psychology This project addresses critical gaps in our understanding of pain, an everyday experience that can become debilitating. Current psychological models focus on thoughts and feelings about pain, but completely neglect the role of mental imagery, despite its frequent, distressing, and intrusive nature in people experiencing pain. Our research seeks to advance knowledge in pain research and theory by exploring the causal relationship between mental imagery and increased pain perception. Using rigorous experimental designs and innovative approaches like virtual reality, we will delineate the role of specific aspects of mental imagery, building a more comprehensive model of pain. Our collaboration with leading international experts in pain and imagery will inform further research in cognitive science, and applied research to prevent everyday pain experiences from becoming debilitating. Chronic pain affects one in five people (over 3 million Australians) and currently lacks effective treatments due to an incomplete understanding of its mechanisms. Our studies provide a foundation for developing scalable, low-cost treatments that could improve quality of life for people with chronic pain, offering significant healthcare, economic, and societal benefits for Australia. Additionally, we will promote our research outcomes beyond academia through public outreach, working with healthcare providers, and via media channels, ensuring maximum reach, translation, and adoption of findings.

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

Strategic Development of a Trial Culture for Surgical Innovation and... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Food Quality of Australian Indigenous Grains: Impacts of Plant Environment. Little is documented about the viability of grains from Australian native grasses for commercial food applications and how this is influenced by plant growth environment. This project aims to fill this gap in our understanding by co-designing and disseminating knowledge with Gomeroi researchers. The project expects to (1) develop recommendations for native grain production based on insights into the environmental effects on grain quality for four native grasses, (2) train research students, and (3) enhance Indigenous partnership on Gomeroi Country in northern NSW. Benefits resulting from the project are the promotion of best-practice management of native grasslands and support for the development of an Indigenous-led native grains industry. Field of research: 4503 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Environmental Knowledges and Management Indigenous Australians have managed, harvested, and processed the seeds of native grasses for food for millennia—a testimony to the nutritional value of these grains. Native grasses grow throughout Australia, having evolved to thrive in challenging environments, including those too hot or dry for crops like wheat. An Indigenous-led native grains industry has the potential to produce cultural, environmental, and health benefits for Aboriginal communities and the broader Australian population. Co-designing scientific, culturally responsive research of direct benefit for Indigenous communities is paramount. Knowledge of the interactions among environmental factors (including soil type, temperature, and water availability) and grain quality (including grain size and nutrient composition) is needed for commercialisation of native grain production by Indigenous enterprises. In collaboration with Gomeroi/Gamilaraay communities in northern NSW, this project will determine environmental effects on grain quality of four species of native grasses used historically as sources of food: Button Grass, Curly Mitchell Grass, Native Millet, and Weeping Grass. We will generate knowledge critical for managing native grasslands for grain production and for the success of Indigenous-led native food initiatives. Our project’s findings will be shared through regular workshops with Gamilaraay co-designers and stakeholders and with the broader community via newsletters, webinars and articles.

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

Hijacking the mycobacterial protein degradation system for new drugs... Category: Medical Research

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

Defining the clinical and serological phenotypes of autoimmune... Category: Medical Research

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

Paving the Way Towards a New National Screening Program for Type 1... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Cementless carbon-negative concrete for buildings and the built environment. This project aims to develop a cementless carbon-negative concrete technology that addresses current decarbonisation needs of the cement industry that is responsible for about 8% of the world’s CO2. The project expects to generate new knowledge in this area to enable the establishment of a concrete technology that will act as a secure and significant carbon sink while remaining structurally sound and durable. Expected project outcomes consist in the establishment of the new concrete technology with negative carbon-embodied characteristics for mass production and for a wide range of applications in buildings and the built environment. This will lead to significant benefits for the Australian building and construction industry. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering The building/construction sector accounts for 37% of the world’s CO2 emissions and is currently off track to achieve decarbonisation by 2050 with a widening gap between the actual and the necessary decarbonization pathways. Concrete is responsible for a significant carbon footprint of the construction sector because cement (one of its key components) produces about 8% of the world’s CO2. It is critical for Australia to find ways of competing in the construction industry using research-based methods, and the project’s technological cutting-edge developments are expected to have a positive impact on the capacity of the Australian construction industry through the development of a new cementless carbon-negative technology for reducing the carbon footprint of buildings and for supporting the implementation of effective strategies to achieve net-zero and negative-carbon constructions while relying on available concrete production equipment and processes to enable an efficient industrial translation of the technology in view of the requirements to meet the 2030 and 2050 net-zero construction targets. In the increasingly competitive international market, Australian companies and professionals will benefit from having access to a new cementless carbon-negative concrete technology to deliver cutting edge solutions that produce carbon-negative and healthier buildings and urban solutions.

