Australian National University

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

The International Political Thought of Women’s Regional Networks . The political ideas of Asia Pacific women’s regional networks remain under-examined and worse, misunderstood as narrowly about ‘women’s issues’. By combining feminist methodologies to archival research, network mapping and interviews, this project aims to generate new knowledge on how women’s regional networks understand global crises and the transformative solutions to address them. Expected outcomes include an historicised understanding of the intellectual contributions of women from the most crisis-affected region in the world. It should benefit Australian policymakers and practitioners seeking to partner with these networks in collectively responding to crises on multiple fronts – from COVID-19 to conflicts and climate change. Field of research: 4408 - Political Science Australia’s national security is dependent on peace and security in the Asia Pacific region. In an unpredictable political environment, however, it is vital that Australia listens to all voices from the region. An important but often neglected political voice comes from women’s networks situated across Asia and the Pacific. Women are routinely on the frontlines of every crisis in the Asia Pacific region from conflicts to COVID-19 outbreaks to natural disasters, and yet we know little about how they interpret and address these challenges and what solutions they can offer. This project seeks to discover how women’s political ideas can transform global responses to contemporary security challenges. By combining archival research, network mapping and interviews, it will develop a model for engaging women’s regional networks in Australian security and foreign-policy decision-making. This model will be shared with DFAT and relevant regional agencies such as the United Nations to more effectively promote gender equality in the context of advancing regional security.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Synergy between future 21-cm experiments and physical cosmology. The nature of dark matter and formation of the first galaxies are both unsolved mysteries. During the first 500 million years, our universe was filled with hydrogen atoms illuminated by the first galaxies. The 21-cm radiation from this gas encodes properties of unseen galaxies and dark matter during this so-called cosmic dawn. This project aims to build an innovative framework to leverage future 21-cm experiments using The Square Kilometre Array to observe cosmic dawn, and to forecast the optimal constraints on dark matter physics. Additional outcomes include the largest cosmological simulation of the first galaxies powered by neural networks and improved knowledge of their properties using Bayes' theorem and The James Webb Space Telescope. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Australia is hosting the construction of the world's largest radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), which aims to address two fundamental questions in the nation's Decadal Plan for Astronomy: How did the first galaxies transform our Universe, and what is the nature of dark matter? However, the lack of theoretical capability will hinder the nation's ability to fully exploit the forthcoming SKA results, potentially losing world-first discoveries to international competitors. This project will develop a comprehensive kit of AI enhanced statistical tools that provide new insights into the formation of ancient galaxies and the nature of dark matter. It will establish the nation's long-term leadership in SKA discoveries, provide analysis software to Australia’s scientific community, and yield a return on Australia's sizable investment in SKA. It will also have an immediate impact at a time when AI is profoundly shaping society, with algorithms that can prevent fraud in e-commerce, create personalised learning content for educators, and advance self-driving technology and navigation systems.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Mobilising Litigation to Effect Legal, Policy and Social Change. This project will be the first comprehensive study of movement litigation from an Australian perspective. Using an innovative blend of socio-legal methods, the outcomes include an examination of movement litigation actors and their democratic role, a methodological framework for global scholarship on movement litigation and the first international and comparative study of refugee rights movement litigation. These outcomes will generate new knowledge for forced migration studies and have the potential to transform the discipline of law by providing tools for a broader and more contextual approach for the study of jurisprudence. Benefits include lessons for enhancing participatory democracy and promoting progressive social and legal change. Field of research: 4807 - Public Law Australian social movements are increasingly using litigation to prompt social, legal and policy change. For example, a coalition of young Australians recently won a case in which a QLD court indicated that mining applications could be rejected on human rights and climate change grounds. Such cases can achieve new law, yet can also cause regressive law and policy change or social backlash. Using interviews, case studies and legal analysis, this project will examine the impact of such litigation and what social movement organisations seek to achieve through it. Findings will be translated for key stakeholders: the UN who will use them in international and domestic court cases and to guide members on issues such as climate change and human rights; advocacy organisations using litigation as a strategy, to leverage litigation for best effect; and Australian governments, who will be equipped with knowledge to better manage the role of defendant in future cases. Their use of the findings will increase Australian civil society’s effectiveness in promoting progressive social and legal change via court systems.