THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Computational design of frontier materials for sustainable technologies. This Laureate will establish a new and powerful computational materials research platform that uses cutting-edge ab initio calculations and artificial intelligence, to understand and design tailored structures that possess the required new and improved functionalities for tomorrow’s materials. In enabling the development of novel catalysts needed for the generation of green fuels and chemicals, and key quantum devices for quantum technologies, this Laureate promises timely support for Australia’s commitment to renewable energies, low emissions and its nascent quantum future. New and existing collaboration with leading international groups underpin significant national benefits including new disciplinary capacity and world-class research. Field of research: 5104 - Condensed Matter Physics Over the next decade our sustainable energy and quantum technology industries will require new materials with specific properties and functions and new manufacturing capabilities to produce them. This project will focus on new catalysts and advanced new materials that speed up carbon dioxide transformation and efficient ammonia production to produce sustainable fuels and chemicals, and enable new technologies such as for renewable energy. The research will develop a computational platform that uses powerful supercomputers, accurate simulations of atoms and artificial intelligence to overcome challenges in rapidly identifying and testing new materials. The breakthrough theoretical and computational methods we expect to deliver will advance Australia’s renewable energy and emerging quantum technology industries and inform the development of sustainable manufacturing. This will ultimately enable industries to provide energy and products for the Australian population while reducing emissions that currently contribute to climate change.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Increasing the sustainability and resilience of coral reef fisheries. This project aims to increase the sustainability and resilience of coral reef fisheries in Australia and overseas. This project expects to deliver solutions-oriented research that pioneers the first global assessment of coral reef fisheries sustainability, locates the most resilient reefs, and uses these as models to increase resilience in other locations. Expected outcomes include new knowledge, partnerships, and decision-support tools that provide benefits by: 1) leaving a global legacy of resilient coral reef fisheries, 2) generating national security benefits through increased engagement with and improved resource stewardship in neighbouring countries, and 3) enhancing Australia's research capacity by training 7 future research leaders. Field of research: 4406 - Human Geography This project will contribute to the national interest by developing novel solutions to address the coral reef crisis. Policy makers, scientists, and coastal communities are concerned about how ongoing coral reef degradation threatens the livelihoods of millions of people globally, including 64,000 jobs supported by Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Yet some reefs display exceptional resilience, which means they can better resist or recover from impacts and are consequently more capable of supporting livelihoods. This project aims to generate new knowledge and toolkits that will enable change-makers to build resilience in coral reefs both in Australia and overseas. The project will work directly with the United Nations, government agencies, and other stakeholders to: build an unprecedented network of global collaborators to share data on reef resilience across 68 different countries; locate the world’s most resilient coral reefs; investigate what makes them especially resilient; and use investigation outcomes to develop decision-support tools such as web-based applications, policy briefs, and training sessions.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Unlocking the secrets of modular representations. This Fellowship aims to greatly increase our understanding of the fundamental symmetries of discrete structures, like those present in computer science and cryptography. The research will generate transformative new knowledge in pure mathematics concerning the representations of finite groups, problems that have been unsolved for over a century. Expected outcomes of this fellowship include new algorithms to compute far beyond what is currently possible and a new understanding of the arithmetic difficulties present. Key benefits will be seen in the development of an emerging technology with significant implications for mathematics, and the training of Australian scientists in sophisticated theory and large-scale computation in concert. Field of research: 4904 - Pure Mathematics Modular representation theory is a field of mathematics that provides some of the building blocks for complex algorithms that can be used in software development, cryptography, stock market predictions, traffic models and patient care treatment. Over the last fifty years, computers have been used as a tool for computation in mathematics, but the lion’s share of the work has still been done by researchers. Only recently have we seen increased use of computers to provide not only answers to the computation question, but also conceptual insight or analysis of hypothetical situations, or deep problems that have endured for decades and centuries. This project will combine expert knowledge and new concepts with large-scale computation to develop new knowledge that can address those deep problems that may in turn benefit our every day lives through faster processing and use of broader data sets to improve decision making in technology, such as medical equipment or cybersecurity. The research will also further develop our research and industry workforce and broaden our skills base in these techniques, along with the potential applicability to future challenges facing Australians. The project’s scientific networks, which include artificial intelligence companies, can also provide a translation pathway, alongside our innovative online visualisation tools. Expected