Australian National University

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

How novel ribosomal RNA gene repeat variants drive cellular function. The hundreds of ribosomal RNA gene repeat copies are a remarkable part of our genomes, as they encode the machinery responsible for all cellular protein synthesis and shape the structure of the nucleus. However, due to their high degree of sequence similarity, they still have not been assembled into the human genome reference. This project will resolve this impasse and furthermore uncover the functional impacts of a newly identified molecular diversity in the ribosomal RNA gene repeats. Outcomes include new paradigms for how the ribosomal RNA gene repeats drive protein synthesis and genome structure, and a blueprint to develop novel genomics applications for human health, biotechnology, and agriculture. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics The human genome reference remains incomplete. It is missing a remarkable array of repeats that play fundamental dual roles in the cell. These repeats drive protein synthesis and shape the structure of the cell nucleus. The current inability to distinguish individual repeats limits our understanding of major physiological processes, including development, stress response, and ageing. This project will characterise a newly identified diversity of these repeats to complete the human genome reference and to determine how this diversity impacts cellular function. These discoveries will improve our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning fundamental processes in health and disease, and will enable the application of genome editing approaches to modulate these processes. This project will generate a skilled workforce in new genomics technologies and will unlock new knowledge applicable to species of economic importance in Australia’s agriculture and their pathogens. These outputs can drive commercial development and invigorate the fields of genomics and biotechnology in Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Conservation genomics of a critically endangered insect. This project aims to develop tools genotyping large animal genomes, focusing on the case of the Lord Howe Island stick insect, once thought to be extinct and now critically endangered. This project expects to generate molecular tools to monitor the genetic health the insect which has a large, complex and poorly understood genome. Expected outcomes include the development of a preservation and reintroduction strategy for the insect. This project will benefit ongoing conservation efforts, and is timely given the ongoing eradication of rats from Lord Howe Island where this species once lived. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology The Lord Howe Island stick insect is an iconic Australian animal and its history and public visibility looms large in national conservation decisions. This project will assist ongoing management efforts concentrated at Zoos Victoria by providing vital information about the genetic health of its population, and the status of the sole surviving wild population. It will also facilitate the reintroduction of this insect to its native habitat, which is planned to occur in the next several years. The large complex genome of the stick insect involves tackling unique laboratory and computational challenges, and this project will contribute towards understanding how animals adapt to captivity and how they can be best re-introduced to their native range.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Laser-free on-chip super-resolution microscopy. The project aims to develop a compact, cost-effective on-chip super-resolution microscope through an innovative combination of imaging algorithms, optics and integrated photonics. This project addresses limitations in imaging algorithms that increase laser system complexity and constrain imaging speed and applications, as well as nanostructure fabrication issues. Expected outcomes include the discovery of emitter self-interference microscopy, new knowledge in imaging, photonics and biophysics, the world’s fastest super-resolution technology, compact on-chip nanoscopy that can be added to existing technology and proof of concept in three areas. Benefits are anticipated in commercialisation, improved photonics devices and usage in biophysics. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology This project aims to uncover fundamental insights into chip-based super-resolution microscopy (‘nanoscopy’). The unique technology that is developed will expand Australia’s knowledge base, research capability and international standing in super-resolution imaging. By overcoming the limitations of traditional nanoscopy chips, the proposed optical technology is expected to revolutionise nanoscopy chip fabrication. This would fast-track commercial scale-up and give Australia a competitive advantage to meet the rising global demand for innovation in advanced nanoscopy technology for biomedical and a broad range of other imaging applications in life sciences, chemistry, optics and physics, including rapid virus detection and characterisation. Positioning Australia at the forefront of these areas would deliver significant economic, commercial and social benefit.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

