THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

New metrics to measure and track fauna community condition in Australia. This project aims to improve how biodiversity is measured by developing a system to describe the condition of animal communities, analogous to those used for plant communities. It develops and tests the system for Australia’s birds, then extends the approach to other animal groups. The project expects to develop a data-driven typology of bird communities, accompanying community condition metrics that are scalable from site to national levels, and guidance for using these metrics in practice. These metrics will enable holistic and relevant measures of the biodiversity value of sites, improve evaluation of restoration actions, reveal trends in community condition, and inform monitoring and evaluation tools for emerging biodiversity markets. Field of research: 4104 - Environmental Management A healthy environment relies on biodiversity: healthy ecosystems are diverse, with many different species contributing to ecological processes. Australia has committed to reversing its decades-long trend of biodiversity loss, including through changes to national biodiversity laws and encouraging private investment in conservation. To track whether this is being achieved and to identify what actions are helping the most, we need to measure biodiversity holistically. Existing tools to measure biodiversity focus on vegetation and individual threatened species. However, this does not tell us how entire animal communities are faring. This project will develop new indicators of the health of entire communities of animals, with an initial focus on Australian birds before extending to other groups. It will define the different types of bird communities that exist in Australia and develop metrics to measure the health of the communities, track how they are trending through time, and identify when they need conservation action. Our partner organisations, and our wider networks, will ensure that these new metrics are adopted to track biodiversity outcomes on farms, private conservation properties, public reserves, and across regions. This project will help identify which bird communities are in trouble, where they are faring well, and what conservation actions are working, as well as providing a new headline measure of the health of Australia's animal communities.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Improving the processing of low-grade copper ores . The project aims to investigate the electrochemical interaction occurring during the grinding of low-grade copper ores and understand how the interaction affects the recovery of copper minerals and rejection of waste minerals in the subsequent separation process. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of minerals processing and materials engineering using interdisciplinary approaches. Expected outcomes of this project include cost-effective new steel products used for grinding copper ores and new chemical solutions to selectively reject waste minerals during mineral separation. This should significantly reduce the operating costs in copper processing plants and increase the copper production from low-grade copper ores. Field of research: 4019 - Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy The project addresses two major challenges confronting the copper processing plants: (1) a high operating cost associated with the application of the most expensive steel product used during grinding to break ores, and (2) difficult separation of waste minerals from copper minerals, resulting in low copper production. The project aims to investigate the electrochemical interaction taking place during the grinding of low-grade copper ores and develop cost-effective new steel products for grinding and chemical solutions to selectively reject waste minerals during the mineral separation process. This expects to deliver profound economic and environmental benefits to Australia through reducing the operating costs in copper processing plants, increasing copper production and unlocking base metal and precious mineral deposits. The increased copper production is expected to provide more of this resource critical for the rapidly expanding renewable energy industries. The research outcomes are expected to be disseminated, adopted and commercialised in the copper processing plants in Australia involved in the project during the course of the research. At the same time, the partner organisation, the world's largest grinding media company, is expected to commercialise the research outcomes in other processing plants in Australia and overseas through its technical teams spanning all six continents of the world.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Enhancing outcomes for young people in out-of-home care who self-place. This project aims to enhance the safety and well-being of young people in out-of-home care who leave formal placements to stay in unapproved locations. The significance lies in the development of new knowledge with this group of young people about their needs and of factors shaping effective responses to them. Expected outcomes include the generation of policies and practices to reduce the drivers of young people leaving approved placements and to address the support and protective needs of young people when staying in unapproved locations. The benefits include improved social and economic inclusion of young people in out-of-home care and reduced socio-economic burdens on health and justice systems associated with placement breakdown. Field of research: 4409 - Social Work This project will address the knowledge gap about the experiences of young people in out-of-home care who leave formal placements to stay in unapproved locations, which may expose them to risks and exploitation. The National Framework for Protecting Children 2021-2031 identifies promoting the health and wellbeing of young people leaving out-of-home care as a national priority. There is little Australian evidence pertaining to the motivations for, needs of, and effective responses to this group of vulnerable young people. This knowledge gap must be addressed to combat the significant individual, societal and economic consequences of young people staying in unapproved placements and their associated poor transitions from out-of-home care to adulthood. This project will engage young people and practitioners in building knowledge about the factors contributing to young people leaving formal placements and what is required to support their safety, connection and wellbeing when they stay in unapproved locations. Our findings also inform Government extended care policy by identifying opportunities for supporting young people’s transition from out-of-home care, even when they are not connected to formally approved placements. This study will deliver social and economic benefits to the nation by promoting the social inclusion of this group of vulnerable young people and by reducing their risk of involvement with tertiary health, homelessness, and justice systems.