THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Maximising pineapple production for Australian farmers using genome editing. This project addresses the single biggest issue affecting the viability of pineapple farming in Australia and internationally: premature flowering leading to supply collapse. We aim to develop CRISPR technology to breed new pineapple varieties using non-GM approaches. Expected outcomes include the production of pineapples with resistance to premature flowering, as well as the technologies to deliver additional improvements in the future. The new varieties will benefit farmers through increased production, maximising supply capability for a rapidly growing internal demand. This will benefit Australian pineapple producers through higher profitability in existing markets, as well as enabling expansion into international and future markets. Field of research: 0706 - Horticultural Production Using the latest breeding technologies, this project will maximise not only current, but future pineapple production for Australian farmers. The technology developed will assist the $70 million Australian pineapple industry to expand, providing economic growth and jobs in rural communities. However, it will also place Australia as leaders in the field with the potential to commercialise the new breeding technologies internationally. In addition, adoption of the new varieties by overseas growers will generate further income via royalties from Plant Breeders Rights in the current $9b worldwide pineapple industry. Finally, this work will translate into greater food security, ensuring availability of fresh and healthy pineapples for Australian consumers.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Designing work roles for crew operating multiple unmanned aircraft. The aim of this project is to identify how work roles should be designed for crew operating multiple Unmanned Aircraft (UA). Industry expects that the introduction of higher levels of automation in next-generation UA systems will reduce the operational costs associated with UA by enabling human crews to simultaneously manage multiple aircraft. The current project examines the safety and effectiveness of different types of work designs for these systems. The primary outcome will be a set of recommendations regarding the design of work roles for the crew of next-generation UA systems. Expected benefits include improvements in safety and cost-effectiveness of next-generation UA systems. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (2018), more than 50% of the value of Australia’s $403 billion worth of exports come from the mining and agriculture industries. The use of unmanned aircraft (UA) is becoming a highly valuable tool in both of these industries for increasing efficiencies in capability delivery and intelligence gathering across vast distances. Despite the value that UA can offer, the operational cost of these systems is constraining widespread adoption of the technology. The results of this project will contribute to the design of a new UA operating model in which a human crew can simultaneously operate multiple unmanned aircraft, which will substantially reduce the costs associated with UA operations. The results of this project will inform the design of safe and inexpensive UA systems that will offer a key competitive advantage to Australia’s primary industries.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

An integrated, multi-nodal bio-layer interferometry facility. Biomolecular interaction research in Australia is currently constrained by low-throughput, labor intensive techniques that impede research progress and often forces it overseas. This project aims to develop a world-class, integrated, multi-node bio-layer interferometry facility. This project expects to generate new knowledge in diverse areas of research ranging from biodiscovery to agricultural vaccine technology. Using biolayer interferometry, the leading-edge biomolecular interaction technique will provide significant benefits by developing high-throughput assay techniques, thus enabling diverse streams of national benefit research and propelling Australia to the forefront of biomolecular interaction research. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Biomolecular interaction research is an important contributor to Australia’s economy in areas ranging from lead compounds for use in drug design and development through to vaccines for the agriculture and aquaculture industries. However, current research is constrained by techniques that have high labor and consumable costs, are low-throughput, and provide only limited kinetics information. The high-throughput and flexible nature of the proposed facility, combined with its extraordinary sensitivity and provision of full kinetics data, will lead to great success of such research projects. This will lead to outcomes that result in Australia being more competitive in market entry due to improved timeliness of results, which will facilitate more commercialisation. The attractiveness of this facility will lead to more collaboration not only within Australia but also with overseas partners, thus not only putting Australia in the lead of discovery but also commercilisation potential.