First Nations community-led approaches to Australian healthcare genomics. This project aims to develop community-led approaches that address key barriers to First Nations inclusion in Australian healthcare genomics. It will focus on working with communities to evaluate, co-design, and implement culturally appropriate engagement strategies and ethical research practices, including relationship-based consent; cultural integration of genomics; and ethical strategies for long-term management and use of biological samples and data for clinical and research purposes. Expected outcomes of this project are policy recommendations, contributions to national ethics and protocols guidelines, and the evaluation of educational materials and digital learning tools aimed at improving genomics literacy and research practices. Field of research: 1117 - Public Health and Health Services This project will collaborate with First Nations communities of Australia to evaluate the ethical, legal, and social implications relating to healthcare genomics and policy. The project will address questions using methods that regard First Nations leadership as the key priority for the development of ethical and culturally safe genomic research and data collection. The outcomes of this project will be critical to ethics and governance guidelines, protocols, as well as national policy that is aiming to improve First Nations inclusion in healthcare genomics. Engaging First Nations values, principles, and protocols is essential for leading, informing, and shaping the national agenda so that First Nations are included in, and benefit from health care genomics for current and future generations. This project will contribute to the National Health Genomics Policy Framework that states Australia has a national responsibility to overcome the challenges inherent to First Nations inclusion in healthcare genomics, including righting the wrongs of the past, and building lasting relationships based on trust and respect.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Physical Layer Security for Wireless Machine-Type Communications. This project aims to provide new understanding and design guidelines to secure wireless communications among low-cost resource-constrained devices. This is achieved by advancing the fundamental theory of an emerging security paradigm named physical layer security. Expected outcomes of this project include a communication-theoretic framework to characterise the secrecy performance of communications over wireless networks, followed by novel signal processing and transmission designs. The research outcomes should provide innovative solutions to safeguard commercial and industry Internet of Things networks, benefiting Australia's digital transformation. Field of research: 0906 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering With the recent advancement in communications technology and network infrastructure in Australia, hundreds of millions of wireless devices can now be deployed in major cities and regional areas to realise numerous Internet of Things (IoT) applications. These IoT applications are expected to generate a total economic benefit of 200 to 300 billion dollars per annum in Australia. But, such an expectation will be far out of reach if Australian people and businesses do not have the confidence to embrace such a technology due to security concerns. In fact, the communication security of wireless IoT devices is often easy to be compromised, because their limited battery capacity, memory storage and computing power do not support the operations of many current security solutions. This project addresses this challenge by providing novel design guidelines for a new technological approach, named physical layer security. It is a low-complexity solution, which is well suited for adoption by wireless IoT devices to guarantee highly secure communications, benefiting Australia's digital transformation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Managing and mitigating social risks of major infrastructure projects. This project aims to reduce social risks of major infrastructure projects by generating an evidence-based social risk management framework. It brings together leading ANU researchers with top organisations in Australia's infrastructure sector, already working together via the ANU Institute for Infrastructure in Society. The project seeks to improve social risk management in a multi-billion dollar sector, vital to all Australians. The project is significant because it adopts a sector-wide view to systematically define social risk, co-create a social risk management framework and implement it via a new social risk management toolkit. This should lessen harm to communities, reduce delays and costs and benefit national infrastructure delivery. Field of research: 1608 - Sociology This project addresses the Australian government's strategic infrastructure priorities, including meeting the needs of a fast growing population, boosting regional and urban productivity and delivering jobs growth. It aims to reduce harm and optimise infrastructure benefits to Australian communities by delivering a pioneering, sector-wide social risk management framework. The project complements the National Guidelines for Infrastructure Project Delivery, especially concerns for managing stakeholder interests within the project context, and advances the sector's capacity to manage and mitigate social risks more reliably and consistently. The sector-wide, industry-leading partnerships represented in this project demonstrate the industry's immediate interest in and recognised need for improvement in social risk management. It is a known gap for the sector. The issues this project addresses are critical to Australia's ability to realise the record $110billion invested in infrastructure in the coming decade and to deliver the $600 billion in projects that Infrastructure Australia identifies as needed by 2035.