THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

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.

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

Making equitable decisions: Embedding appropriate and robust methods for... Category: Medical Research

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

The twisted link between a dual function transporter and Episodic Ataxia Category: Medical Research

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

Targeting β-cells for diabetes therapy Category: Medical Research

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

Strengthening primary health systems through Australian Indigenous... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Beyond Unrealistic Standards: Regulating Social Media Ads for Body Image. The proposed project aims to develop legal/policy initiatives to reduce the harm of social media ads on users’ body image by making them more inclusive and attainable. This project will generate new knowledge on the acceptability of these initiatives among key stakeholders, including consumers, influencers, advertisers, and brands. It will also generate key psychological, economic, and legal evidence for the effectiveness of these initiatives using interdisciplinary approaches. Expected outcomes of this project include an evidence base with potential for rapid policy translation to improve social media. This should provide significant social and economic benefits by reducing the burden of body dissatisfaction in Australia and globally. Field of research: 5205 - Social and Personality Psychology The promotion of unattainable beauty ideals in social media ads can be harmful to users’ body image, leading to devastating social, psychological, and physical outcomes. Current government initiatives to improve ads for body image are ineffective, and there is limited research on other approaches to guide government decisions. The proposed project will develop new legal/policy initiatives in collaboration with key stakeholders, including adolescent and adult consumers, social media influencers, advertisers, brands, and policymakers to promote more inclusive and attainable beauty ideals in social media ads. It will also generate key psychological, economic, and legal evidence for the effectiveness of these initiatives. Thus, the project will provide an evidence base with the potential for rapid policy translation to improve social media. By moving beyond unrealistic beauty standards and the burden of body dissatisfaction, this research will provide significant social and economic benefits for Australians in helping improve people’s quality of life, social relationships, and future career success. The results of the project will be disseminated to industry leaders, advertising bodies, and policymakers in Australia via a policy report and end-user seminar. These will trigger the discussion of the next steps to improve social media, positioning Australia as a world leader in implementing evidence-based initiatives to make social media a safe environment for users’ body image.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

In-situ investigation of dissolved oxygen fluxes in weir pools and rivers. This project aims to understand the turbulent mixing processes by which dissolved oxygen is transported from the surface of rivers and lakes into the water column by using unprecedented high-fidelity in-situ measurements. Australian inland rivers often go through prolonged periods of low flow and strong thermal stratification under which turbulent mixing is dramatically reduced resulting in low dissolved oxygen levels. These conditions can lead to large-scale fish kill events in fragile and endangered ecosystems. This study will develop gas transfer relationships that can be used in river hydraulic models by catchment managers to predict and manage the occurrence of high-risk conditions and enable proactive river management. Field of research: 4012 - Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering Large-scale fish kill events in Australia’s inland rivers can occur when dissolved oxygen levels fall below critical limits. These events are a significant threat to the ecology of river systems, the endangered animal species that live within them, and the health and livelihoods of the communities that live alongside the rivers. When oxygen levels within the water column decrease, toxic heavy metals can be released from sediments, bacteria grow from decaying fish, both requiring expensive treatment before the water can be used for drinking or agriculture. Understanding the occurrence of these events and being able to predict and prevent them is an urgent priority. This project will discover the complex relationships which quantify the rate at which oxygen from the air enters and mixes into Australia’s unique river systems. It will develop predictive models that can be used by river managers to determine the amount of oxygen supply from the ambient air into the river water under different flow and weather conditions. These models, which will be communicated to stakeholders who manage our river systems, can be used to estimate overall oxygen levels within the rivers and then to determine the minimum flow releases to prevent fish kills and plan the deployment or optimal usage of aeration systems or other interventions, ultimately safeguarding these valuable social, cultural, environmental and economic assets.

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

Improving the assessment and management of vulvar lichen planus Category: Medical Research

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

AI & Anticorruption: Unearthing Systemic Corruption in the Public Sector Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Generative AI attacks on workers’ freedom of association in Southeast Asia. This project aims to assess the role of Generative Artificial Intelligence in digital attacks on freedom of association and attempts to resist them in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. The project expects to generate new knowledge about the risks to human rights posed by AI using an innovative methodology built on qualitative approaches and cutting-edge digital techniques. Expected outcomes include a typology of digital attacks on freedom of association and responses to them and a prototype large language model capable of generating counter narratives. This should provide significant benefits to Australia, supporting its commitment to promoting Responsible AI Technologies and furthering its geo-strategic interests in Southeast Asia. Field of research: 3505 - Human Resources and Industrial Relations The knowledge generated in this project supports Australia’s international priorities, which include a commitment to ethical use of artificial intelligence, democracy in our region and the promotion of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Australia is a founding member of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, formed to foster the development of AI technologies that respect values including human rights. The protocols created for developing purpose-specific large language models capable of identifying and countering digital repression as part of the project will support Australia’s efforts to demonstrate international leadership in promoting responsible and ethical AI technologies. It is also in Australia’s interest to have stable and democratic neighbours, as reflected in the government’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy and the level of development assistance Australia provides to the region, worth $775.4 million in 2023–24. In addition, the project aligns with Australia’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, supporting progress towards Goal 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth; Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities; and Goal 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, which aspires to, among other goals, develop effective, accountable, and transparent institutions, promote the rule of law at the national and international level and ensure equal access to justice for all.

