THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

High performance durable perovskite solar cells for space applications . There has been a rapid growth in space exploration and experimentation fuelled by global support. Space hardware needs to be powered by a sustainable source of energy. The use of solar photovoltaics is the preferred choice. As we move into the era of 'commercial space', cost will become paramount necessitating the development of new cost effective photovoltaic technologies. Metal halide perovskite solar cells show the greatest potential. They have a higher power to weight ratio and are significantly cheaper to be manufactured compared to incumbent space cells. This project aims to develop and demonstrate perovskite solar cells to achieve high areal power conversion efficiencies and long operating lifetimes withstanding space environment. Field of research: 0906 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering This project aligns with the 2019-2028 Australian Civil Space Strategy and is timely as it builds space solar cell research capability and capacity in Australia which is lacking at present. While new knowledge and new cell designs generated in this project will be directly applicable to low earth orbit satellites, they will underpin cell technologies for Lunar and planetary science missions sharing similar environmental conditions. The learning from this research will also be translatable to aerospace and terrestrial cells. Perovskite solar cells have lower weight to power ratio (by 1 order of magnitude) and lower manufacturing cost (by 2 orders of magnitude) than the incumbent space solar cells. For the satellite market alone, ~1.3 million m2 of solar cells are expected to be required. Replacing currently-available space cells with perovskite cells (for the same power capacity) can achieve a saving of US$ 17 billion and reduce the mass of photovoltaic device material by 150 tonnes contributing to additional savings of US$ 408 million in launch cost.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Breakthrough technologies in implantable bionics. This project aims to introduce revolutionary changes in implantable bionics via miniaturisation, automation and improved reliability and generating new knowledge by leveraging recent advances in laser processes. Expected outcomes include innovative hybrid thin-film/thick-film electrode arrays with more channels and charge-carrying capacity for neuromodulation; novel glass interfaces that facilitate deeply-miniaturised hermetic packages; and failure analysis to ensure study aims result in new processes that are as or more reliable than the current state-of-the-art. This work will create new and novel manufacturing processes, and trains the next generation of innovators equipped with the tools to advance implantable bionics into the future. Field of research: 0910 - Manufacturing Engineering This project aims to radically enhance the manufacture of implantable bionics, yielding new capabilities for miniaturisation, automation and reliability. Exploiting recent advances in pulse-laser technology to produce micro- and nano-machined components, it will bring labour-intensive manufacturing methods into an era of automation and facilitate miniaturisation at a scale not previously possible owing to the limitations of human dexterity. This research will develop a novel approach to hermetic sealing of bionic devices through ultra-short-pulse laser welding to join a range of materials, producing miniaturised implant packaging for protecting electronics from moisture and ions. While of benefit to the implantable bionics field as a whole, the work addresses challenges common to many other industries that share the need for extraordinary reliability, miniaturisation and hermetic sealing. With applications from satellite and automotive technologies, to electronics such as mobile phones, the project is of broad benefit to Australian industry and end consumers.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

New digital deep-time exploration tools for a low-emissions economy. Demand for critical minerals will soar as renewable energy generation increases, but exploration companies currently cannot take full advantage of available exploration data in an Earth evolution context. This project will generate new knowledge in big and complex geodata analysis using an innovative data mining approach. It will enable Lithodat, a small enterprise, to perform cloud-based plate tectonic reconstruction, visualisation and spatio-temporal analysis of geodata for resource exploration. The outcomes include an enhanced capacity to generate ore prospectivity maps and an improved understanding of their tectonic, geochemical, and geophysical signatures, benefiting Lithodat and their clients in the search for new mineral deposits. Field of research: 0404 - Geophysics As demand for critical metals essential for a low-emissions economy is increasing, exploration for resources needs to be supported with emerging technologies to better understand mineral and Earth system processes. This project will enable industry explorers to reconstruct exploration data using plate reconstructions through a web interface hosted by Lithodat, our startup industry partner. End users will be able to assess where and when ore deposits formed through geological time, aided by a multitude of geological, geochemical and geophysical data and cloud-based machine learning. These new tools, enabled by two decades of Australian software development, will establish an unprecedented ability to visualise and analyse Earth’s geological evolution with the same ease as the public can now access satellite images via Google Earth. These new exploration tools will help reveal new information about the structure of the crust and its mineral resources via a low-cost investment that is at least 2 orders of magnitude smaller than exploration costs using traditional methods.