THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Nuclear structure and precision tests of fundamental physics in atoms. This project aims to deduce some of the best information on nuclear structure properties through precision evaluation of their effects in atoms, ions, and exotic muonic atoms. This will be utilised to control problematic nuclear structure uncertainties in precision atomic searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model. We expect that our project will provide important tests of microscopic nuclear models, drive new experimental programs at major international laboratories, and significantly increase the capacity to detect new particles and interactions. It will add to the knowledge base of fundamental nuclear physics, and provide high-level training of scientists at the forefront of atomic, nuclear, and particle physics discovery. Field of research: 5102 - Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics This project aims to provide new information about the structure of nuclei and to increase the discovery potential of precision experiments searching for new fundamental particles and interactions. Through a combination of our state-of-the-art atomic calculations for atoms, hydrogen-like ions, and exotic muonic atoms (where an electron is replaced by a much heavier muon) and high-precision experiments, we will deduce new information about nuclear properties and their distribution. These insights will enable a breakthrough in the modelling of nuclear effects in atomic systems, and allow searches for “fifth” forces, dark matter candidates, and other particles that lie beyond the Standard Model of particle physics to advance to a new level of precision. Improved knowledge about nuclei and implementation in high-precision atomic calculations will have applications in areas such as atomic clocks for precision timing, positioning, and navigation. This project will strengthen ties to scientists at world-leading laboratories and universities, including Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Germany, and will elevate Australia’s standing in the international atomic, nuclear, and particle physics communities. Young scientists will be trained in advanced techniques, and the project will provide social and cultural benefits by addressing one of the biggest questions in science -- on the fundamental building blocks of the universe -- that has long fascinated humankind.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Substrate limits protease activity: Molecular clock for signal inhibition. Proteases act as sharp scissors to modulate molecular processes. Importantly, it is crucial for proteases to be strictly regulated to avoid unwilling proteolysis. This proposal investigates a molecular clock to turn off protease activity. This proposal seeks to reveal how substrate availability acts as a signal inhibition to control the magnitude of proteolysis. Expected outcomes include new insights into regulating protease activity and how their own substrates control the duration and magnitude of proteolysis. Project benefits include a fundamental understanding of how proteolytic processes are strictly regulated and shut down to control the amplification of molecular signals. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology The life of an organism relies on the appropriate death of its cells. We know how cell death programs are activated but understand less about how cell death is silenced to ensure cell functions. Our project investigates processes that silence caspase-1, a protein that induces cell death. Such fundamental knowledge of cell death regulation may be harnessed in future projects to develop new commercial products such as research tools, diagnostics or anti-cancer drugs, and thereby providing economic and commercial benefits to Australians. Other benefits include building capacity in Australia’s scientific workforce, including capacity in cutting-edge techniques such as proteomics and enzyme biochemistry to gain structural insights into cell death proteins that will ensure Australia will continue to be at the forefront of international cell death research and its translation into commercial products.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

The brain-immune interface: implications for sleep and mood . The blood brain barrier ensures homeostatic regulation of ions, molecules and immune cells between blood and brain that is necessary for healthy brains. Our recent unpublished work shows that one brain region of interest—the pineal gland— appears to be a master regulator of the brain's immune response. Not only do microglia undergo instantaneous morphological changes and increase in number in this structure following an immune challenge, circulating immune cells use it as a gateway into the brain. The current project will interrogate this interface between blood and brain as it provides a unique insight into diverse brain functions, such as sleep and mood. Field of research: 3209 - Neurosciences It is commonly accepted that immune surveillance by blood-derived immune cells is limited in the brain. However, this stands in contrast to emerging evidence (including our own) that shows that immune cells are actively involved in maintaining brain tissue homeostasis and with that are involved in safeguarding healthy aging of the brain. This project will interrogate how the brain senses its own internal state, how such signals are conveyed to the periphery (immune system), and how the brain alters its own functioning in accord to its internal state to modulate behaviours, including sleep and mood. Backed by the UQ’s state-of-the-art infrastructure, established experimental pipelines and preliminary data, this project will significantly contribute to basic science across multiple disciplines, including neuroscience, immunology, and biology. Project will provide benefits that extend beyond generating fundamental knowledge to create new advanced training opportunities across these key fields. The intellectual property generated will lay the foundation for future studies aimed at designing new drugs to regulate immune function. Our findings will be communicated via UQ’s tech-transfer company to draw the attention of potential biotechnology companies and thus is of benefit to Australia’s economy.