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

AI & Anticorruption: Unearthing Systemic Corruption in the Public Sector Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Design a highly conductive, flexible and functional polymer . The project aims to address significant challenges in applications of an electroconductive polymer, pivotal for diverse industries. It delves into fundamental research, uncovering microscale charge transfer mechanisms within this polymer system. Expected outcomes include novel copolymers with enhanced flexibility, conductivity, and capability for immobilisation of functional compounds advancing biosensors and other applications (e.g. actuator, smart textile). This research revolutionises polymer science, positioning Australia as a technology leader. Economic, environmental, and social benefits include intellectual property creation, industry innovation, and addressing global challenges in medicine, agriculture, and environmental monitoring. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering We aim to address challenges exist in conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) like high processing costs, brittleness, delamination, and the difficulty to fabricate uniform films at a large scale without compromising conductivity. These lightweight polymers will enable Australian manufacturers to design devices for electronics, semiconductors, insulators, soft actuators, smart textiles, energy storage, biosensors, and biomedicine. We will develop a scalable process for creating flexible-robust-conductive films, giving Australia a competitive edge in the global market for advanced materials & electronics. This will strengthen Australia's economy and reinforce its position as a leader in technology-driven industries. We will create proprietary technology products with projected annual market value of $50 billion, positioning Australia to revolutionize industries like electrostatic coatings, flexible electronics, bioelectronics, energy storage, actuators, & biosensors and capitalize on new market opportunities. This opens avenues for extensive applications, particularly in portable biosensors for rapid biomarker detection in vital sectors like medicine, food, environment, and agriculture. It stimulates economic growth, creates jobs, and diversifies industries. By this new conductive polymers, Australia will secure its position as a global leader in advanced materials and pave the way for sustained prosperity in the 21st century.

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

OPTIMISING TARGETED THERAPIES IN OPTIC NERVE DISEASE (OTTER STUDY) Category: Medical Research

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

A stronger voice for Australian patients and health consumers: toolkit... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Self-Healing Ionic Liquid Lubricants. Aims: This project aims to develop environmentally-friendly lubricants for high vacuum and high temperature applications. Significance: By combining the novel properties of ionic liquids and self-assembled of molecular bilayers, this project will create new fundamental understanding of how ionic liquid structure and intermolecular forces affect dynamic amphiphile assembly structure. Expected Outcomes: This new understanding will establish the design rules for creating new, environmentally-benign lubricants. Benefits: This will address the urgent need to replace toxic components of current generation liquid lubricants to create safer, longer-lasting, more energy-efficient formulations effective over a wide range of operating conditions. Field of research: 3406 - Physical Chemistry Polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs), widely used in lubricants in aerospace and automotive industries and for vacuum applications, are persistent pollutants that contaminate soil, water and air, and through bioaccumulation present serious, long-term health threats. This project aims to discover new, high performing, versatile, safe lubricants to replace current PFC-based products that are toxic to humans and detrimental to the environment, and for which there are currently no viable replacements. We aim to not only replace current toxic lubricants; By combining cutting edge experimental techniques to understand how molecules and ions assemble into lubricating layers, we will design new materials that more effectively dissipate friction and can recover from damage. Unlike molecular-based lubricants, using ionic liquids enables them to function for longer times and under extremes of temperature and pressure without evaporating, also reducing the environmental and economic impact of wear-and-tear. The novel lubricant technologies discovered in this project are expected to generate opportunities for local manufacturing and benefit Australian industry, yielding opportunities for economic growth and job creation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Revealing hidden membrane protein regulation via electrostatic switches. Aims: 1) Discover mechanisms of ion pump regulation based on electrical lipid-protein interactions; 2) Discover the role of lipid asymmetry in determining ion pump activity. Significance: 1) Provide deeper understanding of membrane biophysics; 2) Provide knowledge of the function of an unresolved region of ion pump structures. Expected outcomes: 1) Identification of the effects of membrane interaction of ion pumps on their structure, function, and mechanism; 2) Pinpointing of the amino acids and lipids responsible for membrane interaction; 3) Isolation of the regulatory mechanisms involved in the membrane interaction of ion pumps. Benefits: Refocussing of ion pump research on the surrounding membrane. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology This project addresses the question of how cellular membrane proteins – in particular, pumps for the cross-membrane transport of key ions – are controlled at a molecular level. These pumps determine such fundamental processes as nerve function, muscle contraction and digestion, and constitute a sizeable proportion of all drug targets. While major progress has been made in revealing the structure of specific ion pumps, the puzzle is still incomplete and we do not yet know how the pumps actually work in a living organism. This is a key knowledge gap, which if tackled, will feed into structure-activity studies for new drugs. With drug resistance an ever-increasing problem, the identification of new drug targets is of vital importance and future benefit to Australia. Using a frontier recording instrument that is the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, this project aims to break through the current difficulties in measuring pump molecular interactions with the cell membrane, and thus complete the puzzle . Our success in delivering a holistic understanding of both the ion pumps and their surrounding membrane (without which the pumps cannot function) would make Australia a focus of global research attention. Major conferences and meetings and a broader media presence will ensure wide dissemination of our findings. World-class training for Australian early career scholars at the exciting interface of biology, chemistry and physics is a further beneficial project outcome.