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Enhancing Children's Journey in Out-of-Home Care:A Multi-perspective Study . This study aims to improve the experiences of, and outcomes for, Indigenous and non-Indigenous children in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC). Drawing on detailed longitudinal, qualitative interview data from children in out-of-home-care, their birth families and carers across geographically diverse sites in Queensland, the study will build a rich understanding of their experiences. Outcomes include improved knowledge of how to strengthen children's connections to culture and caring relationships during OOHC and how these connections shape children's well-being. Benefits include improved outcomes for children and better practice to achieve positive social, cultural and emotional well-being for those involved OOHC especially in Indigenous communities. Field of research: 1605 - Policy and Administration In 2017-18, Australian governments spent $3.4 billion on Out-of-Home Care (OOHC). Despite this expenditure, outcomes for children in OOHC are often poor with research showing elevated rates of school non-completion, mental health concerns and substance misuse among these children and young people (Gypen et al, 2017). Our study will build knowledge to improve the experience and outcomes for children in out-of-home care, as well as their carers and birth families. Our research will also indicate ways to reduce the economic costs arising from OOHC by improving children's experiences and outcomes. Other benefits include enhancing the capacities of service providers, carers and birth families to support children's social and emotional well-being at key points in their development and enhancing understanding of the experiences of, and responsiveness to, the needs of Indigenous children, carers and birth families in their journeys through the OOHC system. The involvement of key Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations will assist translation of our findings into better outcomes for children, families and carers.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Microstructure control of hot-dip coated Al-Zn based alloy layers on steel . The process of hot-dip metal coating of steel has evolved to provide reliable products that find widespread application in many industries, including building and construction. This project aims to address and understand an intermittent processing problem using innovative approaches involving characterisation by synchrotron techniques and state-of-the art microscopy. Expected outcomes include increased manufacturing efficiencies by identifying the cause of an intermittent processing defect and implementing methods of controlling this defect. This will help BlueScope and Australia maintain a world-leading reputation for high-quality coating products for domestic and export markets. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering Corrosion is estimated to cost 3% of the world’s GDP per year. Coating steel is one of the most commercially important processes for protection and there are significant international efforts to improve current coatings. The multilayered coating that develops when hot-dipping steel sheets with Al-Zn based alloys imparts significant corrosion resistance and has been in commercial use for decades. To satisfy future demands in the construction and building industries and remain competitive, innovative coating processes with reduced energy consumption and decreased CO2 outputs are required. This proposal aims to develop breakthrough steel coating processes and product innovations to enable the Australian steel industry to improve its global competitiveness through improved manufacturing technologies and sustainability. Providing a scientific rationale behind defect formation and implementing solutions will mitigate the risk involved with process uncertainty and the potential losses that would result if the frequency and duration of affected production time was to increase.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Elucidating the morphology of organic semiconductors at an atomic level. Controlling morphology and self-organization at a molecular level is key to advancing the performance of optoelectronic devices such as organic light-emitting diodes and organic photovoltaic cells. Current device development relies on a costly and inefficient empirical design cycle (material synthesis followed by device fabrication and testing). In addition, the active layers often involve multiple components and their nano-scale morphology is difficult to probe experimentally. Recently developed molecular simulation techniques can provide unique insight into atomic-level structural details that determine device efficiency. The project will determine if such simulations are sufficiently accurate to be industrially useful. Field of research: 0303 - Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry The aim of the project is to validate a predictive approach that can be used to improve organic solar cells. Single junction organic solar cells have the potential to reach efficiencies of over 20% and to deliver light weight flexible photovoltaics at < $0.20/W. Working with Heliatek, the world leader in the commercialization of organic solar cells, the project will examine whether techniques developed to determine film morphology at an atomic level can be used to understand and predict the performance of these revolutionary devices. While this initial project is focused on solar cells, the methodology at the heart of the project can be applied to a wide range of other organic semiconductor materials and devices to facilitate the translation from basic science to industrial products. Falling under the priority goal of Lifting Productivity and Economic Growth, the aim of the work is to validate a unique tools that will help maximize the competitive advantage of Australia's rapidly growing organic semiconductor community.