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Leveraging lived experience to prevent burnout among healthcare workers. Providing treatment for people with mental health problems or misuse of alcohol and drugs can be emotionally taxing, making staff particularly susceptible to client-related burnout. This proposal aims to examine whether staff who have lived-experience of the issues faced by their clients are buffered from this form of burnout. The proposal further examines whether this buffering effect is brought about by changes in empathy, attributions, and recovery knowledge from lived-experience. The outcomes of this research will provide the knowledge base to enable future research to develop interventions to reduce burnout, thereby boosting resilience, engagement, and longevity among healthcare staff – ultimately improving client outcomes. Field of research: 5205 - Social and Personality Psychology The economic costs of treatment for problems with mental health and alcohol and other drug issues in Australia is over $60 billion annually. The two most pressing issues for treatment – poor client recovery rates and high staff turnover – have been treated as unrelated problems, but we propose that poor client recovery rates are a major cause of staff turnover. We also propose a possible solution to this joint problem. People who struggle with their mental health or problematic use of alcohol and drugs typically experience high levels of relapse and an uneven road to recovery. Staff who have experienced these problems first-hand, i.e., who have struggled with their own mental health problems or use of alcohol and other drugs, know recovery does not necessarily follow a linear path. Furthermore, their own lived experience shows them that success can emerge suddenly or unexpectedly at the end of long periods of hopelessness. Our proposed research will provide longitudinal evidence that lived experience buffers staff from burnout when their clients are not improving, while simultaneously testing three possible reasons why lived experience breaks the link between poor client recovery rates and staff burnout. All three of these potential mechanisms are conducive to training, and hence the proposed research has the potential to dramatically alter the treatment landscape.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Critical Material Design Enabling Long-life Next Generation Batteries . Australia is at the forefront of raw materials extraction globally and there is enormous potential to capitalise on the battery value chain. This fellowship, in collaboration with two industry partners aims to develop high-performing battery materials capable of powering electric vehicles with enhanced range and lifetime. This research will drive a step-change by designing new robust single-crystal microstructures to tackle the cycling stability challenges hindering the state-of-the-art lithium metal oxide cathode materials. The program will support local industry partners to move up the battery value chain and position Australia as the global leading battery market supplier while also reducing environmental impact from battery waste. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering The exponential increase in the demand for extended range electric vehicles (EVs) and long duration grid energy storage continuously push the energy limits of batteries. The quest for higher energy, longer life and improved safety of the batteries is far from over. This fellowship will pioneer a new approach to the processing of high-quality Lithium-ion battery material. This will expand access to reliable, safe, and high-performing batteries that have significantly increased lifespans but reduced environmental impact for EVs and grid electricity storage in Australian households. The program will provide excellent opportunities in not only supporting application-oriented research and development of innovative battery materials but also facilitating large scale deployment of ground-breaking green battery technologies to accelerate the decarbonisation process. This work will place Australia at the forefront of implementing low-cost and long lifetime batteries for high-end EV market, accelerating the attainment of Australia’s net zero emissions target.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Measuring the prevalence of vaping and illicit tobacco in Australia. There is significant public concern about increased nicotine vaping among young Australia’s and a growing illegal tobacco market in Australia. This project aims to use a wastewater-based epidemiology approach to establish a world leading program to monitor the prevalence of illicit vaping and illicit tobacco use in the Australian population. The project expects to demonstrate the effectiveness of integrated wastewater-based epidemiology approach in improving our understanding of the impact of tobacco control and tax policies on vaping and illegal tobacco markets. The expected outcomes include building government capacity to objectively measure the prevalence of the illicit consumption of controlled substances beyond nicotine. Field of research: 4402 - Criminology Australia has been leading the world in tobacco control but progress in reducing tobacco smoking has been threaten by illegal vaping and illicit tobacco. However, relevant agencies, including the Departments of Health and the Australian Taxation Office, lack the reliable estimates of the illicit vaping and tobacco market to develop appropriate control policies. Using advanced research in wastewater-based epidemiology in combination with complementary data sources from the Industry Partners, this project expects to deliver a new estimation method that provide reliable estimates of vaping and illicit tobacco markets. This will benefit Australia economically and socially, as it will allow cost-effective monitoring of the level of illegal vaping and tobacco in Australia that have cost tens of billions of dollars to society and human health. This information is vital for public health and law enforcement agencies to develop timely interventions to interrupt the illegal trades for a fairer and healthier Australia. This research will be translated into practice through engaging and sharing the findings with the Industry Partners. The outcomes of this project contribute directly to the effort of Queensland Health to understand the extent of vaping in young population and of the Australian Taxation Office to establish a valid approach to estimate the tax gap due to illicit tobacco, as indicated in the response of the Government to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Illicit Tobacco.