THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Algorithmic management and the future of work: lessons from the gig economy. The gig economy is at the forefront of ‘algorithmic management’, a major technological disruption of management, work, and employment. Used to replace humans as organisational managers, these systems are projected to spread wide across the Australian economy yet remain poorly understood. This study will systematically interrogate the nature and operations of algorithmic management across platforms operational in the Australian gig economy. It will explore the design and oversight of, workers’ experiences with, and the role end-users play in sustaining these systems. The study will generate state-of-the-art academic knowledge and provide guidance to policy makers on how to respond to, and where necessary regulate, algorithmic management. Field of research: 1503 - Business and Management Australian workers are witnessing the rapid replacement of their human managers by automated systems. Standard management tasks, such as scheduling, logistics and responding to customer feedback, are being devolved to data-driven, self-learning technologies. While technology-driven management looks efficient, it can also obscure underlying processes, embed biases or discriminatory practices and limit workers’ personal discretion. In fact, we know little about how such systems affect workers, end-users, businesses and broader society, and what they mean for future worker-management relations. This project will provide clear understandings of workers’ and businesses’ real-world experiences of automated management. It will detail the practical and ethical implications, and impacts on worker performance and satisfaction. This research will benefit Australian regulators, worker advocates and industry as they look for evidence-based strategies to improve the oversight and operation of automated management systems.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

From known to unknown: Individual differences in associative generalisation. This project aims to investigate how and why individuals differ in the way that they generalise from past experiences to novel situations. The goal of the project is to develop an innovative and formal model capable of predicting how a given individual will generalise based on their beliefs and personal traits, and to better understand how people behave when there are multiple conflicting ways to generalise. The expected outcomes of the project are a better understanding and measurement of generalisation, a fundamental psychological process. The outcomes of this project can be used to benefit the development of clinical treatment for anxiety disorders, of which overgeneralisation of fear responses is a defining feature. Field of research: 1702 - Cognitive Sciences Knowledge would be useless if we were not able to generalise to novel situations. This project investigates why different people generalise in different ways and offers a new theory to explain how this occurs. It will expand our knowledge of how generalisation occurs in everyday life and uncover factors that lead to more or less generalisation in different individuals. Understanding how generalisation leads to adaptive behaviour is critical in order to understand how it can become maladaptive. For example, this basic knowledge has social benefits in helping to inform clinical interventions such as ones that target maladaptive over-generalisation of fear in anxiety disorders, a common mental illness that is estimated to affect 2 million Australians each year (Beyond Blue).

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Adaptive Resource Management for Sustainable Edge Computing Systems. This project aims to develop adaptive resource management solutions in edge computing systems for efficient management of the use of limited computing resources and varying renewable energy resources without compromising the stringent needs of emerging Internet of Things applications. These resources will be jointly managed on the diverse, dispersed, often independently owned and operated edge devices with a set of prediction, scheduling and energy saving techniques. The expected outcome is to realise a sustainable edge computing system to reduce both operational cost and negative environmental impact of the system. This project will elevate Australia to be a dominant player in sustainable computing and lead future development trends. Field of research: 0805 - Distributed Computing The designs of this project will greatly encourage the increased use of renewable energy in the ICT (Information and communications technology) sector towards meeting the short-term and long-term goals of Australia, which will reduce emissions to 26-28 percent on 2005 levels by 2030, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The ultimate goal of the project is to substantively contribute to the provision of technological solutions and wealth creation that will help building a greener and more sustainable planet. The fully utilisation of the capabilities of sustainable edge computing systems will ensure information can be processed effectively and efficiently. This project will reduce the growing ICT carbon footprint by reducing the daily consumption of brown energy. Meanwhile, these sustainable ICT technologies will be used as enablers to reduce the carbon footprint of production and the brown energy consumption used by the current or future IoT applications. This will shape the future of industrial computing and pave the way for the development of edge computing systems.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