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Neanderthal hunting ability and the extinction of archaic humans. This project aims to investigate a critical factor in explaining Neanderthals extinction: their hunting abilities. The research expects to generate new knowledge of archaic humans behaviour using an innovative approach combining traditional archaeological analytical methods with ground-breaking biomolecular techniques. Expected outcomes of this project include the development of new knowledge in human evolutionary history and improved techniques to understand past human extinction events. This should provide significant benefits for Australia to become a primary power in studying human past and deep history, while enhancing capacity by becoming the first country in the Southern Hemisphere to implement ancient protein studies in archaeology. Field of research: 4301 - Archaeology Centuries ago, we co-existed with several species, including Neanderthals, a now-extinct human. Some say the reason for Neanderthal extinction was the more efficient methods for hunting wild animals developed by modern humans. Using novel bone analysis techniques from biochemical archaeology, this project will investigate Neanderthal hunting abilities to produce evidence of the importance of sustainable management of animals for modern humans’ survival. We will share our discoveries via animations, media interviews, and guest podcasts with the more than 5 million Australians who watch archaeology news and documentaries, visit museums and listen to podcasts. We will also create interactive school resources, a graphic novel and curriculum recommendations for school-aged children who are future stewards of Australia’s animal resources. The uptake of our creative and engaging translational outputs by these two audiences will serve to promote deeper understanding of and appreciation for how humans manage animals for our survival, past, present and future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Anti-racist neuroethics for epistemic justice in mental health research. Racial/ethnic minorities are underrepresented in brain and mental health (BMH) research, risking inadequate healthcare for the 9.5 million minorities in Australia. With the $73 billion annual cost of BMH disorders to the country, all Australians should equally benefit from BMH research. This project aims to develop recommendations to make BMH research more diverse and inclusive. It will audit representation of minorities in Australian BMH publications and will conduct surveys, interviews, and workshops with scientists to determine institutional barriers to the inclusion of and engagement with minorities in research. This project will draw from concepts of epistemic justice and anti-racism to develop ethical frameworks for BMH racial equity. Field of research: 5001 - Applied Ethics Racism impacts brain and mental health (BMH), costing Australia $37.9 billion/year. Racism also manifests in research practices and ethics guidelines, limiting full participation of racial/ethnic minorities in knowledge generation. This leads to knowledge gaps and inadequate BMH care for the 29% of overseas-born Australians and 3.2% who are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. With health and multiculturalism being national priorities, this study will determine the extent of knowledge gaps by examining Australian BMH research outputs. It will then identify systems and practices that limit minority participation by conducting interviews, surveys, and workshops with scientists. The project aims to generate recommendations for scientists, institutions, funders, and ethics committees on fostering equitable partnerships and increasing minority participation in research. BMH disorders cost the country $73 billion/year, and BMH care and promotion strategies that benefit diverse Australians are urgently needed. Anti-racist practices that ensure equal opportunities for knowledge production are thus essential.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

The geometry of braids and triangulated categories. Triangulated categories play a central role in geometry, algebra, and topology. Their study can uncover deep structure connecting different areas of mathematics. This project aims to use novel approaches to answer fundamental questions about triangulated categories and their symmetries. These symmetries are encoded by braids, which are important objects with many applications across science. The project is expected to benefit Australia by stimulating research in mathematics and computer science. It will invite connections with leading experts and students around the world and encourage overseas collaboration. There is a potential long-term benefit to cybersecurity, towards the development of new encryption schemes based on braids. Field of research: 4904 - Pure Mathematics Digital data theft and online crime affects Australians once every seven minutes, having increased 13% in the last year and projected to double by 2025. Last year, cyber-attacks cost Australians over $300 million, and there is an urgent need for new tools that better protect personal information. This project aims to meet this need: the complex mathematical structures studied in this project, called braids, will be used to create world-first algorithms, protocols, and tools for more efficient computation and improved data protection in Australia. The algorithms we develop will be shared via joint working groups and seminars with the Australian Signals Directorate, our established collaborative partner in the cyber sector. The project outputs will also be adapted for data protection via research collaborations with the Australian Cyber Security Centre. Through these applications, the project will contribute to strengthening the protection and privacy of Australians’ online data, and to Australia’s future cyber security.