THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

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.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Assessing the mineral security dimensions of multi-dimensional poverty. This project aims to address a major gap in our understanding of global poverty by assessing for the first time the mineral security dimensions. Minerals are the only natural resource absent from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, despite their importance in providing shelter, mobility, energy, communication and sustenance. The project seeks to explore how the availability, access, stability and utilisation of minerals impact the prevalence and intensity of multi-dimensional poverty. Expected outcomes are improved measurement tools, policies and programs, which will benefit the 1.1 billion people living in poverty, and a schema for the potential inclusion of mineral security within the revised Sustainable Development Goals. Field of research: 4404 - Development Studies Australia has an important role to play in shaping the world for the better. In 2023, Australia announced an updated international development policy (A Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indo-Pacific) and will invest 4.77 billion dollars this year (2023-24) in international development aid in line with a global commitment to halve the proportion of people living in poverty by 2030. More than 1.1 billion people experience multi-dimensional poverty (UNDP and OPHI, 2023) and progress toward reducing extreme poverty has essentially stalled. New approaches are desperately needed to inspire effective action. This research project investigates a previously neglected dimension of poverty, the sufficient and affordable access to the minerals necessary for human development. The project is expected to generate novel insights into the relationships between mineral security and multi-dimensional poverty and tools to measure mineral security at multiple scales. This should inspire new directions in aid programming, for example by enabling better infrastructure provision in the Pacific, where major shortages of local construction materials are creating challenges for Australia's infrastructure investments. More effective development programming will also benefit Australia by strengthening our international relationships, and ultimately contribute to Australia's own security through the promotion of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Symmetry in geometric differential equations. This project aims to address major open questions about the geometry of solutions to Einstein’s equations from the theory of General Relativity, and other related equations. These questions centre around the notion of symmetry, which is natural both from the physical and geometric viewpoints, and of utmost importance in our current understanding of the universe. The outcomes are expected to fill clear gaps in knowledge in Pure Mathematics, and to unveil new connections between this subject and other areas of Mathematics and Physics. Anticipated benefits include putting Australian at the forefront of current research in geometry, and enhanced domestic and international collaboration in the field. Field of research: 4904 - Pure Mathematics Basic research in Pure Mathematics is vital to the development of a wide range of disciplines, including Computer Science, Economics, Medicine and Physics. For example, the two pillars of our modern understanding of the universe —Einstein’s theory of general relativity and the Standard model of particle physics— are impossible to describe without reference to Differential Geometry, a mathematical theory that studies the geometry of higher-dimensional shapes. This project intends to settle fundamental open questions in Differential Geometry, by studying solutions to Einstein’s equations from General Relativity and other related equations, with a focus on their interplay with symmetries: symmetries lie at the core of our understanding of the universe, but their role in solving these equations is still not fully understood. The outcomes of the project are expected to advance our understanding of geometry by filling critical knowledge gaps. This in turn is expected to help lay the groundwork for long-term applications to Physics and Data Science, and potential technological developments. The calibre and international significance of the challenges to be addressed have the potential to add to the internationalisation of Australian research networks, and to attract the best students to Australian universities, thus contributing to the country’s economy and intellectual capacity.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Understanding the neurophysiology of executive function. This project explores the causal neural basis of executive functions (EF) —multi-tasking, decision-making, and cognitive control — which are among the most vital psychological operations for adaptive behaviour in everyday life. Currently, little is known about the role of neurochemicals in EF and how they interact with manipulations of brain activity. This project expects to elucidate the causal interplay between EF and neurochemicals using a unique combination of cutting-edge approaches including brain stimulation and ultra-high field brain imaging. Anticipated outcomes are a greater understanding of brain function which should pave the way for fundamental research into the ability to enhance human performance in applied settings. Field of research: 5202 - Biological Psychology Adaptive everyday functioning is highly reliant on