The interplay of tectonics and sea level on carbonate platform evolution. Reefs and carbonate platforms represent the most prolific component of Earth’s carbonate factory on geological timescales. The project will develop a digital community framework for modelling the rise and demise of carbonate platforms on geological timescales. The project will untangle the relative influence of tectonics, dynamic topography from mantle convection, sea level change, climate, and terrestrial sediment runoff on the growth and drowning of carbonate platforms. The outcomes will identify the environmental conditions that shut down reefs on the scale of the Great Barrier Reef, quantify the carbon storage potential of carbonate platforms, and model the tectonic development of Australia's continental margins in unprecedented detail. Field of research: 0403 - Geology The Great Barrier Reef contributes $6.4 billion to Australia’s economy annually, but is threatened by rising sea levels and terrestrial run-off. This project will evaluate how similar reef systems flourished and perished in the geological past, and will quantify the carbon dioxide storage potential of Australian continental margins. The community tools developed in this project can also be applied to de-risk low-carbon energy exploration, and aid exploration of sediment-hosted mineral resources required for a high-tech low-carbon global economy. This project will place Australian Earth science at the forefront of a new modelling capability that fuses tectonic, geodynamic, atmospheric, and marine processes to track the contribution of Earth’s biological carbonate factory to the planetary carbon cycle. The easy-to-use modelling infrastructure will provide an unprecedented educational and outreach tool that captivate the imagination of the Australian public, trigger interest in geosciences in younger generations, and illustrate the geological evolution of the Australian continent in unprecedented detail.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

A Scalable and Adaptive-Resilient Blockchain. This project aims to address the security and scalability challenges that limit blockchain adoption. Existing blockchains do not scale and are vulnerable to attacks (e.g. with a total loss of over US$1 billion in 2019). This project expects to improve security by adaptively enforcing the currently broken security assumptions, and to improve scalability by designing blockchains with high concurrency via relaxed criteria on the ordering of transactions. The expected outcomes include foundations and practical solutions for self-adaptive, secure and scalable blockchains. The benefits of this would be improved confidence in and capacity for building blockchain applications, which have a predicted value of over US$3.1 trillion by 2030. Field of research: 0803 - Computer Software The expected outcomes of this project will help reduce damages (over US$1 billion lost in 2019) caused by cyberattacks on blockchains, and protect and seize the opportunities presented by the blockchain ecosystem, which is predicted to reach over US$176 billion in value by 2025. Notable applications of blockchains range from the financial field to supply chains and digital health. They could present an enormous opportunity to create jobs and support the growth of Australian businesses, as expected by Data61 and the Australian Computer Society. For example, a secure and scalable blockchain could help provide provenance in the food industry, to save potentially AU$40–AU$50 billion a year, and help cut the banks' infrastructure costs by AU$15–20 billion annually by 2022. This project will contribute to the Australian Government's National Blockchain Roadmap, which aims to help position Australia's blockchain industry to become a global leader. It also addresses the National priority of Cybersecurity, with additional support to other priorities as blockchains promise to disrupt many industries.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Mixing and air-sea coupling in the Pacific: Toward better El Nino forecasts. The Tropical Pacific drives significant year-to-year variability in Australian rainfall and climate extremes. However, tropical climate predictions are severely limited due to systematic biases in numerical climate models. Using new techniques and leveraging international collaborations, this project aims to transform our ability to simulate tropical Pacific climate through a new understanding of key air-sea interaction and ocean mixing processes. Expected outcomes include a better representation of tropical climate in the Australian climate model and improved seasonal to interannual predictive capability. These improved predictions will give communities more time to prepare for extreme events such as droughts, heatwaves and bushfires. Field of research: 0405 - Oceanography The El Nino-Southern Oscillation is the most energetic mode of natural climate variability on Earth and strongly impacts Australian rainfall and extreme events. Sustained El Nino conditions explained approximately two thirds of the reduced rainfall in East Australia during the 2001-2009 Millennium Drought, for which the Australian government gave out over $4bn in drought-assistance aid. This project aims to build the knowledge and capacity of the Australian climate modelling community to provide better, earlier and more robust predictions of El Nino. Such improved predictive capability would enhance the resilience of Australian communities to extreme climate events such as droughts and bushfires, thereby reducing the associated disaster managements costs and impacts. The project will also contribute to building a stronger, more capable Australian climate science community by helping to establish the University of Sydney as a new centre for climate science and oceanography and enhancing national and international collaborative networks.