outcomes of this work include new algorithms to compute far beyond what is currently possible and a new understanding of the arithmetic difficulties present. Key benefits will be seen in the development of an emerging technology with significant implications for mathematics, and the training of Australian scientists in sophisticated theory and large-scale computation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Paving the way for ultra-long haul flights: strategies to mitigate jetlag. This project aims to develop and test strategies to mitigate jetlag, founded on biophysical modelling of circadian rhythms. It sets out to quantify the speed of circadian adaptation of sleep, alertness, and metabolism after transmeridian travel and to maximise speed of adaptation via optimised timing of light exposure, food, and exercise in-flight and on-the-ground. Expected outcomes include powerful models for jetlag strategies, ready for application in air travel. The project will directly inform Qantas’ operations for ultra-long haul flights and their international network more broadly. Project outcomes will benefit society and the economy through improving travellers’ alertness, sleep, and reducing the risk of fatigue-related accidents. Field of research: 5202 - Biological Psychology Long (6-16 hour) and ultra-long haul (>16 hour) flights enable rapid travel between distant locations, but lead to inadequate sleep, fatigue, and disturbed metabolism for days, sometimes weeks, after arrival – the condition known as ‘jetlag’. Mounting evidence suggests that jetlag can be reduced by following optimised schedules of light, food, and exercise but their effectiveness has not yet been shown in the real world. In this project we will develop tools to produce optimised schedules to mitigate jetlag for any flight and test these jetlag strategies in the field by partnering with Qantas Airways. Expected economic and social benefits to Australia include minimising jetlag for travellers, thereby improving alertness and productivity, and reducing risks associated with inadequate sleep. Translation of outcomes to commercial aviation will be implemented by Qantas who aim to deploy jetlag strategies in Project Sunrise flights in 2025 and, later, in their entire international network. This is expected to produce commercial benefits by increasing Qantas’ international competitiveness.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Digital Labour, Australian Women Authors, and Public Persona-Building . Women authors are vital to Australia’s creative economy and cultural life. To ensure their wider cultural resonance as well as commercial success, such authors have long been actively engaged in the business of image management. However, digital media have significantly altered how renown is manufactured and sustained, in ways that are yet to be understood in the Australian context. Generating new knowledge about the role of digital media in promoting women authors, this project's findings will be of use to authors, publishers, cultural policy makers and funding bodies to help better support these vital cultural workers in their digital media usage. Field of research: 4702 - Cultural Studies Digital media have become central to ensuring the success of Australian women authors in transnational publishing circuits, while also significantly increasing authors’ labour. Working with three key industry partners – the Australian Society of Authors, Australian Publishers Association, and Book People, this research will advance understandings of how digital media have changed the nature of women’s authorship, the publishing industry, and reader engagements with women authors and their writing in Australia. It seeks to better understand new forms of digital labour in reputation-building processes, especially for the authors themselves, and consider the implications of this online work for these important cultural workers. Through its mixed methods and interdisciplinary approach, it will comprehensively demonstrate the cultural, political, and economic impact of digital celebrity culture on the Australian publishing field. Findings will be shared with authors, publishers, funding bodies, and cultural policy makers, to help guarantee women's voices can continue to enrich Australia's cultural landscape.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

A Data-Centric Mobile Edge Platform for Resilient Logistics & Supply Chain. This project aims to develop a secure mobile edge computing platform for resilient logistic and supply chain management. It consists of easy-used functions that help businesses realise low latency, high reliability, low cost, and high security in their logistics and supply chain system. To cope with the vast generated application data, we invent new data replication, placement, and deduplication techniques to optimise the mobile edge computing platform from the computation, storage, and network aspects. The invented mobile edge computing platform will enable more intelligent business applications for various industries, e.g., IT, manufacturing, and media, to appear, thus benefiting both the economy of Australia. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science As an island nation with a small market, Australia heavily relies on global trade to maintain the prosperity of its economy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian businesses are still experiencing supply chain disruptions; therefore, building a resilient logistics and supply chain is one of the goals of the National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) Priorities. This project will deliver a data-centric mobile edge platform for optimising the logistics system that will directly mitigate the uncertain risks to supply chain operations. Incorporating the invented data management techniques enables IT companies to provide small to medium-sized enterprises with logistics services that can manage the large volume of application data and save massive costs without jeopardising user satisfaction. Besides, the mobile edge platform is generic to be adopted by applications from other industries as well, e.g. smart cities, smart grid, and social networks, thereby boosting the capacity of the Australian