Queensland University of Technology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Constructing a rich curriculum for all: ‘Insights into practice’ . Not all students in Australia have access to the same high quality curriculum. The curriculum is often differentiated in ways designed to make outcomes achievable for marginalised young people. While this is often well meant, it has worked against the interests of these young people by denying them from a young age the same levels of access to curriculum options as their peers. This narrows the range of their future opportunities. This project aims to provide the foundations for strategies that can be implemented by teachers, schools and systems to address this problem. This projects works closely with teachers to determine a framework that can encourage pedagogical approaches that make a rich curriculum accessible to all. Field of research: 1302 - Curriculum and Pedagogy This research responds to current national educational priorities in the Melbourne Declaration, the Gonski Report and the National Report on Schooling in Australia. The 2008 Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young Australians commits Australian governments to strive for world-class curriculum and assessment, as part of a quality schooling system for all young Australians. However, the 2011 Gonski Report noted that compared to other OECD countries, Australia’s academic performance has declined since 2000. Gonski identified a strong link between low levels of achievement and educational disadvantage, particularly for students from low socioeconomic and Indigenous backgrounds. The National Report on Schooling in Australia (2018) noted a retention rate Yrs. 10 to 12 of just 82.8% (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, 62.6%). The proposed research responds to these national educational challenges by supporting teachers to build capacity to craft pedagogical responses that make rich and meaningful curricula accessible to all students, not just those from privileged backgrounds.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Industrially Viable Routes for fabrication of Perovskite Solar Cells. Photovoltaic technology based on perovskite solar cell (PSC) is predicated to account for USD34.8 billion by 2027 in the global market. The current synthesis protocol using detrimental solvent for perovskite formation and the unsatisfactory stability of perovskite are two key barriers for commercial production of PSC. This project aims to develop new synthesis methods for stable perovskite materials in solar cells by utilizing green solvents that are viable for large scale production. The anticipated outcomes including industrially compatible material synthesis methods for efficient, stable PSC will significantly advance the manufacture capability and competitiveness of the industrial partner in this important area. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering Development of clean energy technologies that are efficient, cost-effective and reliable is one of the national Science and Technology Priorities. Perovskite solar cells that use organometallic perovskite material as light absorber is an emerging photovoltaics (PV) that have demonstrated the huge potential as a true candidate to produce cost-effective solar electricity in the future if commercialised. This project addresses the key hurdles for industrial production of high quality, stable perovskite materials for applications in solar cells. The main outcomes of a cutting -edge technology enabling industrially fabrication of high quality, stable perovskite materials for high performance solar cells will significantly enhance the Australian industry partner ’s manufacture capability and competitiveness in this new PV technology, which has huge market, thus generating economic benefit, sovereign manufacturing capability, and create more job opportunities in Australia. This project aligns with the several of the national Science and Technology Priorities including Advanced Manufacturing and Clean Energy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Road to recovery: evidence-based conservation of threatened ecosystems. The project aims to develop novel decision-support tools to cost-effectively recover threatened ecosystems, through landscape-scale, evidence-based ecological restoration. This project expects to develop strategic frameworks to reverse ecosystem declines and promote recovery using a novel combination of ecological theory, expert elicitation, evidence synthesis and prioritisation techniques. Anticipated outcomes include decision-support tools for setting realistic recovery goals, identifying effective restoration actions and planning for full recovery of threatened ecosystems. This project should provide significant benefits to the Australian federal and state governments, by informing policy and management of threatened ecosystems. Field of research: 0502 - Environmental Science and Management Ecosystems, such as forests, wetlands and grasslands, provide habitat for biodiversity, including threatened species, and provide ecosystem services, such as water and food provision, erosion prevention, storm surge protection and carbon storage. They also contribute to Australia’s economy through tourism, agriculture, forestry and fisheries. However, 84 ecosystems are threatened nationally with collapse and many others are threatened by drought, changing fire regimes, vegetation loss and invasive species. This project will increase our ability to effectively restore and conserve threatened ecosystems, through the use of scientific evidence, ecological modelling and cost-effectiveness analyses. It will assist in meeting Australia’s international obligations to the Convention on Biological Diversity and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, by informing how to restore threatened ecosystems with limited resources while maximising success.