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Promoting active travel and public transport for a post-pandemic world. In many major cities, COVID-19 stimulated the provision of open streets, pop up bike lanes and widened pedestrian access, prompting unprecedented increases cycling and walking. While this type of infrastructure has always been supported by urban planners and designers, the pandemic has served as a vital inflection point, enabling cities to pursue long-term sustainable transport initiatives, including investment in Active Travel (AT). There is an opportunity to promote AT as part of an integrated transport strategy, and to develop tools for the robust evaluation of AT impacts to inform future investment strategies. This proposal will provide our partner organisation Transport for New South Wales (with the knowledge required to achieve this. Field of research: 1205 - Urban and Regional Planning Australians need integrated urban transport systems that facilitate healthy, active travel. Improvements to key infrastructure are critical, but we lack the evidence to direct planning towards high-impact interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unforeseen changes in travel, locally and globally, including the rapid adoption of active transport infrastructure that maintains physical distance, such as pop-up cycleways and shared pathways. This project will garner international insights from these interventions, boosted with Australian case-studies and surveys. It will capture the travel habits and health behaviours of users and non-users of active travel to accurately estimate economic, health and environmental benefits. This project will leverage the short-term pandemic disruptions to build evidence that will enable long-term, sustainable transport. Recommendations from this research will guide efficient investment in key public infrastructure that can reduce the transmission of infectious disease, improve the mental health and cardiovascular wellness of Australians and further develop sustainable cities.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Socio-cultural Factors and the Use of Therapeutic Opioids in Indonesia. This project aims to determine how legal, policy and socio-cultural factors influence the use of therapeutic opioids in Indonesia. The project expects to generate a nuanced understanding of the impact of non-medical considerations in contested areas of health policy through its multidisciplinary and multi-scalar approach. We expect outcomes to include a robust model of influences on decision-making that can be applied in Indonesia and adapted for use in other national contexts. This should provide significant benefits, including an innovative training program to empower doctors and pharmacists to make evidence-based decisions about the potential risks and benefits, both medical and social, of opioid-based treatment options. Field of research: 1699 - Other Studies In Human Society This project contributes to Science and Research Priority 9. It addresses the challenge of developing ‘better models of health care and services that improve outcomes’ by developing a model for understanding decision-making in contested areas of health policy. While focused on Indonesia, its outputs will be highly salient in Australia, particularly in the analysis of the interactions of migrant communities with the Australian health system. In addition, the project’s findings will assist Australian organisations with an interest in patient rights and pain management in the Asia-Pacific to maximise their impact in our region. The project also aligns with Australia’s overseas development assistance priorities. Health is a key concern for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trading (DFAT). Indonesia, where Australian development assistance is projected to total AUD299 million in 2020–2021, features prominently in DFAT’s Health for Development Strategy (2015-2020). The project also supports the achievement of Goal 3 and Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which Australia has ratified.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Advanced Molecular Frameworks for Sodium Battery Electrode Applications. This project aims to develop new molecular materials capable of high capacity sodium-ion insertion. Through an innovative interdisciplinary approach that targets the synthesis and detailed characterisation of an extensive family of materials this project expects to generate major advances in the understanding of how the chemical, physical and structural attributes of the materials relate to their electrical charge/discharge behaviours. Significant anticipated outcomes and benefits include the development of new material design approaches that optimise battery electrode performance across a diverse parameter space, and the generation of advanced new materials worthy of commercial development in low-cost, large-scale battery applications. Field of research: 0306 - Physical Chemistry (Incl. Structural) Following major recent scientific and technological advancements the expansion of molecular framework materials into hi-tech industries is underway. Immense opportunities now exist for the development of materials that will underpin these new technologies. Key attributes of these systems are their robust open lattices and incorporation of electrically-active metal ions, features that make them particularly suited for use as battery electrode materials. This Project aims to develop an extensive family of materials with highly promising electrode capabilities, to yield key materials design approaches and discrete materials suited to targeted next-generation battery applications. The development of these materials promises major national economic benefits through local production opportunities. More broadly, the work promises to accelerate the global push towards the adoption of renewable energy cycles. The Project will provide essential training of early career researchers in state-of-the-art