economy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Self-supervised feature learning for rapid processing of marine imagery. Fast and reliable quantitative estimates of marine environmental health are needed for scientific studies, design and management of protected areas, and regulatory compliance of industrial activity in the ocean. Australia is collecting seafloor images at increasing rates but expert annotations are not keeping up, meaning that typical machine learning approaches struggle. This project will develop self-supervised techniques that use large amounts of unlabeled data to enhance performance. Our design takes advantage of additional information available for marine imagery such as geolocation and remote sensing context. We will explore how these representations can guide additional sampling and improve performance in classification tasks. Field of research: 4611 - Machine Learning This project will enable faster, cheaper and more accurate scientific understanding of marine environments through the development of two interrelated capabilities: automated interpretation of seafloor imagery and associated remote sensing data, and automated exploration of the environment to gather informative imagery. These capabilities are essential for rapid characterisation of the state of the marine environment that would enable frequent synoptic views of the health of the oceans. Comprehensive and up to date scientific understanding forms the basis of sound planning and management decisions such as the establishment of marine protected areas. The ability to establish an environmental baseline and assess any impacts is also key for industry operating in the ocean while complying with environmental regulation. A wide range of activities from construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructure in ports and oil and gas facilities, offshore wind farms and desalination plants will benefit from the ability to safeguard the environment at lower costs.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Oxytocin receptor PET ligands: imaging the love receptor’s engagement. This project aims to develop a positron emission tomography (PET) ligand for the oxytocin receptor. This novel platform is significant as it will allow the scientific community to answer questions about the role of the oxytocin receptor in the important process of social behaviour which underlies quality of life. This knowledge gap has remained unanswered for decades due to the lack of specific techniques to measure oxytocin receptor engagement. It is also significant as it will equip Australian startup Kinoxis Therapeutics to progress their molecules to market, a process enabled by measuring oxytocin receptor engagement. Our dual expertise on the oxytocin receptor and PET ligand development uniquely situate us to generate this technology. Field of research: 3214 - Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences There is a protein in the brain that has direct influence on people’s social behaviour, because a hormone known as oxytocin (also known as the “love hormone”) connects with it. However, it is hard to know whether a drug can connect to this same protein. We are creating a method that will show us whether a drug can connect to this protein, and this research will answer questions about how such a connection affects the interactions between people. Through this research, we will be able to visualise this connection and provide the necessary information about how this affects human health. Because it will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms in the brain that support social connections, this research will be advantageous to all Australians by improving health and wellbeing. Furthermore, this research will enable the Australian biotechnology industry such as the Australian start-up Kinoxis Therapeutics to advance its innovative research towards commercialisation of new therapies. This process is made possible by an understanding of the function of the oxytocin receptor and by determining whether drugs bind to it.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Fixing the NDIS: cost, effectiveness and access for psychosocial disability. This project aims to address serious deficits in the operation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme for one of its largest participant groups: people with psychosocial disability. This project expects to develop new data on scheme outcomes, cost-effectiveness and participant experiences to develop an appropriate and implementable program logic to improve supports for this group. Expected outcomes will be scheme reform by implementing a new framework of supports for psychosocial disability and data to improve the operation of national policy for this group more broadly. This should provide significant benefits for the cost-effective operation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and build research capacity in disability policy. Field of research: 4203 - Health Services and Systems The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a $35 billion annual investment providing essential support for Australians living with disability. This project addresses broad concerns around NDIS access, effectiveness, efficiency, and outcomes. It focuses on people with severe mental illness, one of the largest groups in the NDIS who often have the most complex needs. The research will map the experience of clients within the NDIS as it currently operates and use new data to model improvements to the Scheme. To ensure the improvements will enable the NDIS to deliver better outcomes, they will be tested from client, economic and policy perspectives and take into account how the NDIS interacts with state and territory health and social care systems. Project deliverables will be directly transferable into NDIS design through the partner, the National Disability Insurance Agency, and into federal and state policy. By making the NDIS more effective and efficient, this project will directly benefit participants in the scheme and at the same time deliver strong social and community benefits to all Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Characterise high-performance, green steels for the hydrogen economy. This project aims to develop the knowledge around microstructures and hydrogen interactions of a range of advanced steels that can be produced with low carbon emissions by the industry partner. These steels can lead to solutions for the hydrogen pipes and vessels without concern of hydrogen embrittlement, which play a crucial role in enabling a safe hydrogen economy in Australia. This partnership will allow the industry partner to access the advanced characterisation tools and will also expose the Fellow with the opportunity to develop and manufacture new steels in industry. This will also de-risk the KIP’s investment in Australia for a new steel mill dedicating to the new green steels for supporting Australia’s hydrogen infrastructure. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Australia has committed to achieving a carbon-free economy by 2050 to preserve our climate for future generations. Replacing fossil fuels with clean hydrogen fuel is key to this transition but presents a challenge in terms of infrastructure, as conventional steels fracture easily when they come into contact with hydrogen. This project aims to develop new steel that is safe to use in high-pressure hydrogen pipes, in collaboration with Giflo Steels Australia and CITIC Metal. It will result in a better understanding of the interaction between steel microstructure and hydrogen, which is the key information required for the design of hydrogen-compatible steels. This research will ultimately enable the production of the gas infrastructure necessary for a future hydrogen economy, using new cost-effective, low carbon footprint steels. Enabling an Australian hydrogen industry will bring economic benefits, and clean, safe hydrogen energy will mean a healthier environment for all Australians to enjoy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Delivering breeding-oriented genetic tools for cereal disease resistance. This project will focus specifically on delivering the genetic tools to the industry partner to assist its wheat and barley breeders to increase the accuracy and efficiency of incorporating the durable wheat stripe rust disease and barley leaf rust disease resistance into their core germplasm collections, respectively. The expected outcomes will also contribute to filling our knowledge gap in understanding the cereal rust innate immune system and benefit other cereal fungal pathosystems. The wide application of the expected outcomes from the proposed project will reduce the utilisation of fungicides and subsequently will subsequently contribute to the resilience of cereal crops and sustainable global food security. Field of research: 3004 - Crop and Pasture Production Wheat and barley are critical to Australia, both for domestic consumption and as major exports. Wheat stripe rust and barley leaf rust are among the most common and damaging diseases affecting these cereals, robbing Australian farmers of millions of dollars in lost crops and adding to the cost of production every year. The most economical and environmentally friendly way to reduce the impact of these diseases is to develop commercial wheat and barley varieties that are genetically resistant, however this is a lengthy process that has had mixed results. This research will make Australian crops more resilient by improving our understanding of the cereal immune system. Working with Australia’s largest plant breeding company, we will develop genetic tools that wheat and barley breeders can use to introduce long-lasting genetic resistance into their core seed and plant collections. Increasing the precision and effectiveness of this process will reduce losses and the use of fungicides, contributing to a sustainable cereal industry in Australia and the security of our domestic food supply and exports.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Solar-driven catalytic production of high-value product from waste glycerol. Sustainable bio-refining requires an efficient and economical way of utilising the surplus amount of glycerol generated as a by-product in biodiesel industries. This project aims to construct an industry-scale solar-driven catalytic system to generate high-value-added chemicals and green hydrogen fuel from biomass wastes simultaneously. The structure-reactivity relationship of working catalysts will be established to fit the up-scale applications. The gained cutting-edge knowledge and technology will significantly contribute to biomass waste utilisation and sustainable fabrication, further bringing significant economic and social benefits by creating a new competitive business for Australian chemical and fuel areas. Field of research: 4004 - Chemical Engineering As we work towards our goal of net zero emissions by 2050, renewable biodiesel is increasingly used to power vehicles in Australia. Manufacturing biodiesel generates significant amounts of glycerol (a crude alcohol) which is not currently used. This project aims to develop a solar-driven system that converts waste glycerol into a refined sugar called dihydroxyacetone and hydrogen gas, valuable resources that are in high demand in the food industry and global energy market. Working with Australian manufacturer Sun Biotechnology, the research will investigate the reaction process and optimise the system for large-scale glycerol conversion. The resulting innovations will be shared with biodiesel and other relevant manufacturers, bringing economic benefits to Australia’s food and renewable energy industries. By enabling Australian industries to adopt cost-effective and sustainable manufacturing practices and promoting sustainable fuel production, this research will ultimately help create a healthier climate for all Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Triple hybrid fuel-cell-based propulsion for long-range eVTOL operations. AMSL Aero's Vertiia is an Australian-developed electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft that will provide rapid response air ambulance and low-cost passenger transport for rural Australia. This project will optimise a fuel cell/battery/ultracapacitor triple hybrid system for Vertiia by combining dynamic energy source models, hardware-in-the-loop simulations, aero-propulsive flight mechanics models, and accelerated degradation testing. The