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Reducing uncertainty in prediction of leaf respiration in a changing world. This project aims to advance our understanding of responses of carbon dioxide (CO2) release by leaf (leaf respiration) to sustained changes in CO2 and temperature. Leaf respiration in terrestrial forests releases yearly CO2 that is two to four times higher than CO2 emitted by human activities, but its response to climate change is not well understood. The project expects to generate new knowledge on mechanisms underlying responses of leaf respiration to these climate change variables, separately and combined. Expected outcome is to deliver criteria that enable dynamic changes in leaf respiration to be predicted in climate models. Results should benefit improved forecast of feedback between Australian forests' carbon cycling and climate. Field of research: 3102 - Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Plants release 60 – 80 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year through a process called respiration. This is six times more than human emissions. Our limited knowledge of plant leaf respiration slows Australia’s ability to respond to climate change, meet international carbon emission obligations, and build resilient farming systems. Studying leaf respiration under rising atmospheric CO2 and temperature conditions in Australian forests will produce a more advanced framework that can enable more accurate earth system models. These models are used frequently to estimate plant-based carbon storage capacity, atmospheric CO2 levels, and future temperature and rainfall scenarios. Our framework will be shared with science agencies like CSIRO to improve Australian carbon cycle modelling and weather forecasting as well as to enable data-driven decision-making within government and industry on carbon emission reduction targets. These applications will contribute national flow-on benefits that support sustainable land-use productivity and profitability.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Probing ultralight bosons with black holes and gravitational waves. This project aims to search for gravitational waves from ultralight boson clouds around black holes and to investigate the boson properties. It expects to generate new knowledge on currently undiscovered particles by combining cutting-edge theories and innovative signal-processing techniques. These particles are predicted to solve problems in particle and high-energy physics and are compelling dark matter candidates. Expected outcomes include high-profile constraints on the particle properties and potential detection of new particles, new data-analysis techniques, and significantly enhanced capacity to build international and interdisciplinary collaborations. These should bring significant benefits to fundamental physics and cosmology. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Australia plays a leading role in detecting invisible ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves. These waves are created by massive objects, including black holes. This project could further the search for gravitational waves emitted by clouds of undiscovered particles through cutting-edge techniques in gravitational-wave science. The new knowledge obtained in this project will shed light on the fascinating connection between black holes and particles that constitute the Universe, building the foundation for a new cosmic probe into fundamental physics. Cutting-edge technologies utilised and developed in this project, including optical interferometry, control systems, high-precision measurement, advanced signal processing techniques at low signal-to-noise-ratio regime, are highly beneficial to Australia's space industry. Novel fast signal-tracking techniques developed in this project, based on a key signal processing algorithm, could lead to new applications in defence, space technology, communication and engineering, and will bring economic value to Australia's space and communication industries.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Pioneering alpine epigenomics to discover adaptive genetic elements. The genetic code of native plants are yet to be explored for DNA elements that promote resilience to climate change. These elements are now ripe for discovery due to recent advances in epigenomics allowing for rapid identification. This proposal aims to discover heat-associated elements in waxy bluebells, which inhabit Australia’s vulnerable high country. Expected outcomes include new insights on gene regulatory mechanisms in native plants; the generation of resources for genetic conservation, and catalysing further molecular research into Australian flora. This should provide significant benefits by revealing genome regulation in native plants, thereby improving the ability to predict the impacts of climate change. Field of research: 3105 - Genetics Australia’s alpine regions are vulnerable to climate change. They contain much plant life that are critical for ecosystem health. Yet, we have little information on their DNA, which is vital to predicting their capacity for resilience. This project will identify DNA elements that promote resilience to hot weather in waxy bluebells, which grow across Australia's alpine regions. This will open a new research field discovering the genetic strategies our native plants employ to survive. Expected outcomes include new knowledge and resources that will benefit, and build capacity, for conservation genetics in Australia. Such outcomes will help improve our ability to predict how Australia's plants will respond to climate change and provide new DNA tools for crop engineering. Ultimately, this Fellowship will catalyse molecular research into native plant species thereby placing Australia at the forefront of this new field.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

How galactic mergers and their stellar survivors shaped our Milky Way. This project aims to investigate the role of mergers with smaller galaxies in shaping the Milky Way by developing tools to identify stellar survivors of mergers. This project expects to produce an all-sky map of stellar survivors based on the largest search within Australian and international survey data and perform innovative comparisons with simulations to constrain the role of mergers. Expected outcomes are aligned with the decadal plan for Australian astronomy and can open new avenues for global astronomy and contracts for upcoming billion-dollar surveys. The project should cement Australia’s role as a leader in a new era of galactic exploration and provide benefits beyond astronomy by training Australians to assess complex big data. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Big data analysis can revolutionise how we deal with everyday problems by finding patterns in settings such as identifying manufacturing errors or cancer cells. To take advantage of the potential of big data analysis in Australia, we need more advanced analytical tools and a skilled workforce to use them. Building on Australia’s $200+ million investment in large observational and computing facilities, this project will develop innovative data analysis software that, with machine learning, can discover patterns and rare objects in large datasets. It will specifically focus on analysing the chemical compositions of millions of stars to understand how chemical elements, such as those used in modern electronics, have evolved over time and shaped the Galaxy. The research team will share these tools with Australian medical and manufacturing industries and researchers through open-access platforms and foster collaboration to support uptake. Industry’s use of our software in their sector will benefit everyday Australians in areas such as less fault-prone electronics and more accurate cancer diagnosis and treatment.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