science and technology, fostering leadership and promoting a long-term creative research culture in Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Reducing the energy consumed by lighting with gaze-dependent illumination. Lighting consumes approximately 18% of electricity, but only a fraction of the light emitted into buildings actually supports occupants’ vision – the rest is wasted. This research aims to reduce the energy consumed by lighting by developing strategies for illuminating only the portions of architectural environments that are visible to occupants, thereby reducing unnecessary light. The impacts of gaze-dependent lighting on energy consumption and the visual environment will be characterized and design guidelines will be generated to facilitate the development of innovative lighting systems that consume less energy by producing less light, without negatively impacting the visual experiences of building occupants. Field of research: 1201 - Architecture This research will contribute to Australia’s environment and economic national interests. Lighting consumes a significant portion of electricity generated (16-20%), but much of the light emitted into architectural spaces goes undetected by building occupants – it is wasted energy. The approach to architectural lighting investigated and developed in this research will enable lighting manufacturers and designers to minimise this wasted light and ultimately reduce the energy consumed by lighting. The global lighting market is estimated to be in the 96-110 billion USD range. At present, Australia is not a leader in lighting product innovation and development, and most lighting products are imported from overseas. However, the country has a highly educated lighting workforce and there is substantial potential capitalise on intellectual property arising from this research.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Building on rural knowledges to unlock the potential of rural students. This project aims to advance understanding of the distinctive knowledges that rural students bring to school and develop teaching practices that build on these rural knowledges to unlock the potential of this significant student population. The project involves collaborating with rural primary schools, teachers, students and communities to identify rural knowledges, study classroom practices in detail, and develop sustainable teaching practices that help students connect rural knowledges and school knowledge. Expected outcomes include a framework of place-based teaching practices and resources that will benefit rural schooling, teacher education, and the education of communities crucial to the nation’s future wealth and welfare. Field of research: 1302 - Curriculum and Pedagogy Rural, regional and remote education includes 47% of Australia’s schools and over 29% of students. These students trail their peers on literacy, numeracy, qualifications, and university education. Their potential can be unlocked by teaching that builds on the knowledge these students already possess. This project will collaborate closely with rural teachers, students and communities to better understand the distinctive experiences these students bring to schooling. Through detailed classroom studies in rural primary schools, the project will develop classroom practices that help students connect their rural knowledges with school knowledge. The result will be a framework of sustainable teaching practices and a toolkit of resources that will empower teachers to support rural students’ learning. These outcomes will provide policymakers with better understanding of how to support education in rural communities. The benefits will be seen in improved student learning, improved staff retention in rural schools, and educating a workforce crucial to the future prosperity of Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Interface engineering of 2D materials for advanced battery application. The fast-growing energy storage market demands new devices with both high energy and power density. This project aims to understand and then engineering electrode-electrolyte interfaces using novel two-dimensional (2D) materials to achieve accelerated ion transport and enhanced surface redox reactions. Advanced in-situ and ex-situ characterization tools, including X-ray scattering, neutron scattering, and terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, will be employed to study energy storage mechanisms. Novel solid-state batteries will be demonstrated based on well-designed electrodes using 2D materials. This project will boost the standing of Australia in the global competition of developing more efficient energy storage devices. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering The project will benefit the Australian community with advanced electrochemical energy storage devices, which significantly improve energy and power performance. Such devices are capable of compensating the fluctuations from renewable energy sources, e.g. wind and solar powers, and provide stabilized high-quality electricity supply for high-end demand from both civil and industrial sectors. They will help to overcome challenges in the severe lack of hydropower in Australia and prevent the pollution of using fossil fuels. Moreover, because these new devices can be charged at much faster rates, and they have the potential to be commercialized and trigger new business opportunities in developing portable electrical energy storage devices, including personal mobile devices, automotive, mining, oil industry, military, and aerospace electronics.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