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Understanding telomere privilege in pluripotent stem cells. We recently identified that fundamental mechanisms which protect chromosome ends (i.e. “telomeres”) are not conserved between somatic and embryo-derived stem cells. This discovery is without precedent and challenges the dogmatic expectation that cellular functions promoting genome stability are conserved in stem cells. We term the unexpected protective capacity of pluripotent chromosome ends “telomere privilege”. Here we will uncover the molecular, genomic, and proteomic regulators or telomere privilege; determine the breath of telomere privilege in stem cell lineages; elucidate the functional significance of telomere privilege; and exploit telomere privilege to study fundamental biology related to telomeres and the DNA damage response. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics The discovery of stem cells that can be programmed biologically to grow any cell type is revolutionising our ability to grow new organs in a dish for replacement of damaged tissue. Stem cells can be derived from embryos or adult sources. Adult stem cells would have many advantages if the technology to exploit them could be fully developed, but natural ageing of cells through erosion of molecules that protect cells’ DNA limits this technical approach. This project will develop technology that promises to arrest stem cell ageing, building on the research team’s recent discovery that age-induced erosion of these protective molecules is reduced in some types of stem cell. This discovery is of great interest to Australian and international researchers, and the biotechnology sector. The project will contribute state-of-the-art technology to Australian enterprise and facilitate workforce participation thus contributing to our nation's growing capacity in biotechnology.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

A Self-Repairing Entropy-Stabilized Oxide as a Protective Coating. All biological organisms, from plants to living creatures, can heal minor wounds and damages. Based on the recent breakthrough by the CI’s team, this project aims to design and develop a new oxide containing multiple elements in a form of (AlCoCrCu0.5FeNi)3O4 that can resist damages through a self-repairing mechanism. Fabricated by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering, this extraordinary self-repairing phenomenon makes this new material highly desirable as a coating to protect structures and machinery working in hash conditions. Therefore, it has broad applications in space technologies, nuclear power facilities and aerospace industry, as well as in shipbuilding industry. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering The proposed research will lead to broad commercial applications. When used as a surface coating, the self-repairing functionality of the (AlCoCrCu0.5FeNi)3O4 entropy stabilized oxide can protect space structures, like satellites, spaceships and probes, against cosmic irradiation damage and the impact of space debris. The self-repairing also makes this oxide thin film highly resistant to nuclear irradiation, so it is desirable in nuclear industry. Besides its self-repairing functionality, this oxide thin film also possesses high hardness, high thermal stability and high resistance to corrosion, so, it can be applied as a protecting coating in many other fields. It can be broadly used as a coating for tools and machinery to resist abrasion and friction damages. Like the AlCoCrCu0.5FeNi high-entropy alloy, the (AlCoCrCu0.5FeNi)3O4 entropy stabilized oxide also displays excellent hydrophobicity. The hydrophobicity, together with its high hardness, high thermal stability, and a limited conductivity, makes this entropy stabilized oxide thin film an ideal coating material in aerospace industry.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

When, why, and how well do we regulate other people's emotions? This project aims to understand when and why people attempt to regulate others' emotions, and to evaluate which regulation processes are most effective. We will study regulation attempts as they occur over minutes, days, and months in interactions between romantic couples and between nurse co-workers. This project extends the study of emotion regulation to others’ emotions as well as one’s own. The major project output will be an evidence-based theory of extrinsic regulation. Project benefits include applications of this new knowledge to programs and policies that reduce negative emotions and stress in healthcare workers and couples, reducing workplace burnout, on-the-job errors, relationship breakdown and their associated economic costs. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology Understanding how Australians can successfully diffuse the negative emotions of their co-workers and romantic partners has clear economic and social benefits for Australia. Our project will identify which processes for regulating other people's emotions are likely to succeed. This new knowledge can be used guide policy and training programs to help decrease the negative emotions Australians experience in daily life. Reducing negative emotions can reduce healthcare costs as well as the economic burden of sick days, workers compensation claims and on-the-job errors caused by burnout. Current estimates are that workplace stress and burnout cost the Australian economy $14.8 billion per year, such that reducing stress would have considerable economic benefit for Australia. Moreover, reducing negative emotions in romantic relationships may reduce marital unhappiness and divorce rates, where a parliamentary inquiry estimated that relationship breakdown costs the Australian economy $6 billion per year.