triple hybrid will extend the life of both batteries and fuel cells for eVTOL aircraft. It will allow AMSL to fast-track the improved durability needed for cost-competitive long-range eVTOL operations, giving them an up-front and industry-leading experience on hybrid systems for eVTOLs. Field of research: 4001 - Aerospace Engineering Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft could provide cost-effective rapid response air ambulance and passenger transport services to rural Australia. However, battery-powered eVTOL aircraft have a limited range, and the fuel cells that enable long-distance flights break down too quickly to be cost-competitive. This project seeks to resolve these issues by developing a fuel cell-based triple hybrid battery system that will enable an Australian company, AMSL Aero, to fast-track cost-competitive long-distance operations for Vertiia, its leading eVTOL aircraft. As a result, AMSL will gain industry-leading experience in hybrid systems for eVTOLs, positioning it to become the global leader in inter-city air mobility. This project will benefit the Australian economy by giving our aerospace industry a competitive advantage in a market predicted to reach USD 115 billion by 2035 in the US alone. A long-range, cost-effective eVTOL aircraft will help unlock the economic potential of regional and rural Australia and make health care more affordable for Australians living in remote regions.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

New models of replacement care for working carers. This project aims to investigate the replacement care arrangements that will support different groups of informal carers of a person with a disability, chronic illness or older relative to participate in paid work in contemporary Australia. Using mixed methods, field trials, and an innovative conceptual approach focused on time synchronicity, it will generate critical new knowledge about the characteristics and effectiveness of sustainable replacement care models that enable carers to enter or increase paid work and maintain work/care balance. Significant benefits include improving aged, disability and carer service models and policies to enhance women’s workforce participation, boost national productivity, and improve carer wellbeing. Field of research: 4203 - Health Services and Systems One in 10 Australians provide unpaid care for a person with a disability, chronic illness or frailty. Carers are less likely to be employed and much less likely to work full time than non-carers because of a lack of appropriate replacement (aged and disability) care that aligns with their work needs. To address this problem, working with two large industry partners, this project will be the first internationally to design and pilot new models of replacement care that directly respond to carers’ workforce needs, and identify sustainable methods of funding these models. This project will improve the effectiveness of disability, aged care, and carer services in meeting the needs of Australia’s carers and respond to a significant and pressing problem for care providers and governments in Australia and internationally. The project will improve the labour market opportunities of carers and, consequently, their financial security, health and wellbeing. It will also benefit Australian governments, employers and communities by boosting labour market participation rates, national productivity, and wellbeing.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Greening the production of peptides and proteins . This project aims to develop a green and sustainable synthetic platform for the production of peptide and protein molecules. The synthetic methodology that will be developed has the potential to solve a major technological gap in the field by providing an efficient and cost-effective method for manufacturing peptides and proteins with a substantial reduction in reagent and solvent waste over currently employed methods. Expected outcomes include the delivery of a breakthrough green technology for accessing high value peptide and protein targets in academia and industry, and the training of industry-ready early career researchers, both of which will benefit Australia’s growing biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors. Field of research: 3404 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry This project will establish an eco-friendly, sustainable and cost-effective technology for the synthesis of high value peptide and protein biomolecules that have wide ranging application in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. The synthetic methods developed in this project have the potential to transform the way in which peptides and proteins are produced on industrial scale, by lowering the cost of manufacturing and minimising the generation of waste. This project has the potential to provide a number of benefits to Australia. Highlights include: 1) The delivery of green, efficient and scalable methods for manufacturing valuable peptide and protein molecules for the burgeoning Australian biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors, thus contributing to the advanced manufacturing national science and research priority; and 2) The establishment of critical capacity and advanced interdisciplinary skills in the rapidly growing fields of green chemistry and biomolecule manufacture in Australia by training industry ready early career researchers.