A community-led approach to preventing gendered violence at school. Gendered violence in schools is exceptionally common and damaging on both individual and community levels. Anti-bullying policies designed to reduce this violence have so far failed to make a meaningful difference. Using an innovative community-led research approach, this project aims to position school communities as experts on how gendered violence may be reduced. In partnership with four secondary schools across two states, this research project will be the first to enable students and teachers to investigate how school policies, spaces and activities influence gendered violence. It will produce evidence from the ground up about how different school communities can disrupt gendered violence in inventive and contextually appropriate ways. Field of research: 1303 - Specialist Studies In Education Each day, students in schools around the country face verbal, physical and psychological violence based on what they wear, how they look, their interests, activities and speech. The vast majority of this is a feature of gender norms being policed. While some schools encourage acceptance and belonging, others resist acknowledging that gendered violence is a problem that confronts every young person in Australia, and extends far beyond graduation. This project uses community-led research methods to identify what works in building school cultures that celebrate difference and actively improve student and teacher experiences of schooling. It aims to work closely with school communities to identify when, how, and why gendered violence happens, and how their schools can work to disrupt it. This project has implications for broader anti-violence initiatives throughout Australia, including how the nation can reduce domestic and family violence through social and cultural change.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Developing new tools to search for dark matter. This project aims to propose and assist in the development of novel approaches, based on atomic, molecular and optical technologies, to detect dark matter in the laboratory, and thereby establish the identity and microscopic properties of dark matter. The origin and nature of dark matter remains one of the most important outstanding problems in contemporary science. The intended outcome of this project is that the use of our novel methods will enable us to search for forms of dark matter that have remained largely unprobed to date. This in turn is expected to open up new opportunities in the global hunt for dark matter that should improve our chances of finally discovering the nature and properties of dark matter. Field of research: 0202 - Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics The primary benefit of this project will be through the expansion of our knowledge of the nature and properties of dark matter. This will benefit Australia's social and cultural fabric by invigorating the public's interest in fundamental science, as well as understanding the nature and workings of our Universe. The other benefits of this project will come from the fact that many of the newly proposed experiments to search for dark matter stemming from this project will be based around existing and developing technologies with numerous practical applications, including GPS navigation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scans), magnetic sensors and biosensors, and surverying for valuable resources and minerals. This synergy between numerous fields within applied science and technology and fundamental science will benefit Australia's economy, commercial activity, and society at large.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Reproductive crimes in international law: Lessons from Cambodia. This project aims to critically examine the international community’s response to forced pregnancy and other crimes that violate reproductive rights, through a case study of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia. By analysing court documents and interviewing Tribunal lawyers, it expects to identify legal and practical barriers to prosecuting these crimes. It also seeks to provide the first comprehensive account of Khmer Rouge era reproductive crimes, to be made available on a public database that will shed light on this largely overlooked aspect of Cambodian history. Other expected outcomes include formulating new strategies for prosecuting reproductive crimes in international courts, thus contributing to the global push for gender justice. Field of research: 1801 - Law Australia is a principal donor to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal and has identified accountability for sexual and gender-based violence as a priority for international courts. As a strong supporter of the international justice system, Australia has an interest in ensuring that this system is gender-sensitive and effectively upholds human rights standards for everyone. This project aligns with and will significantly enhance that interest, in identifying new strategies for prosecuting a type of sexual and gender-based violence that has until now been largely overlooked in international law (namely, reproductive crimes). This work will, in turn, help inform Australia's approach to reproductive crimes more generally in both domestic and international legal settings.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Building Urban Resilience: Adaptation Economies in the Asia-Pacific. This project investigates the social, economic and environmental impacts of large scale sand and water extraction to build protective infrastructure in vulnerable cities. Through a qualitative study of climate change hotspots in Indonesia and Fiji, this project will generate new knowledge about the potentials and limits of urban resilience infrastructure to protect cities against climate change. Expected outcomes and benefits include an evidence base to re-evaluate adaptation strategies and identify more sustainable alternatives for building urban resilience in the context of rapid urbanisation and climate change adaptation. Field of research: 1604 - Human Geography The threat of climate change and rapid urbanisation to cities of the Global South demands urban resilience infrastructure. This is particularly necessary in Australia’s closest neighbours, Indonesia and Fiji, where flood mitigation measures may help prevent damage to millions of people, their communities, and assets. This study of the potential, limits and implications of extracting and consuming water and sand for building protective infrastructure and achieving urban resilience contributes to Australia’s national interest by generating conceptual, empirical and policy-relevant knowledge about how to respond to climate change in growing cities. It will identify the negative impacts of building urban resilience infrastructure and propose measures for mitigating these impacts, creating a valuable evidence-based for planners, developers and policymakers. These practical insights are essential for future-proofing our region.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

