Queensland University of Technology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Private Land Conservation in a Dynamically Changing and Risky World. Climate change, and the increasing risk of drought, heatwaves, and fire, have major implications for the design and effectiveness of private land conservation programs. This project aims to generate new knowledge about the effect of climate change on adoption and outcomes of private land conservation agreements. It will use an innovative social-ecological approach focused on koalas. Expected outcomes include an innovative framework to help make decisions about private land conservation investments under climate change. This should provide significant benefits for government and non-government organisations by providing solutions to climate-proof their conservation investments on private land in a rapidly changing world. Field of research: 0502 - Environmental Science and Management Much of Australia’s unique biodiversity occurs on private land. Consequently, Australia invests heavily in mechanisms to achieve conservation outcomes on private land and this is reflected in Australia’s Strategies for Nature and Threatened Species. Yet, climate change, and the associated increasing risk of drought, heatwaves, and fire, is having dramatic impacts on species occurring on private land, as well as landholders’ ability and willingness to conserve species on their properties. In the face of these rapid changes, Australian governments and non-government organisations urgently require new knowledge and tools to ensure their investments in private land conservation continue to be effective. This project will directly improve decision-making by identifying which private land conservation strategies are robust to climate change risk, while taking full consideration of the social, economic, and environmental trade-offs. By focussing on koala populations, the project also addresses a major national priority to ensure the long-term persistence of this culturally iconic species.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Advanced Macromolecular Architecture via Selenium. The overarching aim of this project is to drastically expand the scale and scope of selenium-based macromolecular chemistry via safe, odor-free multicomponent reactions utilising elemental selenium. This project will develop new methods and techniques in drastically reducing the cost while increasing worker and environmental safety of industrial elastomers such as Spandex. Next the project will exploit selenium's sensitivity to ozonolysis to design a new instrument capable of extreme precision in monitoring oxidative damage in polymeric materials. Finally, selenium's unique reactivity will lend itself towards the next generation of smart materials which will be capable of completely reorganizing their structure down to the molecular level. Field of research: 0303 - Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Programming Polymer Function via Ring-opening Polymerisation of Peptides. The project aims to set the foundation of a class of intelligent polymers, whose structure and function – including catalytic activity and biodegradability – can be readily programmed. In contrast to well-established radical polymerization techniques leading to all-carbon based backbones, the outlined research will develop technologies to incorporate short peptides into the backbones of synthetic polymers. The synthetically adjustable amino acid sequence of the main chain embedded peptides will translate into the structure and function of the modular polymer. The DECRA will deliver unprecedented access towards tailor-made mechanical properties, catalytic activity and biodegradability of polymeric materials. Field of research: 0303 - Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Safe distractions? Taking the danger out of competing activities. Distracted driving is an increasing safety concern in Australia and worldwide. Smartphones play key roles in today’s professional and social contexts and current road safety policies based on stopping their use while driving have shown little success. Distraction is predicted to be an even greater issue in new semi-automated vehicles. This project proposes an innovative approach that will enable safe engagement in competing tasks while driving non-automated and semi-automated vehicles. The outcomes will underpin the development of new technologies to reduce the potential adverse effects of these distractions and thus reduce deaths and serious injuries, representing significant cost savings to the health system and the community. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Developing next-generation mass spectrometry imaging with isomer resolution. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a rapidly emerging technology for mapping molecular distributions within biological samples. This project will bring together market-leading MSI instrumentation from the industry partner Waters Corporation with unique technologies developed at QUT and UOW to develop an integrated MSI-platform capable of achieving high mass- and spatial-resolution, as well as discrimination of lipid isomers. Resolution of lipid isomers using this instrumentation will afford researchers a first glimpse of isomer-resolved images that will be used to visualise tissue-specific changes resulting from underlying chemical, physical or metabolic processes; changes that are currently invisible to contemporary imaging technologies. Field of research: 0301 - Analytical Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Understanding pollutant transport in estuaries and coastal rivers. By advancing pollutant transport modelling that use recent developments in drift sensors, this project aims to investigate water quality of estuaries and coastal rivers under pressure from urban growth. The project expects to generate a new capability for quantitative particle concentration predictions through detection and innovative analysis of Lagrangian Coherent Structures. The expected outcome is a new particle transport modelling framework and algorithms for shallow water systems, which effectively exploit extensive datasets becoming available from GPS-enabled drifters. This should provide significant benefits such as reliable assessment of possible effects of catchment and waterway changes on pollutant and sediment concentration which can impact waterway health. Field of research: 0915 - Interdisciplinary Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Tuning non-plasmonic metals to high performance photocatalysts. This project aims to develop non-plasmonic, transition metal-based, photocatalysts with enhanced light absorption, to achieve irradiation controllable product selectivity in organic synthesis. The project demonstrates how hollow-particle morphology alloy nano-structures can enhance photocatalytic activity. Alloy structures such as iridium-nickel (IrNi), iridium-cobalt (IrCo) and iridium-tin (IrSn) nanoparticles with a hollow morphology, exhibit dramatically increased photocatalytic activity over their individual components, Ir, Ni, Co and Sn respectively. The project is expected to expand the application of photocatalysis and generate knowledge that can be used to design efficient photocatalysts from non-plasmonic metals. Intended benefits are the generation of new knowledge and capabilities in synthetic catalysis and applications in fields such as the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. Field of research: 0306 - Physical Chemistry (Incl. Structural)