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Thermal Optimisation of Gigascale Solar Photovoltaics. Large-scale solar photovoltaics are critical to decarbonising the global economy. Sun Cable is developing the world’s largest solar farm in the Northern Territory, and is considering deploying the 5B MAV solar array. At this scale, temperature-induced panel efficiency losses represent a major challenge that must be overcome through thermal performance optimisation. We will build sophisticated multiscale models to simulate and understand the multiple interacting phenomena that cause panel heating, for the first time. This project will create the tools and know-how to optimise array design and solar farm development, delivering major efficiency gains and enhancing the viability of future gigascale solar projects. Field of research: 4012 - Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering Australia is uniquely positioned to become a renewable energy powerhouse by leveraging our abundant solar resource, if we can address outstanding challenges with large scale photovoltaics. Module overheating can cause substantial losses in electricity generation at the gigawatt scale, which must be mitigated to ensure technical and economic viability. This project will create accurate models to simulate the multi-scale phenomena contributing to module temperature in-situ for the world’s largest solar farm, to be built in Australia’s NT. It will directly benefit two Australian startups and the solar industry more broadly, by finding new ways to optimise the thermal performance of PV modules, arrays, and fields through improved design. The project is expected to deliver 100s of megawatts in additional capacity from improved efficiency, worth $10-100+ million. The knowledge created by this research will benefit Australian PV manufacturers and developers, facilitating growth in solar projects, jobs, and sovereign energy resilience.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Sustaining chicken-meat production with alternative protein sources. This project aims to secure sustainable chicken-meat production by the radical reduction or even elimination of imported soybean meal as the primary protein source in Australian broiler diets by its replacement with feed-grade amino acids and local feedstuffs. This project will expand our comprehension of starch/glucose and protein/amino acid digestive dynamics in poultry diets based on wheat, the primary feed grain in Australia; however, wheat does inherently possess nutritional disadvantages. Expected outcomes include soybean meal-free feed formulations for the Australian chicken-meat industry to enhance the affordable and environmentally viable production of chicken-meat coupled with improved bird welfare and flock health. Field of research: 3003 - Animal Production Chicken-meat is the dominant animal protein for Australian consumers and its shortage threatens our national food security as experienced during the Covid pandemic. The supply of chicken-meat is currently under pressure from both increasing consumer demand and escalating feed costs. Feed costs represent 70-80% total production costs and imported soybean meal is the primary protein source in broiler diets and its landed cost has escalated by 80% since 2019. The Australian chicken-meat industry presently imports around 700,000 tonnes of soybean meal which represents an approximate impost of $700 million. This project aims to develop soybean meal-free diets for Australian chicken-meat industry by using feed-grade amino acids and local feedstuffs without the use of in-feed antibiotics. Consequently, dietary protein will be decreased, which will reduce nitrogen excretion and ammonia emissions, improve bird welfare and flock health by improving little quality and shed environment. The poultry industry will become more resilient from enhanced productivity and sustainability with more reliable feed supply.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Genomics to rust proof the humble oat. This project aims to reduce the impact of the damaging and currently intractable fungal pathogen crown rust (OCR) in Australian oat production. The expected project outcomes are: new sources of enduring high value resistance to OCR, tools to accelerate the use of these resistances, and locally adapted OCR resistant oat germplasm for use in developing profitable oat varieties. The project will use new approaches to tap very recently released genomic resources and unique oat/ OCR resources assembled over many years. It will lead to responsible stewardship of broadly effective OCR resistance in grazing/milling/hay oats, increasing grower profitability, reducing reliance on fungicides, and underpinning planned growth in our export oat market. Field of research: 3108 - Plant Biology Oat is an important crop to Australia. Demand continues to grow due to its nutritional and health benefits, and we are the world’s 4th largest oat exporter. The fungal disease crown rust has become an intractable constraint to oat production here. It causes severe damage to grazing, milling and hay oat, with production losses as high as 50%. Attempts to develop varieties with inbuilt genetic resistance since the 1950s have failed, with all varieties released being rendered highly susceptible by the emergence of new virulent pathogen strains. A significant contributor to this has been lack of coordination of resistance gene deployment across the grazing/milling/hay oat industries. This Linkage Project seeks to solve this problem by facilitating and accelerating the use and responsible stewardship of broadly effective crown rust resistance across the grazing/milling/hay oat industries. The project will help Australia to enhance oat production, food safety and our biosecurity by reducing the impact of crown rust in oat production and reducing or even eliminating the use of fungicides for rust control.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Learning from the Past? Evaluating the impact of Holocaust museum education. This project will determine and assess the long term educational impact of Holocaust education programs. Developed in partnership with Australia’s three Holocaust museums, our innovative methodology will enable a comprehensive understanding of these programs' potential to shape ethical thinking and engender behavioural change. The outcomes will generate more targeted and effective programs that engage students on cognitive and affective levels. With the rise of antisemitism, Islamophobia and political extremism in Australia and abroad prompting policy initiatives in which cultural institutions are characterised as agents of social change, maximising the long-term educational benefits of these programs is imperative. Field of research: 4302 - Heritage, Archive and Museum Studies In the face of growing antisemitic, racist and religiously motivated attacks in Australia and abroad, this project will provide the empirical knowledge necessary to create effective education programs to counter these trends. Holocaust and genocide museums are increasingly recognised as powerful affective learning spaces in which learning about difficult and traumatic pasts is presumed to generate greater cultural awareness and sensitivity in the present. Such work cannot be based on assumptions but must be rigorously, empirically tested as the success of these educational initiatives is linked to nothing less than the social cohesion of current and future generations of Australians. The knowledge generated will enrich our understanding of exactly how and what students learn in these settings. The fruits of the project will have wide ranging social and cultural benefits, determining how museum education can be effective in the preservation of Australia’s racial and religious diversity.