The asset state: Comparing new models for financing public investment. This project aims to investigate policy models that account for public spending as an asset rather than a cost. The project expects to build knowledge about how changes in the way governments budget for and deliver funding create new options for public investment. The project develops a comparative study of the relationship between accounting reforms and financing models for higher education, social housing and renewable energy in Australia and the UK. Expected outcomes include conceptualising new spaces of fiscal power in the 'asset state' and developing tools for policy makers to guide budgetary choices. This should provide significant benefits by identifying equitable and sustainable ways to pay for critical services and infrastructure. Field of research: 1604 - Human Geography This project will provide benefits to the Australian community by seeking to address budgetary constraints in critical policy areas. Public investment in high quality higher education, social housing and renewable energy is essential for creating equitable, sustainable and productive economies and societies. The project will provide evidence to governments on how to effectively manage public finances to achieve these goals using innovative budgeting practices and policy models. This has the potential to offer significant benefits for Australia’s economy, society and environment by assisting governments to create additional fiscal space for funding critical services and infrastructure. The project is designed to deliver on its benefits through engagement with policy makers, industry, end-users and other stakeholders in its research method, collaborations and outputs.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Nanomanipulation of Liquid Metal Interfaces via Polyphenol Assembly. This project aims to explore natural polyphenols to functionalise liquid metal (such as gallium and its alloys) nanoparticles via a coordination-driven self-assembly process. This will advance our current understanding of the interfacial chemistry involved in liquid metal processing toward the synthesis of diverse functional systems. It is expected that such a unique combination will result in hybrid nanostructures possessing synergistic properties with potential applications in conductive surface patterning, toxic metal detection and solar steam generation. The developed strategies to manipulate liquid metal interfaces with ubiquitous natural compounds will lay the foundation for future investigations across diverse scientific disciplines. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering Efficient and cost-effective surface functionalisation strategies for room temperature liquid metals such as gallium and its alloys, remains underachieved to realise the full potential of liquid metals for applications in diverse areas including flexible electronics, sensors and energy. This project will take advantage of the extraordinary set of chemical properties exhibited by naturally abundant polyphenols to functionalise liquid metal nanoparticles using self-assembly as a tool. This will advance our understanding of the complex chemistry associated with liquid metals and set the design rules to synthesise hybrid composites with complementary properties leveraging from both the polyphenols and liquid metals. The developed methods from this project will allow efficient processing of liquid metals and fabrication of high value and sustainable products that will find applications in the electronic, sensor and energy industries.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Stability of Multilateral Agreements and the Limits to Cooperation. This project aims to analyze the stability of multilateral agreements. This is expected to be done by building upon the cooperative approach in game theory that focuses on groups as the primary decision makers. Moving the unit of analysis from an individual to a group has the advantage of widening the applicability of game theoretic methods to social issues. Consequently, the project is expected to enhance our understanding of how and why cooperation can be sustained in some of the most pressing challenges faced by the society today that require extensive international collaboration to overcome, such as environmental change, trade disputes, and arms-control. Field of research: 1401 - Economic Theory Many of the challenges faced by Australia require international collaboration through multilateral agreements to overcome. As an example consider environmental change, which is among the biggest challenges facing Australia today, as also identified by Scientific Priority Number 7. It is evident that this challenge must be tackled not just at the national level, but also through cooperation across international borders. Forging international agreements through the formation of stable coalitions would have to be an important aspect of achieving this outcome. To understand the complicated issue of forging international multilateral agreements, one needs to develop the tools needed to model and analyze such situations, which is exactly what this project aims to deliver. The project has the potential to provide significant benefits to both the Australian and international communities through the development of the techniques needed to study the stability of multilateral agreements and consequently by providing an understanding of how cooperation can be sustained in forging effective international agreements.