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Electrophysiology Platform for Ion-channel Characterisation. Ion channels are ubiquitous pore-forming membrane proteins, with the human genome encoding >300 ion channels. The diverse roles of ion channels include action potential generation, control of ion flow across secretory and epithelial cells, and regulation of cell volume, motility and proliferation. Pharmacological modulators are powerful tools for probing ion channel function, but for most channels these tools are lacking. Thus, this project aims to develop the first comprehensive toolbox of ion channel modulators using an integrated in vitro/in vivo electrophysiology platform. These pharmacological tools will be made freely available to the Australian research community for probing the mechanism and physiological function of ion channels. Field of research: 0304 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry Ion channels are proteins that enable the flow of ions across cell membranes. They are the major targets of insecticides and the third most common human drug target. However, for many ion channels, the lack of molecules that can selectively modulate their activity limits our understanding of their physiological importance and their potential to serve as targets for insecticides and human therapeutics. The requested instrumentation will lead to the rapid discovery and characterisation of novel molecules that modulate the activity of ion channels. These compounds will be made available to the Australian research community for probing the physiological role of these ion channels in both vertebrates and invertebrates, which will provide advances in a wide variety of research fields including agriculture, biology, biophysics, neuroscience, and human health. Some of the molecules discovered in this project will provide leads for the development of environmentally-friendly insecticides and safer and more effective human therapeutics.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course. The 2020 ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (LCC2020) aims to deliver transformative research and translation to break the cycle of deep and persistent disadvantage for Australians. Critically, LCC2020 will tackle disadvantage in specific context to understand how people negotiate it daily in real places, and how best to design policies and programs that support improved life pathways. By understanding life course contexts much more finely and using new methods and better data to personalise responses to disadvantage, LCC2020 will deliver the evidence, infrastructure, capacity and partnerships to reduce disadvantage and better equip Australian children and families for emerging challenges. Field of research: 1603 - Demography

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Between Death & Commemoration: An Australian History of the War Corpse . This project aims to provide the first ever account of the changing policies, practices and attitudes that have shaped how the physical remains of Australian war dead have been dealt with between the First World War and the recent wars in the Middle East (1915-2015). By investigating this invisible aspect of our military past, it will create new directions in Australian war history and provide an Australian perspective on global conversations about the history of the corpse in war. New knowledge about the war corpse will advance national understandings about the realities of war, and provide valuable information and more informed perspectives about death in war to history educators, cultural institutions, military units and the public. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Harnessing nanotechnology to unravel extracellular vesicle heterogeneity. This project aims to develop a suite of innovative nanotechnologies to study extracellular vesicles with unprecedented depth of analysis and single particle resolution. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the emerging field of extracellular vesicle (EV) biology, as well as cell biology, using advanced nanofabrication and nanoscopic fluid flows to advance understanding of EV heterogeneity and how phenotypic variations affect their role in cellular processes. Expected outcomes include a universal technology platform to study extracellular vesicles and other bioparticles, with potential to deliver valuable intellectual property of commercial interest and economic benefit through technological advancements. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Preventing crime in public spaces: everyday guardianship & territoriality . Safe public spaces are the cornerstone of liveable cities. Everyday users of public spaces are vital crime prevention guardians because they are frequently present in the absence of formal regulators like police. This project will investigate factors that enhance active guardianship and facilitate crime prevention in public spaces. It aims to generate new knowledge on the extent to which everyday users of public spaces develop a sense of territorial control leading to conscious monitoring of public spaces and intervention in social problems. The project aims to inform crime prevention strategies that facilitate active guardianship leading to less crime, reduced fear of crime and enhanced opportunities for pro-social use of public spaces. Field of research: 1602 - Criminology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Emotions and Employee Turnover: New Methods for Complex Dynamic Systems. This project aims to vastly improve the data-analytic capabilities of social and health researchers, while increasing knowledge about emotion dynamics and their link to employee turnover. By drawing on and advancing methods from ecology and applied physics, this project plans to investigate the role that individual emotions play in employee turnover with new quantitative methods for characterising and testing causality in complex dynamic systems. The expected outcomes include an improved capacity for researchers, managers, and policy makers to understand complex organisational, economic, and health systems. This will provide immediate societal benefits by informing the development and deployment of targeted interventions in such systems. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology This project will contribute to Australia’s national interest by improving the ability of researchers and policy makers to understand complex socio-economic and health systems at multiple levels of analysis. By providing new knowledge about how individual emotions change over time, and how this relates to employee turnover, organisational researchers and managers will better understand how to predict employee turnover. Specifically, methods will be developed and exemplified that allow identifying employees approaching a 'critical transition' that precedes turnover. More generally, by developing new quantitative methods for characterising and testing causality in complex systems at multiple levels of analysis, researchers and policy makers from many areas will be better able to understand how to use policy tools to influence important organisational, economic, and public health outcomes that otherwise may appear to function in unpredictable ways. This will enhance Australia's national research capacity while simultaneously developing lasting international collaborations that are multidisciplinary in nature.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Does foot shape even matter? Rethinking the function of the human foot. Human feet are unique in shape and structure, having evolved to allow upright locomotion. Despite their importance, we don’t understand how foot shape and structure facilitates upright locomotion.This DECRA aims to explore the relationship between foot morphology and foot function. I will close a large knowledge gap by applying novel experimental and shape modelling approaches to provide unprecedented insights into human foot function. The primary expected outcome is a detailed understanding of how foot shape and structure influences our ability to walk and run. This research will create a paradigm shift in how we think about feet in the context of human evolution, human athletic performance and athletic footwear design. Field of research: 0608 - Zoology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Sarcoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial functional interactions in muscle. Muscle in the body of animals and human has the ability to adapt to stress placed on it, to improve performance. This allows new physical tasks that have been unfamiliar to become easier. One form of stress on the muscle is the demand to work longer without fatigue. This can be important for animal survival or athletes training for sport. A single session of intense muscle contractions can lead to the muscle increasing its capacity for endurance within 24 hrs. This project aims to examine this phenomenon in animals and human to decipher the mechanism involved in the beneficial muscle changes experienced in such a brief time. It will provide benefits such as the potential to manipulate human muscle condition and animal muscle (meat) quality. Field of research: 0606 - Physiology This is a fundamental biological project about how muscle can adapt to stressful changes in its use. That is, when muscle use is changed through acute, repeated, high intensity contractions, the muscle remodels itself within a day or so to be able to cope with similar, repeated challenges. The changes inside the muscle after intense, acute contractions affect the way the muscle produces its own energy. It is not understood how the muscle changes so quickly after a single session of intense, acute contractions. It is important to understand energy regulating mechanisms in muscle, as these processes: (i) affect muscle performance, relevant to exercise; and (ii) will apply to almost all cells in the body and therefore will benefit many areas of biological research. Furthermore, as the performance of the muscle is improved following the acute, intense contractions, so is the quality of the muscle. There is economic gain to be had from understanding how to improve muscle (meat) quality. This project expects to find potential ways to apply its findings in agricultural settings to improve livestock's meat quality.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Who Benefits from the Sharing Economy? Disruption in Australian Cities. Technological disruption has created new possibilities for employment and social interaction in cities, yet comes with many associated challenges for policymakers. This project aims to formulate a critical understanding of the sharing economy as a disruptive social, economic, and political process in Australian cities. The project team will apply advanced spatial analytics and theoretical approaches to three distinct facets of the sharing economy, providing new empirical evidence to explain transformative change in cities. It applies a geographical lens to create to new knowledge regarding who benefits from the sharing economy, and how progressive regulation can enhance the outcomes of disruptive technologies. Field of research: 1604 - Human Geography As technological disruption transforms existing social, economic, and political systems, sustaining quality-of-life in Australian cities will be contingent upon delivering innovative solutions to address increasingly complex issues tied to housing, jobs, and transportation. This project provides a systematic spatial analysis of three distinct sharing economy platforms with a focus on the social and economic costs and benefits of each across Australian cities. The project team will apply advanced spatial analytics to evaluate the effects of socio-spatial change attributed to digital platforms, with an overarching focus on the broad impacts of the sharing economy as a dynamic technological phenomenon. In doing so, this project informs policymakers and regulators with balanced empirical evidence to support progressive urban strategies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