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

Defining Treatable Traits of Interstitial Lung Disease Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

The dark side: weaving nocturnality into pollination resilience networks. This project aims to identify the drivers of resilience in insect/plant pollination systems, as applied to the Australian alps. It will generate an innovative framework for understanding this vital mutualism in its full complexity by integrating diurnal and nocturnal pollination networks via multilayer models, and validating them in the field. Expected outcomes span new techniques for characterising pollination systems, and enhanced capacity to predict their resilience and vulnerability amidst environmental change. Key expected benefits include management strategies for the scientifically and culturally significant Australian alpine meadows, and the export of methods to support analogous efforts in vulnerable ecosystems worldwide. Field of research: 3103 - Ecology This project addresses a critical gap in our understanding of pollination networks by integrating nocturnal interactions into the study of ecosystem resilience. Given that Australia hosts a rich diversity of nocturnal flora and fauna, including approximately 40000 moth species and a suite of nocturnally pollinated plants, this research is of national environmental, social, and cultural importance. It will provide insights into the full diel complexity of pollination, which is crucial for predicting the stability of ecosystems under environmental stress. The iconic Australian alpine meadows, a focal point of this study, are not only a biodiversity hotspot but also under immediate threat from climate change, invasive species, and habitat degradation. By examining the interplay between diurnal and nocturnal pollination networks, this project will uncover vulnerabilities and inform conservation strategies, ensuring the preservation of these vital landscapes. The outcomes will have broad implications for biodiversity conservation, agricultural productivity, and environmental policy, aligning with national interests in sustainable development and ecological stewardship. This innovative and timely research leverages Australia's unique biodiversity to advance global understanding of ecological resilience, positioning Australia at the forefront of complex systems science and conservation biology.

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

Sunken Warships: Heritage Diplomacy in Maritime Southeast Asia Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

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

Long-term perfusion of a metabolically active organ for transplantation Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Plant source-sink dynamics and stomatal sensitivity using mobile NMR. Using unique custom-made nuclear magnetic resonance sensors, this research quantifies the dynamics of source-sink (leaf to seed) transfer of material in plants and its variation during resource limited and stressful environmental conditions. Further, this research identifies the influence of leaf hydration (water content) and environmental conditions on leaf stomatal aperture, a process that governs leaf carbon and water relations. This dual focus, addresses two significant gaps in our understanding of plant function and will lead to 1) new metrics for crop selection to improve food security and 2) more informed intervention to mitigate stressful environmental conditions. Field of research: 3108 - Plant Biology This project quantifies seed development and plant water relations using non-invasive real-time, custom-made technology. This unique capacity allows us to characterise the dynamics of seed development and its sensitivity to changes in growth conditions enabling the selection of advantageous germplasm. This project specifically capitalises on the capacity of Australia's rain-fed and irrigated cropping systems to provide superior quality grains to both domestic and international markets. We use advanced technology developed in collaboration with international partner and educate the next generation of researchers to produce translational research outputs such as improved germplasm and novel selection tools for plant improvement. By adopting world-first technology this work will place Australia and Germany at the forefront of agricultural research with the unique capacity to comprehensively monitor seed real-time yield development and plant water use. Ultimately, this project will improve both the resilience and capacity of Australia's agricultural industries to provide nutritious and higher quality food with a more efficient use of resources.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Seeing the world one step at a time. Our knowledge of perception comes from static experiments, yet our lives are very active (eg: reaching, walking). Recent work shows close perception/action links and that action can shape perception. This project uses new technologies to test dynamic perception in free-walking observers in virtual multisensory environments. It will reveal how walking modulates perception at the step rate, the influence of intention (active vs passive action) and establish the neural mechanisms underlying the perception/action link. It will advance our knowledge of how the brain integrates its twin functions of perceiving the world and acting upon it and will generate useful knowledge for information transfer and time-critical responses in active contexts. Field of research: 5204 - Cognitive and Computational Psychology Most people take thousands of steps daily, sometimes in risky environments (pedestrian crossings, building sites) and often while doing a second task (e.g., using a smartphone). We perceive the world as stable when we walk, but this is an illusion. In fact, our brains smooth out sensory wrinkles to help us perceive a stable and continuous world, but this process hides the perceptual lapses that occur during walking, which can have fatal consequences. This project brings together previously disconnected techniques and analyses from psychology, physiology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality to enable breakthroughs in our fundamental knowledge of how walking impacts sensory function. Project outcomes could be harnessed to inform public safety measures and enhance the efficiency of digital displays, communication systems, and device feedback mechanisms, thereby optimizing and enriching user experiences. Additional outcomes include training the next generation of Australian researchers in cutting-edge virtual reality and artificial intelligence technology; two skills predicted to play an increasingly important role in Australia’s future.