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Directly imaging exoplanets with astrophotonic innovation. Understanding our place in the universe and the possibility of life are profound questions. This project aims to develop innovative astro-photonic technologies to enable imaging of Earth-like planets beyond our solar system, and to perform unprecedented observations. The project expects to generate new knowledge and innovation in exoplanet science and photonics. Expected outcomes include the first glimpse of the most Earth-like planet to date, and the development of ground-breaking technology. Benefits include technological innovation — benefiting fields such as remote-sensing, space-communications, life-science imaging, as well as astronomy — and revealing key insights into our planet’s history and the potential for life in the universe. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences The project provides national benefit in several areas. This project will secure Australia’s place as a world leader in not just astronomical science but in astro-photonic technologies. Australia is already recognised throughout the world as leading in innovation in photonic technologies, both for commercial purposes (such as telecommunications) and scientific, and this project will reinforce that lead. It will lead to strong collaborations with overseas scientists, and provide access to major international facilities such as the Subaru telescope. Moreover, in line with Australian astronomy’s strong track record of technology transfer, the innovations here will have great benefit in commercial areas such as remote-sensing, life-science imaging and space communications. The astronomical science produced — providing insight into our place in the universe, the formation of our own planet and the potential for life beyond our solar system — has a profound social impact, and informs Australia’s broader perspectives going forwards.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Improving Girls’ Body Image via Social Media. Social media platforms are starting to realise their social responsibilities and are looking for ways to reduce harm to their users. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of specific social media content and activities for improving adolescent girls’ body image. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of social media and body image by developing a novel theoretical model and an evidence base for effective positive social media activities for body image. Body image concerns are a global public health issue with a devastating impact on key aspects of people’s lives. This project has the potential to inform the development of new ways to harness social media to support mental health and wellbeing. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology Social media use is ubiquitous among adolescents and there is concern about its potential harms for wellbeing. Social media platforms have recently demonstrated their ambition to improve their online environment. The proposed project will provide a much-needed database of experimental evidence about the effectiveness of viewing and posting natural and body positive content for improving girls’ body image and determine the feasibility and acceptability of those activities among girls in their everyday lives. The results of this research will inform future body image and eating disorder social media interventions. Identifying the utility of positive body image activities on social media could radically improve the lives of adolescent girls in Australia and around the world, improving their mental and physical health and their opportunities for career success. If administered early in life, positive body image social media interventions may also reduce the prevalence of eating disorders among girls, saving the Australian government almost $70 billion each year.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Understanding how the brain combines sensory information. The ease with which we perceive the external world belies the complexity involved in integrating different sensory inputs. How does the brain achieve this fundamental operation? The project will address this question using a multidisciplinary approach that combines computational modelling, brain imaging, and psychophysical techniques. The expected outcomes of the project are a better understanding of how people perceive the world through optimal integration of sensory cues. In addition to advancing basic scientific knowledge, the findings will illuminate perceptual anomalies in normally developing children and will provide a foundation for reducing a debilitating side effect of virtual reality systems known as ‘cybersickness’. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology This project will benefit neuroscience in Australia by testing a biological model of sensory integration that explains how different sensory inputs are integrated in the brain to support perception. It will combine advanced computational modelling, brain imaging, and psychophysical techniques to understand the neural implementation of sensory integration. The findings will illuminate the operations that shape the development of perceptual processes in children, and could help inform optimal strategies for education and environmental design. Knowledge gained through the project will benefit the rapidly growing use of virtual reality (VR) systems in industry and training, by identifying the underlying causes of ‘cybersickness’, a common side-effect of VR from conflicting sensory cues. Beyond the scope of the project, the findings from this research also have the potential to impact future efforts to understand abnormal cue integration processes in people who experience sensory delusions and hallucinations.