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Philanthropy in Australian Public Schooling. Philanthropic involvement in schooling is prevalent, yet there is no academic research that investigates the substantive consequences of this development in Australian public schooling. The aim of this project is to develop new knowledge in education sociology of how philanthropy is influencing practices of school governance and contributing to systemic inequity within the public school system. The project seeks to build the capacity of education stakeholders to critically evaluate public school privatisation. Further, it hopes to inform sociological theories of what post-Welfare democracies are, and what the state's role ought to be in the public provision of schooling, particularly in relation to equitable school funding arrangements. Field of research: 1608 - Sociology There is ongoing concern in Australia regarding the funding arrangements of schools, with federal government inquiries suggesting current policy arrangements are complex and that many public schools are underfunded on the basis of need. Research evidence suggests public schools feel increasing responsibility to raise sources of private income to support their day-to-day practices. To date, we have no understanding of the consequences of this philanthropy, particularly in terms of how it is mediated by school demographics, and how it is influenced by school administrative practices. It is in Australia’s national interest to understand whether systemic inequity is likely to increase under current school funding arrangements. This information will help education stakeholders critically evaluate increasing privatisation, and the role of private income and private actors in Australia’s public school system. This project will help define the value of a robust public school system for the future of Australian society.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

The Safer Scooting Study. E-scooters are a new transport option experiencing rapid uptake, but many people are concerned about their safety. This project aims to provide an understanding of how and why people use e-scooters and how rider behaviour and safety outcomes change with experience. The anticipated goal of this project is to harness the potential benefits of e-scooters as an efficient replacement for short car trips and a way of improving access to public transport, while minimising the dangers to riders and pedestrians. This knowledge is expected to inform governments at all levels, industry and riders on how to optimise e-scooter design, use and regulation to contribute to improvements in transport, health and environmental outcomes for all Australians. Field of research: 1507 - Transportation and Freight Services E-scooters are a new urban transport option that promise to replace short car trips, reducing traffic congestion and pollution. Since their introduction to Australia, they have proven popular with riders but many in the community have expressed concern about their safety for riders and pedestrians. This project aims to learn more about the behaviours and attitudes of e-scooter riders and how this changes with experience. It will also examine the types of e-scooter trips that are being made and the extent to which they are replacing car trips, compared to replacing walking and cycling. The knowledge and recommendations from this research will be shared with riders, e-scooter scheme operators and manufacturers, all levels of government and the scientific community to inform policies and practices to maximise their benefits for the community.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Architectured ceramics to combine strength, toughness, and complex shapes. This project aims to develop ceramics that are simultaneously strong and tough, and to form them into complex shapes without compromising their mechanical properties – major challenges in science and engineering. Inspired by the internal architectures that confer these advantages on natural hard materials, it will produce novel ceramics with rationally-designed, highly-controlled dense architectures by developing a fast, scalable and versatile light-based 3D–4D printing technique combined with discrete element modelling. Outcomes will be toughened ceramics and new knowledge on processing-architecture-performance relationships, with significant benefits for biomaterials, defence, transport, high-temperature and aerospace applications. Field of research: 0913 - Mechanical Engineering Ceramic products are a multi-billion-dollar industry, with applications in biomaterial, protective armour, and high-temperature/harsh-environment systems. However, the performance and utility of existing ceramics is constrained by their brittleness. This project will result in novel classes of toughened ceramics with broader applicability across a more diverse spectrum of industries, positioning Australia at a very competitive position in research and development in high-performance ceramic materials, with flow-on economic and societal benefits. For example, metal implants currently used in the repair of damaged/diseased bone lack the tissue-regenerating capabilities of bioceramics but are preferred because they are tougher. By making tougher bioceramic implants, this project could improve outcomes for thousands of Australians and millions globally who suffer from bone conditions. Similarly, toughened ceramics will be significantly more impact-resistant than ceramics currently used in protective systems, such as body, vehicle and aircraft armours, providing clear advantages in these areas.