UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Australian membership of the European 4MOST Consortium. Australian membership of the European 4MOST consortium: The objective of this project is to build the positioner at the Australian Astronomical Observatory to enable participation in the upcoming programs of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The 4MOST Consortium is modifying one of the ESO telescopes for a 10-year campaign of dedicated wide-field astronomy programs. A key component of this upgrade will be the Australian built fibre-positioning system. In exchange for covering the labour costs associated with this instrument, Australian astronomers are being provided with the opportunity to lead one of the eight design reference missions and to participate in the other seven. The potential benefits are therefore two-fold: showcasing Australian technologies, and a leadership role for Australian scientists on one of ESO’s key facilities. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Strain Matching Enabled Composite Design for Exceptional Mechanical Prowess. This project intends to develop phase-transforming matrix-nanolamellar composites of exceptional mechanical properties. Nanowires embedded in phase-transforming matrix composites achieve ultra-large elastic strains (around 6 per cent), thus ultra-high strengths. This project aims to build on this discovery and transcend the limitations of the nanowire composites by creating lattice-strain-matching enabled nanolamellar composites via innovative materials processing. The expected outcomes may lead to the design and creation of metallic composites of exceptional mechanical prowess and the development of close-to-application technology for fabrication of the composite materials. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

New chromatography-electrophysiology methods for semiochemical discovery. The aim of this research is to develop new tools for discovering natural products that mediate insect-insect and plant-insect communication. Knowledge of such semiochemicals is critical for many applications in conservation biology, agriculture, and horticulture. Many of these compounds are difficult to identify with current chemical and electrophysiological methods. The goal is to develop new technology combining state-of-the-art chemical separation techniques and electroantennography to enable detection and identification of a broad range of chemicals of biological importance. The intended outcome is to apply this technology to pollination systems of plants of conservation and evolutionary significance, and of commercial importance in terms of insect control and pollination. Field of research: 0305 - Organic Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

The Presence of the Past: Historic places & community identity in Australia. This project will examine the explosive growth of interest in, and efforts to protect, historic sites in Australia between the mid-1960s and 2010. During this period, the number of recognised historic sites and buildings in Australia grew from less than 200 to almost 35 000. Focusing on the perceived social-political value of historic sites, the project seeks to explore how historic places have been understood and valued by different sections of society, and how government has responded to this growing public interest in heritage. It also seeks to further our understanding of how cultural values and identities are mediated, and how heritage landscapes and the historic fabric affect cultural wellbeing and belonging. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Valuing the non-market benefits of mine site rehabilitation. This project aims to improve decisions about mine site rehabilitation. Mining causes environmental damage, which mine operators are legally required to rehabilitate. Although companies invest considerably in mine site restoration and biodiversity offsets, we don’t know whether their practices match public preferences for rehabilitation outcomes. Filling this knowledge gap is challenging because the benefits of rehabilitation (eg biodiversity) are not traded in markets. This project aims to address these challenges by estimating, in monetary terms, the values provided by mine site restoration. By identifying these values, the project expects to contribute to improving the design of mine rehabilitation standards, and will enable future policy decisions to be more closely aligned with society’s preferences. Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Coherent Laser Links for Space Applications. Coherent laser links for space applications: This project seeks equipment to establish a deployable, free-space, coherent laser link to enable Australia’s continued leadership and involvement in large-scale international space projects. It would support optical free-space frequency transfer to expand the capability of the European Space Agency’s Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space mission; tests to validate the inter-satellite interferometry acquisition system for the NASA Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment follow-on mission; and test-bed development for advanced coherent optical communications systems. Coherent, free-space laser links are an emerging technology for a range of high-impact research fields. The project would enable research relying on precision measurements of time and frequency; advanced inter-satellite laser interferometry, and coherent free-space optical communications. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Nanoscope-in-a-needle: nanoscale imaging and sensing deep inside tissue. This project seeks to make possible nanoscale and microscale imaging deep inside living human tissue. By miniaturising advanced optical imaging, sensing and spectroscopy systems into a hypodermic needle – a nanoscope-in-a-needle – it would be possible to study the structure and function of living biological systems in their native, three-dimensional environment up to centimetres deep in soft tissue but with unprecedented nano- and micro-scale resolution. A suite of new nanoscopes would underpin biological discovery and help advance human health and wellbeing. Field of research: 0906 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Are corals able to control their calcification in a changing ocean? The project aims to develop a new understanding of fundamental mechanisms responsible for coral calcification and its ability to acclimate to global warming and ocean acidification. Mineral skeleton formation by coral is the key process controlling the creation of reef structures upon which entire ecosystems depend. Despite the importance of coral to the function of reef ecosystems, how calcification works mechanistically within coral itself, and why small modifications of their physical and chemical habitat can have large effects on growth is presently poorly understood. This project seeks to provide this basic knowledge to improve our ability to assess the future of corals and help policy-makers take adequate measures to preserve coral reefs. Field of research: 0405 - Oceanography