psychological executive functions. These include memory, decision-making, multitasking, and task switching. Performance on tasks measuring such operations can predict education attainment and are related to mobility in older adults. Despite the importance of these processes, it is currently unknown how these arise in the brain. There is some preliminary evidence that concentrations of key chemicals in the brain may be important for optimal executive function, but their role is not fully understood. This project would utilise a cutting-edge combination of neuroscientific approaches including techniques to modulate neurochemical concentrations, e.g., drug manipulations, and non-invasive brain stimulation, a technique which is low cost and easy to administer. The project allows for fundamental knowledge gains, will build capacity in advanced cognitive neuroscience techniques, and represents important foundational knowledge required for future optimisation of executive performance. This has potential economic gains via boosting performance in industry (e.g., Defence). The key findings would be communicated via scientific outlets (e.g., publications and conferences), to the public (e.g., articles, events, social media), and materials produced would be made freely available. Further, the findings would be distributed to relevant future beneficiaries, for example industry settings such as Defence.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Why do we lose bone mass? Social and temporal dynamics of a silent disease. This project aims to address why modern human bones are weak and lose mass easily. By applying a first-ever social and evolutionary framework alongside classic microscopy and state-of-the-art particle accelerator methods to ancient and modern skeletons from England and Australia, this project aims to assess how fundamental cell mechanisms that build and destroy bone have responded to social changes over the last millennium. Expected outcomes include identifying interdisciplinary theories about how social hierarchies influence bone quality. Future benefits include aiding in the assessment of how social disadvantage and evolution affect the incidence of bone diseases, critical for developing wellbeing strategies in Australia and beyond. Field of research: 4401 - Anthropology Despite scientific efforts explaining and preventing porous bone disease, ~40% of older Australians still develop this condition, costing the Australian Government $4 billion annually, of which $2.6 billion is spent on bone injury management. This project seeks to create new knowledge about why this condition is so persistent today by identifying how ancient and present social structures determine bone porosity and weakness. By applying a first-ever combined social, evolutionary, biological, and technically advanced framework including state-of-the-art particle accelerator methods, this project aims to explain how fundamental cell processes that lead to loss of bone mass have responded to social hierarchies over the last millennium. Expected social benefits include guiding Australians about how socio-economic disadvantage and evolutionary history shape our chances of experiencing bone loss through outreach posters distributed within Australian schools, museums, libraries, sports and community wellbeing centres. Long-term benefits include aiding in the national assessment of incidence of bone diseases and contribution to holistic wellbeing plans for Australia’s future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

PBIAS: A Principled Approach to Data Bias Management in Data Pipelines. This project aims to tackle fundamental problems of bias in data and Artificial Intelligence (AI), proposing the new concept of bias management. Being trained with massive amounts of human generated content, AI may reflect and reinforce human bias and stereotypes and may be used for malicious purposes. Urgent action is needed to support the average person in better understanding if the output of AI systems can be trusted or not. This project builds and evaluates novel methods to track, quantify, and deal with bias rather than to mitigate or remove it. This will empower end-users making informed data-driven decisions and will benefit Australia by accelerating investment in responsible AI and fostering greater social acceptance in AI. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science Next-generation AI comes with great societal risks of it being used for malicious purposes and to support adversarial intents. There is still a major misunderstanding and difficulty in differentiating between factual and creative content as provided by these AI systems. This project will address this issue through providing better mechanisms to increase transparency in data pipelines by surfacing potential bias information to the end users of the system (e.g., in the top 100 results there are only 20 women). This will empower them to make sound, informed decisions rather than relying on the AI to make decisions for them (e.g., hiring). The project aligns with the current prioritisation of AI efforts in Australia. This project will advance knowledge in data annotation (i.e., the fuel of AI) methods, as well as develop novel methods to collect better data annotations at scale. Such advances are applicable to a number of different data-driven decision-making scenarios where automation is quickly being deployed. Gen AI could automate or augment up to 44 per cent of the tasks being undertaken by workers across the economy. The focus on bias in data pipelines, besides the scientific advantages, also ensures Australia being a leader in responsible AI. This is important given the fact that most of the research data currently used for AI research (that is, testbeds and benchmarks) has been done outside Australia, (e.g., ImageNet in US), where responsible AI may not be a priority.