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Building An Indigenist Health Humanities Collective. This proposal aims to develop Indigenist Health Humanities as a new and innovative field of inquiry, building an intellectual collective capable of bridging the knowledge gap that hinders current efforts to close the gap in Indigenous health inequality. Bringing together health and the humanities through the particularity of Indigenous scholarship, a deeper understanding of the human experience of health will be developed alongside a greater understanding of the enablers to building a transdisciplinary collective of Indigenous health researchers. The potential benefits include a more sustainable, relational and ethical approach to advancing new knowledge, advancing research careers and advancing health outcomes for Indigenous people. Field of research: 0806 - Information Systems Closing the gap in Indigenous health inequality has been a shared commitment of state and federal governments, yet despite decades of investment in clinical, community and research programs, health inequalities persist. This proposal seeks to fill the knowledge gap that is hindering these efforts by building a health research agenda and community of practice that includes humanities and social scientific perspectives about the social world that Indigenous people occupy and its role in the production of illness and inequality. This is particularly salient given the increasing recognition of the social and cultural determinants of health locally and globally. This research agenda aims to yield new insights into Indigenous health and well-being that will be used to better inform Indigenous policy responses, recognising the limitations of relying too heavily upon a medical response to what is effectively a socio-political problem.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Making Australia resilient to airborne infection transmission. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that basic questions regarding how to minimise the risk of airborne infection transmission for any respiratory viruses remain unanswered, despite their frequency and huge social and economic costs. Therefore, this project aims to expand scientific knowledge and develop practical tools to improve the resilience of Australian indoor environments against airborne transmission of respiratory viruses. The outcomes of the project conducted by a multidisciplinary international team of collaborators will include: (i) quantitative knowledge on virus-laden aerosols from human expiration; and (ii) exposure and infection risk models and their application to typical indoor building and transport scenarios. Field of research: 1117 - Public Health and Health Services The project will provide science-based solutions, tools and guidelines for engineering controls against airborne respiratory infection transmission, which will contribute to Australia’s national interest in multiple ways, and in particular will result in: (i) a reduced health burden, because viral respiratory infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Australia; (ii) significant economic benefits (hundreds of millions of dollars), since the direct and indirect costs (days of work lost) from influenza alone in Australia exceeds $100 million a year; (iii) reduced vulnerability, since without targeted research efforts, Australia will remain vulnerable to the spread of new emerging highly pathogenic viral infections, as well as to common viral infections; and (iv) generation of knowledge and findings that will be directly applicable to a broad range of potentially airborne human and zoonotic viruses. Ultimately, the research offers to increase economic prosperity and enhance human health and quality of life.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Wearable thermoelectric textiles for portable microelectronics. Wearable thermoelectrics enable the power generation from the temperature difference between human body and ambient temperature by using thermoelectric effect. This project aims to design eco-friendly wearable thermoelectric textiles to realize high-efficiency solid-state power generation and meet individual needs with human comfort and health. The target is to achieve a power density in the as-designed thermoelectric textiles by the optimization of materials and device design. The outcome will open up a new platform for the green and sustainable charge for portable microelectronics, which will lead to an innovative technology for energy management, which will place Australia at the forefront of wearable electronics and textile industry. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering Wearable thermoelectric devices can harvest electricity from body heat to charge wearable devices, which will open an avenue in the electronic industry. Cost- effective, eco-friendly, and wearable thermoelectrics will be integrated with wool or fabrics to form smart textiles for thermal regulations and power generations, which will bring tremendous economic and environmental benefits to our society. The success of this project will provide brand-new technology and scientific fundamental outputs in the field of thermoelectrics and wool industry, which will significantly enhance the international visibility and impact of Australia in the area of development of smart textiles. The developed technology will be utilised in the wool and electronics industry for wearable microelectronics. In this case, the consequence of this project will help to create new employment opportunities in the fields of electronics and wool industry, and will provide wealth generation for Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Reconceptualising copyright to improve access to screen culture . This project examines the impact of copyright law in Australia’s screen industries, focusing on distribution and access to audiovisual material. It seeks to understand how copyright law and practice can better ensure that the wealth of humankind’s recorded creative output is available for people to enjoy, learn from, and reuse. It combines novel digital research methods with in-depth interviews to study the challenges of licensing and distribution in the screen industries, where copyright is at its most complex. It aims to provide rigorous evidence to inform the development of technology-neutral regulation for Australia's copyright industries, improve copyright