On the wealth of First Nations: Examining the Indigenous-settler wealth gap. This project aims to revise understandings of First Nations economic circumstances by investigating disparities between First Nations and non-Indigenous financial wealth. It expects to generate knowledge of the size of the ‘wealth gap’ and identify the structures that cause its contemporary reproduction and analyse policy options to address these disparities. Expected outcomes of the project include new knowledge about the Indigenous-settler wealth gap and the development of a research literature on approaches to addressing the wealth gap in Australia. This should provide significant benefits including a clearer understanding of the nature and causes of economic disparities between First Nations and non-Indigenous people in Australia. Field of research: 4406 - Human Geography Wealth inequality in Australia has been widening in recent years and is of social and political concern. Yet the gap between the wealth of First Nations and non-Indigenous Australians is less clear. In public debate, blame for economic inequalities tends to be laid on First Nations communities, yet this overlooks the role of Australia’s colonial past in creating today’s inequalities. Drawing on economic geographic theory and original quantitative data, this project will produce the first estimates of the value of First Nations financial assets in comparison to assets owned by non-Indigenous Australians. It will also identify the ways that the wealth gap is reproduced across generations. Through workshops and detailed reports provided to First Nations organisations and policymakers, the project will provide them with the tailored information they need to understand and address this issue, particularly through Treaty negotiations. These changes will in turn help to shift public attitudes and promote a fairer and more secure financial future for indigenous Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Chemical and structural design for high power energy storage materials. This project aims to develop new materials with both high power and high energy storage capabilities by exploring emerging relaxor antiferroelectric (RAFE) materials. Through investigating the internal chemical and structural factors, and their interactions at different length scales, this project will first solve the current ambiguities in RAFEs and then identify critical factors for properties to better design and develop new high-performance energy storage materials. The outcomes of this project will advance the knowledge of ferroic materials, provide new candidates for advanced electrical systems such as renewable energy, electric vehicles and pulsed power devices, and potentially revolutionise high power energy storage technologies. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Energy storage needs not only to hold a large amount of energy (high energy density) but also to capture/release the energy fast (high power density). Lack of a suitable material with these properties reduces the efficient use of renewable energy. For example, without a high-power energy storage buffer or high-power device protection, strong wind feeding a wind turbine might create an overflow in energy storage capability or even damage the energy storage system due to the high voltage pulse. This project aims to create a rational materials design strategy for developing new-generation energy storage materials with both high power and high energy storage capabilities. The outcomes of this project will advance materials science, complement current energy storage technologies (such as batteries and supercapacitors), and accelerate the development of novel technologies by adopting miniaturised high-power devices, e.g., electric vehicles, LIDAR systems and 5G transceivers, which will improve Australia’s competitiveness in advanced manufacturing, as well as benefit the energy, defence, IoT and medical sectors.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Where we belong: Connecting Indigenous identity and well-being in the city. This project aims to address a critical knowledge gap about the lived experience of well-being for urban/sub-urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This project intends to provide an empirical understanding of the importance of identity and belonging for well-being from an Indigenous standpoint. Expected outcomes of this project include an in-depth, holistic, and place-based understanding of Indigenous-determined pathways to living well in the city and identifying community-based policy opportunities. This project has the potential to contribute to significant social and cultural benefits, such as improving Indigenous community well-being, healing intergenerational trauma, and promoting social cohesion and reconciliation. Field of research: 4504 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing Pathways to wellbeing for Indigenous Australian communities are often based on non-Indigenous definitions of a good and healthy life. Drawing on yarning and storytelling methods, this project aims to generate new, in-depth, self-determined knowledge about what it means for Indigenous Australians in the ACT to belong and be well. This outcome would help contextualise quantitative data on Indigenous wellbeing in an urban/sub-urban environment, telling the stories behind the numbers using Indigenous voices – addressing a major gap in current research and public policy development. These findings will be shared through reports and presentations to local organisations, including the ACT government, to inform existing structures such as the ACT Wellbeing Framework, and enable the creation of new initiatives and policies based on Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. Adoption of these insights in reforms is expected to lead to cultural benefits for Australia’s growing urban Indigenous communities and positively impact social cohesion and inclusion in the wake of the Voice Referendum.