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

Co-designing innovative healthy food retail policies with remote... Category: Medical Research

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

Harnessing Small Extracellular Vesicles for Precision Periodontics Category: Medical Research

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

Harnessing Small Extracellular Vesicles for Precision Periodontics Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Mapping children's foresight capacities. This project aims to develop a novel test battery to assess young children’s emerging foresight capacities. An easily administered battery will enable us to gather large data sets to chart the typical development of these multifaceted abilities and to assess how they relate to one another. The findings from this study will inform the construction of a new integrated framework of the nature of children’s developing foresight capacities. It also provides an important foundation for future predictive studies and for the development of measures for other populations. This project should have wide-reaching implications for our understanding of this fundamental aspect of human cognition and for our ability to support teachers and caregivers. Field of research: 5201 - Applied and Developmental Psychology To prosper in the modern world children must learn to think about and prepare for their future. This project will be the first to develop a comprehensive screen-based assessment of children’s foresight abilities, including their capacities to think ahead, to prepare and to plan for the future. The tasks will build upon our own world-leading laboratory research on the development of foresight to create an efficient, reliable, and multifaceted assessment tool that features a diverse array of tasks exploring different aspects of foresight, each with easily adjustable difficulty levels. Subsequently, two large-scale studies will use this tool to chart the development of foresight across early and middle childhood, providing novel insights into how different aspects of foresight emerge, develop, and relate to each other throughout childhood. This project will place Australia centre-stage in advancing our understanding of one of the most elusive and powerful features of the human mind. Findings from this project stand to have wide-reaching implications, including supporting teachers and caregivers in understanding what can be expected at various stages and when children may need extra support. Our assessment tool will be easily adjustable for future use with clinical populations. By providing a foundational resource, the outcomes of this project have the potential to aid future efforts aimed at facilitating the development of more prudent and farsighted citizens.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Roles of critical epithelial cell types in responses to metabolites. The mechanisms that enable the gut and lung epithelium to respond to stimuli and perform its function to maintain homeostasis are critical, but ill-defined. We have developed novel tools and expertise that enable the elucidation of how specialised epithelial M cells and Tuft cells: 1. respond to bacterial metabolites and signal to immune cells to maintain homeostasis; 2. interact; and 3. how metabolite signals are altered in their absence in the gut and 4. lung. We will define the molecular crosstalk mechanisms that coordinate epithelial-immune function. This will unlock the potential to advance treatments and preventions (e.g. vaccines), enhancing our ability to combat major mucosal diseases threatening Australia's livestock and people. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology 1. Maintaining the gut and lungs is critical for life. Their barriers absorb metabolites that are transduced to immune cells to instruct their development and maturation. This is crucial for normal gut and lung homeostasis as well as immunity and protection of the tissues. Specialised cells in the gut and lung barriers perform these functions but how they do this is not understood. These cells are difficult to study but we have developed unique tools (reporter & knock-out mice) that enable us to elucidate these events. We will expose these mice to a range of metabolites with known biological effects. We will analyse all the genes and proteins in all cell types in the gut and lungs of these mice. We will define how metabolites change the numbers of cells and how they drive changes in immune cells. We will also determine how these cells interact and define how metabolite signals are altered in their absence. 2. Understanding these processes will define what are the optimal metabolites to induce by diet, microbiota or adding the metabolites themselves. This will have major benefits for gut and lung health in farm animals, pets and people, which in future can be translated into agricultural and medical treatments resulting in health, economic and commercial benefits. 3. Adoption of our findings will be promoted and translated through publications, conferences, agricultural and medical societies, public engagement and popular books as we regularly do.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Lead-free perovskite materials for solar cells and beyond. This project aims to develop new lead-free perovskite materials for next-generation solar cells and explore their application in new optoelectronics. To address the toxicity problem of lead containing perovskites, the key concepts are to design high-quality tin-based perovskite thin film devices through new interfacial engineering and defect passivation strategies. The expected outcomes include low-toxicity stable perovskite solar cells with record efficiencies, and new fundamental understanding of the material-property relationship. The project will significantly contribute to a decarbonised economy in Australia, and position the country at the forefront of renewable energy technologies and application of high-performance semiconductors. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Australia is taking bold actions towards achieving our target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, propelled by the Government’s Net Zero Plan. We are not only aiming to meet this target, but also striving to position Australia as a renewable energy powerhouse. By embracing innovative technologies to harness abundant solar energy, we will not only safeguard our nation against the ravages of climate changes but also pave the way for a wealth of new industries and job opportunities. Our research focuses on innovating low-cost and efficient solar cell technologies, particularly using emerging perovskite-based semiconductors. While these hold immense promise for efficient solar electricity generation, the state-of-the-art perovskite materials contain toxic lead. This project aims to develop high-quality, lead-free perovskite semiconductor materials that not only feature low toxicity but also are expected to achieve world-record efficiency of over 20%. The research is aligned seamlessly with the government’s Science and Research Priority of Energy, enriching Australia’s knowledge base in functional semiconductor materials and clean energy sectors. The success of this project underpins important technological advances that will lead to significant economic and environmental benefits to Australia and contribute to achieving the Net Zero 2050 through the large-scale uptake of the new solar cell technology.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Deconstructing neurotransmission one molecule at a time: Munc13. Understanding the nanoscale workings of the synapse, the site of neuronal communication, is a holy grail of neuroscience. Munc13-1 prepares synaptic vesicle (SV) for neurotransmitter release. This grant will investigate how Munc13-1 is (1) enriched at the synapse, (2) undergoes translocation and immobilisation at the interface between SVs and the plasma membrane. Using cutting-edge super-resolution techniques, we will test whether Munc13-1 first binds to the membrane, then hooks SVs, thereby contributing to their immobilisation and building a fusogenic interface. The project will harness innovation and EMCR training, propelling Australia to the forefront of neuroscience research, ultimately helping to understand neurological conditions. Field of research: 3209 - Neurosciences Our project focuses on synapse communication in nerve cells that underpin memory formation in the human brain. Here, we propose an ambitious program of research using novel single molecule methodologies to unravel the inner workings of the synapse at a nanoscale level. Revealing how synaptic vesicles release their neurotransmitters during neuronal communication will be crucial to propel Australia to the forefront of molecular neuroscience research. Outcomes of this research will be disseminated to key stakeholders at national and international conferences and through press releases to media and short videos. Training of early and mid-career researchers, as well as students in state-of-the-art single molecule technologies in our work will contribute to the growth of a new generation of highly skilled molecular neuroscientists in Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Using real-time neurofeedback to enhance human sustained attention. The ability to sustain attention is crucial for a range of real-world endeavours, from classroom learning to medical diagnostics and air-traffic control. However, even highly experienced individuals exhibit attentional lapses, often with catastrophic consequences. Using a novel behavioural task and concurrent brain imaging, this project aims to use an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to identify patterns of brain activity that predict attentional lapses, and to implement a neurofeedback protocol to train individuals to recognise impending lapses before they occur. This project will advance knowledge about the brain processes that regulate sustained attention and put Australia at the forefront of the growing neurotechnology sector. Field of research: 5202 - Biological Psychology The human brain has a finite processing capacity. Mechanisms of attention allow us to focus our limited cognitive resources on sensory inputs and actions that are relevant for guiding behaviour. The ability to sustain attention for prolonged periods is crucial for many real-world activities, from classroom learning and driving to specialist occupations in medicine, defence and aviation. It is well established, however, that people’s ability to sustain their attention begins to lapse after just a few minutes. Such lapses are major contributors to a range of catastrophic failures in the real world, including aircraft accidents and errors in medical procedures. The project aims to characterise the brain mechanisms responsible for regulating sustained attention, and to identify patterns of brain activity that herald impending lapses. Previous attempts to train people to improve their attention using behavioural feedback have had limited success. We have developed a novel machine-learning algorithm that decodes brain activity and predicts attention failures before they occur. We will use this real-time neurofeedback protocol to train people’s attention in a way that generalises to a range of task scenarios. Our work will provide a foundation for selecting and training individuals whose jobs require prolonged attentional control. The project will also put Australia at the forefront of the growing neurotechnology sector, estimated to be worth more than $50 billion per year.