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Market Design of Next Generation of Shared and Automated Transport Services. This project aims to develop novel quantitative models and market design methods to fundamentally transform the analysis, control and regulation of shared and automated point-to-point transport services in multimodal networks. The project offers an innovative non-equilibrium approach that models multiple competitive transport platforms, travellers, freelancer drivers and transport legislator entity to ensure achieving social welfare. The project outcomes address the eventual transition towards automation where platforms own and utilise different proportions of AVs in their fleet. The project expects to generate new knowledge of transport science that can be used to lessen social, economic and environmental impacts of private car ownership. Field of research: 1507 - Transportation and Freight Services This project will provide a major scientific breakthrough in theoretical modelling of shared and automated point-to-point transport services. This research has a significant impact on how people travel in cities today and in the foreseeable future in which travellers buy access to transport services using, for example, a shared and automated service rather than owning a car. This is in accordance with full utilisation of the well-acknowledged benefits of AVs to regulate and manage the shift from car ownership to a transport-access modality. This project enables state and federal transport legislator organizations (e.g. TfNSW) to adopt regulations to manage the competition among multiple shared and automated transport companies to ensure maximising social welfare, thereby helping Australian cities achieve sustainability and equity goals. The project outcomes will significantly contribute to smart cities initiatives that enable reducing travel time, fuel consumption, noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and personal transport costs leading to safer roads and economic competitiveness of Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

The Digital Criminal Justice Project: Vulnerability and the Digital Subject. Digital technologies are rapidly transforming the criminal justice system, with audio visual links replacing physical presence in courtrooms and direct human communication. But are these technologies delivering fair criminal justice? This project aims to examine the scope and impact of digital justice on vulnerable users. It expects to generate new knowledge on digital justice and vulnerability using comparative law, interviews and observations across three countries. Expected outcomes include a model of digital vulnerability and strategies to address digital inequality. This should significantly benefit policy-makers, practitioners and public confidence in the justice system during this period of digital transformation. Field of research: 1602 - Criminology This project has potential social benefits for Australian community members who serve or are involved in the increasingly digitised criminal justice system. It will provide significant benefits to the judiciary, court administrators, lawyers, service providers and policy-makers. This research will present an extensive, comparative understanding of how digital communication technologies, such as audio visual links, impact the vulnerable, how digital vulnerability may be understood, and how new technologies transform criminal procedure and procedural justice values in three jurisdictions. The project will be beneficial in formulating guidance and a model of digital vulnerability for judges and lawyers when working with vulnerable people in criminal procedure. The research will benefit vulnerable individuals who become involved in criminal procedure whether as victim, witness or defendant. Looking to the future, the project will advance and enhance further technological innovation and economic efficiencies in the Australian criminal justice system in manner that is socially responsible, inclusive and humane.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Breaking Performance Limits of Solar Inverters for a Sustainable Future. Micro-inverters offer a unique ability to maximise solar energy yield and streamline the installation, operation and maintenance process of solar power generation, thus having huge potentials to drastically reduce the cost of solar electricity. However, performance limits have hampered their wider applications in the energy sector. This project aims to tackle the performance challenges of micro-inverters by developing a novel power-conversion architecture, a unified design framework, and a new control theory. The intended research outcome will be a new range of ultra-high-performance micro-inverters. This will promote greater solar uptake and maintain Australia’s leadership in the development of disruptive solar power generation technology. Field of research: 0906 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering To meet the very ambitious and ever-challenging renewable energy targets set by Australia and countries around the world as one of most pivotal approach towards greenhouse gas emission reduction, there is a big and timely need for a drastic drive down of the cost of solar power generation to support greater affordability and reliability of solar energies. Employing a ground-breaking solar inverter technology, this project will provide economically viable and technically elegant solutions to next-generation solar power generation. Engineering these new solar inverters in a scalable manner will strengthen Australia’s economy, lead to new industrial companies in the emerging field of renewable power generation and smart grid, attract international investments, create ample