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Visual methods for advanced automation of underwater manipulation. This project will increase the autonomy of underwater robotic systems engaged in intervention and inspection tasks. Such activities are essential for the operation of subsea robotic systems used in offshore industries, scientific exploration and defence. Our approach will improve perception and situational awareness through the principled fusion of multiple navigation and camera sensors. We will use this improved scene understanding to effectively plan the motion of vehicles and manipulators through larger and more complex workspaces, enabling semi-supervised and autonomous task execution. Our project will demonstrate these capabilities in real-world deployments relevant to industry and marine science. Field of research: 4602 - Artificial Intelligence This project will increase the autonomy of underwater robotic systems engaged in intervention and inspection tasks. Underwater intervention and inspection is a key activity for in offshore industries including oil & gas extraction and wind power generation, as well as in desalination plant outflows, ports and shipping. It also plays an important role in gathering and manipulating samples and instruments for scientific exploration and monitoring and in minefield and ordnance clearing in defence. Our project is focused on developing a perception and situational awareness system for use in underwater intervention tasks through the fusion of data from multiple sources for real-time scene reconstruction. We will also investigate techniques in active perception and visual closed loop control that allow these systems to exploit visual feedback for control of underwater vehicle manipulator systems. Outcomes of this project will be adopted by our industry partners Reach Robotics and Geo Oceans in their service offerings.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

A novel platform-technology for long-term subcutaneous neurophysiology. This project aims to develop a novel miniature device for subcutaneous and tetherless brain sensing. It addresses the lack of a device solution for brain-sensing that combines ultra-long-term reliable sensing capability and small dimensions for minimally-invasive procedures. We achieve this through our novel electrode architecture that significantly enhances the quality and reliability of recorded brain signals. We introduce a platform technology designed for subscalp anatomy with future use in various brain-machine interfacing applications relying on reliable, long-term and easy-to-implant systems. This project's device manufacturing, training, and intellectual property are expected to strengthen Australia's position in bioelectronics. Field of research: 4003 - Biomedical Engineering Our project aims to develop a new generation of small, wireless, under-the-skin implant technology for long-term brain sensing to assist a range of difficult-to-diagnose and progressive neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and fluctuating traumatic brain injury biomarkers. With the current technology, brain recording devices are limited to two options: (i) wearables for short-term monitoring or (ii) implants requiring extensive surgery. A novel electrode configuration will be used in this project to improve the quality and reliability of brain signals recorded, enabling realisation of a compact, reliable sensing system that can be implanted via a small incision. This sensing system will allow objective out-of-hospital evaluation of brain function. The commercial development of this unique technology platform through Australian medical device manufacturers will benefit the national economy and improve the quality of care for Australians suffering from a range of neurological and neurophysiological disorders.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Metallic materials with combined chemical and structural heterogeneities. This project aims to explore how combined spatial gradients in composition and microstructure affect the mechanical properties of metallic materials. Manipulation of composition and microstructure has been widely used to strengthen materials but this often deteriorates the ductility. The trade-off could be overcome through the introduction of gradient structures because the variations in both composition and microstructure would trigger simultaneous activation of multiple deformation mechanisms. This project is expected to provide guidance in the design of gradient metallic structures with optimum mechanical properties, which will significantly benefit Australian metallurgical and related industries. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Strength and ductility are two of the most important mechanical properties of materials for lightweight, energy efficient structural applications such as transportation vehicles and aerospace structures. However, the strength and ductility often trade off with each other. This project explores the possibility of breaking this trade-off to achieve the best strength–ductility combinations through double gradients in chemical composition and microstructure and seeks to understand the mechanisms underlying these effects. The outcomes of this project will guide the future design of ultra-strong and tough metallic materials that will enhance the competitiveness of Australia’s metal industry. Commercial development of this new knowledge could result in the manufacture of cars that weigh less and are more energy efficient, making road travel more cost effective for Australians and less damaging to our environment and significantly increasing the distance lightweight electric vehicles can travel on a single charge.