licensing markets, and unlock the value of under-distributed screen content. Field of research: 1801 - Law This project seeks to increase the distribution of knowledge and cultural goods in Australia, by improving copyright regulation and practice. It focuses particularly on Australian screen content, including Australian drama, sports, Indigenous stories, historical material, children's content, and niche and culturally diverse content. The project will generate the evidence that is urgently needed to help reform Australia's media laws in the transition to digital distribution. It is designed to inform ongoing attempts to create technology-neutral regulation, helping to make copyright law fit for purpose in the digital environment. Practically, this project develops best practices guidelines to help Australian filmmakers, TV producers, archivists, documentarians and broadcasters to navigate the thicket of copyright permissions that surround the production and management of film and TV content. This will also help Australia reclaim economic and cultural value from large volumes of existing and archived audiovisual content that are not currently accessible.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Redefining tissue-specific endothelial cells through bioengineered matrices. This project aims to improve our understanding of the biological mechanisms that drive blood vessel formation and function. The endothelial cells that make up each blood vessel are inherently unique across different sites within the human body and this project expects to generate new knowledge regarding their organ specificity. Using advanced bioengineering approaches, this project will map human endothelial cell specificity and develop state-of-the-art modelling technologies to improve knowledge of environmental influence on endothelial cell fate and function. This should provide a new framework to modulate the adaptive capacities of endothelial cells and can potentially enable more predictive and targeted drug efficacy and safety testing. Field of research: 0903 - Biomedical Engineering The ability to regenerate tissues and organs efficiently and without error is a major goal of the medical technologies industry around the world. As the connecting pathway to all organs in the human body, blood vessels are an important system underpinning how organs form, how they change and how they regenerate. Due to the biological complexity of human blood vessels, most of the factors controlling the creation of blood vessels within different tissues are still to be identified. Specifically, the outcomes of this project will demonstrate how the surrounding tissue environment influences the formation of tissue specific blood vessels. We will use advanced scientific methods to observe and manipulate the behaviour of endothelial cells and to link these cell behaviours to tissue-specific functions. By creating seamless information from the microscopic to the macroscopic world, this project will allow us to comprehensively characterize how blood vessels form, how they function and beyond the scope of this project, how they may fail in disease.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Pathways to agri-food supply chains that co-benefit people and nature. This project aims to improve biodiversity outcomes of agricultural food production and consumption, and expects to generate new knowledge about impacts of interventions and shocks on the environment, human health and livelihoods in agri-food systems. This will be achieved using an interdisciplinary approach that accounts for uncertainties in links between farmers, suppliers, consumers and supply-chain outcomes. The expected outcome is a value of information framework for identifying nature-friendly policies and actions with co-benefits for human well-being. Benefits include sustainability pathways with win-win outcomes for people and nature, and improved ways of meeting international commitments such as Sustainable Development Goals. Field of research: 0502 - Environmental Science and Management This research will build theory, synthesise evidence and develop a practical framework for integrating nature into agri-food supply choices that are increasingly subjected to shocks from changed environmental and socio-economic conditions such as COVID-19. Evidence synthesis and case study models will show how informed, strategic interventions improve biodiversity while achieving health and livelihood outcomes. This project will equip governments, the agriculture industry and environmental not-for-profit sector in Australia and globally with decision support and policy guidelines for choosing biodiversity-friendly, healthy interventions in agri-food production and consumption, minimising risks to livelihoods, and providing tools to track supply-chain impacts at regional, national or global scales. Insights will enable us to meet changing food demands whilst avoiding perverse outcomes on human health and the environment. Benefits include improving Australia’s capacity to achieve and report on international biodiversity and human well-being commitments such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Wearable thermoelectrics for personal heat management. Thermoregulation has substantial implications for energy consumption and human comfort and health. This project aims to develop wearable thermoelectric materials and devices with high cooling performance for personal heat management. A novel assembly approach, coupled with device design and materials engineering strategies, will be developed to engineer flexible thermoelectric materials with unique structures and chemistry. The key breakthrough is to design wearable thermoelectric devices with high flexibility and user comfort. The expected outcomes of this project will lead to an innovative cooling technology for personal heat management, which will place Australia at the forefront of wearable electronics and garment industry. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering Personal heat management includes personal cooling, heating, heat insulation, and temperature adjustment functions, which are more flexible and extensive than traditional air/liquid cooling suits for the human body. Cost-effective, eco-friendly, and wearable thermoelectrics will be integrated with wool or fabrics to form smart textiles for personal thermal regulation, which will bring tremendous economic and environmental benefits to our society. The success of this project will provide brand-new technology and fundamental scientific discoveries in the field of thermoelectrics to the wool industry, which will significantly enhance the international visibility and impact of Australia in the area of development of smart textiles. The developed technology will be utilised in the wool and electronics industry for personal heat management. In this case, the outcomes of this project will help to create new employment opportunities in the fields of electronics and wool industry, and will provide wealth generation for Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

The impact of urban vertical schools on students’ capability and wellbeing. Urban vertical schools are new types of schools in Australia. There are no evidence-based Australian precedents to guide designers or educators, no formal knowledge sharing processes that draw on experiences of pioneers, and little understanding of what these spaces mean for student capability and wellbeing. This evaluative case study will bring together evidence from designers, educators and students in three newly built urban, vertical schools. Project findings will point to inclusive principles for designing and leading in physical, digital and social school spaces to maximise student wellbeing and capability. Insights into student experiences in urban, vertical school spaces will have value for infrastructure spending in all schools. Field of research: 1301 - Education Systems This project will produce robust evidence of student and teacher experiences in new urban vertical schools to inform educational and built environment decision making. It will evaluate how these innovative physical, digital and social school spaces impact student wellbeing and capability. School designers, educators and students will identify factors that link design aspirations for school spaces to their experiences. Expected outcomes include maps that highlight the impacts of physical, digital and social school spaces, and factors that influence student wellbeing and capability. Resulting design and education principles, and evaluation methods, will enable knowledge sharing between educational leaders, architects, builders and designers and governments. The project focus on inclusive design will bring social benefit for generations of students and educators, and benefit public investment in current and future urban, vertical schools, and other schools undertaking renovations or new buildings.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Advanced Fibre Interfaces in Active Water Management Systems. Flooding is a critical issue in Australia, generating considerable economic losses, including by stormwater contamination. The current project will pioneer an integrated solution for stormwater retention, while removing chemical pollutants. In collaboration with the company ROCKWOOL-Lapinus - based on a stonewool fibre platform - we will (i) design fibre coatings based on a versatile and chemically simple deposition process, (ii) incorporate functionalities onto the fibres allowing active stormwater treatment to e.g. retain pollutants or target heavy metals and (iii) investigate these interfaces in-depth by advanced surface and interface characterisation methods to understand the fibre interface properties from nano- to macroscale. Field of research: 0303 - Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry Diminishing water security due to stormwater pollution and urban flooding caused by intense urbanisation are compound challenges that most developed nations face. Australia, with 71% of its population living in large urban environments, is especially affected by flooding which has detrimental impacts on the economy and society. Moreover, untreated stormwater contains significant concentrations of pollutants, which can raise human health risks and damage urban ecosystems. As climate change and urban intensification will continue to exacerbate, sustainable city concepts to address this pressing issue must be implemented. The project will establish an advanced technology platform with a high performance stonewool material that is applicable to reduce urban flooding. Not only will we develop an advanced stonewool barrier acting as a ‘passive’ rainwater retention system, but critically as an ‘active’ filtration for pollutants. The developed system can be further translated to other materials, giving the unique opportunity to target alternative water filtration systems.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

ARC Training Centre for Behavioural Insights for Technology Adoption (BITA). Australia needs accelerated adoption of innovation technologies to improve outcomes in health, agriculture and cybersecurity. Despite technically viable solutions, innovations fail to be adopted due to behavioural barriers. Behavioural approaches can promote significant gains by bridging the barriers to technology adoption. The Centre for Behavioural Insights for Technology Adoption will boost national productivity by identifying, designing and evaluating solutions that address these barriers. By uniting industry and government with world-leading interdisciplinary researchers, the Centre will build transformative capability in people, data and solutions and support Australian organisations to achieve higher returns on technology investment. Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics Australia is a country rich in technological innovation. What is often missing is the adoption and widespread use of these innovations for stronger economic growth and prosperity for all Australians. The Centre for Behavioural Insights for Technology Adoption (BITA) focuses on end-users to identify and overcome technical, economic, social and behavioural barriers to the uptake and use of innovations. BITA will boost national productivity by achieving higher returns on public investment in new technologies in health, agriculture and digital industries. BITA will support Australian businesses to scale up and grow with people-focused innovation which removes barriers to new systems and practices. BITA will enable more innovative new products and services to reach end-users in Australian and global markets. We will achieve this by training next-generation researchers and industry leaders with the behavioural science expertise and tools needed to accelerate technology adoption.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Dynamics of Partisanship and Polarisation in Online Public Debate. Rapidly increasing partisanship and polarisation, especially online, poses an urgent threat to societal cohesion in Australia and other established western democracies; polarisation is also a critical cybersecurity concern when actively promoted by bad-faith actors to undermine citizens’ trust in democratic institutions. By introducing an analytical framework that distinguishes four key dimensions of polarisation, the Fellowship aims to conduct the first-ever assessment of the extent and dynamics of polarisation in the contemporary online and social media environments of six nations, including Australia. The evidence is expected to enable an urgently needed, robust defence of our society and democracy against the challenges of polarisation. Field of research: 2001 - Communication and Media Studies Polarisation presents an urgent challenge. It intensifies social conflicts, threatens economic prosperity, undermines public trust, and ultimately destabilises societies. Such instability can be exploited by domestic extremists or foreign influence campaigns to weaken sovereign states. Distracted by polarisation at home, nations also lose their influence in the international community. While Australia has been less affected, so far, than other leading democracies, our society is not immune to creeping polarisation, and we must understand the threats we face. This project addresses the urgent need for a clear and robust assessment of polarisation in Australia and other mature democratic systems, with particular focus on the role of online and social media as environments for polarising debate. By developing the evidence base for the dynamics of polarisation in news coverage, audience engagement, public discourse, and social networks, it will identify avenues for avoiding and reducing polarisation in Australian society, safeguarding national cohesion and defending Australia against destabilisation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Re-Evolving Nature’s Best Positioning Systems for People and Their Machines. The aim is to develop next-generation positioning capabilities that reduce Australia’s increasingly risky strategic reliance on vulnerable GPS satellites owned by other countries, and that enable transformation of Australia’s most important sectors through enhanced automation and robotics. Our approach re-evolves, re-engineers, and re-combines the best performing and best understood components of nature’s best positioning systems with new technological advances in sensing and computation. The expected outcomes are high-performance positioning systems that improve the competitiveness of Australia’s leading industries and provide the positioning reliability required by the defence sector to keep Australia secure. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing Positioning is a critical capability for every sector of Australian industry, government, and society. Accurate and trustworthy positional knowledge is used to navigate by everything that moves with intent, and could shape life-and-death decisions in defence, tracking global pandemics, and even how social media networks function. In an increasingly chaotic geopolitical climate, Australia’s critical reliance on positioning technologies like satellite-based GPS is a sovereign risk because we do not own the satellites, and access could degrade in any major conflict. Current positioning technologies cannot enable the sweeping robotic and automation-driven transformations of Australian industry required to enhance competitiveness and thereby employ and retain a highly skilled workforce. By re-evolving the best positioning systems found in the natural kingdom, the Fellowship will develop next-generation positioning technologies that will enable these transformations, keep Australian society secure, and enhance the prospects for a robust workforce and living standards in the coming decades.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Searching for Life on Mars on Earth. Australia continues to play a world-leading role in researching planetary habitability. This project will deliver the most comprehensive investigation of Earth’s oldest known river/lake deposits, uniquely preserved in 2.8 billion-year-old rocks in Western Australia. Using the candidate’s expertise in field investigation in combination with a cutting-edge analytical approach, the project will produce a detailed reconstruction of the ancient lake environment. Similar settings will be explored by NASA's upcoming Mars 2020 rover mission at it's landing site in Jezero Crater. Mission data will be analysed by the candidate, who will guide the selection of samples and address the overarching question of whether microbal life ever existed on Mars. Field of research: 0403 - Geology This project will develop improved rock chemistry sensors and innovative software for rapid geochemical data analysis and for enhanced spacecraft autonomy. Better, faster and less costly rock chemistry sensors and software for processing vast geochemical datasets will enable new ore exploration strategies, including under regolith cover. This will increase mineral discovery in Australia and improve the efficiency of Australian and Australian-owned minerals processing industries. The project will also build Australian capabilities in the operation of complex spacecraft with benefits to defence and remote terrestrial and extraterrestrial resource exploration and extraction industries. The science investigation of the Perseverance Rover will provide an exciting multidisciplinary environment for training the next generation of researchers, who will lead the investigations driving the most ambitious deep space missions of our international partners.