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Wireless Cellular Connectivity for Large Scale Critical Applications. Fostered by continuous technology advances, a vision of the Industrial Internet is emerging, in which equipment, machines, and industrial robots are interconnected to each other and to the cloud, allowing remote control of industrial processes and critical infrastructure, to intelligently optimise their behaviour with minimal human intervention. Moving from the state-of-the-art small pilot projects to a global Industrial Internet requires wireless systems with consistent high reliability, low latency and massive connectivity. In this project we will develop new communication-theoretic principles and technologies for wireless networks meeting the demands of critical industrial and infrastructure applications in the Industrial Internet era. Field of research: 1005 - Communications Technologies The new theoretical framework and wireless technologies will secure significant advances in the cellular communication industry and allow automation of various processes and services, either by replacing the wireline infrastructure at the network edge or adding connectivity to processes that today are still done manually by humans. Combined with AI and computing, the developed wireless technologies will make possible new classes of advanced applications, foster business innovation, and spur economic growth. They will enable automation of factories, energy grids, transportation and healthcare. The main benefits of industrial automation will be in enhancing operational effectiveness and improving workplace and worker safety. Social benefits of the new wireless technologies will be derived from enhancing infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialisation, and advancing innovation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Miniaturised biosensors with high selectivity . This project aims to develop a technological platform for the fabrication of miniaturised and flexible sensors that enable the quantitative detection of important bioactive compounds such as fatty acids and biogenic amines. By utilising multi-enzymatic reactions in solid phase and engineering task-specific inks, chemiresistive sensors will be printed seamlessly as a whole. The sensors will respond to complex target biomolecules via a series of enzymatic reactions through which the analyte will convert to much simpler, reactive and hence measurable molecules. This project will enable to design miniaturised sensors for point-of-care detection of biomolecules that cannot be yet evaluated by the end users. Field of research: 1003 - Industrial Biotechnology The project will develop miniaturised sensors capable of detecting bacterial activities at point-of-care patient treatment and new bioactive compounds, e.g. related to food spoilage and fermentation. The outcomes of the project will contribute to the innovation and economic advancement of diverse Australian industries including food, agribusiness, healthcare, environment monitoring and defense. Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) stand to gain from greater competitiveness nationally and internationally in developing new high-end sensors and devices capable of detecting bioactive analytes which cannot be measured by current sensing mechanisms. Specifically, small, compact and easy-to-handle biosensors will be developed including enzymatic sensors for point-of-care applications.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Unveiling missing physics: looking inside stars with NASA's TESS Mission. This project will use data from NASA and ESA space missions to address important unsolved problems in stellar astrophysics. The data will be used to study oscillations in stars, revealing details about their interiors that cannot be obtained by other means, to measure the ages of stars and understand their internal rotation. The project aims to deliver breakthroughs in our understanding of stars, and of the processes that shaped the Milky Way galaxy. Expected benefits include training postgraduate students, building strong collaborations with international researchers, and enhancing Australia's reputation for world-leading astronomical research. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences This project will strengthen Australia's leadership in astronomical research. It will develop close international ties between the University of Sydney and world-leading US and European institutions involved in the project. These collaborations will include visits by world leaders in stellar astrophysics to Australia, and promote the exchange of knowledge and the development of collaborations with Australian scientists. The collaboration with the University of Hawaii will give Australian researchers and students access to the world's two premier optical/near-infrared observatories in Chile and Mauna Kea. More broadly, this research employs state-of-the-art methods in data analysis, and the outcomes of this project have potential to enhance Australia’s technology sector. This project will produce highly-skilled experts trained in the analytical and computational skills that are required in modern data-intensive industries.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Reliability and design of 3D printed metal structures. The project will produce a design framework for additively manufactured (3D printed) metal structures. The project will develop open source algorithms for predicting (i) mechanical properties of 3D printed metals for given printing parameters and (ii) internal stresses and distortions arising from the printing process. Underpinned by experiments on structural components and structural reliability analyses, models will be calibrated for the nonlinear analysis of 3D printed structures, and a methodology will be set out for designing 3D printed metal structures with acceptably low probability of failure. The project will enable structural engineers to safely and efficiently design 3D printed metal structures and components. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering The construction industry is poised to rapidly adapt 3D printed metal structures as printing technologies are enhanced and the cost of printers continues to decrease. However, the uptake is hampered by the lack of guidelines for the structural design of 3D printed metal structures. The design framework developed in this project will enable the Australian construction industry and related industries to exploit the opportunities offered by the latest metal printing techniques, with far-reaching national benefits including greater structural efficiency, reduction in material consumption and wastage, streamlined design-to-build process, greater on-site safety, and greater architectural freedom and ability to build components that cannot be built with existing methods. The analysis and design tools developed in this project will benefit the end consumer and enable Australian structural engineering firms to enhance their preeminent record of producing innovative structural solutions and maintain their competitive edge nationally and internationally.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

THE MATERNAL GUT MICROBIOTA DRIVES FOETAL THYMIC T CELL DEVELOPMENT . This project aims to investigate the role of maternal gut microbiota on foetal immune development, revealing the interaction of gut microbiota-host immunity at the early stages of new life. Significantly, the research will examine the time window when microbiota by-products from the mother reach the foetus and affect the development of immunity. Maternal by-products will be identified using cutting-edge methods to unravel the complex systems interactions in the developmental process. Outcomes include new fundamental knowledge about maternal gut microbiota composition and its relationship to the growing foetus, with benefits in informing pregnant women about their lifestyle choices, particularly their dietary habits, during pregnancy. Field of research: 0606 - Physiology This project seeks to understand how during pregnancy, the trillions of bacteria that inhabit the mother’s gut, also called gut microbiota, affect foetal development in utero. The research focuses on the development of the immune system – the body’s natural system of defence – given its key role in physiological homeostasis across the human lifespan. Project benefits from this leading-edge research include: -> understanding how environmental cues in utero might influence foetal development and homeostasis throughout life. -> new insights into what a ‘good’ gut microbiota really means, and how it contributes to better immunity, including much-needed new knowledge to resolve the challenging experimental design around gut-microbiota-host interaction. -> new learnings about how to optimise the maternal gut microbiota through diet, to help ensure optimal development of the immune defence system of the foetus. -> promoting awareness for pregnant women about their lifestyles and dietary habits, as related to their gut microbiota and their baby’s emerging development.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Peer Review of Financial Regulatory Agencies. The project aims to study peer review of Australian financial regulators by their international peers. Transnational peer review is increasingly used in transnational regulatory networks, international organisations and regional trade partnerships. However the conduct and effects of such peer review are opaque. The project aims to shine new light on the function and legitimacy of transnational peer review as it applies to Australian financial regulators. A key expected outcome is to develop a normative understanding about whether transnational peer review enhances the efficacy and accountability of Australian financial regulators given the more limited oversight of such regulators by parliaments and courts. Field of research: 1801 - Law The project aims to contribute new understanding about how financial regulatory agencies are influenced by their international peers, and whether transnational peer review is an effective addition to the existing accountability mechanisms for specialised and independent regulatory agencies. The empirical findings and their normative implications will be of interest at a time of significant public focus on Australia's financial regulatory framework. The results will be communicated to policymakers, regulators and the legal profession, as well as scholarly audiences. The project would contribute to better regulatory governance by opening up the black box of regulatory activity and equipping (1) regulators to better decide how and when to seek review by their international peers; (2) policymakers and courts to enhance their oversight of regulators exercising administrative discretion by using transnational peer review output; and (3) aid agencies to better target aid for regulatory capacity-building.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Fine-grained Human Action Recognition with Deep Graph Neural Networks. This project aims to develop novel graph neural network based deep learning algorithms for fine-grained human action recognition. This project expects to bring human action analysis to the next level and to significantly advance the analysis of subtle yet complex human actions. Expected outcomes of this project include theoretical advances on graph representation based deep learning algorithms for spatial-temporal data, and enabling techniques for more objective human action analysis in many domains such as sports and health. This should provide significant benefits to any application domain involving big and complex spatial-temporal data for finer analytics and better knowledge discovery. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing This project will advance the discipline of human action recognition, which concerns the automatic recognition of human movement in videos and plays a critical role in applications involving human activity, including health monitoring, sports analytics, human-computer interaction and security surveillance. The project will have (i) economic health benefits, such as more efficient gait-based diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and like neurogenerative disorders, in-home health monitoring and robotically assisted surgery; (ii) cultural benefits in terms of enhanced fine-grained physical and tactical analytics for sports and sport coaching; and (iii) economic benefits to industries such as transportation, banking and retail resulting from more accurate security surveillance. The disciplinary advances of the project in complex spatial-temporal graph data and deep learning techniques will position Australia at the leading edge of this emerging field. The scientific outcomes of the project will provide significant underpinnings for research in biology, health, social network and security.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Reshaping the landscape of bank monitoring and risk disclosures. The project will develop an innovative machine-learning-based approach for measuring, monitoring and evaluating bank lending activities and risk disclosures to take advantage of the big data available. It will use multidimensional data to produce more relevant metrics for assessing bank risks and risk disclosure quality and apply them in regulatory policy evaluation. The project findings will significantly advance the knowledge on mitigating banking misconduct. They will also equip regulatory authorities with an efficient monitoring tool and an early-warning device to promote better lending and risk disclosure practices, and foster a more transparent and stable financial system to support financial intermediation in Australia and worldwide. Field of research: 1502 - Banking, Finance and Investment The Australian economy's largest sector, financial and insurance services, has been plagued by a series of shocking scandals and revelations from the 2017-2019 Royal Commission’s inquiry into the misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry. Australians have paid a high price for the widespread misconduct witnessed, and there is an urgent need for a more efficient, reliable and effective tool to detect problematic banking practices in real time to minimise misconduct. The project aims to address the problem by embracing the power of machine learning in developing an innovative and systematic approach for measuring, monitoring and evaluating bank lending activities and risk disclosures. It will fully exploit the big data available to evaluate regulatory reforms, such as the recent Open Banking initiative and the introduction of Consumer Data Rights in Australia, to improve our knowledge on the effectiveness of regulations. The project will shape future policy making to enhance banking sector integrity and resilience. It will advance Australia's research excellence in banking.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Ecological forecasts of species response to fire, drought and heatwaves. This project will advance ecosystem forecasting by accounting for how legacy effects from extreme environmental events – prolonged droughts, floods, heatwaves and fires – persist into future years in vulnerable dryland ecosystems. As highly stressed environments are expected to leave increasingly large impacts on flora and fauna and exacerbate desertification, answers are urgently needed to understand and mitigate these impacts. This project will foster new appreciation of ecosystem features that build resilience to change, or that lead to collapse. Benefits include better forecasting tools to manage ecosystems at risk, improved security of biodiversity and food production in Australian rangelands, and training of early career researchers. Field of research: 0501 - Ecological Applications This project is designed to deliver new knowledge that will help to plan for, and mitigate against, the effects of environmental extremes on the condition of rangeland ecosystems. This advanced understanding of how ecosystems endure extensive wildfires, droughts and flooding rains is urgently needed as these extreme environmental events are expected to become more frequent in the future. Rangelands are crucial to the socioeconomic welfare of remote and regional communities, as well as to maintaining food security and biodiversity, so this project will have substantial practical outcomes in supporting the activities and stewardship of those who live on the land. Forecasts of biodiversity change over periods of weeks to months and years will be relevant for on-ground management interventions and early evaluation of their effectiveness. The use of an updatable forecast cycle framework will provide decision-makers with the science evidence required to improve the sustainability of land management policies. There is also potential to provide dynamic state of the environment reporting for these ecosystems.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Understanding bacteriophage deactivation and stabilisation in formulations. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that kill pathogenic bacteria without causing harms to the eco-balance. They can provide a safe and highly effective antimicrobial measure for biocontrol when formulated properly. This project aims to develop a mechanistic understanding of the physicochemical factors responsible for stabilising and deactivating phages in a wide range of formulations. It will create new knowledge on key relationships between phage chemistry, phage-excipient interactions and phage stability. The research outcomes would significantly benefit Australia by enabling commercial development in the high value-adding area of environmentally friendly antimicrobial products. Field of research: 1115 - Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences Pathogenic bacteria cause the death of plants, animals and humans, costing Australia significant financial