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Improving Quality Control of mRNA Manufacture with Nanopore Sequencing. The mRNA manufacturing industry has grown rapidly to address the worldwide demand for vaccines. However, more than half the time and cost to manufacture an mRNA vaccine is required for quality control, which is currently slow, expensive, and inaccurate. We have developed a streamlined nanopore sequencing test, VAX-Seq, that analyses mRNA quality with superior accuracy and at reduced cost and time. This project partners with Oxford Nanopore to validate VAX-seq for use in routine mRNA manufacture. To demonstrate its advantages, we will benchmark VAX-seq against current quality control methods. Whilst we anticipate its adoption across the pharmaceutical industry, the greatest benefit of VAX-Seq will be safer and more effective mRNA vaccines. Field of research: 3102 - Bioinformatics and Computational Biology The mRNA manufacturing industry has been prioritized by the Australian Government for pandemic preparedness, future growth, and high-value jobs. However, the quality control of mRNA vaccines is currently slow, expensive, and inaccurate. Our nanopore sequencing test can quickly and accurately analyse mRNA quality control. The BASE mRNA facility, in partnership with Oxford Nanopore Technologies, proposes to qualify this test for regulated use during mRNA manufacture. Given its advantages, we anticipate the test will be widely adopted across the pharmaceutical industry, and will position Australia at the forefront of mRNA manufacture. The test will support our sovereign capabilities in mRNA vaccine manufacture, and support the development of new mRNA vaccines in response to future pandemics and for emerging agricultural pests.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Roles of emerging pollutants in spreading antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global challenge, yet the impact of environmental agents on the spread of antimicrobial resistance is poorly understood. Drawing on my recent findings and a tight integration of a model microbial ecology system, this project aims to investigate the impact of environmental pollutants on the colonisation and spread of antimicrobial resistance in situ ecological communities. This project expects to generate new knowledge at the forefront of research into antimicrobial resistance in a complex ecosystem. The outcomes should provide a deep mechanistic understanding of environmental factors associated with antimicrobial resistance, with applications to antimicrobial resistance risk management for One Health. Field of research: 3107 - Microbiology Antimicrobial resistance, where bacteria develop a resistance to the antibiotics designed to control them, is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. It is estimated that by 2050, 10 million excess deaths globally will have occurred at a cumulative cost of US$100 trillion, if no action is taken. Current research on antimicrobial resistance mainly focuses on clinical settings and has primarily looked at the misuse or overuse of antibiotics. However there is a gap in our understanding of the way resistance arises and spreads between organisms and the environment. To fill this knowledge gap, this project will establish the first ever high-throughput platform and a laboratory-scale sewage treatment plant for identifying emerging pollutants in the spread of antimicrobial resistance, and evaluating the long-term effects of those identified pollutants on the spread of antimicrobial resistance in wastewater systems. This project will provide an unprecedented level of understanding of the environmental factors driving antimicrobial resistance, informing Australia's response to this crisis.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Solar-powered methanol conversion for on-demand hydrogen production. Methanol is an ideal hydrogen carrier due to its low cost, high hydrogen content, and liquid phase for easy storage and transport but facing problems with hydrogen release. This project aims to achieve cost-effective and emission-free methanol conversion for on-demand hydrogen production. The key concept is the rational design of high-performance single-atom catalytic materials for solar-powered photocatalytic methanol conversion to hydrogen and value-added chemical formaldehyde with high productivity and selectivity. Expected outcomes include cutting-edge knowledge in the synthesis of functional materials and technology for efficient methanol-to-hydrogen conversion, contributing to the development of the hydrogen economy in Australia. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering The hydrogen export industry will be worth up to AU$ 10 billion each year to Australia’s economy by 2040. However, it is difficult to transport hydrogen safely and effectively in large commercial amounts due to its low density and high explosiveness. Methanol can solve this problem, as it can be transported safely and effectively as a liquid hydrogen carrier. This project will develop a new, efficient, and emission-free technology that can use Australia’s abundant solar energy to convert methanol to hydrogen on demand. This technology will enable Australia to tap into the lucrative hydrogen export industry by transporting methanol and efficiently converting it to hydrogen on arrival. The conversion process will produce a high-value by-product, an organic compound called formaldehyde, which is an important component for manufacturing cosmetics, glues, and resins. Beyond these economic benefits, this technology will provide environmental benefits by accelerating Australia’s transition to a low-carbon society. The potential intellectual property will be licensed to industry partners for commercial realisation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Understanding how predictions modulate visual perception. The brain uses sensory predictions to help efficiently make sense of complex visual input. This project aims to explore how the brain generates, uses, and integrates different sources of predictive information to facilitate efficient visual perception. The outcomes are expected to be of both theoretical and practical benefit as they will help to refine influential theoretical models and generate findings with practical, real-world applications in computer vision. Field of research: 5202 - Biological Psychology Prediction plays a key role in facilitating efficient visual perception. However, it is not yet well understood how the brain generates and uses these perceptual predictions. The findings of this project are expected to greatly extend our understanding of both normal and abnormal human visual perception by clarifying the type, timing, and location of perceptual predictions in the human brain. The study’s outcomes are expected to serve as the theoretical foundation for a range of future applications, including bio-inspired computer-vision software, e.g., for autonomous cars or augmented reality. The results of this project could also be built upon by clinically focused researchers to reduce the societal and economic burden of post-stroke disorders of visuospatial attention. This project will advance Australian neuroscience by building a novel and impactful research stream, thereby solidifying Australia as an international leader in cognitive neuroscience.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Development of an Advanced Flexible Chain-die Forming Process. The project aims to design and validate an Advanced Flexible Forming Process to manufacture a wider range of stronger, lighter and cheaper products for many industries. The newly-designed, one set of tooling, will also improve quality and energy efficiency (by around 30%). The primary outcome will be a validated optimized Flexible Chain-die forming system with automatic control. The results of the project can significantly increase the energy and cost efficiency in manufacturing many steel products, such as automobile parts and solar panel support structures. The project will enhance Australia's leadership in commercializing niche advanced forming technologies while greatly reducing carbon emissions to achieve a sustainable future. Field of research: 4014 - Manufacturing Engineering Traditional sheet metal forming technologies are experiencing difficulties such as unwanted deformation, excessive energy consumption and poor geometrical accuracy, especially when fabricating steel products with high strength and low weight. This project will develop and validate an advanced sheet metal forming mechanism with an advanced control system to solve these problems, making stronger, lighter and cheaper parts for many industries. This new innovative technology (patent application) will be commercialized by an Australian company, benefiting Australia’s advanced manufacturing industry. This will increase the competitiveness of local enterprises by; reducing capital costs of new production lines and maintenance costs due to reduced forming load requirement while significantly improving energy efficiency (by around 30%). Also, the application of the proposed technology will reduce carbon dioxide emissions due to lower power requirements. The project team of experts and inventors, supported by the international license owner of the Chain-die forming technology, will ensure the feasibility of the project and long-term development and commercialization of the proposed niche advanced manufacturing technology.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Maintaining Human Expertise in an AI-driven World. While information systems with artificial intelligence are increasingly used to support or automate work tasks, this can come at a cost to the development and retention of essential skills in workers. Skill erosion can jeopardise safety and fairness in contexts where humans' skills are needed. This innovative project leverages systems thinking, case studies and action design research to investigate how leveraging artificial intelligence shapes workers' skills. Its expected outcomes include a new systems theory of skill erosion and organisational guidelines for managing artificial intelligence. These can help organisations maximise human potential by striking a balance between relying on automation and maintaining workers' skills. Field of research: 3503 - Business Systems In Context This project addresses the impacts of leveraging artificial intelligence on human experts’ skills in organisations. Over time automated technologies like artificial intelligence tend to erode human experts’ domain skills, and such erosion has been shown to jeopardise safety and fairness in sectors such as accounting, social services and healthcare. Yet, how exactly skill erosion happens remains poorly understood. This project proposes a new model to finally provide a comprehensive explanation of how AI contributes to skill erosion and how human