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Evaluating Representativeness of Pathology Samples for Human Biomonitoring . For the first time the National Health Measures Survey (NHMS) and the Australian Health Biobank (AHB) are collecting and archiving blood and urine samples from a representative group of the population. The aim of this DP is to systematically compare the cost and time effective human biomonitoring (HBM) program which is built on pooled pathology samples since 2002, with pools produced from the NHMS/AHB samples, establish statistical distribution data and determine reference exposure values for a wide range of legacy and emerging chemical pollutants. This DP will result in a more robust HBM program, adding value to past, current, and future HBM data to result in a world class method that is representative of general population exposure. Field of research: 4104 - Environmental Management We have established a unique human biomonitoring (HBM) program using pooled surplus pathology specimens—a cost and time efficient method with minimal ethical challenges due to no participant burden. This program has contributed to the understanding of exposure trends in the Australian population for legacy and emerging environmental pollutants. However, important knowledge gaps associated with this approach include unknown representativeness of pathology samples (for general population exposure) and the distribution of underlying individual data (to determine population reference values and define pooling strategies). In this project we address these knowledge gaps by comparing our HBM program using pooled pathology samples with specimens from a representative sample of the Australian population collected for the National Health Measurement Survey, which will be made available for researchers for the first time in 2024. This project will validate and further inform methodology for HBM using pooled pathology samples to assess exposure to environmental pollutants, improving our understanding of exposure trends and potential risks to humans and the environment, and, thus, providing economic, social and environmental benefits for Australia. Ongoing collaborations with state/territory and federal regulatory organisations will facilitate communication of findings and inform HBM research and methods, environmental policy, and chemical regulation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

High performance cathode for protonic ceramic fuel cells. This project aims to develop a novel cathode for protonic ceramic fuel cells operated at economically viable temperatures. The cathode expects to improve the density of active sites and resist degradation due to the cathode reaction environment. The key novelty is to modify the mixed conductive perovskite bulk with surface alkali metal melts that can transport ions and reactivate the surface. Expected outcomes include enhanced efficiency of power generation and new techniques to develop high-performance catalyst materials, which are essential for energy conversion and thermal catalysis. This will benefit Australia’s environment and energy sector in managing carbon emissions and accelerate Australia’s transition to a carbon-neutral economy. Field of research: 4004 - Chemical Engineering Protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) are a promising low emission technology that uses the chemical energy stored in the fuels to produce electricity at 400 to 600 degree C, with high energy efficiency, high fuel flexibility and low cost. As electricity generation is Australia’s largest source of carbon emissions, efficient clean power generation is an important step for Australia’s transition to clean energy. However, capitalising on these advantages of PCFCs is challenging because of the lack of cathode materials that can maintain an efficient and stable catalytic activity. This project aims to develop a novel cathode for PCFCs with high activity and high stability, thus greatly promoting the widespread utilization of this promising clean technology and contributing to Australia’s transition to net zero. The knowledge generated through this project will also keep Australia in the frontier areas in novel perovskite materials, ceramic fuel cells and clean energy. The developed high performance perovskite cathode materials will potentially be commercialized through Uniquest at the University of Queensland following the successful completion of this project, benefiting the energy and manufacturing industries in Australia. The fundamental understanding and methodology from this project will also significantly contribute to many new applications of the novel perovskite materials such as membrane reactor for hydrogen production, CO2 electrolysis and solid oxide batteries etc.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Novel Metal-Organic Framework Crystal-Glass Proton-Exchange Membranes. This project aims at new metal-organic framework (MOF) crystal-glass proton exchange membranes (PEMs) for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). The high processability of MOF glasses allows for the fabrication of grain-boundary-free membranes, addressing the key challenge of impeded ion transport. Expected outcomes include new knowledge in ion conductive MOF glasses, techniques for assembling MOFs into practical devices, durable PEMs suitable for various temperature/humidity levels, and PEMFCs with improved efficiency, lifetime, and operational capabilities. This project expects to accelerate the development of a sustainable energy technology viable for diverse applications, including transportation and portable power systems. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering There is a pressing need for Australia to promote clean energy generation for the transition to net zero. The proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are a promising clean energy technology for vehicle applications and portable energy devices, because of their high power density and ultra-low emission features. However, current PEMFCs face limitations in durability and high cost, hindering their practical application. As the core component in PEMFCs, the mainstream polymeric proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) are not only expensive but also suffer from physical degradation under high temperatures, leading to efficiency losses. This project aims to address this critical research gap by developing novel metal-organic framework (MOF) crystal-glass PEMs with high performance, high durability and low cost, contributing to the widespread adoption of PEMFCs. This will benefit Australia economically and environmentally, by stimulating growth in Australia's renewable energy sector and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We will work with Australian industry partners to commercialise the developed membranes after the successful completion of this project. The fundamental knowledge developed from this project will also contribute to keeping Australia at the frontier position in PEMs, MOFs and fuel cells. The techniques developed in this research will also be readily extended to a variety of membrane applications, including gas separation, sensors and heterogeneous catalysts.

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

Understanding how regulatory T cells control self-reactive B cells in... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Resolving the value of information paradox for ecological management. Globally, we spend $133 billion per year on environmental management. Half of this money goes towards data collection and research. Clearly, ecologists and managers widely agree that new information is critical for improving decisions. However, surprisingly, the application of mathematics to ecological management regularly suggests we spend too much on research. This wide disagreement between mathematical theory and ecological expertise forms a long-standing paradox in mathematical ecology. The project aims to resolve this paradox by deriving new theory for quantifying the value of information across systems and solving new problems that violate traditional mathematical assumptions in fisheries, outbreak management, and conservation. Field of research: 4901 - Applied Mathematics Today, Australia spends less on the environment than 20 years ago. With inadequate resources to reverse the environment's downward trajectory, now more than ever, it is essential that we spend what we have effectively. Currently, half of environmental management budgets go towards collecting new information rather than deploying actions that can directly improve environmental outcomes. While new knowledge can improve management indirectly, it is unclear how much time, effort, and money we should spend to acquire it. Furthermore, if we invest heavily in obtaining new information, should most of this information be discovered through analysing existing data, or should we invest more heavily in acquiring new data? This project aims to develop new mathematical methodologies to better allocate resources between mathematical and statistical modelling, data acquisition, and deploying actions to achieve the best environmental outcomes. Expected benefits include (1) more secure food sources by improving Australian fishery assessment prioritisation, (2) increased biodiversity by designing more effective protected areas, and (3) reduced environmental, economic and societal risk through new guidelines for rapid mathematical modelling to inform policy during crises. We will work directly with Fisheries Queensland, discuss the work with other management agencies, and promote the results through social media and news outlets to maximise understanding and adoption of the new findings.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

A novel signalling effector of ASC pyroptosomes. The life of an organism relies on the timely birth and death of its cells. Importantly, it is crucial for cells to die not only at the right time, but also in an appropriate manner. This proposal investigates a cell death pathway that triggers potent immune responses. This proposal seeks to validate a new signal effector that induces cell death. Expected outcomes include new insights into how cells die, and how they instruct immune responses from beyond the grave. Project benefits include new fundamental understanding of cell death mechanisms and how this sculpts tissue immune responses, and new knowledge of how to manipulate cell death responses for future basic research and commercial applications beyond this project. Field of research: 3204 - Immunology The life of an organism relies on the timely birth and death of its cells. It is also crucial for cells to die in an appropriate manner, so that they prevent or ignite immune responses. However, currently little is understood about precisely how cell death sparks immune responses. Our project will investigate novel processes underpinning a cell’s ability to undergo inflammatory cell death. This will reveal previously unknown mechanisms of programmed cell death and how this shapes the body’s immune response. Such fundamental knowledge of how cell death occurs, and how cell death instructs immunity, may be harnessed in future assay design and drug development programs to generate new commercial products, such as research tools, diagnostics and immune-modulatory drugs. The project team is skilled at discovering new pathways of immune regulation and using this knowledge to develop new commercial products, and routinely works with Australia's biotechnology sector. Other project benefits include investment in training the next generation of Australian scientists in cutting-edge multidisciplinary techniques across biochemistry, cell biology and immunology.