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Pulse sequence development for ultra-high field Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The project aims to develop a suite of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) pulse sequences at ultra-high magnetic field (UHF) strengths. UHF is at the cutting edge of MRI research but remains largely inaccessible to non-MRI specialists. This project expects to expand the capability of UHF imaging for research fields such as neuroscience and psychology, nationally and internationally. The expected outcome of this project is a suite of robust, commercially viable pulse sequences that allow researchers to use UHF imaging to expand our knowledge in the areas of brain function, anatomy, tissue composition and connectivity. This should provide significant benefits in understanding brain development, disease progression and presentation. Field of research: 4003 - Biomedical Engineering Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables unparalleled insight into human anatomy and function, advancing fundamental biomedical knowledge and healthcare. MRI research drives innovations in the fields of biomedical science, neuroscience, psychology and sports medicine, particularly in brain imaging. It also improves the quality and efficiency of clinical scanning, leading to better patient outcomes. Ultra-high-field (UHF) MRI scanners use magnetic fields that are much stronger than clinical scanners, and are capable of imaging at finer detail and higher precision. Through the National Imaging Facility, Australia has invested in UHF MRI to maintain our world-leading role in advanced imaging technology. However, the flexibility and reliability associated with MRI is not easily translated to UHF due to several technical challenges. As such, UHF MRI remains inaccessible to many Australian researchers who use lower-field MRI but would significantly benefit from the advantages of UHF. In collaboration with market leader Siemens Healthineers, and MRI development experts Skope MRI Technologies, this project aims to address these challenges by developing new, specialized imaging methods for UHF MRI. This will significantly improve the capability of Australia’s existing investment, allowing Australian researchers to advance knowledge of brain anatomy and function, improve diagnosis and treatment of brain-related diseases, and commercialize innovations for clinical MRI scanning.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Low Temperature Solders for Energy-Efficient Electronics Manufacturing. Electronics manufacturing consumes substantial energy, heating assemblies above the melting point of solder alloys to form mechanical and electrical connections. The project aims to develop low-melting-point solders based on the tin-bismuth (Sn-Bi) system, the only affordable alloys with suitable melting temperatures. The project expects to overcome limitations related to the atypical electrical and mechanical properties of these alloys through innovative analytical methods. The expected outcomes include reduced process temperatures in electronics manufacturing. This provides significant benefits such as lower energy consumption and the ability to manufacture advanced circuitry incorporating temperature-sensitive components and substrates. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Electronics manufacturing is an extremely energy-consuming process as a large amount of heat is required to melt the filler metal (solder) that connects the electronic components to the circuit boards. Low temperature solders (LTS) represent a solution which would allow Australian electronics industry to significantly reduce costs in the manufacturing of electronics. This project aims to develop new low-melting point solders that will lower not only the energy consumption required for assembly but also the potential thermal damage to circuit boards during manufacturing. Translation of the outcomes will be facilitated by the Key Industry Partner, Masters & Young Pty. Ltd., a Brisbane-based designer and manufacturer specialised in defence, medical, and industrial devices who are perfectly placed for introducing LTS to Australian industries. This benefits local companies, strengthening Australia’s sovereign industry capabilities in advanced electronics manufacturing and providing significant economic values to Australian society. To amplify the impact and facilitate the translation of the intellectual property developed, this project partners with Nihon Superior Co., Ltd., a global supplier to the electronics manufacturing industry, to bring Australian technology to the global market. Having these partners on board enables rapid entry to established markets, advancing Australia's position in high-value electronic manufacturing industries worldwide.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Building an Aussie Information Recommendation System You Can Trust. This project aims to address the escalating public distrust in online media platforms arising from misinformation, compromised user privacy, echo chambers, and community bias. Collaborating with a well-established Australian online media platform, the project expects to build Australia's inaugural trustworthy information recommender system by spearheading the design and development of cutting-edge misinformation filters, user-controlled privacy protection mechanisms, diversity-aware information recall algorithms, and community fairness-enhanced ranking algorithms. These technology advancements will seamlessly integrate into online media platforms to create a more reliable information dissemination environment and foster public trust. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science Online media platforms have become the primary channels for news dissemination. Yet, these platforms are grappling with a pressing challenge of public distrust arising from pervasive issues such as misinformation, compromised user privacy, echo chambers, and community biases. This challenge is particularly acute in the context of Australia's multicultural society. This project aims to tackle this challenge by spearheading the design and development of trustworthy information recommendation technologies, including automated misinformation filtering techniques, user-controlled privacy protection mechanisms, diversity-aware information recall algorithms, and community fairness-enhanced information ranking algorithms. These technical advancements will tackle existing issues of distrust in Aussie online media platforms and lay the groundwork for a more reliable and secure cyberspace. In addition, the generated diversity-aware information recall algorithms will champion cultural diversity in information dissemination, shatter information cocoons, and cultivate an environment that fosters cross-cultural communication. The developed community fairness-enhanced information ranking algorithms will facilitate significant strides in mitigating community biases and amplifying the voices of minority communities in the online world. In a strategic move, these groundbreaking advancements will seamlessly integrate into ongoing industrial collaborations with leading online media platforms.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