experts can protect their domain skills by leveraging artificial intelligence mindfully. The model enables the identification of specific managerial guidelines that organisations can implement to protect their employees’ expertise while benefitting from artificial intelligence. This project can help Australia to upskill the nation’s workforce to the age of artificial intelligence, helping the nation ensure safety and maximise human potential while pioneering the use of cutting-edge technologies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Developing the toolbox of compounds that target acid-sensing proteins. This project aims to examine the interaction between acid-sensing proteins and their modulatory compounds. Animals, including humans, must sense changes in environmental acidity to successfully interact with the surrounding world. Expected outcomes of the project include a better understanding of which regions of these proteins detect acidity, and to develop new compounds that modulate the proteins’ function. This would advance our fundamental knowledge in the physiological process of acid sensing. This expects to provide significant benefits, by aiding the potential development of agrochemicals and pain-relieving medications that regulate acid-sensing protein function, resulting in economic benefit to Australia via these new products. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology An animals’ ability to sense and respond to changes in the acidity of their environment is essential for survival. However, we lack an understanding of how animals detect environmental acidity. This project will provide fundamental insights into the way certain proteins can detect acid and will develop new molecules that can block the activity of these proteins. These new molecules could help mitigate the detrimental effects ocean acidification can have on commercial seafood products. Preventing commercial seafood from sensing local acidity could lead to better farming yields with less environmental impact. This project will also provide future commercialisation opportunities for the pharmaceutical and veterinary industries. New molecules from this project could develop into anti-inflammatory and pain-relief medications by blocking acid induced disease progression in these conditions. Thus, this project will contribute to Australia’s national interest through new knowledge, potential economic benefits via translating this research to commercial outcomes, and the accompanying social benefits to Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

How blood vessel stiffness regulates their growth and maintenance. This project aims to reveal an unidentified molecular mechanism of how endothelial cells in the walls of blood vessels detect stiffness of the surrounding environment in order to regulate blood vessel growth and maintenance. The results are expected to advance the emerging field of mechanobiology by combining cutting-edge cell biology and microscopy techniques carried out in novel 3D cell culture and unique quail models. The benefits of these outcomes include generation of knowledge on the impact of tissue stiffness on the signalling mechanisms that drive formation and maintenance of blood vessels. In the long term, this fundamental understanding could give rise to major developments in emerging industries such as organ bioengineering. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology There is a lack of understanding how blood vessels specifically grow inside different organs to maintain organ functionality. This project aims to discover the fundamental processes that determine organ specific blood vessel formation. By understanding the mechanism that regulate this process, we have the potential to selectively target blood vessel growth by developing new drugs with the pharmaceutical industry or create organs with emerging bioengineering industries. This project will generate essential new knowledge by using a novel technology for genetic editing of quails which was recently developed in Australia and available in only 3 facilities worldwide. Combining this new Australian facility with the latest technical advancements will enable research that was not possible before, driving novel discoveries on our fundamental knowledge of organ specific blood vessel growth. In the long term, the discoveries of this project could make Australia a world-leader in an interesting novel industry of creating bioengineered organs which will likely result in major commercial, economical, and social benefits.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Deciphering the mechanisms of object manipulation with viscoelastic fluids. This project aims to innovate how tiny objects in mixed samples are sorted using the forces generated by fluids that are both viscous and elastic. The developed technology is expected to break the limitations of conventional methods by automating sample processing and by enabling the sorting capability based on not only size, but also shape and fluid properties. This will meet the growing demand for rapid processing of complex real-world environmental samples. The expected outcomes include new knowledge and techniques for sorting algae and insects from water samples for the assessment of water quality and biodiversity. It is expected to benefit Australians by providing faster, cheaper, and more efficient environmental monitoring methods. Field of research: 4012 - Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering Assessment of water quality and aquatic biodiversity is essential for the health of Australians and