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Socially Responsible Insurance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. This project aims to discover the social costs and benefits of using Artificial Intelligence in insurance, and to design practical interventions—responsible design workshops, practical guidance, regulatory proposals, new algorithmic tools—that realise the benefits while mitigating the costs. It expects to generate new knowledge drawing on philosophy, law and sociology, working closely with practitioners at the forefront of deploying AI in insurance. Expected outcomes include novel ethical AI-based approaches to product design, pricing and claims administration. This should benefit insurers and consumers, realising efficiency gains made possible by AI, without unacceptable costs to privacy, fairness, and the unaccountable exercise of power. Field of research: 2201 - Applied Ethics Insurance is one of society's key tools for the management of risk. Artificial Intelligence enables people to make cheap, reliable predictions. The adoption of AI by insurers could therefore help society manage risk more efficiently. But if adopted incautiously, AI is very likely to seriously undermine user privacy, realise new kinds of discrimination, and create untenable new power relations. This project will enable Australian insurers and consumers to understand the social costs and benefits of adopting AI in insurance, and design concrete sociotechnical interventions to realise the benefits and mitigate the costs, including responsible design workshops, practical guidance, regulatory proposals and new algorithmic tools. By paving the way for the socially responsible adoption of AI tools and techniques in the insurance industry, the project will ultimately help Australians to better manage risk and uncertainty.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Body, Language and Socialisation across Cultures. This project aims to advance the understanding of how people learn languages, and in the process become socialized into particular cultures and communities. To that end, it will bring together an international team of leading experts in the field, and focus in new ways on the interplay of speech and sign with other bodily forms of communication in a wide variety of cultures. Expected outcomes include improved understanding of multimodal communication and language socialization, and enhancement of Australian research capacity in these fields. This should lead to significant practical benefits, improving Australia's ability to adapt to cultural diversity and to counteract its disadvantages in schools and everyday life. Field of research: 1601 - Anthropology Australia prides itself on being a multicultural nation, where everyone gets a fair go. But many Australians including children continue to be disadvantaged by their diverse cultural backgrounds, and communication problems that result from them. Language difference plays a part in this, but so does a less widely recognized factor: bodily forms of communication other than speech, such as gesture, gaze and touch, which vary widely across cultures, and shape people’s learning experiences. If we could understand how these communicative modalities are differently combined and deployed in social interaction, we would have a framework for understanding and accommodating cultural differences. No such framework currently exists. We will develop one through systematic cross-cultural investigation of children’s multimodal language socialisation, involving collaboration with world-leading experts in the field. This will advance the scientific understanding of that process, with practical applications for accommodating cultural diversity and overcoming its disadvantages in Australian schools and everyday life.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Governance for Gender Inclusion: Levelling the Field in Australian Sport. This project aims to understand why, despite gains in women's sport participation, gender inclusion efforts in Australian sport have not yet led to gender parity in leadership roles or broad accessibility for marginalised groups. It seeks to generate new knowledge about the regulatory mechanisms and social conditions that facilitate change through the development of a new interdisciplinary conceptual framework. Expected outcomes include enhanced analytic guidelines and robust recommendations for governance strategies, which can be applied to study other domains. This should provide significant theoretical and policy benefits by supporting equity in professional settings and health promotion through wider inclusion. Field of research: 1504 - Commercial Services The documented social benefits of better health and stronger community relations enabled through sport have served as strong grounds for government-backed initiatives, yet the goal of fully inclusive sport remains elusive. By analysing the successes and struggles of gender inclusion in sport, this project has the potential to contribute social, health and economic benefits to the Australian community. It will provide an important baseline understanding of the limitations of earlier gender inclusion efforts and identify strategies to increase sport participation, particularly among marginalised groups. The project will facilitate the development of new approaches to gender inclusion, contributing positively to rebuilding the post-pandemic sector. Findings will aid health promotion and community-building efforts and will support economic benefits by (1) identifying ways to increase the number of women in professional roles, which are higher-wage opportunities dominated by men; and (2) helping to expand involvement in—and in turn, the value of—the Australian sport sector, which was last valued at $12.8 billion.