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Characterisation of a novel disease immunity pathway in plants. This project aims to understand the mechanisms by which the novel signalling molecule, CAPE1, contributes to plant immunity. Studies to date have confirmed that CAPE1 inhibits plant diseases but it is unknown how. This project aims to provide a seminal advance to the field by elucidating how the peptide is generated, how it is perceived by the plant and the processes by which peptide contributes to plant defence. The expected outcomes of this project will include a detailed characterisation of a novel plant defence pathway as well the education and training of next generation of plant scientists. Achieving these outcomes would provide the basis for new innovative disease management strategies through the manipulation of this novel pathway. Field of research: 3108 - Plant Biology Plant diseases reduce Australian grain production by up to 25% leading to in excess of $1 billion AUD in losses due to reduced export and trade. Managing plant diseases is challenging and requires new and innovative approaches to improve crop yields. Fungicides are becoming less effective at reducing disease, plants are becoming more vulnerable to infections, and climate change is increasing the distribution of pathogens across the country. This project directly addresses these threats and subsequent economic losses by investigating a novel plant genetic defence mechanism. Cutting-edge approaches in biochemistry and genetics will be employed to exploit this new resistance pathway to enhance the ability of plants to fight pathogens and disease. The knowledge generated from this project will underpin new and innovative approaches by the Australian agriculture-technology sector. This will lead to the next generation of crops with improved inherent disease resistance. These outcomes will ultimately offer Australia significantly increased economic benefit and food security through reduced crop yield losses resulting from innovative disease management solutions.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Nuclear RNA surveillance and its connection to splicing quality control. Due to the error-prone nature of RNA splicing, elaborate quality control processes ensure that only correctly spliced transcripts can leave the nucleus. It has long been known that incorrectly spliced mRNA transcripts are degraded by the nuclear RNA surveillance machinery, but how the RNA quality control machinery is connected to nuclear RNA surveillance is not known. This proposal aims to uncover the connection between these two important processes and will fill a significant gap in our understanding of how splicing quality control and nuclear RNA surveillance work. The project will also identify sequence features that trigger abortive splicing reactions and will thus help to improve the design of synthetic mRNAs. Field of research: 3105 - Genetics Advances in the biotechnology industry are changing the lives of every day Australians. Newly designed or altered genes can be introduced into various organisms, enabling improvement of a vast range of applications, including crop yield for food production and resistance of crops and livestock to meet current and emerging environmental challenges. When a synthetic gene is introduced into an organism, it is governed by the same rules governing the organism’s own gene regulation processes. In the gene expression pathway, one critical step is to cut and paste together parts of the gene to form the final message that a protein is produced from – known as “splicing”. Splicing is an error-prone process and therefore complex quality control mechanisms have evolved to ensure that only correct proteins are produced. The problem is that these mechanisms are not well understood. This project will provide better understanding of how splicing quality control works and will have wide-ranging impact in improving the design of synthetic genes. This project will directly benefit Australian agriculture, health and biotechnology industries, thus providing economic and environmental benefits to Australians. Our findings will be disseminated throughout our national network of academic and industry partners through the recently formed Shine-Dalgarno Centre for RNA Innovation, facilitating uptake of our work.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

How Large Earthquakes Change Our Dynamically Deforming Planet. The project aims to understand the multiscale dynamics of interacting faults on a global scale using novel computer simulations with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. The focus of the research is to investigate the two-way coupling that exists between cycles of great earthquakes on plate boundaries, the global stress field, deformation within the crust, and changes to the Earth's dynamic topography. This is an important, foundational question in the emerging field of decadal scale global geodynamics. The tools are intended to improve reference models used to study sea-level changes in response to global ice loss. They support better climate models and improved forward planning tools for at-risk coastal communities. Field of research: 3706 - Geophysics This project examines very slow motions inside the Earth that cause stress to build-up in the crust and eventually result in catastrophic earthquakes. The internal flow is a result of the Earth slowly cooling but it also occurs in response to the melting of polar ice caps and there is a sudden change after every major earthquake which we do not yet fully understand. This project aims to deliver advanced computer models connecting the changing shape of the Earth to the recurring cycle of large earthquakes around the globe. The Australian continent is surrounded by ocean trenches where great earthquakes frequently occur and a better understanding of the surface response to global geological activity is important for creating better models of how groundwater flows beneath the land surface, determining the scale of sea-level changes along the Australian coastline, and estimating risk to low-lying coastal communities when sea-levels do change. Australian communities that do face significant geological risk can benefit from freely-available models and accessible tools to help inform local residents, businesses and their representatives about the nature of the hazards they may encounter.