A molecular platform for design and production of next-generation peptides. This project aims to use novel cystine-rich peptides as ultra-stable miniature biologics to solve the problem of a lack of specificity and stability of many existing diagnostic agents. This project expects to generate cutting-edge molecular methods for engineering of these next-generation molecules to bind specific target proteins while retaining their chemical structures, new chemical ways for precise late-stage functionalisation with a metal cage, and new biochemical methods for scalable and sustainable manufacturing. Development of this molecular platform should strengthen a highly successful collaboration with our Australian partner and position them for future development of molecules for the targeted delivery of radiation. Field of research: 3404 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry Australia’s biotechnology sector worth >$233B nationally is witnessing rapid growth. Of note is Australia’s burgeoning and lucrative radiopharmaceutical market, projected to reach $52B globally by 2031 with returns of $180 for every dollar invested. However, developing radiolabelled molecules specifically for the use of targeted delivery of radiation is presenting new unmet challenges including that they need to be highly specific for their target cell and exceptionally stable during manufacturing to tolerate the radioactive metal component. This project will develop next-generation ultra-stable biomolecules that perfectly fits these specific requirements, but it must begin with fundamental scientific understanding of their structural, molecular, and biochemical properties to be better equipped to engineer and functionalise them at will. This project also expects to generate knowledge to enable sustainable and scalable manufacturing of these unique biomolecules. Expected new knowledge and methods will reduce the time and cost burden of the development and manufacturing process. Greater sovereign capacity to design and make next-generation radiolabelled molecules will fortify Australia’s reputation as a market leader. Our partner organisation is a leading Australian radiopharmaceutical company and has a strong track record in commercialisation and product distribution globally, and thus is exceptionally well-placed to commercialise project outcomes in the long-term.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Airborne eDNA for northern bettongs. The northern bettong is a small kangaroo-relative and one of the top 20 Australian mammals at greatest extinction risk. With feral threats driving their decline, less than 1500 are believed to remain, and data deficiencies hamper their conservation. Airborne eDNA promises an efficient way to bridge evidence gaps about this and other threatened species but approaches to estimate distribution, occurrence and abundance from this technique do not yet exist. By developing those methods and assessing them against camera-trapping for the northern bettong, this project expects to provide partners with crucial information on the species and its feral threats, and significantly advance the application of airborne eDNA for terrestrial biomonitoring. Field of research: 4104 - Environmental Management Australia’s fauna biodiversity is amongst the most distinctive in the world, but we have extraordinary rates of extinction. The endangered northern bettong, a small kangaroo-relative, is one such species at great risk of extinction, largely due to competition and predation by feral animals. Like many other rare, cryptic, elusive and low-biomass species, their adaptive management is hampered by a lack of data because it’s expensive and difficult to collect. Airborne eDNA (the analysis of DNA in the air) is low cost, easy to deploy and can be used to detect species across taxonomic groups (both threatened and feral) from a single sample. There is a groundswell of interest in airborne eDNA because of the dramatic efficiencies it promises to government agencies, conservation organisations and industry, but approaches don’t yet exist for the estimation of species distribution, occurrence and abundance using this technology. With a focus on the northern bettong, this project will develop the new methods needed for the broad uptake of airborne eDNA, whilst providing much needed data to our partner organisations for the management of the species. Like aquatic eDNA, which is now routinely used in a range of regulated settings across the globe, potential applications for airborne eDNA are vast (future uses include environmental impact assessments, terrestrial inventory and monitoring etc.) and this project will bolster Australia’s lead at the forefront of its development.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

New mathematics to unravel dynamical systems in changing environments. Randomness and predictability are ubiquitous in daily life. This project aims to resolve crucial gaps in understanding how environment changes affect the transient and long-term behaviour of chaotic systems influenced by noisy inputs and external forces. Using modern ergodic theory, this project expects to generate novel mathematical tools to analyse complex dynamical systems, including models of natural and human systems, and refined limit laws explaining fluctuations in random dynamical systems. Project benefits include the development of breakthrough mathematics with potentially broad impact in science and technology, high-quality training of Australian scientists and enhanced international collaboration in the mathematical sciences. Field of research: 4901 - Applied Mathematics Randomness and predictability are complementary features in many facets of daily life. The weather, financial markets, transport networks and even artificial intelligence are affected by a combination of unpredictable and deterministic effects. Random dynamical systems are a flexible mathematical tool to analyse trends and fluctuations in chaotic systems influenced by noisy inputs and external forces. Understanding these phenomena is essential to address major open questions about the mid- and long-term behaviour and control of the underlying systems, modelling natural and human systems and their interactions. Project outcomes are expected to resolve crucial knowledge gaps by providing novel mathematical insights into the effect of environment changes on the systems’ dominating components, and refined limit laws explaining system fluctuations. This project is expected to yield significant benefits, including breakthrough mathematical research with potentially broad impact in science and technology, high-quality training of Australian scientists and enhanced international collaboration in the mathematical sciences.