job opportunities, and most importantly, provide a competitive pathway towards a sustainable future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Southeast Asian Performance, Ethnic Identity and China’s Soft Power. This project aims to address the reception of China's state-funded cultural diplomacy initiatives among Overseas Chinese communities in multicultural societies. Using performance observation, interviews and analysis of archival sources, it will assess how Sino-Southeast Asian communities react to local and transnational pressures and stimuli as the Chinese state invests in soft power, of which cultural diplomacy is a vital element. Expected outcomes include new knowledge about how and why culture in diaspora changes in response to regional and domestic geopolitics, and a more robust understanding of how China's state-led soft power initiatives function beyond the economic sphere. Field of research: 1699 - Other Studies In Human Society Australia's national interests would be significantly advanced by a more complete view of the large and growing international soft power initiatives of the People's Republic of China, including cultural diplomacy. In recent years, the PRC has sharply increased investment in cultural diplomacy, including spectacular and wide-ranging performance programs aimed at Overseas Chinese communities. A key focus of this campaign has been Southeast Asia, which is home to long-established and substantial ethnic Chinese communities. Such communities are both target audiences and cultural mediators of these "soft power" initiatives. This project will provide a robust evidence base to assess how the PRC’s efforts to represent itself as a nation with strong cultural ties to countries in the Asia-Pacific are playing out in our region. A firm grasp of the nature and intent of cultural diplomacy is imperative for Australia to understand the PRC's emerging regional role both culturally and politically.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Cross-layer Design for Ultra-reliable Low-latency Communications. This project aims to develop fundamental theories and practical technologies for ultra-reliable low-latency communications – one of the grand challenges in 5G cellular networks. Due to the dynamic nature of wireless networks, existing approaches dividing networks into multiple layers cannot guarantee a hard deadline with high reliability. The outcomes of the project will be cross-layer models for characterising the end-to-end performance, a prediction and communication co-design framework for improving the delay-reliability trade-off, and an online architecture for implementing model-based algorithms in real networks. They will underpin the development of remote control and advancing automation in manufacturing, transportation, mining, etc. Field of research: 1005 - Communications Technologies 5G technologies will have significant benefits to Australia, not only in contributing up to $50 billion to Australia’s GDP by 2030, but also positioning Australia as a global leader in Industrial 4.0 (the fourth industrial revolution). This project is designed to resolve ultra-reliable low-latency communications in wireless networks. The new theoretical models, design methodologies, and practical technologies developed in this project will enable automation in vertical industries of 5G, including transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, etc. In addition, the design goal of this project is aligned with the business priorities of network operators and their partners. They have displayed some test cases in surgical operations, autonomous driving, and online gaming, where the delay and reliability in communication systems are critical for the experience of users. In summary, the outcomes of this project will help to reduce the increasing burden on human resources in Australia, create new revenue to Australian companies, and facilitate everyday life of Australian people.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Reducing Gendered Harm in Involuntary Mental Health Service Provision. Involuntary mental health treatment is often traumatising, with women reporting additional gendered dimensions of harm. Using an action research framework that draws upon the voices of service users, families and professionals, this study aims to develop improved strategies for responding to acute mental distress in women, with a focus on reducing coercion. Expected outcomes include enhanced understandings of the experiences and impacts of compulsory mental health treatment on women and a co-designed online resource that will support the development of effective, realistic and non-coercive practices in frontline mental healthcare. The project will provide substantial benefits to mental health reform at a national and international level. Field of research: 1607 - Social Work The project will generate significant new knowledge to improve national and international mental health service provision. Mental health reform is a high priority of the Australian government, at both a state and federal level, as evident in the Roadmap for National Mental Health Reform 2012-2022, the current Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System, and the 2018 NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the seclusion, restraint, and observation of mental health consumers. This study will develop resources and strategies co-designed by consumers, families and mental health professionals, to guide mental health policy and practice in relation to women experiencing acute mental distress. A key focus of the study will be on the development of alternatives to coercive practices, which have been shown to have many deleterious and traumatising effects. The project will contribute to scholarship at the intersections of mental health, gender equality, and human rights. The study will disseminate the research findings through a range of scholarly outlets and public engagement activities.