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

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

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

Mapping the burden of systemic sclerosis in Australia using healthcare... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Hydrogen and the deformation of alloys. This project will provide a knowledge base for the solutions required for safe use of metals and alloys in hydrogen-rich service environments. Alloys can become brittle and catastrophically fail in the presence of hydrogen. Understanding this problem is a necessary requirement for the development of an Australian hydrogen industry. Advanced microscopy and modelling will be used to determine now hydrogen affects the strength of the individual subcomponents, or microstructures, that make up alloys, allowing us to build a mechanism map that will guide the development of embrittlement resistant alloys. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy anticipates substantial economic benefits, predicting the creation of around 7,600 new high-skill jobs and a contribution of $11 billion per year to GDP by 2040-2050. However, a major roadblock is that hydrogen can make metallic infrastructure brittle and potentially fail. In this project we will break this complicated problem down by determining the individual responses of the different micro-scale components of alloys when deformed in the presence of hydrogen. We can then predict how these components will influence the overall alloy behaviour, allowing the design of future alloys alloys with favourable structures. We will achieve this by utilising new advanced microscopy techniques pioneered in our lab and a modern approach to modelling hydrogen behaviour that combines density functional theory and machine learning. This comprehensive, first of its kind study will result in new knowledge and new analysis methods that will be useful for researchers designing new durable metal alloys that are less susceptible to embrittlement and can be used for the safe generation, storage, and transportation of hydrogen. In the long term, success with this project will ensure that Australia is able to receive the substantial economic and environmental benefits of this clean energy source.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Proactive harm prevention for virtual and augmented reality technologies. The project aims to develop a regulatory framework for emerging virtual and augmented reality technologies to proactively prevent harms. It addresses significant issues such as harassment, privacy infringements, exploitation and discrimination in immersive technologies. The research will examine different industry visions and their impacts, focusing on harms to marginalised users. Expected outcomes include a deeper understanding of these technologies' trajectories and actionable policy recommendations. The benefits will be safer, more equitable immersive systems and evidence-based regulations, contributing socially and culturally to Australia. Field of research: 4701 - Communication and Media Studies Australia has the opportunity to be a global leader in the regulation of augmented and virtual reality technologies (AR/VR). These technologies allow users to experience completely virtual environments (VR) or merge digital elements with real-world views (AR) and they are rapidly expanding beyond gaming and entertainment into sectors including education, healthcare, manufacturing, engineering, and retail. The versatility and wide applicability of AR/VR offers significant economic and social benefits, but these technologies also have the potential to cause harm, including privacy infringements, harassment, exploitation and discrimination. Our project aims to support proactive policymaking to ensure AR/VR technologies are designed and deployed in a way that is safe and inclusive for all Australians. We address critical knowledge gaps about the corporate interests driving AR/VR innovations and the nature of AR/VR harms, especially for marginalised users. Building on this new knowledge, we will host co-design workshops with policymakers in Australia and Singapore—a major technology hub in the Asia Pacific—to develop public-interest-based regulatory frameworks for AR/VR that are designed to enable public oversight and industry accountability as the field evolves. Given the continued growth of the global AR/VR economy, this project represents a strategic investment in Australia’s digital future.

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

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

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

OPTIMISING TARGETED THERAPIES IN OPTIC NERVE DISEASE (OTTER STUDY) Category: Medical Research

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

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