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Long range toxic metal pollution in Australia and the Southern Ocean. This project aims to investigate how environmental change and human activities since industrialisation have impacted toxic metal transport and deposition on the south coast of Australia, Tasmania and Southern Ocean islands. This project expects to fill gaps in understanding of the global mercury cycle using a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary methodology including the role of sea salt aerosols and hemispheric-scale wind patterns . Anticipated outcomes involve a novel palaeo-atmospheric model that can be applied in other parts of the world. This should provide significant benefits, such as science-based evidence to ratify the Minamata Convention on Mercury and guide new regulations to reduce environmental/health risks from metal pollution. Field of research: 0406 - Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience Little is known about how increases in global mercury emissions have affected the Australia-Pacific region, yet mercury is a potent neurotoxin causing serious environmental and health issues. Australia has signed but not ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international treaty to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic mercury emissions. This is in part due to a lack of quantitative data. This project seeks to quantify toxic metal sources and contamination in lake sediment records spanning the industrial and pre-industrial era from southern Australia, Tasmania and Southern Ocean islands. The project will deliver new evidence-based knowledge to inform effective measures, allowing better decision-making on metal emission control. Findings will be applicable globally, taking Australia to the forefront of metal contamination research, while benefiting the Australian population by providing the best available scientific knowledge to reduce the environmental, health and economic costs associated with inadequate policies, and evidence needed for ratifying the Minamata Convention.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Two-way Auslan: Automatic Machine Translation of Australian Sign Language. This project aims to develop an automatic two-way machine-translation system between Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and English by researching and leveraging advanced computer vision and machine learning technology. The project expects to advance research in AI technology on topics including visual recognition, language processing and deep learning. This will boost Australia's national research capacity and global competitiveness. Expected outcomes of this project will help to break the communication barriers between the Deaf and hearing population. This should provide significant benefits to Deaf communities through enhanced communication and improved quality-of-life, leading to a fair, more inclusive and resilient Australian society. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing Auslan is the official language used by the Australian Deaf community, and is used uniquely within Australia. This project will develop a two-way (i.e. bi-directional) Auslan and English machine translation system to facilitate natural and easy inter-person communications between the deaf and hearing communities in Australia. The resulting automatic translation system will provide an inclusive education platform for deaf children to learn both Auslan and English, as well as provide deaf adults more social engagement and employment opportunities. This will benefit the public health sector by reducing communication disparities for vulnerable social groups by assisting deaf Australians in their everyday interactions with the proposed two-way Auslan communication tool. This project will help to improve social inclusion, to address social equity, diversity, and to promote a fair, and more resilient Australia Society. This project will also elevate Australia's research capacity and global leadership in AI research and applications.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Towards in-vehicle situation awareness using visual and audio sensors. This project aims to characterise driver awareness, activity and interactions with other vehicle occupants using visual and audio cues from internally mounted sensors. Road accidents cost Australia an estimated $30 billion per year and tragic loss of thousands of lives, yet the vast majority of severe vehicle crashes are linked to driver fatigue or distraction. The expected project outcomes include advanced artificial intelligence to infer and predict dangerous driver and passenger behaviour. This has the potential to significantly benefit society by advancing autonomous driving capabilities and reducing driver-induced accidents and fatalities, ensuring that every driver, passenger and pedestrian arrives home safely at the end of each day. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing This project will contribute to national traffic safety and the Australian automotive industry by developing advanced and effective computer vision and machine learning technologies. Its ultimate goal is to save lives. New computer vision capabilities, combined with audio cues, developed in this project will be able to detect and predict potential causes of traffic accidents from inside the vehicle, such as distracting driver and passenger behaviour. By linking with the market-leading partner organisation in AI driver safety, the project will embed these novel assisted-driving technologies into simulated vehicles, to evaluate and improve reliability and safety. These technologies can contribute to development and manufacturing within the Australian AI-based automobile industry. The project outcomes can also be used to solve other real-world problems, such as air traffic controller monitoring, mobile payments and off-road vehicles.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Public Interest Advocacy in Australian Policymaking. The project aims to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of public interest advocacy, via the media, in elevating the responsiveness of elected political elites. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how the advocacy and media agendas are set, examine the way elected elites access and ingest news media, and conditions under which advocacy groups access to news changes political priorities. It is expected that the project will provide an evidence base for citizens and policy makers to assess the effectiveness of public interest advocacy, and deliver benefits such as strengthening the quality of Australia’s representative democracy, and offer scholars new theories on the role of public interest advocacy on policy priorities. Field of research: 1606 - Political Science Governing in the public interest is a cornerstone of Australia’s representative democracy. It encourages public trust in both government and our democratic institutions. Yet these vital outcomes rely on a well-developed system of genuine public interest advocacy that can convey citizen concerns about policy problems to elected officials who will in turn, act on these. However, the filtering of citizen voices is poorly understood in Australia. This project will produce new knowledge of how public interest advocates identify policy issues, communicate these through the media, and the way that policy makers engage with and respond to them. It will provide the evidence base needed to build the capacities of policy makers and citizens alike on how policy action is translated via the public advocacy system and media. It will also support policy makers to be more responsive to citizen advocacy. This research will illuminate ways in which the media can be made more transparent to citizens and improve the overall quality of our democracy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Programmable Organometallics for Spatiotemporal Light Control. This Project aims to develop new materials that control and modify light. The new organometallics from this Project are anticipated to display world record light intensity-dependent absorption and other phenomena. These new programmable molecules are expected to respond to environmental stimuli with precise spatial control. Anticipated outcomes of this Project include environmental sensors and a technology platform for targeted medical imaging and light-responsive therapies. This Project should provide significant benefits including possible commercialisation of the new materials, enhanced research capacity, training students and a postdoctoral fellow with unique skills, and the strengthening of research linkages with strategic partners. Field of research: 0399 - Other Chemical Sciences Replacing electronics with photonics (light-based technologies) will result in enormous improvements in data processing speeds and a myriad of new devices, of crucial importance to a globally connected Australia. However, the uptake of photonics has been slow because of the lack of high-performance materials that can modify the properties of light. The Project will provide these materials, some of which can be used in 3D data storage and micromachining. The Project will also generate a platform technology for the development of materials that can be used in medical diagnosis and targeted therapies, with vastly improved bio-imaging and photodynamic therapy outcomes compared to those from the current modalities. In addition, the Project will provide sensors that will respond to environmental pollutants with exceptional precision. Australia will gain leadership in this technology of the future. The launch of companies to commercialise these products has clear potential for economic benefits, creating jobs and generating a high-quality workforce.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Enhanced Synthetic Efficiency For Molecular Complexity and Diversity. This project aims to introduce new, broad-spectrum strategies that permit more efficient and selective ways to access complex organic molecules. The approach involves maximising the molecule-building potential of some of the smallest accessible molecular building blocks. Significant outcomes expected from this work include much shorter chemical syntheses of important organic substances and much improved, broad scope synthetic methods. The concepts introduced by this work aims to benefit industry and manufacturing by introducing more efficient methods for fine chemical manufacture, while simultaneously lowering energy use and producing less waste. Field of research: 0305 - Organic Chemistry This project aims to devise better ways to make organic molecules by inventing innovative new strategies for chemical synthesis. The approach introduces new concepts for the manipulation of feedstock precursors to drive significant efficiency improvements in the chemical synthesis of complex molecules. Efficiency gains in chemical synthesis leads to lower energy use and less waste, hence a lower environmental impact. Other significant outcomes and benefits include enhanced capacity in chemical synthesis, which will be of value in the invention of new medicines, agrochemicals and other materials. While contributing to Australia's Advanced Manufacturing Science and Research Priority, this work will advance fundamental science through the introduction of new cutting-edge methods, and through training the next generation of Australian scientists.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Earth's Dynamic Topography Through Space and Time. A key component of Earth’s topography remains enigmatic. This so-called dynamic topography is transient, varying in response to convection within Earth’s mantle. This project aims to use a data-driven computational approach to: (i) reconstruct the evolution of dynamic topography over the recent geological history of our planet (Cenozoic Era, 0-66 million years ago); and (ii) uncover the mechanisms controlling its spatial and temporal evolution. This transformational new understanding will connect the evolution of our planet's surface environments to its deep interior, revealing the impact of dynamic topography on sea level change, flooding, river networks, groundwater systems, habitat development and the distribution of economic resources. Field of research: 0404 - Geophysics This project will facilitate a quantum leap in our understanding of how processes deep beneath our feet shape the surface of our planet, with implications for continental flooding, river networks and habitat development: as Earth is going into a period of major environmental change, it is imperative to interrogate the geological record effectively to predict how our planet responds to disruptive change far beyond human lifetimes. The project will fundamentally increase our knowledge of the structure and evolution of the Australian continent, with implications for our understanding of the distribution and preservation of natural resources that underpin the Australian economy (e.g., groundwater, some critical minerals). Finally, the project will train researchers and students in multiple disciplines, specifically in connecting a diverse set of datasets to cutting-edge modelling tools. These advanced skillsets represent a distributed knowledge base that is highly sought-after, but seldom taught, helping to fill a void in national expertise, which will be of tremendous societal benefit.