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

A rhythm and movement intervention for self-regulation in preschool. This project aims to examine the effectiveness of a rhythm and movement intervention, delivered by early childhood teachers, to improve self-regulation for preschool-aged children living in disadvantaged communities. Coordinated rhythmic movement activities are proposed as an effective means to support the neurological bases of self-regulation and enhance motor, auditory, and self-regulatory functioning. Project outcomes will include resources designed for teachers on how to use rhythmic movement activities to improve young children’s skills to regulate attention and behaviour. This project will have significant benefits for positive school transition, and may help to address disparities in early learning and childhood wellbeing. Field of research: 1301 - Education Systems

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Improving mental health and safety in the construction industry. This project aims to quantify the interdependencies of the psychosocial risk factors the construction workforce is exposed to and contribute to developing strategies for improving the mental health and safety of the Australian construction industry. The suicide rate of Australian construction workers is 84 per cent higher than non-construction workers due to the high psychosocial risks involved. The quantification of these psychosocial risk factors and their interdependencies will enable effective strategies to be designed. The long-term impacts of this project include improving the mental health of the construction workforce, reducing suicide rates and mental health work compensation, enhancing employee productivity, and reducing accidents and injuries. This project will make Australia a global leader in mental health and safety of the construction industry. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Development of a Universal Super Transmission Electron Microscope. This project aims to design a universal super-high resolution transmission electron microscope that will enable fast snapshots of dynamic processes at the nanometre to picometre scale. This project will pioneer methods to image any material at atomic resolution, and to trace its transient temporal-resolved behaviour at the same time as measuring its chemical, mechanical, physical, electrical and thermal properties with optical manipulation using state-of-the-art in situ sample holders. The new facility will provide unique advanced capability for the Australian materials science and engineering research community to directly observe, study and characterise many complex processes that elucidate the structure-property relationship for a wide range of materials. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Rational design of light-emitting materials for lighting and displays. This project aims to solve the most pressing problem in organic light emitting diodes - the lack of highly efficient, phosphorescent blue emitters. The project expects to generate new understanding of energy loss mechanisms in such devices from multiscale quantum mechanical models, which describe the interaction of the emitter with its environment, and to design new materials via big data approaches. Expected outcomes include a fundamental understanding of non-radiative decay processes in organometallic complexes and more efficient lighting and display technologies. This project should provide significant benefits in reducing energy use, as lighting and displays consume around a quarter of the energy generated in developed countries. Field of research: 0204 - Condensed Matter Physics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Characterising inheritance patterns of whole genome DNA methylation. This project aims to characterise epigenetic diversity and inheritance patterns in whole genome sequencing data from a unique human population. The project will employ the well-characterised Norfolk Island genetic isolate, cost-effective whole genome bisulphite sequencing technologies and advanced bioinformatics pipelines and statistical models. It will involve cross-discipline collaboration between human geneticists, epigeneticists, statistical geneticists and bioinformaticians. This project will advance our understanding of the interaction of genetics and epigenetics and their relationship to diversity and inheritance in humans. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Using visual science to reduce the dangers of night driving. This project aims to develop novel tests of visual function relevant to the modern night driving environment. Night driving is challenging for all drivers and has been linked to poor visibility under low light conditions. This project will characterise the visual challenges of the modern night driving environment, develop visual tests that incorporate the dynamic light levels typical of night-time roads and assess the association of these tests with night driving performance. The outcomes will contribute new knowledge regarding dynamic visual processing and the ageing visual system and will inform vision testing, potential interventions to improve visual function for night driving and reduce the dangers of night driving. Field of research: 1113 - Ophthalmology and Optometry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Relationship of retinal directionality to human retinal anatomy variations. This project aims to improve measurement of retinal directionality, which is the reduction in brightness when a light beam’s entry into the human eye is shifted from the centre to the edge of the pupil. This influences retinal image quality and can be used to measure changes in shape of the peripheral eye. This project will apply advanced technologies in holography, and heads-up displays to explore how retinal directionality changes during accommodation (focusing). The expected outcome is improved understanding of retinal stretching changes during focusing. The benefit is that the project will lead to advancements in retinal imaging. Field of research: 1113 - Ophthalmology and Optometry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