In the National Interest? Large Firms and Public Policy in Australia. Institutional and other theories suggest large firms necessarily engage in public policy to mainly serve narrow firm-centric interests. Yet large firms sometimes also engage in national level policy, such as big business support for policy reforms in Australia in the 1980s. Our central question is: how do large Australian firms articulate their public policy interests and goals, what factors drive this, and with what outcomes? Do they pursue narrow or broader national agendas and how might the two overlap from the perspective of large firms? In this greenfield research we link questions of big business policy engagement with questions of business power and legitimacy and also to questions of national governance capacity. Field of research: 1606 - Political Science We know little about how large firms operate in the public policy environment. Arguably, the national interest could be served if large firms, given their key role in the economy, could also make a useful contribution to national public policy making. However, institutional and other corporate theory suggest firms largely focus on narrow firm-centric policy advocacy related to bottom-line concerns. Yet evidence suggests that this is not always the case. We therefore aim to examine under what conditions large firms might usefully engage in national policy making in the public interest and how or whether this can be reconciled with narrower firm-centric agendas. This is greenfield research in Australia.The research findings will prove useful in helping us better understand business perspectives on public policy making, how business policy engagement interacts with business power and legitimacy, and how all this might best serve national policy making through strategies of business-government cooperation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Phenotypic plasticity of reef fish vision in a changing world. This project aims to investigate why fishes have more colour vision channels than any other vertebrate on the planet by studying representatives from the most vibrant ecosystem on earth, the Great Barrier Reef. It is currently not clear how vision is controlled on the molecular level and how this translates to the performance and survival of an animal. Through an innovative approach to understanding colour vision and animal behaviour, this project expects to advance Australia’s leadership in neuroscience and ecology, while also increasing the capacity for international collaborations. Beyond the scientific benefit, it will create public awareness about an endangered ecosystem, inform reef guardianship and may inspire new sensory technology. Field of research: 0608 - Zoology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

A novel mechanism of host defence via macrophage extracellular traps. Animal health relies upon innate immune cells to rapidly detect invading microbes and induce inflammatory and antimicrobial responses to clear infection. Mechanisms of inflammation and immune defence are only partly understood. This project aims to elucidate a novel innate immune pathway (the inflammasome) that drives inflammatory cell death and antimicrobial defence. Using innovative multidisciplinary methods, this project will yield exciting new knowledge of mechanisms of inflammation and anti-microbial responses, and new paradigms for inflammasome action. Expected outcomes and benefits include high-impact publications, international collaboration, world-class training for young scientists, and new knowledge for future commercialisation. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology This project will deliver exciting new knowledge of the immune system mechanisms that allow mammals to protect themselves from the countless number of microbes they encounter every day. Project findings will have high international impact across multiple research fields (microbiology, innate immunity and immunology, cell death, cell biology), thereby enhancing Australia's reputation for exceptional scientific research. This project will provide world-class training and career opportunities to train the next generation of Australian scientists. Knowledge generated in this project may be used in future to generate new products for commercialisation, such as anti-infective or anti-inflammatory drugs, generating significant economic and commercial benefits to the Australian community.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Defining mechanisms behind the formation of hierarchical vascular networks. Blood vessels form complex branched networks composed of arteries, capillaries and veins. The development and maintenance of different vessel systems (arteries and veins) is dependent on cell adherence properties within each vessel, yet how these are established and maintained remains unknown. This project aims to analyse the differences in junctional dynamics between sprouting arteries and veins, and to identify arterial and venous signalling networks that make and maintain vessel identity. This project will reveal how adhesiveness is regulated in order to make a hierarchical, functional vascular network, with implications for engineering of functional, vascularised organs in the biotech sector. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology This project will improve our understanding of how differentiated vascular networks form which is essential for mammalian life. The results will have important implications in the understanding of embryonic development, and will open avenues to aid in the bioengineering of functional, vascularised organs. We aim exclusively to generate fundamental knowledge on the formation and function of a differentiated, hierarchical vascular tree. The assembly and functionality of blood vessels is important in the ageing Australian population. This basic research has the potential to maximise social and economic participation in society through understanding how to make and maintain a functional vascular network. This project will enhance Australia’s skill base in cutting edge science at a supportive and highly educational environment at UQ. The research will provide multidisciplinary knowledge in developmental genetics, cell biology and biophysics. Australia is currently gaining strength internationally in these areas, and this research will expand the scope of Australian research and enhance the national profile.