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

The More the Merrier? Investigating copy number variation in Brassicas. This project intends to develop an understanding of how gene copy number variation affects disease susceptibility to help in the design of novel plant protection strategies. Gene copy number variants (CNVs) are segments of DNA that have been duplicated or lost in the genome of one individual or line with respect to another. CNVs have been shown to contribute significantly to phenotypic differences in humans, including disease susceptibility, and the same seems to apply in plants. This project aims to apply the genome sequences for Brassica species to detect CNVs from re-sequencing data. Knowing how this variation affects an individual or line’s disease susceptibility, especially to the devastating fungal pathogen blackleg, could improve plant protection strategies and crop production. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Optimising crop root systems to enhance capture of soil water and nutrients. The project’s goal is to improve crop breeding for increased efficiency of acquiring soil resources. Increasing a crop’s efficiency in capturing soil resources (water and nutrients) is an imperative task in ensuring food security. This project plans to use barley as the model cereal crop and characterise root traits in a panel of cultivars assembled to represent maximum diversity as well as in biparental mapping population followed by association and linkage mapping to identify genetic markers linked with specific root traits. These markers will be incorporated into a computer model of 3-D root structure and function. The enhanced computer model would be able to simulate optimal root systems for specific environments and generate a list of selectable root-trait markers. Field of research: 0703 - Crop and Pasture Production

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Coding of Shape in Human Vision. This project aims to improve understanding of how the shape of objects is encoded in human vision. Knowing the shape of an object is critical for interacting with it appropriately. This project aims to study the human ability to convert local patches of light into a coherent shape description and will determine how a recently identified cue, representing the distribution of features in a shape, is used by the visual system to perform this task. The resulting description of shape coding, based on human vision, will help design methods for both efficiently encoding images in artificial vision systems and for creating images of objects for display. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Visualising vascular adaptation at the micro-scale in humans. The project aims to investigate fundamental issues in the mechanisms underlying vascular remodelling. It plans to develop novel optical scanning techniques to acquire high-resolution images of the cutaneous microvasculature, alongside absolute blood flow quantification. These novel tools would allow us to visualise and quantify functional and structural adaptations in the microvasculature in response to physiological stimuli such as heat exposure and exercise. The non-invasive tool aims to enable us to assess adaptations in microvasculature health, improving our understanding of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes and potentially reducing the impact of costly and debilitating morbidities such as nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, impotence and skin ulceration. Field of research: 1106 - Human Movement and Sports Science

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Emotions, language and culture in Arnhem Land (Katherine region). This project aims to increase our understanding of emotional language and cultural practices about emotions among Indigenous Australian groups. Emotion is a fundamental human experience, yet different languages provide very different ways of talking about it. What are the consequences of this? Are these differences culturally constrained? Might differences in the grammar of a language influence the way its speakers express emotions, or even the way they experience emotions? This project seeks to describe and compare the way emotions are expressed in five Aboriginal languages of Arnhem Land. Four of these languages are endangered and the project will also provide the urgent documentation needed to preserve them. Field of research: 2004 - Linguistics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

National schooling reform and the reshaping of Australian federalism. The aim of this project is to examine how national schooling reforms in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment are reshaping the role of Australian state governments in education policy. It will focus on the impact of reforms on state education departments, and through policy analysis, interviews and case studies in three Australian states, the project intends to generate theoretical insights about the changing nature of Australian schooling and federalism. Field of research: 1303 - Specialist Studies In Education

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Understanding the molecular structure and chemical behaviour of asphaltenes. This project will advance the science underpinning technologies for cost-effective use of heavy oil resources. Asphaltene aggregation and precipitation pose enormous challenges for extraction, transport, storage and refining of heavy oils. Understanding the physicochemical properties of asphaltenes is crucial to the future oil industry as light crudes become scarce. This project plans to develop and deploy an innovative molecular probe technique, combined with sequential thermal and solvent extraction and advanced tools for nanoscale characterisation, to reveal the molecular structure and chemical behaviour of asphaltenes. The resulting understanding of the mechanisms of asphaltene aggregation and dissociation may provide a scientific basis for controlling asphaltene precipitation to improve the stability and thus improve the use of heavy oils. Field of research: 0904 - Chemical Engineering