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Site-specific protein functionalisation at diselenides via photocatalysis . This project aims to develop a new photocatalytic reaction for the on demand functionalisation of proteins. The synthetic methodology will solve a major technological gap in the field by enabling efficient access to proteins with defined modifications at specific locations. Functionalised proteins generated in the project will underpin a detailed understanding of how specific modifications influence the structure and function of several important proteins. The project will generate significant new knowledge in the fields of chemistry and biology and will foster interdisciplinary collaboration, nationally and internationally. The breakthrough technology also has the potential to benefit Australia’s biotechnology sector. Field of research: 3404 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry This project will reveal how the properties of protein molecules can be improved by the introduction of precise chemical changes. An entirely new method – which harnesses light to introduce tailor-made modifications aimed at improving biological activity and/or long-term stability of protein molecules – will be developed to achieve this aim. During the project this new technology will be used to tune the activity and stability of a family of immune proteins called cytokines, making them more suitable for future application as antivirals. It will also be used to make new molecules as antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 (the cause of COVID-19) by chemically fusing two proteins together. This research will benefit Australia by providing an efficient and cost-effective method with the potential to transform the way high value bioactive proteins are made by local biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The project will also train the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists, thereby ensuring that critical new capacity and know-how is embedded within the Australian workforce.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Finding friendship in early English literature. This project aims to provide extensive new knowledge about the long story of friendship by reconceptualizing the ways in which this bond was lived and imagined in early medieval literature. The project expects to make an innovative contribution to our understanding of this fundamental human relationship through a case study of early English texts. Expected outcomes of this project include an unprecedented comprehensive study of friendship in an early medieval society through its writing, and with this develop a model for the engaged humanities. The project offers significant benefit for a range of academic disciplines, and also includes important benefit beyond the academy through engagement with a critical issue in contemporary society. Field of research: 4705 - Literary Studies While friendship is a fundamental human relationship, we do not fully understand how this concept has evolved over time to form the foundation of all societies today. Taking an approach that combines historical and literary analysis, we will use early English medieval texts to uncover how the concept of ‘friendship’ developed in an important period of religious, cultural and geopolitical transformation. We will trace the patterns of friendship described in texts of the period to understand how factors such as social structures, gender, race and the law shaped them. In revealing how early medieval friendships could form and break down, resolve conflict or incite violence, we will improve Australians’ understanding of how friendship, as a concept, can be used to create groups that engage in positive or harmful activities and how ideas about past societies impact relationships in the present. Findings will be shared with community leaders and policymakers and may be used in developing social interventions to curb extremist cultures in Australia and encourage positive alliances that unite diverse communities.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

The Social Life of Death. This project aims to investigate experiences of death, dying and bereavement amidst rapid social, economic and political transformation. In the wake of COVID19, and as Australia’s anticipated ‘death boom’ approaches, how to foster good deaths has never been more uncertain, nor more urgent. Drawing on innovative methods and socio-cultural theory, and working in partnership with families and communities, this project aims to generate new knowledge to better inform and improve policy and spark cultural renewal around the end of life. Expected outcomes include setting the international benchmark for novel scholarly understandings of death, dying and bereavement, and centring community voices in addressing contemporary challenges to dying well. Field of research: 4410 - Sociology The COVID19 pandemic has highlighted death, dying and bereavement as social processes that are profoundly shaped by a social, cultural, economic and geopolitical forces. Yet, little attention has been paid to how experiences of the end of life are changing as a result of the broader social transformations of the early 21st Century. Mobilising diverse person-, family- and community centred perspectives, this project will create a novel evidence base of evolving experiences of death, dying and bereavement in Australia at time of rapid and escalating social change. This will inform policy guidance across the ageing, health and social care sectors, and respond directly to the recommendations of recent national and international Commissions. Through innovative public-facing exhibits elevating the public profile of death, dying and bereavement, this project will yield considerable social and cultural benefits by: advancing more open conversations about the end of life; informing evidence-based reform of end-of-life policy and practice, and; enhancing the quality and value of death in Australia today.