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Where migrants go: A study of immigrants' post-arrival moves in Australia . The project aims to establish the geographical and occupational trajectories of different migrant groups after arrival in Australia. Migration within Australia is a key driver of economic, demographic and social change. Recognising the growing diversity of immigrants, including the rapid rise in temporary migration, the project examines post-arrival moves of immigrants by visa type, country of birth and year of arrival. It seeks to improve understanding of the incidence, spatial patterns and drivers of migrants’ movement within Australia and the socio-demographic impact on regions and individuals. Such understanding is an essential first step to the formulation of effective immigration and settlement policies and programs. Field of research: 1603 - Demography The project will build a timely evidence base to inform the development of government migration policies, programs and services. First, by establishing the impact of metropolitan and non-metropolitan residential locations on the occupational trajectories of different migrant groups, the project will support the design of migration schemes that balance the developmental needs of all regions of Australia while enhancing the economic resilience of the nation. Second, identifying regions that attract and retain migrants will provide insights into the factors reducing migrant population loss and churn, which is vital to foster place attachment, strengthen social cohesion and enhance community resilience. Third, by shedding light on the level and patterns of internal migration of different temporary and permanent migrant groups, the project will help improve the sustained provision and equitable delivery of key services, particularly for more vulnerable groups such as humanitarian migrants, with direct social and economic benefits to immigrants and their communities and gains that will benefit all Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Quantifying the impacts of environmental stress on marine microorganisms. Microorganisms underpin marine ecosystem health, yet there is limited understanding of how they will respond to different environmental pressures. This project will resolve this critical knowledge gap by developing a unique molecular platform for deriving quantitative stress thresholds for microbial communities inhabiting key reef habitats (seawater, sediments, invertebrates). Quantifying how reef microorganisms respond to a broad suite of environmental perturbations (temperature, nutrients, contaminants), will generate stress-response data that can be incorporated alongside eukaryotic data in environmental assessments, greatly improving the ecological relevance and reliability of risk and vulnerability assessments. Field of research: 0605 - Microbiology Microorganisms underpin marine ecosystem health and have the capacity to exacerbate or mitigate ecosystem changes. The Great Barrier Reef is facing unprecedented pressure from elevated sea surface temperature and declining water quality, yet the impacts of these pressures on reef microbial communities remain undefined due to the difficulty in applying stress-response data in a way that has ecological relevance. Understanding how environmental stressors affect marine microorganisms was declared a priority in Australia’s 2015-25 National Marine Science Plan. Critically however, despite investment into establishing a marine microbial baseline, there is no framework to reliably quantify and predict how marine microbes and their ecologically important functions respond to environmental stress. This project will develop and utilise novel molecular tools to quantify the sensitivity of reef microorganisms to environmental perturbations so that microbial data can be included alongside eukaryotic data in environmental risk and vulnerability assessments for use by industry, reef managers and environmental regulators.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Restoring on-Country performance: song, language and south coast landscapes. This project aims to investigate relationships between place, people and endangered performance traditions in the south coast region of Western Australia. For the first time, it will bring together work on archival song and language material, ecological readings of landscape and Indigenous community expertise to extend and enhance knowledge of critically endangered Nyungar songlines. Expected outcomes include increased community capacity to develop, maintain and share a place-based performance repertoire and the potential to nourish social cohesion, strengthen connection to Country and aid re-interpretation of the landscape. This should provide benefits to Indigenous wellbeing, environmental understanding and processes of reconciliation. Field of research: 1904 - Performing Arts and Creative Writing Performance is the primary locus of Aboriginal knowledge and culture. In sharing something of Australia’s deep place-based regional histories and traditions, Aboriginal performance offers new ways for Australians to understand and appreciate our environment. This project offers likely economic and commercial benefits via the tourism and creative arts industries. Tourism and the arts facilitate public engagement around identity and belonging, offering social and cultural benefit to Australia through enablement of understanding and reconciliation. Through a program of participatory activities, this project will significantly contribute to social cohesion and wellbeing in the Aboriginal and broader Australian community, while exploring concepts of interdependence between community and landscape (as Country). Through substantially enhancing Nyungar well-being, this work can contribute to government priorities around ‘closing the gap’ while informing future culturally responsive health and wellbeing initiatives.