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Amplifying Leadership and Voices of Indigenous women environmental rangers. Indigenous women rangers face significant challenges in having their collective wisdom heard by governments and other bodies. Whilst empowered as community leaders through their deep knowledge borne from millennia of cultural practice, their leadership voices have less impact beyond their communities. This project partners with Indigenous women rangers across Northern Australia to establish new pathways for their leadership voices to be heard, increasing their leadership impact. Expected outcomes will enable Indigenous communities to lead change in the field of land management through their women rangers. This will result in more successful promotion and implementation of their ideas, knowledge and practices beyond their communities. Field of research: 3507 - Strategy, Management and Organisational Behaviour Despite their deep cultural understanding of country, Indigenous women rangers have relatively little influence over decisions affecting the management of Australia’s natural environment. This project, co-created with Indigenous women rangers and harnessing on-country learning and Indigenous knowledge sharing, advances Australia’s capacity to apply the ideas, knowledge, and wisdom of Indigenous women rangers to influence change in the preservation of Australia’s natural environment and the impact these women have upon their local communities. An important outcome is the identification of new strategies and communication pathways that support Indigenous women rangers, as individuals, and as a collective, to grow their day-to-day leadership influence and their ability to influence longer term policy discussions that impact their roles and their communities more broadly. The empowerment of Indigenous women rangers enhances their profile, influence, and leadership roles, granting them greater voice in resolving broader social issues within their communities, creating further opportunities through education, job creation, environmental and economic development. An ultimate objective is to support the foundation of a national body for and by Indigenous women rangers, representing their collective voice and interests which will provide resources for Indigenous women to influence environmental management practices, Indigenous community policies and outcomes across Northern Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Enhancing flotation for sustainable production of lithium minerals. The project aims to develop a greener and more sustainable particle separation process based on froth flotation for increased production of lithium mineral concentrates. This research builds on a recent breakthrough in flotation process intensification to overcome the challenge faced by the industry – how to improve product quality without sacrificing the recovery. The expected outcomes of this project include increased flotation recovery and product grade and important knowledge for full-scale design. This should boost production of lithium mineral concentrates while utilising existing equipment and reduce costs and adverse environmental impacts in processing the ores, underpinning a low-carbon future. Field of research: 4019 - Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy A low-carbon economy needs efficient and sustainable concentration and recovery of critical minerals for making batteries to store renewable energy. This project aims to develop and demonstrate a new particle separation process to improve concentration and recovery of lithium mineral concentrates at reduced costs and environmental burden. This project will advance the knowledge base of mineral processing and propel technological innovations in recovery of lithium minerals whose global demand is projected to increase by multiple folds by 2050. It will help Australia grow its economy through boosting production of high-quality critical minerals in a sustainable way to meet global demand for energy transition. The research results will be shared with Australian mining companies. The knowledge generated from this project will be translated into improved efficiency of lithium beneficiation processes adopted by Australian lithium mineral producers. This project fits into one of Australia’s current Science and Research Priorities - Resources, and addresses the Practical Research Challenge -technologies to optimise yield through effective and efficient resource extraction, processing and waste management. It also fits into one of the National Manufacturing Priorities – Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Robotics & automation for plant-based production of pharmaceutical peptides. The aim of the project is to produce peptide-based drugs in plants. This is significant because peptides are viewed as exciting new generation drugs that are potentially safer and more effective than traditional 'small molecule' drugs. Plants offer the possibility of producing these drugs in a sustainable, eco-friendly way, avoiding harsh chemicals and solvents used in traditional drug manufacture. Expected outcomes are (i) engineered plants custom designed for peptide production, (ii) peptide drugs suitable for plant-based production and (iii) proof of concept that these designer peptides can be produced in a host plant. Anticipated benefits are economic (from future potential products) and environmental (from sustainable manufacture). Field of research: 3404 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry This project aims to produce new drugs based on peptides, using plants as production ‘biofactories’. The expected outcomes are potential new drugs for treating pain, high cholesterol, and obesity, as well as an innovative new manufacturing route to make them. It addresses a gap in our national manufacturing capability for high value pharmaceuticals and has the potential to create a new bio-pharming industry in Australia. The project has multiple benefits: Drugs deriving from it could benefit the health and wellbeing of Australians; there could be significant commercial returns from the sale of plant-produced pharmaceuticals; and there are environmental benefits from producing drugs in plants, so that non eco-friendly reagents and solvents typically associated with pharmaceutical manufacture can be avoided. We have a well developed translational plan, whereby the growth of the pharmaceutical plants will be done in industry partner Phyllome’s state-of-the-art controlled growth facility and product development will be done by PharmaCare, an Australian company that has significant global connections.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Empowering peer-parent and family advocacy in Australian child protection . This project aims to transform Australian child protection systems by building national capabilities in peer-parent and family advocacy (PPFA). Its significance lies in being the first study to examine the scope, characteristics, and the resources needed to build and sustain PPFA in Australian child protection systems. Using mixed research methods, this co-designed project entails a unique partnership with families with experience of child protection intervention, family support and disability services, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Expected outcomes include strengthening of PPFA capabilities to reduce the incidence, and the financial and social costs, of children's removal from families, communities, and Country. Field of research: 4409 - Social Work Australian child protection systems are in crisis. In 2021-2022, Australian governments spent $8.2 billion on child protection services, a real increase of 7.5% from the prior year, and a doubling of costs over the previous decade. The over-representation of families with complex needs, children of parents with intellectual disability, and of First Nations families as subjects of child protection investigations and child removals to out-of-home care is substantial and growing. Concern exists about the financial sustainability of Australian child protection systems and of the harms these systems can cause to children and to their relationships with parents, families, communities, and Country. This project aims to build knowledge and practical resources to empower parents and families, with lived experience of child protection systems, as peer-advocates and change leaders. Our approach involves a unique partnership between researchers, peer-parent and disability advocacy groups, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child protection peak bodies, and community services. Project outcomes will progress the Australian Child Protection Framework's (2021-2031) vision for all children to grow up safe, connected to and supported by their family, community and culture. Our Partner Organisations will use the knowledge generated to strengthen parents' and families' roles in advancing family inclusive approaches to child safety and to reducing the incidence and costs of child removals.