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Suharto's enablers? Social complicity in the Indonesian killings of 1965-66. This projects aims to revolutionise understandings of civilian involvement in the most critical and bloody turning point in modern Indonesian history, the 1965-66 killings, and to transform the evidence base for Indonesian history-writing. By accessing critically endangered and never before used survivor community archives, the project will examine the complicity of civilians in the killings and how the violence shaped modern Indonesian national identity and moral consciousness. It will further generate a new, centralised archive of these preserved materials and compile new oral history interviews with the remaining witnesses to these pivotal events. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies The Australian Government, in its 2020 Defence White Paper, characterises its decision to prioritise ‘engagement and defence relationships in the region’ including with Indonesia—Australia’s closest Asian neighbour— as ‘vital to regional security and stability.’ However, Australia’s current defence relationship with Indonesia is based on only a partial understanding of how the Indonesian Armed Forces has mobilised its citizens to participate in national defence campaigns since the time of the 1965-66 Indonesian genocide. This project seeks to undertake the urgent task of preserving critically endangered survivor accounts from this period, in order to break through Indonesia’s continued official denial of state involvement in the violence. The project will establish the first centralised survivor-centred human rights archive on the 1965-66 Indonesian genocide. The preservation and analysis of this new archive will provide Australia with a solid, evidence-based, foundation upon which to build its defence relationship with Indonesia into the future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Deciphering strategies polar phytoplankton employ to lessen iron limitation. The Southern Ocean is of global importance. It comprises one-third of the global ocean by area and disproportionately absorbs two-thirds of anthropogenic ocean heat and half of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions even though phytoplankton in this region are chronically iron-limited. This project aims to understand why copper uptake by phytoplankton lessens the effects of iron limitation and how copper substitutes for iron. This knowledge is critical for evaluating the impacts and feedbacks between iron and copper in regulating Southern Ocean productivity and ultimately its ability to drawdown atmospheric CO2. The results from this project will facilitate the development of improved ecosystem models and conservation tools. Field of research: 0405 - Oceanography The Southern Ocean covers approximately 4000 km of coastline across southern Australia, thus it exerts significant control on Australia’s climate. Understanding the health and vitality of the Southern Ocean ecosystem as ocean temperature rises is important as this region is a large sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. This project will determine how Southern Ocean phytoplankton respond to chemical changes in their environment and how this manifests at a cellular level. This research addresses Federal Governmental Science and Research Priorities in 'Environmental Change' by helping us to measure and predict the impact of environmental change caused by climate is having on the Southern Ocean. This research will help develop options for responding and adapting to the impacts of environmental change on biological systems. This knowledge is critical for the management of Australia biological resources along its southern shores.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Tracking groundwater variations via 4-dimensional seismic imaging. This project aims to develop an advanced seismic framework to sense subtle subsurface changes related to groundwater variations beneath the Great Artesian Basin. Groundwater storage is subject to climatic and anthropogenic forcing, but modern monitoring tools are not sufficient to capture its detailed response in both time and space. Using novel techniques and extensive seismic recordings, this project expects to generate time-lapse images across the basin in unprecedented resolution to reveal the system's dynamic evolution and a static basin model to aid the interpretation. Potential benefits include improved geophysical techniques for groundwater tracking and enhanced scientific understandings to underpin future groundwater management. Field of research: 0404 - Geophysics Tracking groundwater variation is a top research priority in Australia. This project will deliver an advanced and cost-effective groundwater monitoring framework that can eliminate a sampling gap in the existing methods. It will generate both time-lapse and static seismic images in unprecedented resolution and detail to help improve the fundamental understanding of Australia's largest groundwater system as well as its dynamic evolution. Seismic monitoring at permanent and long-term seismic stations offer a unique perspective to understand how the groundwater system respond to the climate change. This project will expand Australia's international reputation for modern environmental research, and will also initiate significant co-operation and data sharing between Geoscience Australia, the Geological Survey of Queensland, the Geological survey of New South Wales and local groups to promote outcomes, maximising its benefits.