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Partially Observable MDPs, Monte Carlo Methods, and Sustainable Fisheries. Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) provide a general mathematical framework for sequential decision making under uncertainty. However, solving POMDPs effectively under realistic assumptions remains a challenging problem. This project aims to develop new efficient Monte Carlo algorithms to significantly advance the application of POMDPs to real-world decision problems involving complex action spaces and system dynamics. Both theoretical and algorithmic approaches will be applied to sustainable fishery management --- an important problem for Australia and an ideal context for POMDPs. The project will advance research in artificial intelligence, dynamical systems, and fishery operations, and benefit the national economy. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing The project will yield multiple national benefits. First, this project addresses a fundamental problem lying at the interface of artificial intelligence (AI), operations research, statistics and dynamical systems; namely, sequential decision making under uncertainty. Hence progress has the potential to impact many scientific investigations, medical researches and business activities. Second, a main application is to provide improved strategies for sustainable fishery management, with important benefits for the national environment and economy. Third, the project will provide an exciting training ground for a postdoc and several research students to develop coveted skills in the areas of AI, machine learning, statistics and mathematical modelling, which are much sought-after by many industries. Lastly, the project will stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration between AI/computer scientists and mathematical scientists -- two disciplines with common roots that have somewhat drifted apart.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Bioplastics in the environment: lifetimes and toxicology. Globally, governments are implementing policies to drive a move to a circular economy. In the process, new materials are being introduced whose potential impacts need to be understood before they are widely used. This project pioneers investigations into the rate and extent of biodegradation of biodegradable plastics in aquatic and soil environments and the associated ecotoxicology of this process. In particular, it aims to quantify the extent to which the surfaces of these materials accumulate environmental pollutants via adsorption and other mechanisms. The outcomes will include conceptual models of biodegradation across environments, including lifetimes and likely impacts, critical information for framing a sustainable plastics industry. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering Plastic pollution is now a major and growing international issue. The need to deliver appropriate and holistic plastic waste management strategies is urgent and a key concern for the Australian public, governments and industries. Biodegradable/bioderived polymers will be part of the solution, particularly in agricultural and food packaging applications, and as such their market is growing rapidly. However, biodegradable polymer lifetimes and potential impacts across different natural environments are currently poorly understood. This project aims to deliver a deep understanding of the biodegradation processes of commercially relevant biopolymers and examine interactions between microbial communities and biodegradation rates in aquatic, soil & laboratory environments. Furthermore, it will assess the potential for negative impacts such as through selective uptake and concentration of hydrophobic toxins in the environment or release of harmful additives or degradation byproducts. This information will be critical as Australian governments implement policies to drive the use of bioderived/biodegradable plastics.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Understanding how an old heart gets stiff. Aging is accompanied by a stiffening of the heart and reduced function, which is accelerated by cardiovascular disease and leads to heart failure. How the heart stiffens is poorly understood. A new mechanism is proposed here, involving structural membrane proteins (termed caveolae and cavins) and a signalling molecule (nitric oxide). The current research aims to unravel the interplay between cardiac cells and these proteins/signals to cause stiffness and to determine whether this process governs normal aging of the heart. This work will advance understanding of how heart function is determined and reveal how the human heart changes with normal aging. Field of research: 1116 - Medical Physiology Australia has an aging population and our capacity to provide well-being to the individual and the population requires understanding the ageing process in terms of changes in our bodies as well as its societal and economic impacts. The loss of mobility, cognition and welfare that can occur with aging, with associated reductions in independence and contributions to society, can often be linked to deterioration of the cardiovascular system – specifically, the failure of the heart to pump efficiently. This research aims to understand how/why the human heart ages and what processes control the degree of stiffness of the heart muscle. This basic mechanical property of the heart is critical to its pump function and how it responds to stress and exercise. Outcomes will advance our understanding of normal heart biology, improve knowledge of basic mechanisms of human aging and provide a platform for mitigating age-related morbidity.