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Identifying sources of contaminants of concern entering Australian sewers. This project aims to identify and quantify sources of contaminants of concern entering Australian sewer systems by mapping industrial inputs into catchments. A world-first systematic sampling and archiving program will be established for trade waste, combined with an ongoing analytical program to profile chemical contaminants linked to industry. The project will also determine baselines for domestic inputs and associated chemical fingerprints. Comparing domestic and industrial inputs will aid in identifying the main polluters in a catchment that is critical to designing the best source control options. This forms the basis for effectively reducing releases of chemical contaminants into wastewater treatment plants and receiving environments. Field of research: 4011 - Environmental Engineering This project addresses a pressing national challenge of escalating threats from contaminants of concern. Wastewater treatment processes are not able to effectively remove persistent chemical hazards, hence the release of such chemicals into waste streams results in the continuous contamination of wastewater effluent and/or biosolids. In this collaboration between academia, utilities, and regulatory bodies, we aim to establish a robust program for sampling and archiving wastewater from different industries from initial release into the sewer networks, as well as from sub-catchments without industry input, which contributes to domestic baselines. We will use state-of-the-art analytical techniques to profile samples and use this to establish a source tracking toolkit that will aid in identifying key polluters within catchments. Outcomes will be used by policymakers to formulate evidence-based regulations, by water utilities to improve trade waste management, and by communities to understand and reduce chemical exposure. In the long term, effective source control will lead to cleaner waste streams, delivering substantial benefits through reduced chemical footprints and is key to high-quality resource recovery products. By enhancing Australia’s capacity to monitor, regulate, and mitigate contaminants, this project significantly contributes to Australian environmental sustainability, public health, and the transition towards a circular economy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Enabling Rechargeable Aluminium-Organic Batteries. This project aims to advance aluminium battery technology by exploring high-capacity organic cathodes and engineering stable aluminium anodes. Battery technology is critical for the clean energy transformation in Australia. Aluminium batteries are promising candidates to compete with problematic lithium-ion batteries but suffer from low capacity and poor cycling stability. This project plans to solve these problems by understanding the battery interfaces and controlling the optimum chemistry of organic cathodes and aluminium anode activation protocols. Completion of this project expects to generate advanced battery technologies that can enhance Australia's global battery market presence and optimise renewable energy resource utilisation. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Australia's renewable energy sector has significantly expanded, contributing 35.9% to total electricity generation in 2022. As renewable energy gains momentum, battery storage is crucial for utilising renewable energy in electricity grids and households. While lithium-ion batteries dominate Australia's battery market, they are predominantly produced in Asian countries. Australia's battery industry captures only ~0.53% of the value in global battery production, primarily focused on mining. Prioritising advanced battery technologies beyond lithium-ion batteries can foster the development of Australia's battery manufacturing industries to meet soaring global demand for batteries. This project aims to develop high-capacity and stable rechargeable aluminium batteries with improved safety and low cost. Successful completion of this project expects to deliver a new generation of aluminium battery technology that can compete with lithium-ion batteries and position Australia to seize opportunities in the rapidly expanding battery market, projected to exceed USD 300 billion by 2030. The technical outcomes of this project will extend beyond battery development and establish Australia's innovative material engineering expertise. By leveraging world-class mineral resources, this project will transform them into high-profit battery materials. This transformation will bolster the country's economic prospects and reinforce its position as a trailblazer in advanced manufacturing.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Automating Target-Oriented Data Orchestration at Scale. This project involves developing an automated, scalable data orchestration system, i.e., a system that discovers, enriches, and filters high-quality data to meet diverse targets in designing data-driven solutions. The system drastically reduces the amount of data required to adequately train a model. Functionality, efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability are the project’s priorities. New knowledge will be generated to automate the entire process of preparing training data, including generating a data pool, assembling datasets, and selecting specific data points to meet performance goals. Eliminating the costs of manually preparing training data will have significant benefits – most of all by fostering a modern and resilient data economy. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science By now, it is well known that training a machine learning model requires inordinate amounts of data, consumes an enormous amount of time, money, and energy, and leaves a carbon footprint big enough to rival the annual emissions of 50 people. To address this situation, this project outlines a data orchestration system that automatically discovers, enriches, and reduces the amount of training data required to train a large machine learning model down from massive volumes of questionably useful data to a much smaller amount of highly relevant, task-specific data. Beyond the clear environmental benefits, the result will be a drastic decrease in the amount of time, money, and energy required to train a high-performing machine learning model. The system, which will be accessible to governments, both federal and local, and to businesses including small and medium-sized enterprises, will make machine learning far more accessible than it has been up to now. Additionally, proper data orchestration will result in far more accurate and reliable decision support, the benefits of which can be felt in almost every aspect of today’s society, from urban planning to finance to healthcare to the myriad of service businesses that are the lifeblood of Australia’s economy. Just as importantly, this project involves a range of programs designed to instil the next generation of researchers with the necessary skills to successfully navigate the data management requirements of tomorrow.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Symmetry making and breaking in the developing neocortex. Brain halves become wired during development following molecular and neural activity-dependent rules of symmetry. This project aims to unravel the mechanisms by which spatio-temporal symmetries between cortical hemispheres instruct the precise formation of functional connections. Using advanced methods in high-throughput gene expression analyses, live imaging of neural activity, and connectivity mapping in a marsupial model of early brain patterning, this Fellowship aims to unravel new generative principles of mammalian brain circuit formation. Expected outcomes include innovative ways to manipulate brain wiring, and to functionally link mechanistic knowledge of complex trait formation across levels of biological organisation. Field of research: 3109 - Zoology Understanding the rules that govern formation of brain circuits in mammals can provide benefits to ensure a healthy start of life in young Australians. This Fellowship Project exploits the natural advantages of a native marsupial species, the fat-tailed dunnart, to provide unique insights about early brain formation. Accordingly, these findings will also have potential benefits for conservation of native fauna in that they will outline the requirements for healthy brain development in marsupials. Finally, by advancing innovative methods of cellular and molecular biology, stem cell technologies, big-data bioinformatic pipelines of gene and RNA expression, and computational analyses and modelling (including machine learning and artificial intelligence) applied to systems neuroscience, this project will help cement the establishment of a world-class critical mass of advanced capabilities to further expand the biotechnology and educational sectors, further positioning Australia at the forefront of these fields.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

How innate immune signalling dictates avian susceptibility to viruses. This project aims to understand how innate immune signalling dictates whether different bird species will tolerate or succumb to viral infection. Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) threatens Australian livestock industries and wild animal populations. Innate immune responses need to restrict viral replication without causing tissue damage. This project will reveal how innate immune signalling differs between HPAIV-susceptible (chicken) and tolerant (duck) species. Expected outcomes include novel insights into avian immunology, new approaches to mitigate HPAIV emergence and new strategies to predict species susceptibility to HPAIV for significant agricultural and conservation benefits. Field of research: 3204 - Immunology Emerging viruses, like highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAIV), cause severe disease and death in poultry and livestock and threaten wild bird populations. Preventing the emergence and spread of avian influenza is a major priority for the World Health Organisation. Some birds (e.g., ducks) can control influenza infection, while other birds (e.g., chickens) cannot. Understanding why this occurs could prevent the emergence of new HPAIV strains and allow accurate prediction of which wild birds are susceptible to HPAIV to inform protection efforts. This project aims to uncover key differences in the immune response between chickens and ducks to determine why chickens are susceptible to HPAIV while ducks are protected. With this knowledge, new approaches for boosting avian immunity to prevent HPAIV emergence can be identified, thereby protecting both domestic and wild animals. Additionally, new ways to predict the risk of HPAIV decimating our wild bird populations can be developed so that future HPAIV outbreaks are managed more effectively. The proposed research will provide agricultural, conservation and economic benefits for Australia and increase fundamental immunology knowledge. This proposal will also provide world-class immunology and molecular biology training to the next generation of scientists. Through ongoing science communication and outreach, research findings will be translated into practice by sharing our results with industry, collaborators, and the public.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Yada Yada: a new chimeric system to combat alphaviral disease of livestock. Outbreaks of mosquito-borne viral diseases persist globally and threaten the livestock industries of Australia and nearby neighbours. No veterinary vaccines against alphavirus pathogens such as Ross River virus and the exotic viruses of Getah and equine encephalitis viruses exist in Australia, placing our industries at risk. This proposal aims to advance a novel platform for creating vaccines and diagnostics against veterinary alphavirus pathogens by conducting pre-clinical animal studies, optimising industry-ready manufacturing and developing pen-side and high throughput diagnostic assays. This will provide new platform pipelines and blueprints to enhance sovereign capability to safeguard our livestock industries against viral disease. Field of research: 3009 - Veterinary Sciences The emergence of new or lesser-known mosquito-borne viruses as major pathogens, as well as the spread of existing ones into new areas, poses a proven threat to Australia’s livestock industries. The development of new vaccine and diagnostic platforms, with sovereign manufacturing capability is urgently needed to rapidly produce interventions and safeguard Australia’s livestock industries against emerging viral disease. This project will define a blueprint for the rapid development of veterinary vaccines and diagnostics against alphaviruses such as Getah, equine encephalitis and Ross River viruses - each a significant livestock pathogen. The innovative platform uses an Australian mosquito-specific virus to rapidly produce vaccine and diagnostic proteins safely. This project will generate pre-clinical data on the safety, efficacy, and immunological responses for lead candidate vaccines targeting alphavirus pathogens of risk to Australian industry. These data will lay the groundwork for future trials in pigs and horses and commercialisation as veterinary vaccines. The proposal will also refine the bioprocessing pipeline to meet industry-standards and develop high throughput and pen-side diagnostics for the Australasian context.