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Vortex matter simulators of two-dimensional melting. This project aims to address long-standing questions regarding phase transitions in two-dimensional (2D) systems, impacting the development of advanced materials and electronics. It will use the team’s recently invented vortex-matter simulator of 2D charge systems to precisely study phase transitions in a configurable, defect free system. The expected outcomes of this project will be to determine the hierarchy of defect-seeded melting of a 2D crystal. Outcomes will provide enhanced understanding of 2D systems and establishment of new international collaborations in experimental quantum physics, benefitting the development of advanced electronics and manufacturing, and enhancing Australia’s reputation on the international stage. Field of research: 5108 - Quantum Physics Advances in material science underpin the development of new materials that are relevant to technologies like novel coatings, sensors, and new electronic devices. However, unlocking these advances requires new knowledge about material properties, including how materials change from one physical phase to the other. This project will study the solid to liquid melting transition in a two-dimensional material. Despite the everyday familiarity of the melting phase transition, there is controversy about how certain materials undergo this transition, and whether there is an intermediate phase between the solid and liquid phases. We will use a highly controllable quantum simulator to directly address the existence (or non-existence) of intermediate phases in a model system that consists of long-range interacting particles. This system is closely related to colloidal suspensions and liquid crystals. We anticipate that improved understanding of the phases in our model system will impact the development of novel materials such as self-assembling films and nanostructured materials, among other potential outcomes. This work will also strengthen Australia’s world-leading effort in building a quantum industry, which is a key development area in the Australian government's Blueprint and Action Plan for Critical Technologies. This will provide economic, social and commercial benefits for Australia through providing pathways to new jobs, technology exports, and economic diversification.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Causes and consequences of cognitive offloading in children. Australian children often use external thinking tools (e.g., calculators, laptops, smartphones) to help themselves solve problems. Among adults, such cognitive offloading behaviours can have detrimental effects on internal cognitive abilities, but nothing is known about the long-term effects on children. This project aims to examine how children and adolescents trade off the benefits and costs of cognitive offloading, and establish the cognitive and neurocognitive causes and consequences of such trade-offs. Expected outcomes include the ability to identify children whose use of cognitive offloading may put their thinking skills at risk. This knowledge may eventually assist in training children to offload only when it benefits them. Field of research: 5201 - Applied and Developmental Psychology Australians are increasingly turning to digital devices and other tools to solve cognitive problems. We use these tools to take notes, set alarms, keep appointments, perform mathematical calculations, and navigate the streets. The current generation of Australian children is the first to grow up with ubiquitous access to such cognitive offloading techniques, and yet nothing is known about how the tendency to offload information impacts children’s cognitive development. This project will examine, for the first time, the cognitive and neurocognitive causes and consequences of cognitive offloading decisions in children aged 8 to 15 years. We will determine the different strategies that children use when offloading, the key ages at which these strategies emerge and change, and whether such strategies are associated with long-term positive or negative effects. Findings will be shared with education professionals and policymakers to facilitate downstream social benefits to the community. Examples of these benefits include new assessment tools that can identify children at risk of crystallising maladaptive offloading tendencies. The project will thereby lay the foundation for teaching Australian children to better use cognitive offloading to their advantage without limiting the development of their cognitive capacities.