New mathematics for understanding complex patterns in the natural sciences. This project aims to examine the interaction of fundamental two-dimensional patterns such as spots and stripes in reaction-diffusion equations, by developing and extending mathematical techniques. These fundamental planar structures form the backbone of more complex patterns and are, for example, observed in models that describe the propagation of impulses in nerve axons and the formation of vegetation patterns. The future impact of this research will have economic and environmental benefits. For example, the project will develop a deeper understanding of interacting patterns that will provide insights into the role of vegetation in ecosystems that are undergoing desertification. Field of research: 0102 - Applied Mathematics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Green synthesis of organometal perovskite solar cells. This project aims to understand the mechanism that governs the formation and crystallisation process of organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite films from non-toxic, environmentally friendly, protic ionic liquids. The project will develop new ionic liquid solvent systems that deliver appropriate morphology, and electrical and optical properties to fabricate high performance perovskite solar cells using environmentally friendly, low-toxicity processes. Successful achievement of the outcomes will enable environmentally-friendly, industrial scale processing of perovskite materials, placing Australia at the forefront of organometallic perovskite materials processing with applications in renewable energy and other electro-optical applications. Field of research: 0303 - Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Fractional dynamic models for MRI to probe tissue microstructure. This project aims to develop new mathematical tools for mapping tissue microstructural properties via the use of space-time fractional calculus methods. In magnetic resonance imaging, mathematical models and their parameters play a key role in associating information between images and biology, with the overall aim of producing spatially resolved maps of tissue property variations. However, models which can inform on changes in microscale tissue properties are lacking. The tools developed by this project will be used to generate new magnetic resonance image based maps to convey information on tissue microstructure changes in the human brain. Additionally, the mathematical tools developed will be transferable to other applications where diffusion and transport in heterogeneous porous media play a role. Field of research: 0102 - Applied Mathematics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Ultra-high mobility Dirac semimetal nanostructures for solid state devices. This project aims to develop novel Dirac semimetal nanostructures and determine their structural and chemical characteristics to ultimately assemble high-performance devices. The growth of band-engineered nanostructures and understanding their evolution, fine structure and unique properties are key steps for developing high-performance nanostructure-based devices. The new knowledge and skills developed in this project will greatly enhance the knowledge base of nanoscience and nanotechnology, and will have a significant impact on practical applications of nanostructure-based devices. This project will underpin the development of next-generation electronic nanomaterials that will enhance the long-term viability of Australia’s high-technology industries. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Improving the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. This project aims to investigate the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. It intends to test a theoretical model of leader performance and wellbeing which recognises that introverts regularly need to act out of character, that is, extraverted, in order to perform competently in leadership positions. The project proposes that the necessity for introverted leaders to act extraverted will compromise their effectiveness and make them vulnerable to low wellbeing. Expected outcomes from this project include a better understanding of the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. Intended benefits for introverted leaders include demonstrated efficacy of affective forecasting intervention strategies. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Improving diagnostic accuracy and treatment options for equine PPID. Equine Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) is a common, chronic and potentially life-threatening disease of older horses and ponies. Although a treatment is available, the disease is poorly understood and there are some concerns that the current diagnostic technology is not delivering accurate results. Thus, this project aims to develop a more accurate diagnostic test for PPID, while exploring the relationship between PPID and metabolic syndrome, to generate new insights into the cause and consequences of both diseases. As an added benefit, the project will assist horseracing laboratories to improve their detection methods for peptide doping in younger competition horses. Field of research: 0707 - Veterinary Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Improving outcomes through accessible assessment and inclusive practices. Complex assessment tasks and pedagogies present barriers to the learning and achievement of students with disability, including those with language and/or attentional difficulties. This research will test: 1) whether accessible assessment task design leads to improved student outcomes; 2) whether enhancing teachers’ inclusive practice improves student access to formative assessment pedagogies, enabling more accurate student understanding of assessment aims and requirements; and 3) how improvements in task design and teacher practice can be sustained and upscaled across secondary school departments. Expected outcomes of international significance are more inclusive learning and assessment practices with the potential to benefit all students. Field of research: 1303 - Specialist Studies In Education