Australian ecosystems, particularly after natural disasters like floods, fires and storms. Microscopic organisms found in water, such as algae and larvae are used by scientists to assess water quality and environmental changes. Scientists first need to separate the organisms to identify and quantify them. However, current systems for separating organisms in water are labour-intensive and prone to technical issues like clogging. This research aims to develop a new system capable of integrating multiple separating functions so that organisms from water samples can be studied. Using a series of microscopic channels, we can sort particles based on size, shape and fluid properties. By automating the system, it will facilitate faster, more efficient and cost-effective monitoring of water quality and biodiversity. This will allow ecologists or environmental monitoring agencies to rapidly assess or respond to any adverse changes in water sources, thus supporting overall environmental and human health.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

The cognitive science of farsighted deliberation. Many fundamental decisions in life require us to deliberate about sooner versus later consequences. This cognitive psychology project aims to determine how the capacities that enable people to think about the future (prospection) and reflect on their own thinking (metacognition) influence how they manage such decisions. By using innovative methods, this project is expected to advance our understanding of future-oriented cognition across the lifespan. Expected outcomes include new knowledge about how people deliberate through important everyday decisions. This should provide significant benefits by laying the foundation for improving effective choices about the future. Field of research: 5204 - Cognitive and Computational Psychology Difficulty making farsighted choices can manifest in retirement saving shortfalls, educational dropout, credit card debt, and environmental impacts. However, little is currently understood about how people think through their decisions about the future. This project will elucidate the psychology of farsighted decision-making with a suite of innovative experiments in which participants deliberate and reflect on trade-offs between short-term and long-term outcomes, such as financial rewards available at different points in the future. Findings may be adopted into the design of evidence-based behaviour change interventions to foster farsighted decisions in everyday life. For example, superannuation policies could adopt such approaches to increase Australian retirement savings rates. To enable broad adoption of new insights about how people make long-term choices, findings may be shared via public sector presentations and workshops (e.g., at Australian federal and state government behavioural insights units), behaviour science practitioner conferences, and articles for the general public.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Nanoarchitectured platform technology for molecular profiling of exosomes. The aim of this project is to develop a set of cutting-edge nanotechnologies and a nanofabrication strategy to create a highly sensitive platform technology for exosome and exosomal miRNA analysis. This project aims to generate new knowledge in mesoporus nanomaterials and transudcer as well as exosome chemistry by developing nanostructure-based platform technology (device) for automated and rapid analysis. This project's findings are expected to provide Australia with cutting-edge expertise for developing a next-generation platform technology for analysing exosomes and other relevant biomolecules, with the potential to deliver valuable intellectual property of commercial interest and economic benefit through technological advancements. Field of research: 4018 - Nanotechnology Exosomes are small sac-like structures that cells release into the bloodstream to communicate with other cells. Exosomes can contain information about diseases (e.g., cancer, pregnancy disorders, cardiovascular and infectious disease) and thus have enormous potential for use in diagnosis and monitoring. However, exosome-based clinical diagnosis is currently limited by a lack of robust, automated, and sensitive technologies. This project aims to develop a precise, reliable, and automated advanced nanotechnology platform to analyse individual exosomes from patient blood and urine samples. This platform will enable simultaneous and rapid analysis of multiple diseases without sophisticated laboratory facilities, allowing easy implementation as a disease screening tool across Australia, particularly in rural clinics. We will work with biomedical industries and state governments to adopt this platform into practice. Beyond the potential health benefits to all Australians, the platform will position Australia at the forefront of the multibillion-dollar nanotechnology-based diagnostic device market.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Unraveling a new cytokine working model in immune cell exhaustion. This project will investigate a novel paradigm of how a key messenger protein can be sensed by fundamental immune cells, preventing their ‘exhaustion’. Immune cell exhaustion is a fundamental mechanism to maintain the internal homeostasis of vertebrates. However, it is often hijacked by pathogens to dampen the defensive capacity of the immune system. And this specific messenger protein is the only known soluble factor that can deliver ‘anti-exhaustion’ signals to immune cells. This study will advance basic knowledge in biochemistry and immunology by combining interdisciplinary and cutting-edge approaches. The expected outcomes include the developing new scientific theories and identifying novel molecular basis of biological processes. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Immune cells protect animals from external and internal threats, such as viruses and cancer. However, immune cells can become “exhausted”, allowing persistent and severe illness. How and why immune cells become exhausted requires further understanding. We have identified a key molecule that regulates a pathway that corrects immune exhaustion. This project aims to determine how this molecule works. This knowledge could lead to novel treatments and vaccines that improve outcomes for Australians with infectious diseases and cancers, and increase the resistance of agricultural livestock to infections, such as foot and mouth disease. Intellectual property generated from this project could bring economic and commercial benefits to Australia by supporting local biotech companies’ growth, with the global immunology market expected to exceed AUD $200 billion by 2028. We are ideally placed to adopt our findings into practice, with onsite access to world-class manufacturing facilities, leading biotechnology companies, and commercialisation support.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Enabling Novel Hydrogen Storage via Combustible Ice for a Low-Carbon Future. This project aims to develop a new method for sustainable hydrogen storage. Hydrogen is vital for decarbonising Australia's economy, yet finding an efficient way for hydrogen storage is a global challenge. This project seeks to encapsulate hydrogen effectively in water to produce hydrogen-carrying combustible ice for efficient large-scale hydrogen storage, taking the advantages of water as the safest and cheapest raw material. Expected outcomes are cutting-edge knowledge and a new pathway of hydrogen storage. This project would contribute to turning Australia’s abundant renewable energy resources into substantial economic and environmental benefits and promote Australia's competitive edge in the global transition toward a low-carbon future. Field of research: 4004 - Chemical Engineering In Australia's roadmap towards net-zero CO2-emissions, hydrogen is a critical technology. However, finding a safe and efficient hydrogen storage technology remains a global challenge. Conventional hydrogen storage in compressed tanks is expensive and hazardous due to the involved high compression and pressures. This project seeks innovations that enable massive encapsulation of hydrogen in water to produce a compact hydrogen-carrying solid called combustible ice, creating an efficient pathway of large-scale hydrogen storage. This method allows to store hydrogen in a water-based material, taking the unique advantage of water as the safest, cheapest and most sustainable raw material on Earth. The expected method would work under low pressure to eliminate the risks and costs of high compression typical of conventional hydrogen technology. The project is expected to contribute significantly to turning Australia’s abundant renewable energy resources into substantial economic and environmental benefits, and promote Australia’s competitive edge in the global transition towards a carbon neutrality future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

New electrodes for green electrochemical carbon dioxide capture. This project aims to develop new electrochemical carbon capture technology. By designing and fabricating new functional electrodes and high-performance electrochemical devices based on water and driven by renewable electricity, this project will enhance the ability to capture CO2, the primary greenhouse gas that causes global climate change. Expected outcomes include new multi-dimension electrodes with unique chemistry and state-of-the-art CO2 capture devices plus in-depth knowledge of electrochemical CO2 capture mechanisms for optimised device design and control. Benefits include the development of circular carbon economies with capabilities to effectively capture CO2, supporting Australian industries to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities and the major driver for global climate change. Therefore, CO2 capture, storage and utilisation are essential for reducing CO2 intensity in the environment. Mainly, CO2 capture is critical because it is the first step. However, the currently used CO2 thermochemical capture technology is not sustainable as it requires high amounts of heat energy and suffers solvent degradation, leading to increased costs and toxic emissions. This project proposes and explores the development of renewable energy-driven and water-based green capture technology for a sustainable and clean Australia. The proposed technology will enable the production of devices that can be integrated as plug-and-play modules at various scales, including large industrial sites or on CO2-emitting devices such as vehicles. This technology will therefore enable more effective CO2 capture, supporting progress toward Australia's net zero emissions. New intellectual property will be protected for licensing by interested parties to drive innovation within Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Social isolation and loneliness as factors maintaining domestic violence. Isolating victims from support systems is a common tactic of domestic violence, yet we know very little about a key psychological consequence of this: Loneliness. Early research has identified loneliness as a factor in victim-survivor decisions to stay in violent relationships