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Engineering Nanomembranes for Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide. It has become evident that maintain global warming at 1.5 °C cannot be achieved simply by reducing carbon dioxide emissions through traditional precombustion and postcombustion carbon dioxide capture. A more progressive approach, known as direct air capture of carbon dioxide, is necessary to directly reduce the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. This project aims to advance the understanding of membrane technologies for direct air capture of carbon dioxide, establish the groundwork for fabricating efficient and scalable nanomembranes for this critical application. Field of research: 4018 - Nanotechnology As an important party to the Paris Agreement, the Australian Government’s aims to reach a 43% emission reduction below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Therefore, an urgent need exists to develop technologies for capture carbon dioxide from the air via more efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective routes. This project focuses on establishing a nanomembrane technology platform that enables the manufacturing of high-performance membranes for direct air capture of carbon dioxide. The successful implementation of this project will advance the Australian Government’s Strategic Research Priorities in ‘Advanced Manufacturing’, strength Australia’s existing research leadership in ‘Advanced Materials’, complement the Australian Government’s Strategic Research Priorities in ‘Energy’ and ‘Resources’. It also aligns directly with the ‘Australian Government's National Innovation and Science Agenda by training Australia’s next generation of scientists in a high-quality research environment’. Additionally, the high interdisciplinarity of this project will provide opportunities to build strong collaborations across academia and industry, enhancing knowledge and technology transfer from international partners to Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Combating Antibiotic Resistance by Antibiotic Potentiation. This project will study an antimicrobial combination treatment discovered by industry partner Neolixir Ltd (Lixa), using a novel compound ('potentiator') that helps existing antibiotics work better. We will apply genetic and molecular biology tools to understand how the combination kills bacteria. We will investigate what combinations work best, and against what pathogens. This research is critical to understand the most favorable commercial opportunities to pursue in the agricultural, environmental and human health sectors. The project is expected to lead to significant benefits, including high impact publications and new products for industry partner Lixa that are able to overcome the global threat posed by antibiotic resistance. Field of research: 3107 - Microbiology This project is focused on developing a new approach to combat bacteria that have become resistant to killing by existing antibiotics. It utilises a new class of compounds, developed by industry partner NeoLixir Ltd (Lixa), that help current antibiotics work better. The research gaps addressed by this project include deciphering how these work at a molecular level, identifying better compounds, and finding the best partner antibiotics. The research can directly benefit Australians through a range of outcomes: 1) commercially: successful outcomes will generate new intellectual property and expand the commercialisation opportunities for Lixa; 2) economically: commercial success of Lixa will provide increased investment in Australia - successful products will lead to substantial savings in the agricultural and/or human health fields due to more effective treatments reducing the cost of lost production or hospitalisation. The close collaboration with Lixa ensures that research outcomes will be directly applied to translational outcomes beyond academia, with products developed for agricultural (animal health, crop protection), environmental (less-toxic defouling agents for ships and pipelines) and human health markets. The CIs have an outstanding track record in publishing industry collaborative research in high impact journals with accompanying public media coverage,providing independent validation of company products and leading to increased investor interest.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Addressing soil shortage through sustainable technosol formation. Australia-wide soil shortage has constrained sustainable tailings rehabilitation. Although eco-engineered soil formation has shown its potential to develop alkaline tailings into soil-like growth media (i.e., technosol) for short-term plant growth without natural soil, a key knowledge gap remains before eco-engineered tailings rehabilitation can be confidently adopted: can technosols supply long term biological nitrogen (N) to support sustainable plant growth. The project aims to establish a detailed knowledge about development of adaptive and haloalkalitolerant biological N supply forsustainable technosols. The outcomes are expected to ignite an industry-wide shift towards technosol-based tailings rehabilitation in Australia. Field of research: 4106 - Soil Sciences Australia's mining industry is facing hefty costs and exacerbated risks in tailings management and rehabilitation, which is severely limited by soil shortage nationwide and current earthwork engineering-based methods. By 2040, about 240 mines in Australia have been forecast to close, with an estimated cost of $4 billion for mine closure services (including ecological rehabilitation). Australia’s aluminium industry alone is facing $7-9 billion costs to rehabilitate ~7000 ha of toxic and polluting alkaline tailings (namely, bauxite residue) from refining bauxite ore, using current engineering methods relying on natural soil. Alkaline coal tailings add further liability to Australia's coal mining sector. This project seeks to demonstrate a nature-based methodology feasible under field conditions, by which alkaline-saline tailings such as bauxite residue, is developed into sustainable soil (or Technosol) with adaptive and alkaline-saline tolerant biological nitrogen supply and productivity for long-term plant community growth and development. Building on this trial, it is anticipated that this new methodology will generate 50-70% of direct cost savings if fully adopted into bauxite residue rehabilitation in Australia. More importantly, this project will provide a clear example to encourage the industry to shift from the paradigm of tailings rehabilitation to a nature-based methodology, overcoming soil shortage in the rehabilitation of other alkaline tailings across mine sites.