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Ambient nature network: new technologies to connect people to nature. This project aims to reconnect people with nature through new technology. Events in nature occur at times, places and scales that are hard to witness, leading to human disconnection from nature. This project proposes to address this issue by researching and designing new low-cost devices that combine environmental sensors with new interfaces to reveal local nature in parks and gardens in calm, engaging ways within and between homes in medium and high density environments. Outcomes will include new connected devices, playful interfaces and social sharing mechanisms, an evaluation with local groups, and a new theory of technology supported human-nature interaction. Benefits will include better community connection to nature, engagement in local citizen science, environmental initiatives and novel monitoring services and products. Field of research: 0806 - Information Systems

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Cost-efficient 2D heterostructures for solar overall water splitting. This project aims to develop novel processes to enable water splitting to generate hydrogen and oxygen under sunlight using cost-efficient 2D van der Waals heterostructures. Enhanced optical absorption and reduced charge transfer distance across the interface are expected to improve the photocatalytic activity. Experimental design and theoretical simulations will be combined to modulate the materials and achieve optimum photocatalytic performances. Expected outcomes of this project include expanded chemistry knowledge and techniques in materials design and synthesis, photophysics and photocatalysis mechanism and solar energy conversion. This will provide significant benefits to clean energy and environmental protections. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Pluses and minuses of lipid mass spectrometry. This project aims to investigate the structural diversity of lipids. Lipids are among the most structurally diverse of all the biomolecules and thus deciphering their many functions requires bio-analytical technologies capable of uniquely identifying and quantifying individual molecules in a milieu of many thousands of analogues. Mass spectrometry is the pre-eminent technique for contemporary lipid analysis but is challenged by the preference of certain lipids to ionise with a polarity that affords sensitive detection but does not permit detailed structure elucidation. This project will develop advanced instrumentation capable of on-demand polarity switching of ionised lipids such that the detection and interrogation of molecular structure can take place in the optimal charge state. Field of research: 0301 - Analytical Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

In it to win it: an interdisciplinary investigation of sports betting. This project aims to better understand how young adults use, communicate about and experience mobile phone sports betting applications. Gambling generates significant health and social harms in Australia. Yet there is little research on the use of betting apps, even though sports betting is the fastest growing segment of the gambling market. This project intends to examine how use of sports betting apps is becoming established as everyday social practice normalising problem gambling. The findings will enhance understanding of the social contexts of sports betting, and inform gambling policy and programs leading to better health and social outcomes. Field of research: 1604 - Human Geography