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Stars and Galaxies: The chemical abundance breakthrough. Measuring the chemical history of galaxies is critical to understand how galaxies form and evolve. This program aims to address shortcomings in current methods used to measure elements in a novel approach that combines observations and state-of-the-art modelling. Expected outcomes include a model for the history of the elements as the theoretical basis to derive new, robust galaxy diagnostics. There are tremendous benefits as this research topic is a major science driver for the next generation of telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the 25m Giant Magellan Telescope. Through this project, young Australians will be trained in the science and technology required to lead the ground-breaking astronomy research of the future. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences Understanding how the Universe works is critical to our ability to predict the future of Earth and its support of human life. While Australia’s astronomy industry is a current world leader in driving this global understanding, our methods increasingly lack sufficient measurement capability. This puts our industry at risk of declining competitiveness into the future. Leveraging Australia’s $114M investment in major astronomical facilities, this program will solve these shortcomings in diagnostic and forecasting ability through a novel approach that combines galaxy chemical observations and state-of-the-art modelling. The program will make transformational new discoveries about galaxy evolution that Australia can lay claim to, as well as produce the fundamental science on which Australia's future commercialisation opportunities and leadership status in the global market will rest. These outcomes will contribute to longer-term commercial, economic, and reputational benefits for Australia’s astronomy industry.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Measuring the sound of inner speech with advanced brain signal analyses. The overarching aim of this project is to develop an objective, electrophysiological marker capable of identifying the auditory properties of a person’s inner speech, which is defined as the silent production of words in one’s mind. This will be accomplished by combining novel experimental paradigms with advanced brain signal analyses. This marker would represent a historically significant event, placing Australia at the forefront of cognitive science. It would provide deep insight into the fundamental nature of inner speech, such as whether it is a “special form” of overt speech, and would inform the ongoing development of brain-computer interfaces aimed at deciphering inner speech for people who are unable to produce overt speech. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology This project addresses several issues of critical importance to Australia. For psychology, this project will advance scientific knowledge by providing an empirical foundation for testing the hypothesis that inner speech is a “special form” of overt speech. This would provide deep insight into whether the brain makes a distinction between the concepts of “thought” and “action”. For health, inner speech abnormalities are thought to underlie a wide-range of mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, autism-spectrum disorders, depression, and anxiety. This project is a precursor for the development of desperately needed treatments. For education, this project provides a means for the early identification of reading and speech difficulties, such as dyslexia and stuttering. For technology, this project will inform the ongoing development of brain-computer interface technologies. For industry, the ability to decipher a person’s inner speech might provide a powerful method to detect deception, which would have massive implications in the fields of forensic science and legal studies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Mixing light and matter with complex gauge fields . Quantum fluids of light and electronic matter provide a practical route towards technological applications of collective quantum effects that were previously only possible at extreme conditions. However, progress in harnessing these effects, such as the flow of synchronised particles without resistance, is hindered by the weak interaction of the hybrid light-matter particles with electromagnetic fields. This project aims to engineer artificial fields that can easily control these hybrid particles and their flow in semiconductors at ambient conditions. The outcome of this research will benefit the design of low-energy devices and new quantum technologies based on hybrid light-matter quantum fluids. Field of research: 0206 - Quantum Physics Quantum physics has revolutionised the way we live, work, and communicate since the birth of computers and the internet. New quantum technologies that rely on controlling, isolating, and sensing individual quantum particles have matured for applications in health, mining, space, and defence. This has opened a new opportunity for Australia that can potentially unlock a four billion-dollar industry. The proposed project opens a new avenue for utilising quantum effects arising, not from single particles, but from an ensemble of synchronised particles. These synchronised particles can flow without resistance or friction and can find applications in low-energy electronics, computing, and communication. By studying the fundamental properties of these particles, this proposed project will benefit the development of new quantum technologies. The proposed research direction is completely new and its outcome can enhance the competitiveness of Australian research and foster international collaborations contributing towards Australia’s growing quantum technology industry.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