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Tracking flood waters over Australia using space gravity data. This project aims to assess the utility of near-real-time data from the currently operating space gravity satellite mission to quantify and track flood waters in Australia. Through analysis of the satellite data and fusion of observed signals with rainfall, river flows and conventional hydrological modelling, it expects to create new knowledge of soil moisture and movement of flood waters. Expected outcomes include a capability to improve hydrological models by including the information of water signals obtained from the near-real-time observations. This should provide significant benefits such as more accurate land saturation maps and better predictions of runoff and flood risk. Field of research: 3706 - Geophysics Droughts and floods in Australia cause billions of dollars of economic loss. The intensity of both droughts and floods is increasing in a warming climate, making the management of water resources more and more critical. This project will contribute to addressing how water management affects Australia's economy by providing a means of tracking flood waters and environmental flows down Australia's rivers through novel uses of satellite data. Combined with rainfall data and modelling of the movement of water in the landscape, the research will make it easier to predict runoff and flood risk. The project will demonstrate the viability of monitoring river flows from space, providing a new means of preparing downstream communities for imminent floods as well as ensuring that sensitive ecosystems receive allocated environmental flows during dry periods. We will share our outcomes with all Australian community and businesses who depend on reliable water resources and warnings of potential flood events.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Cubesat Technologies for High Spatial Resolution Astrophysics. This project aims to combine cubesat and hybrid cubesat/micro-satellite concepts studied in Australia and Japan, prototyping and space-qualifying the most custom components, enabling a future affordable launch. High angular resolution is critical for studying processes of star formation, black holes, and exoplanets. An array of small satellites can greatly exceed the angular resolution of a single telescope, or the sensitivity of atmosphere-limited ground-based interferometers. Space qualifying the key inter-spacecraft metrology and fibre injection technologies will not only enable a future Australian satellite astrophysical interferometer, but is also relevant for optical communications links and earth observations. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Space technology, especially on small platforms such as cubesats and microsats, is undergoing a significant current expansion, driven by new technologies that can vastly decrease the cost of ambitious missions. This project will space qualify an ambitious new technology, placing Australia at the forefront of world research in precision satellite constellations for remote sensing. Remote high angular resolution sensing is needed not only for astronomy, but also for ground-based observations in agriculture, mining and defence. The space telescopes we are developing are already being used by the company High Earth Orbit (HEO) Robotics to image other satellites. The core technologies of injecting starlight into fibres is the same as needed for laser communications, where satellite to ground links could transfer precious imaging data from Australian satellites to end users rapidly. In addition to direct influences of this research, this project consists of several well-defined Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) student-led Advanced Manufacturing subprojects that will train research students in building practical equipment for making measurements in a variety of industries.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Improving grain legume seeds for future climates. Grain legumes are essential for sustainable agriculture and human dietary protein, but seed quality is predicted to decline under future scenarios of high CO2 and warmer temperatures. This project aims to improve legume seed quality under future climates by comparing metabolites and physiological traits of chickpea and other legumes to establish mechanisms by which legumes maximise seed nutrient allocation. The anticipated outcomes include new metabolite-based breeding markers for the improvement of crops with higher seed proteins, micronutrients and bioactive compounds that are adapted to future climates. Seed nutrient improvement will also include increased biological nitrogen fixation to reduce the need for chemical nitrogen fertilisers. Field of research: 3108 - Plant Biology It is predicted that crop quality will decline due to climate change through reduced nutritional value. This can be partially achieved through more intensive use of fertilisers. Nitrogen fertilisers can improve the quality of crops however, they can cause significant pollution in soil, air and water. Novel strategies to improve grain quality with minimal fertilisers are urgently required. This project aims to identify new ways of breeding grain legumes for future climate conditions by revealing mechanisms and markers of grain nutritional quality under elevated carbon dioxide and temperatures. Focussing on chickpea, this project will improve beneficial interactions with soil bacteria that significantly reduce the need for nitrogen fertilisers by fixing atmospheric nitrogen gas into a form usable by plants. The outcomes of our research will be used by the Agriculture sector through improved seed quality in grain legumes that are adapted for future climate conditions, with additional health benefits of legume consumption in human and animal diets. We will connect with grain legume breeders to utilise our findings to accelerate breeding, allowing future generations of farmers to benefit from improved grain legume yield and quality while reducing production costs and environmental degradation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Nonlinear Quantum Control Engineering. This project will develop tractable methods for the design of robust, nonlinear, coherent feedback control systems building