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Protein biosensors for detecting smoke exposure of grapes. Bush fires and controlled burns that take place in the vicinity of vineyards can lead to grape contamination with tasteless phenolic glucosides. Their hydrolysis during wine making leads to “smoke taint” – an unpleasant medicinal taste that can render wine undrinkable. We will apply a combination of organic synthesis, protein engineering and directed evolution to develop protein-based biosensors of phenolic glucosides. These biosensors will be used to devise a simple portable colorimetric test that can be performed in the vineyard or the winery. The ability to rapidly determine the level of grape contamination with phenolic glucosides would give Australian wine growers and wine makers a powerful tool to mitigate the effects of bushfires. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology The wine industry contributes over 45 billion dollars to the Australian economy annually, and is expected to remain an export success even in the current pandemic. However, the value of the Australian wine grape crush is vulnerable to smoke taint, exposure to which adversely affects wine quality. Although this is an international problem, it is particularly critical in Australia due to the wide area effects of the 2019/2020 bushfire disaster, and the prospect of similar events in the future due to climate change. This project aims to provide a world first “point-of-grape” biosensor that can detect smoke taint effects prior to further expensive wine processing, thus increasing the efficiency and value of Australian wine production. Development of such technology is expected to translate into millions of dollars in saving for Australian wine industry.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

High performance bioderived hybrid fillers for rubber composite. This project aims to address a significant problem in polymer composite synthesis by production and application of high performance bioderived hybrid silica fillers from renewable biomass feedstock. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of advanced manufacturing using interdisciplinary approaches in biorefining, filler and composite production and characterization. Expected outcomes of this project include a more sustainable filler production process for producing novel bioderived silica fillers with properties superior to commercial silica fillers. The successful implementation of this project will lead to the development of a new advanced manufacturing industry, creating jobs in regional Australia. Field of research: 1003 - Industrial Biotechnology High quality silica is a critical additive in the manufacturing of many products especially in rubber materials. Globally, high quality silica has a multi-billion dollar market and the demand for silica additives is rising driven largely by tyre manufacturing industry.  Silica is currently produced from non-renewable quartz sand using chemical-intensive processing.  This project will develop novel, environmentally friendly technologies to extract high-quality silica from rice husks with features superior to the commercial silica additives used in rubber manufacturing.  The outcome of this project will be the delivery of a green technology platform to support the development of a new advanced manufacturing industry in Australia. The new manufacturing industry will also improve the sustainability and profitability of the Australian rice industry by producing high-value silica additives from low-value processing residues and create jobs in regional communities.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

The Role of a Central Bank’s Balance Sheet in Shaping the Economy. In response to the global financial crisis, the world’s major central banks cut their rates to near zero and implemented untested unconventional monetary policies, significantly expanding the size and composition of their balance sheets. More than a decade later, the Reserve Bank of Australia is considering similar balance sheet policies. This proposal aims to develop various frameworks that can be used to simulate and evaluate when and how to eventually undo unconventional monetary policies in order to prevent a prolonged recession. Thus this research proposal will contribute to the current Australian monetary policy debate while providing some insights on how best to implement such policies, improving the living standards of Australians. Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics To stimulate the Australian economy, the Reserve Bank cut the cash rate three times in 2019, reaching to a record low of 0.75%. These measures have not delivered the desired effects. As a result, the Governor has hinted the possibility of considering quantitative easing as a way to reactivate the economy. Given the current Australian fiscal challenges, being able to identify the intended financial and macroeconomic effects of changing the composition and size of the central bank’s balance and highlight the potential unintended consequences of implementing quantitative easing is critically important. By providing theoretical frameworks where different central bank’s balance sheet policies can be simulated and assessed, this research proposal will contribute to the current Australian monetary policy debate. This proposal can shed some light on the timeliness of such policy response, when negative shocks hit the economy (such as the coronavirus), as to prevent a prolonged recession so that education, investment, and economic opportunities are less likely to suffer.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