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

Archipelagic Connections in Australian and Pacific Literature Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

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

Plugging the sodium leak in severe neurodevelopmental disorders Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Recasting Metal Surface by light for High Selective Epoxide Production. Epoxides, including propylene oxide, ethylene oxide etc, serve as crucial chemical building blocks with the epoxide market projected to surge to USD 86 billion by 2029, optimizing their production becomes imperative. High selectivity for epoxide products poses a significant challenge, due to the instability of metal-based catalytic materials. This project endeavors to overcome this obstacle by harnessing the power of light to either inhibit or reverse the surface oxidation of metal catalysts. By doing so, we aim to drastically enhance the selectivity of epoxide products. This innovative approach holds the potential to reshape the landscape of epoxide manufacturing, paving the way for a more prosperous and environmentally friendly future. Field of research: 4004 - Chemical Engineering The current rapid industrial development increases the reliance on non-renewable energy and the release of carbon dioxide into atmosphere - which in turn lead to energy and environmental crises globally. This project develops chemical production method utilizing sunlight as the major driving force, focusing on the epoxide compound production from raw chemicals. Epoxides, are pivotal chemical building blocks utilized in the production of numerous commodity chemicals, such as polyurethanes and polyesters. The epoxides market is projected to attain a value of USD 86 billion by 2029. However, the current heating-based industry resulted high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission. The technique that drives this synthesis by sunlight is providing an energy-saving and environmentally sustainable method to power these important industries. This project is to develop a cutting-edge, advanced catalytic platform on which to achieve photo-controllable chemical synthesis for epoxide containing products by utilizing Australian abundant sunlight as energy source. In summary, the timely technique that we are developing through this project will control and harness light as a source of green energy and as a means to control the attributes and function of advanced industrial synthesis.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Tailoring high-purity carbon from methane abatement via Joule-heating. This project aims to demonstrate efficient carbon material structural controls via a new direct Joule heating approach to produce multiple high-purity and high-value carbon products. This project expects to address a key challenge in splitting methane (the second most abundant greenhouse gas) into hydrogen and solid carbon materials without emitting carbon dioxide. Expected outcomes include new knowledge on carbon material formation, reaction kinetics, heat and mass transfer, and environmental and market impacts under new conditions. These will incentivise the industrial adoption of methane pyrolysis for methane abatement, carbon material, and hydrogen production, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building a more sustainable society. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Methane is a primary component of natural gas. Its capability to trap atmospheric heat is 28 times that of carbon dioxide. Methane also produces 62% of hydrogen currently used globally, which releases 600 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. Methane is released into the atmosphere from many different sources: oil and natural gas systems, farms, wastewater treatment plants, landfills, and coal mines. It is the second most abundant human-influenced greenhouse gas. Existing methane removal methods depend on converting methane to carbon dioxide, producing more greenhouse gas emissions. This project will address this challenge with a novel technique: splitting methane into hydrogen and solid carbon materials without directly emitting carbon dioxide, powered by renewable electricity. The project will demonstrate that the resulting solid carbon materials can be used as conductive components to make fast-charging batteries and black pigments in inks/plants. The project will generate new scientific knowledge on controlling nanoscale structures of carbon materials. The research outcomes will enable the new methane removal method to increase its progression to become technology-ready. It will pave the way for the Australian industry's subsequent technical development and commercial adoption. Reducing methane emissions and producing "clean" hydrogen and solid carbon products with reduced carbon dioxide emissions will bring environmental benefits and build a more sustainable society.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