The Real Price of Health: Experiences of Out-of-Pocket Costs in Australia. This project aims to investigate the experiences and preferences of Australian families and individuals on low, middle, and high incomes in managing the out-of-pocket costs of chronic disease. This project aspires to ensure outcomes that are relevant to the public and patients through involving people living with chronic disease in the research team. The project expects to generate a discrete choice model that describes people with chronic diseases’ preferences, and the trade-offs that they are faced with when deciding how to manage out-of-pocket health costs. The evidence arising from this innovative study will be used to directly inform Australian health policy, leading to wide-ranging health and economic benefits for the whole community. Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics Medicare was established to ensure equity of access to healthcare for all Australians; however, 17% of healthcare costs are funded through out of pocket (OOP) costs by individuals. For people on lower incomes, this can constitute a large proportion of their income. For the 47% of Australians with one or more chronic diseases, effective treatment is essential to maintain optimum health and productivity; however, OOP costs can present a substantial challenge to achieving this for some. This project aims to investigate the experiences and preferences of Australian families and individuals on low, middle, and high incomes in managing the OOP costs of chronic disease. The intended outcomes of this project are to describe the experiences and preferences of people with chronic disease, and the trade-offs they make when deciding how to manage OOP health costs. This study will provide new and important information to inform Australian healthcare financing policy, enhancing the progressivity and equity of Australia’s health system. This will result in economic, health and social benefits for Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Efficient privacy-preserving proofs for secure e-government and e-voting. Electronic systems are becoming increasingly widespread and crucial to social and economic wellbeing. This project aims to ensure that e-government, e-health, e-commerce and e-voting are secure and trustworthy by inventing new ways to verify these systems without infringing privacy. This project expects to use innovative techniques from cryptography to support development of trustworthy systems. Expected outcomes of this project include better support for organisations to build trustworthy systems that will maximise benefit to Australian business and society. This should provide significant commercial, reputational, and societal benefits by avoiding disruptions to the organisations and their clients if and when they are attacked. Field of research: 0803 - Computer Software Cybercrime costs the global economy trillions of dollars annually in addition to profound societal costs. The project aims to develop innovative techniques in cryptography to provide trustworthy and robust systems with potential applications to e-commerce, e-government, e-health and e-voting. Securing systems has a direct economic and commercial benefit to organisations through avoiding disruptions if and when these systems are attacked. Not only are robust systems vital to prevent direct, indirect, and reputational costs to the organisation, they also benefit organisation's end users or clientele who are no longer burdened with the costs of successful cyber-attacks. In addition to the commercial benefits, are the social benefits; the trustworthiness of e-government and e-voting are crucial to health of democracies including Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

A Socio-Legal History of Australia's Environmental Lawyers. This historical study of 50 years of Australian environmental lawyering (1970-2020) aims to develop and preserve an unprecedented data set of environmental lawyers over multiple generations. It will create important new knowledge, challenging the common and limited treatment of lawyers as mere instruments of social causes and revealing a novel, and previously unexplored, layer of environmental governance. This new knowledge can be used by environmentalists, researchers and policy makers to better understand and engage with this important class of social reformers. It can inform environmental advocacy, governance and environmental protection. Other benefits include building capacity in Australian socio-legal historical research. Field of research: 1801 - Law This research will contribute to Australia's national interest through its potential to provide environmental, social and cultural benefits to the Australian community. It will create new knowledge about the way that a significant class of actors - environmental lawyers - have responded to the impacts of environmental change. This new knowledge will provide a strong foundation for reforming environmental governance and environmental protection with Australia. It therefore can assist Australia to meet international obligations, responding to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16. The project will preserve significant documents and oral histories of an important group of environmental defenders, creating a new national, cultural and scholarly resource for the benefit of the environment and community. It will also connect Australian research agendas with a vibrant and growing field of international research interrogating the lives and broader context of lawyers to gain better understandings of politics and society. It therefore has the potential to build significant new research collaborations.