on the approach of quantum risk sensitive control and extending classical nonlinear control methods. It will also develop methods to design robust and nonlinear filters and coherent observers for nonlinear and finite level quantum systems and apply these results to the design of robust measurement based quantum controllers. In addition, the project will apply coherent and measurement based robust control methods to achieve useful emergent behaviours in nonlinear quantum networks. Such emergent behaviours may involve the robust reduction of decoherence effects and the robust solution of quantum computational problems. Field of research: 4007 - Control Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics Quantum technologies have the potential to lead to a whole new technological infrastructure. However, quantum technology is now moving to a phase where its progress requires advances in engineering and in particular control engineering. Control Engineering is needed to ensure that quantum machines such as quantum computers and quantum sensor networks maintain high levels of performance, precision and accuracy in the presence of nonlinear and uncertain dynamics along with quantum and classical noise. This will be achieved by enabling the design of feedback controllers and filters which are either based on quantum measurements or coherent interactions. For example, in the area of quantum computing, quantum controllers can be used to reduce the level of noise in quantum computers leading to inaccurate quantum calculations. Also, in quantum communications, quantum control engineering can be used to design filters which correct errors in quantum channels. This project will help produce those advances. The research will advance Australia's capabilities in quantum control engineering, improving our ability to apply emerging quantum technologies in areas like manufacturing, medicine, environmental sensing, and defence. For example in the area of defence, advances in quantum sensor networks, which can detect signals at levels approaching the limits imposed by quantum mechanics, can help our defence forces to improve early warning systems.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Exploiting James Webb Space Telescope Observations of the First Galaxies. This Discovery Project aims exploit the next generation spectroscopy with the James Webb Space Telescope, combined with Australian supercomputing expertise to make fundamental new measurements of the formation of stars in the first galaxies. The results will be used to make predictions for key experiments that will be conducted with the Square Kilometer Array. The research outcomes aim to benefit astronomy by generating new knowledge of high redshift galaxies and provide new spectral star-formation diagnostics which will be made available to the general astronomical community. The project also aims to provide cultural benefit through effective public and education as well training of future leaders for astronomy and industry research. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences This project exploits next generation spectroscopy from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Australian supercomputing expertise to measure the formation of the first galaxies. This will enable predictions for Square Kilometre Array measurements of how stars transformed the Universe by heating cosmic gas. By utilising computer simulations to model the physics of the infant universe, this program will deliver unprecedented insights into how properties of stars transform galaxies over time, shedding light on one of the oldest and most basic questions asked by humanity since the beginning of time: "where did we come from?". The answers we obtain will be of broad interest to the public, and the process of obtaining them will equip fundamental research techniques that will prepare students for careers in a wide range of private- and public-sector professions that rely on technical skills where demand is high, such as data science, financial modelling, and aerospace and defence applications. The project will also build on Australia's traditional strength in astronomical sciences, and help the country play a more prominent role in a number of major international scientific collaborations. This will ensure that Australia has world-leading technical expertise that is crucial for our future economic growth.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Shedding Light on the Proton Radius Puzzle with Ultracold Helium. This project aims to shed light on an outstanding discrepancy in physics known as the proton radius puzzle, first seen in hydrogen but now being studied in helium. Capitalising on existing international collaboration between experiment and theory to exploit the advantages of ultracold helium, this project aims to determine the isotopic nuclear charge radius difference with unprecedented precision, using our state-of-the-art quantum electrodynamic theory. This will not only answer fundamental questions about helium atomic structure, but may also reveal new physics beyond the current Standard Model. The validation of atomic structure theory should provide benefits in applications including the realisation of more accurate atomic clocks. Field of research: 5102 - Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics This project tackles a big question in the field of fundamental atomic physics: why is there a discrepancy in measurements of the size of the proton – a fundamental building block of matter? The answer to this question may signal new physics beyond the current theory known as the Standard Model of the universe. If this project is able to answer this question, it will place Australian research at the leading edge of modern physics. This project aims to address this question by harnessing a unique Australian facility that creates ultracold helium atoms and drawing on our international theory collaboration to make complementary nuclear size measurements in helium. As well as maintaining our world-leading expertise in this field, the answer to these types of fundamental questions will drive long-term technological advancement in Australia, benefiting the country’s economy. All technical advancements that ultimately transform society are based on fundamental research. In particular, our results will improve our understanding of atomic structure theory that may lead to, for example, more accurate atomic clocks, without which everyday tools like navigation systems would not be possible. The prominence of this research would enable collaborations that may accelerate the development of quantum technologies such as precision sensors, which are underpinned by the precision atomic physics developed in this project.