burden. The project will lead to the development of a green and efficient antimicrobial formulation technology using naturally occurring bacteriophages (‘bacteria-eaters’ or phages) to kill bacteria including multidrug resistant superbugs. The use of phages is environmentally friendly as it does not rely on toxic chemicals or antibiotics. Commercially, the research will generate new IP on this rapidly expanding field of phage formulation and delivery. Socio-economically, the research outcome can be directly applied to benefit the agriculture, livestock and biotechnology industries, through enabling novel formulation of phages for antimicrobial use to improve productivity in a wide range of settings including crops, livestock, humans and environments. Of particular concern are the financial and emotional impacts of pathogenic outbreak on individual growers, farmers and their families which can be alleviated by a better antimicrobial control via phage preparations resulting from the research outcome.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Human hippocampus subregions organisation and associative memory processes. This proposal will investigate the hippocampus, a highly inter-connected structure containing many subregions. Although considered the memory centre of the brain, we still do not know the exact roles of these subregions during memory processes. Using novel brain neuroimaging acquisition methods and analyses, this project aims to map the internal structure and functions of the hippocampus and its functional networks under different memory conditions and how these functions change with age. The intended outcome of this proposal is to provide the foundations for the first integrated model of human memory and its biological basis and to generate a benchmark against which future development of memory interventions and retraining can be measured. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology How memories are created in the human brain, how they are affected by emotion, and how they change over time remains poorly understood. This is despite the fact that changes in memory capacity is the most common complaint as people get older. The benefits of this project will be seen through a better understanding of how human memory is organised, by understanding how memories are processed in the brain’s memory centre: the hippocampus. This project will contribute to the scientific profile of Australia by supporting the competitiveness of local researchers in this fast-evolving field. Additional downstream benefits will be to the Australian social fabric by providing a benchmark for future evidence-based interventions for individuals experiencing memory difficulties, thereby reducing potential financial burden associated with loss of independence.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

New Systems for High Rise Steel Structures in Rising Factory Construction. This project will develop new and innovative ways of constructing steel structures using the rising factory concept. The rising factory is a 10 storey enclosure where the final high-rise building is safely constructed within a watertight envelope which rises as the building progresses. The project will perform the necessary research to make possible high-rise steel structural systems consisting of hot-rolled (heavy gauge) and cold-formed (light gauge) steel structural members and connections which can be used in the rising factory. The main benefits of the rising factory are the waterproof construction environment and the substantially increased safety as a result of no external cranes. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering The construction industry is one of the largest employers in Australia. There is a continuing need to develop efficient and safe construction worksites which better fit with the high safety standards expected throughout the Australian workplace. The rising factory concept for high-rise construction allows for a much more efficient industry especially in the residential sphere where speed, efficiency and quality of construction are especially important. The use of high-rise for residential continues to increase and is becoming more important in Australia. The use of pre-fabricated construction elements adds to both the efficiency and safety of construction. There are also substantial energy savings resulting from the reduced need for pumped concrete placement in the urban environment. There are no external cranes on the construction site making it much safer and the workplace is completely enclosed and waterproof for a healthy working environment.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Extinction of conditioned responding: Learning from the evidence of absence. When animals or people learn that a cue, or their own action, is followed by something important, they respond in anticipation of the outcome or to control it. This project investigates how these learned responses can be reduced (“extinguished”) when the conditions that established them change. It will help solve 2 outstanding theoretical and practical problems: what makes some learned behaviours resistant to extinction or prone to relapse after being extinguished? The project will identify the factors that are most directly responsible for resistance and relapse. This could pave the way to finding solutions for the major problems that bedevil therapies designed to treat human behavioural disorders, such as addictions, gambling, and anxiety Field of research: 1701 - Psychology Animals and people learn about cues that predict something important and how their own actions can cause important outcomes. They stop responding (known as extinction) when the cue or action is no longer followed by the outcome. In humans, extinction is a primary goal for behaviour therapies that aim to eliminate a variety of problem behaviours that create significant social burden (e.g. addictions, gambling, anxiety disorders). However, the success of extinction treatments is limited because some environmental conditions establish responding that is resistant to extinction and responding that has been extinguished is prone to relapse. Therefore, we need a better understanding of the processes that underlie extinction. Our understanding of extinction has largely come from studying laboratory animals. Indeed, both resistance to extinction and relapse are well established effects in animal studies. The current project builds on recent theoretical developments and exploits methodological advances to reveal what is learned during extinction and what makes behaviours resistant to change or prone to relapse.