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Nanobubble technology to generate nutritional solutions for healthy pigs. Zinc is an essential nutrient for proper growth and body development and its deficiency causes impaired growth, gut integrity, and immune function. The minimum requirement of zinc for piglets immediately after weaning has not been well-studied. Moreover, it is not clear by which mechanisms, dietary zinc changes from being a nutrient to a pharmaceutical agent when used at high doses to manage post-weaning diarrhoea. This project aims to investigate the minimum zinc requirements as a nutrient to support optimum growth, immune function, and gut integrity, as well as the mode of actions of medicinal doses of zinc and evaluate the nutritional solutions generated by innovative nanobubble technology to replace medicinal zinc in the pig’s feed. Field of research: 3003 - Animal Production The project aims at improving pig growth, gut health, and welfare by providing proper nutrition to meet nutrient requirements and establish a health gut ecosystem after weaning. Weaner scours or postweaning diarrhoea (PWD) is an industry problem requiring further research and action. The main cause is E. Coli infection immediately after weaning which affects 50% of the piglets. The PWD increases mortality rates by 3 – 6 % and reduces growth rates causing a profit loss of $50 - $100 per sow per year. To achieve high productivity at possible low costs, producers rely heavily on antimicrobials such as high doses of zinc oxide (ZnO) to prevent pathogenic (E. Coli) infection and improve growth and production. The overuse of antimicrobials can lead to drug-resistant pathogens that further threatens animals and people. Antimicrobials such as antibiotics as growth-promoters and medicinal ZnO are banned in many countries due to the risk of biosecurity of the residues. While innovative alternatives are needed to replace antimicrobials e. g. medicinal ZnO in feed without impairing growth performance after weaning, the minimum nutritional requirements of Zn must be met to achieve the optimum production. The outcomes of this project are expected to estimate accurate zinc requirements in piglets after weaning and avoid Zn deficiency in low-feed-intake pigs. In addition, using nano-bubble technology, innovative nutritional solution to manage PWD without medicinal ZnO will be identified.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Biotechnologies to Accelerate Plant Biodiversity Conservation. Plant biodiversity is critical for humanity, but it is declining globally. Ex situ conservation of biodiversity is essential where wild populations are impaired by untenable threats e.g. invasive species. This project aims to address bottlenecks in ex situ conservation of endangered plants. It expects to generate world-first knowledge and biotechnologies that accelerate ability to store keystone plants and enable their revegetation. Expected outcomes include preservation of six Australian priority species, as well as broader impact to global plant conservation. Addressing several national and international priorities, this should benefit biodiversity and humanity by preventing extinction of plants of ecological, cultural and economic value. Field of research: 4104 - Environmental Management Declines in biodiversity threaten the ability of ecosystems to provide services critical for thriving societies and economies (climate regulation and resilience, water and air purification, habitat, food). Australia’s $120B agriculture and tourism industries depend directly on this natural capital. Yet, populations of over 1400 threatened native plant species are declining by 3.5% per year, threatening ecosystems and humanity. Australia has committed to protect and restore biodiversity with the Strategy for Nature (2019-2030) and Convention on Biological Diversity. Thirty plant species are listed as conservation priorities. Some, such as macadamia, are culturally significant to First Nations peoples and contribute to forestry and horticulture, which support over 50,000 national jobs. As threats in the wild increase, ex situ conservation is urgent to insure their biodiversity. For many priority species however this is not possible. Advanced biotechnologies of plant tissue culture and cryopreservation (storage at -196C) provide the only solution. Yet, protocols are critically lacking and suffer long development times. This project will address these gaps to help to protect Australia’s significant plant biodiversity. The project links field-leading Australian researchers with conservation organisations and botanic gardens as adoption partners. The partnership will directly transfer research innovation through field translation, and to the stewards for long-term conservation.

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

Advanced nanoplatform for modulated macrophage phenotype and enhanced... Category: Medical Research