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Quantum non-locality with mass-entangled metastable helium atoms atoms. The aim of this project is to use ultracold helium atoms to test aspects of quantum entanglement. The unique properties of metastable helium will provide significant new knowledge of this fundamental quantum property. Expected outcomes include measuring a Bell test between mass entangled atoms and testing the weak equivalence principle (the universality of free fall) using a quantum entangled state as the test masses. This should provide benefits including input into new theories that attempt to unify quantum mechanics with general relativity and will be relevant for emerging quantum technologies such as more powerful quantum computing or quantum simulation of complex systems. Field of research: 5108 - Quantum Physics The emerging field of quantum technology is predicted to become a $4 billion industry in Australia and provider of 16,000 new jobs by 2040. Many of the benefits that Australia expects quantum technologies to offer us, such as secure data transmission or fast computing performance, stem from the little understood property termed quantum entanglement – the phenomenon where quantum particles can be linked such that changing one will instantly change the other, even if they are separated by a large distance. A foundational understanding of entanglement is crucial to the development of quantum devices. This proposal will use cutting edge methods in quantum technology to investigate little-known basic properties of entanglement and produce fundamental knowledge that will guide the Australian industry’s development of new quantum technologies, for example in the design of quantum computers. Such quantum computers will potentially benefit everyday Australians in a range of ways, from faster drug and vaccine development to more efficient stock market forecasting and faster transport networks.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Counter-COVID public policies and the impacts on Australian children. This project aims to identify the causal effects of counter-COVID school closures, stay-at-home mandates and government support payments on the educational and developmental outcomes of Australian children. It will establish, for the first time, a comprehensive causal evidence base on the average and distributional impacts of these policies on children across the spectrum of schooling years from preschool to secondary school completion. This project expects to advance our understanding of child skill accumulation and the relative importance of schools, parents, peers and government intervention. Anticipated benefits include providing policy recommendations to restore student learning outcomes and reduce educational inequality in Australia. Field of research: 3801 - Applied Economics The Australian Government’s interventions during the pandemic, such as school closures and lockdowns, aimed to stop the spread of COVID-19. However, these interventions may have had unintended impacts on Australian children in terms of learning losses and widened the educational gap between children of different socio-economic backgrounds and geographical location. We know little about the causal impacts of these interventions and the extent to which the Government’s welfare support at the time lessened those impacts. We are also unclear about how best to now use Government support to address those impacts on children’s skill development. This project will identify the causal impacts of counter-COVID policies on the educational outcomes of Australian children and teens, including school closures, stay-at-home mandates and government welfare support. It will also investigate the ways in which these policies have shaped educational inequality. Through policy briefings, roundtables and forums we will share these findings with Australian government departments to help them translate the findings into policy interventions and targeted welfare support that restore student learning outcomes and reduce educational inequality. Those interventions and support will contribute to long-term benefits for Australian families with children who lived through COVID-19, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Stability conditions: their topology and applications. This project aims to answer questions about the topology of the space of stability conditions, which has emerged as a central object in a number of different mathematical areas in the past two decades. The proposed work will have important consequences in representation theory, group theory, and algebraic geometry. The project shows that tools from previously unrelated areas, including discontinous differential equations and discrete dynamical systems, are crucial in the theory of stability conditions. Potential benefits include the resolution of outstanding conjectures in mathematics, the initiation of new connections between different areas of mathematics, and the introduction of machine learning techniques into mathematical research. Field of research: 4904 - Pure Mathematics Humans have admired and studied symmetry for thousands of years, incorporating ideas of symmetry into art, music, philosophy, science, and especially mathematics. Historically, the mathematical study of symmetry has had a tremendous influence on many diverse kinds of human innovation, including physics, chemistry, engineering and materials science. With the rapid development of computer science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, the mathematical study of symmetry promises to be an essential part of research in the twenty-first century. This project will use cutting-edge ideas from a wide variety of areas together in new ways, with the goal of deepening Australian expertise in this essential part of modern science. By bringing new tools into some of the deepest and most fundamental parts of modern mathematics, the project has the potential to strengthen Australia's position in machine learning, data science, and cybersecurity, in the interest of the safety and security of all Australians.