In Silico Discovery and Design of 2D Ferromagnets for Nanoscale Electronics. Two dimensional (2D) ferromagnets have great promise for next generation electronics, but suffer from small magnetic anistropy and low Curie temperature for application at the ambient condition. This project aims not only to tackle this challenge by discovering and designing 2D ferromagnet with large anistropy and Curie temperature, but also to engineer 2D ferromagnet with highly mobile electron or extra ferroelectricity for novel nanoelectronic device. The technological outcomes will impact on the Australian economy through the potential for new knowledge-based electronics industry. Strong collaboration with leading expert will enable this Australian theoretical team to continue to establish itself as a leader in the field of 2D materials. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology This project will utilize the power of high-performance computing to accelerate the discovery of highly stable two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials. Smaller and smarter 2D magnets underpin emergent technology in low power nanoelectronics and would have direct economic impact on revolutionising multibillion-dollar electronic industry. New materials discovered will provide strong intellectual property positioning for potential commercialisation. New knowledges and breakthroughs achieved in this project can expand Australia's international competitiveness in the interdisciplinary fields of chemistry, physics, engineering, and technology. Additionally, the proposal fits in Australian Scientific and Research Priorities on advanced manufacturing associated with high performance materials and will also provide essential training environment for Australian researchers to foster future leadership and promote a long-term creative research culture in Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Plasma-assisted on-surface assembly for hydrogen production and beyond. This project aims to discover how to catalyse the formation and control the structure of functional materials with atomic precision using plasmas. New mechanisms of ultra-fast, plasma-catalytic on-surface nanoasembly will translate into energy-efficient, scalable digital fabrication of subnano-cluster and single-atomic-site catalysts over large 3D surface areas, tailored for advanced electrocatalysis. The outcomes including new concepts and insights into synergistic action of plasmas and solid surfaces will bridge atomic-scale materials formation and digital fabrication at industrial scales. The benefits including the new nanofabrication platform and clean energy will go beyond the demands of digital manufacturing and hydrogen economy. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology The outcomes may lead to versatile plasma-based nanotechnologies with new insights and methods for the scalable production of subnanometer-cluster and single-atom electrocatalysts of different composition tailored to specific applications, thus addressing at least two areas of Australia's priority national interests. The development of plasma-surface-catalytic processes will lead to new digital manufacturing technologies spanning from multipurpose surface coatings to custom-designed advanced energy materials with atomic precision. This could raise the value of Australia's natural resources by shifting the focus from crude ore exports to digital design and manufacture of products for high-value market segments. The focus on digital fabrication of next-generation catalysts using our proprietary plasma-enabled transformative platform technology would help place Australia as a world leader in the hydrogen export economy. Further benefits include zero-carbon-emissions, environment-friendly nanofabrication and training of highly-skilled workforce for the clean energy, digital manufacturing and sustainability age.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

An evolutionary landscape to better predict our future climate. Soil microbial communities are the most complicated and difficult to study on Earth, but their effects on our climate are profound. This project will examine the evolution of microorganisms and their viruses in soil using novel methods. It will uncover how the evolution of one microbial species influences the evolution of other community members. It will also apply a new model of evolution to the viruses that infect these microorganisms, constructing a viral ‘tree of life’. This improved fundamental understanding of soil communities will be used to study climate feedback from permafrost wetlands, a key and poorly constrained input of global climate models, improving predictions of our future climate. Field of research: 0605 - Microbiology Microorganisms in Australian soil fulfill many ecological functions, both in natural and agricultural settings. The project will elucidate two fundamental yet abstract structures that govern these systems – interactions between microorganisms and an evolutionary ‘tree of life’ for viruses. Improved understanding of the ecological and evolutionary processes happening in soil has many implications for sustainable land management, including those within Australia’s ‘Soil and Water’ and ‘Food’ research priority areas, and is intimately involved in Australia’s contributions to global carbon cycling. To study these fundamental forces, the project will build free software packages and distribute them publicly. Additionally, the project’s focus on methane cycling in northern hemisphere permafrost soil will contribute to increased accuracy of climate models, a benefit both for Australia and for all humanity.