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Emergent cues underlying the perception of shape, colour, and material . This goal of this project is to identify the information the visual system uses to extract the three-dimensional structure and material composition of objects. This project aims to generate an advanced understanding of the information that supports these perceptual abilities and to advance our understanding how this information is learned from exposure to natural scenes. The findings of this work are expected to benefit our understanding of the human visual system, and to provide insights into the information needed to advance the development of deep neural networks (machine learning) that exploit the same information used by humans to guide our behavior and recognize objects and materials. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology We use visual information about the three dimensional structure and material composition of the world to guide our behavior and to identify objects. The human visual system remains unequaled in its capacity to extract information about the three-dimensional shape and material properties of objects and substances. The goals of the proposed research are to identify what information is used to extract this information; how this information is learned from exposure to real world stimuli; and to develop a set of stimuli and training protocols to train deep neural networks to achieve a comparable level of performance. If successful, our research will result in economic and commercial benefits by advancing the capacity to develop automated systems capable of reconstructing explicit models of three-dimensional shape and their material composition for use in a broad range of industry applications.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Molecular adaptation of photosynthesis powered by long-wavelength light. Some photosynthetic organisms have a remarkable ability to accumulate long-wavelength absorbing photopigments, such as chlorophyll f, in response to the changed light and nutrient environments. The project aims to demonstrate that the structure and function of undefined chlorophyll f-binding proteins can be changed and controlled in desired light and nutrient conditions. The optimised photosynthesis strengthens their adaptation capability and challenges the long wavelength limits of photosynthesis. The research outcome will provide tools and a molecular blueprint for the adaptation of photosynthesis with optimised energy transfer pathway and efficiency for potential future molecular applications. Field of research: 0607 - Plant Biology This project will address key, fundamental scientific questions about photosynthesis and its efficiency. Photosynthesis plays a dominant role in the energy cycle of the environment, and this research will advance our understanding of the Australian environment, both natural and agricultural. The direct outcomes of this project will include the creation of new scientific knowledge about photosynthesis that will benefit Australia’s biotechnology and agriculture sectors. Specifically, this new scientific knowledge has the potential to be used by Australian plant breeders to improve crop yields and address issues of sustainability in food production. This project will also train researchers in key skills in biotechnology that are critical for Australia’s highly skilled workforce.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Microwave photonics and photonic integration for advanced sensing. This project leverage breakthroughs in microwave photonics and integrated photonics for advanced sensing with wide range of applications in Internet of Things and healthcare. It develops compact and cost-effective micro-resonator sensors for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications in harsh environment, high-performance magnetic field sensor and high-density magnetic field sensing array with scalability. Outcomes herald disruptive, compact on-chip sensing techniques for reliable, high-resolution, low-noise and real-time sensing. Profound benefits include disaster management, environmental monitoring, industry growth, and major economic benefits underpinning a huge market encompassing UAV sensing and medical devices. Field of research: 0906 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering This project capitalizes on advancements of microwave photonics and photonic integration to develop innovative frontier technologies for advanced sensing. The proposed compact and high performance sensors will lead to breakthroughs in unmanned aerial vehicle sensing and magnetic field sensing, which will bring significant national benefits in environmental monitoring, disaster management, internet of things and healthcare diagnostics. This project will strengthen the development of end-user-driven sensing devices and systems, and increase Australia’s opportunities in the fourth industrial revolution by transforming the industrial world via advanced sensing technologies, thus leading to new job opportunities and having high-impact outcomes in commercialization and economic growth.