The Transformation of Chinese Temple Theatre Architecture. This project aims to examine the form and transformation of Chinese temple theatre architecture. As the predominant venue for ritual and theatrical performances in premodern and contemporary rural China, the temple theatre provides an insight into the dual function of temples as a sacred space for worship and a secular space for entertainment. The project expects to develop a new model for analysing the evolution of Chinese temple theatre architecture and the complex interaction between the sacred and the secular. The project should provide significant benefits, such as furthering the understanding of the liminal/liminoid link between temple and theatre and adding a new dimension to the spatial turn in theatre and performance studies. Field of research: 3604 - Performing Arts The international collaborative research project will generate new knowledge to significantly advance our understanding of Chinese theatrical and architectural conventions and the evolution of Chinese temple, theatre and architecture, while also enhancing cultural exchange and academic cooperation between Australia and China. Enhanced cultural exchange and academic cooperation underpin Australia’s capacity to engage with China, its largest trading partner and primary source of international students, tourists and immigrants, thereby benefitting the Australian economy. The project will also contribute to future Australian research and policymaking on ethnic integration and social inclusion by offering fresh insights into the pivotal role of temples in the social and spiritual lives of community members from many religions. A further contribution of the project comes from our multidimensional approach that integrates the disciplines of anthropology, ethnography, archaeology, architecture, history, religion, theatre and performance studies, thereby bolstering Australia’s reputation as a global leader in Chinese temple, theatre and architecture scholarship. To ensure widespread comprehension and uptake of our research outcomes, proactive engagement with cultural and professional associations, organisation of public events and utilisation of media outlets and digital platforms for extensive dissemination and community engagement will be undertaken in Australia, China and beyond.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Dynamic Presentation of Physical Cues to Engineer Aging Models . The lack of suitable aging models is a major roadblock to unravelling the fundamental mechanisms driving human aging. Thus, we aim to engineer physiologically relevant in vitro aging models ie aging in a dish. We will focus on physical properties (structure and mechanical stiffness), which will be programmed to undergo temporal changes at varying resolutions, magnitudes, and time scales. We anticipate novel reproducible models that will recapitulate the dynamic microenvironmental changes in physical properties during the aging process. These aging models will generate new knowledge including novel cellular aging mechanisms by decoupling matrix composition and physical properties, as well as methods to track cellular phenotypic changes. Field of research: 4003 - Biomedical Engineering Aging is an inevitable process that causes time-dependent deterioration of physiological processes necessary for human survival. To date, the multi-faceted interplay of mechanisms driving human aging remains poorly understood. Animal models are currently considered as gold standards for aging studies, but lack translatability to humans. Thus, this project focuses on engineering physiologically relevant in vitro aging models - aging in a dish. Novel reproducible models that will recapitulate the dynamic microenvironmental changes in physical properties during the aging process will be created and potentially replace the use of animal models. Future benefits of the project outcomes include catalysing the development of next generation dynamic biomaterials that are not limited to aging, but also other applications including tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, tissue models, disease modelling and drug discovery. As the demand for biomaterials usage has increased globally, with a market size poised to reach $249 billion by 2028, this is a key area of investment for Australian research and materials industry. This project is expected to lead to future commercial benefits in national priority areas of advanced manufacturing of high-value, high-performance materials, by technology licensing and transfer to existing and new industry partners.

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

Understanding How Uraemic Toxins in Chronic Kidney Disease Modify Heart... Category: Medical Research