and to return after escape. This project aims to understand loneliness as a feature of domestic violence and its long-term impacts on victim-survivors using a mixed-methods approach. This will include collection of repeated measures and qualitative data with victim-survivors and service workers. This project will endeavour to provide a comprehensive picture of the impact of loneliness on victims of domestic violence and how we can shape our future service responses. Field of research: 5205 - Social and Personality Psychology Social isolation is a key tactic in domestic violence that involves severing a victim from their social supports. It is experienced by over half of people reporting domestic violence and it is associated with increased risk of more serious abuse and loneliness. Early data indicates that loneliness may be associated with reasons a victim stays in an abusive relationship and why they return after escape, suggesting that loneliness may be a major obstacle in leaving abusive relationships. This DECRA will advance our knowledge in two key areas of research - loneliness and domestic violence - by generating new data on an under-researched experience and one that has never been investigated in Australia. Understanding experiences of loneliness that arise from social isolation abuse is an essential step to furthering our knowledge of the impacts of domestic violence and how we can tailor our responses more effectively to victim/survivors and reduce the risk of future abuse. This research is expected to have direct policy impact working to further the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Understanding how platelets mediate new neuron formation in the adult brain. Exercise boosts the generation of new nerve cells from adult neural stem cells in the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory, the hippocampus. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms behind this effect, in particular, how blood cells known as platelets mediate this process. The expected outcomes include the discovery of new communication pathways between platelets and the brain following exercise and will determine the importance of these blood cells in mediating brain function. This will help to explain how exercise affects the brain and may benefit Australian society through the implementation of new methods to support learning and memory in schools and workplaces, thereby enhancing performance and productivity. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Learning and memory are essential brain functions that contribute to many social and cultural aspects of life and ensure a strong and stable economy. It is known that exercise enhances learning and memory across the lifespan; however, little is known about how and why exercise does this. This project investigates the mechanisms behind this effect, more specifically, how cells of our blood known as platelets boost the growth of new nerve cells in the part of the brain which is responsible for learning and memory. Understanding how exercise affects brain function will benefit Australian society in various ways. These could include the development of new learning strategies in the education and information technology sectors, or the incorporation of targeted programs into workplaces to enhance performance and boost productivity. In the longer term, the mechanisms by which platelets regulate nerve cell growth could be an attractive target for future translational studies in conditions in which learning and memory are affected, thereby reducing the social and economic burden associated with these conditions.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Paris-compliance: assessing companies and portfolios. The aim of this research project is to turn the tide on misleading corporate climate pledges and systematise the assessment of companies' climate performance by using a science-based approach. A critical strategic priority urgently called for during recent international climate negotiations, the research conducted will be translated into a global platform where corporate Paris Compliance information will be shared openly and transparently. This will bolster businesses’ climate action by outlining meaningful and effective decarbonisation pathways, allowing all stakeholders to make climate-safe decisions, and guiding policy makers to enforce the required changes for any business to become Paris-compliant. Field of research: 3502 - Banking, Finance and Investment Recent years have seen an increase in the number of companies and institutions pledging to achieve “net-zero” emissions by 2050. However, such commitments are not sufficient to maintain a safe climate. What matters is the cumulative emissions over time, and so emissions reductions must start immediately, and be halved by 2030, along the way to net-zero. My research found flaws in current assessment frameworks and will focus on developing science-based methods to assess corporate alignment with globally agreed climate goals. These methods will then be used to translate complex decarbonisation models into an open-access, online and interactive tool for investors, companies, policymakers and the public to independently track progress of companies, with an initial focus on the ASX200. This research is critical to assess the authenticity of corporate climate commitments, and track their climate performance. It will also enable governments to develop and implement more robust and effective regulation around corporate emission reductions needed for Australia and the world to meet their carbon reduction targets.