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Coral reef fish visual plasticity in the Anthropocene. Global climate change alters the complexity of our oceans' visual scenes, colour, and light availability. This project aims to investigate how fishes adapt their vision to mitigate increases in reef degradation and light pollution to improve survival. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the mechanisms underlying brain restructuring and its impact on animal behaviours such as feeding and navigation. Desired outcomes include molecular, morphological, and cognitive datasets of sensory adaptation in coral reef fishes to inform climate-niche models ultimately. Project benefits include a better understanding of fish neurobiology and the projected climate change impacts on economically, ecologically, and culturally important species. Field of research: 3109 - Zoology Coral reefs are under threat from global climate change. As ocean waters are warming, the underwater visual habitats change due to reef degradation and increases in turbidity, algal blooms, and light pollution. These changes disrupt visually guided behaviours such as hunting and mating in fish, resulting in altered species distributions and decreased survival. There is an urgent need to understand if and how fish adapt their vision to mitigate human-induced environmental threats. This project will address this knowledge gap by providing fundamental insights into the visual adaptation of commercially, ecologically, and culturally important reef fish. It will generate open-access high-resolution 3D brain reconstructions and large molecular and cognitive datasets using advanced imaging, genetic, and behavioural approaches. These outcomes will benefit Australia and the global community by increasing understanding of how environmental disruption affects marine ecosystems. The newly generated knowledge of fish sensory adaptation generated here can then be used to advise management, for example, to improve the forecasting of species movement and distribution patterns. This will increase the effectiveness of climate change mitigation strategies, aligning with the National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy 2021-2025. The project will also create public awareness of an Australian iconic yet endangered ecosystem, the Great Barrier Reef, worth over $6bn annually.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Understanding the hidden costs of working long hours. This project aims to map the harmful impact of working hours on life satisfaction over time, answering the questions of when harmful effects emerge, the severity of the effects, and who is most vulnerable. It will develop and test a novel computational model, integrating recent advances in computational psychology, to deliver new knowledge from the largest to-date examination of the relationship between working hours and life satisfaction. Expected outcomes are a new theory of how working hours affect well-being over time with widespread implications for industrial and organisational psychology. The benefits include actionable insights from new software to help policymakers ensure work practices promote sustainable global economic growth. Field of research: 5201 - Applied and Developmental Psychology Over 1/3 of the global workforce, and 1 in 6 Australian workers, works more than 48 hours per week. Australians spend more time at work than engaged in leisure or personal care and over 30% of Australian full-time workers would prefer to work fewer hours, even at a reduced income. Working more than desired reduces life satisfaction, which has consequences that ripple across society ranging from reduced economic productivity, parenting quality, and trust in national institutions, to increased healthcare costs and criminal activity. Yet, surprisingly little is known about how working hours and life satisfaction interact and evolve over time and when and for whom harmful effects emerge. This project applies mathematical modelling and machine learning techniques to comprehensive international survey data to gain deeper insights into how long harmful effects take to emerge, the severity of the effects, and who is most vulnerable. The research outcomes should provide policy makers with an improved way of forecasting the hidden costs of working long hours, which is expected to benefit Australia by helping to facilitate better policy, managerial practices, and career decisions that support sustainable economic growth. The outcomes will be communicated to industry via reports and a practitioner conference. The results will be translated via a software package that can enable key decision makers to use the new model to simulate the impact of potential policies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Superfluid helium: a probe into the Universe. This project aims to develop advanced photonic circuits and microscopy techniques to probe superfluid helium—the only quantum liquid, characterised by flow without dissipation and quantized vortices. Leveraging these unique characteristics, the devices developed in this project will provide access within a compact laboratory setting to extreme regimes of nonlinear flow, inaccessible even in the world’s largest wavetanks, and be applied to tackle some of the biggest problems in physics, such as the nature of turbulence and the search for dark matter. This project’s outcomes will advance Australia’s leadership in quantum science and precision measurement, fields expected to drive significant economic growth in the coming decades. Field of research: 4018 - Nanotechnology This project aims to provide answers to deep scientific questions, from fluid dynamics and turbulence to dark matter search, through the development of state-of-the-art superfluid sensor technologies. The project addresses major research gaps. Fluid dynamics and the nature of turbulence are of great scientific and engineering interest, as these describe the physics of systems ranging from global weather patterns to aircraft aerodynamics. Despite their wide practical use, these topics remain incompletely understood. Similarly, dark matter is estimated to constitute 85% of the mass in the universe but has yet to be directly detected despite considerable efforts. This project aims to develop novel dark matter sensors and deploy these in Australia’s first deep underground laboratory. This project is expected to strengthen Australia’s international research standing and raise Australian Universities’ attractiveness through collaboration with leading academic institutions and Industry and Defence partners, as well as the production of high-quality scientific outputs. This project is well aligned with Australia’s National Quantum Strategy. It will train workers with valuable skills in advanced nanofabrication, photonics and quantum technologies, furthering Australia’s know-how and leadership in these fields and supporting the creation of high-value jobs in Australia’s growing quantum ecosystem—predicted to contribute $6 billion yearly to the economy and 19,000 jobs by 2045.