Australian National University

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Verified concurrent memory management on modern processors. This project aims to formally verify automatic memory managers in the presence of concurrency and the weakly ordered memory of modern processors. A new framework for verifying memory managers, reusable for a wide range of managed programming languages, target hardware, policies, and algorithms will be developed. Expected technical outcomes include improved techniques to ensure trustworthiness of the foundations on which critical software infrastructures are built. This will significantly enhance the security of public and private cyber assets, and deliver applications that are more robust and trustworthy, across a range of critical infrastructure such as transportation, communication, energy and defence. Field of research: 0803 - Computer Software

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

The geochemistry of rare earth elements in carbonate melts. This project aims to determine why deposits of rare earth elements, which are critical for modern devices and technologies such as phones, tablets and plasma screens, are associated with carbonate magmas. The global supply of these critical metals is geopolitically unstable and, although Australia has significant reserves, there is very limited production. By improving our understanding of the geochemical behaviour of the rare earths this project aims to develop new reverse-engineering methods for their extraction, which will improve the security of supply of these elements and enhance Australia's role in high-tech industries. The project will enhance the profitability of the Australian resources sector through improved extraction economics and will secure the supply of these critical metals for Australian high-tech industries and export. The outcomes will be targeted initially at junior resource companies that are not yet profitable. Field of research: 0403 - Geology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

GRACE follow-on: validation of measurements and initial results. This project aims to advance knowledge to quantify ongoing mass loss of Earth’s polar ice caps and glaciers, increases in sea level, and changes in continental water storage. The project expects to improve the capability to monitor changes on Earth using satellites and to enhance analysis by exploiting data from new instrumentation on the GRACE Follow-On space gravity mission, due for launch in 2018. Expected results aim to improve computational tools and to develop expertise to analyse the new data. Other expected outcomes include reliable methods to monitor significant sea-level rise and associated societal and economic disruptions. Field of research: 0909 - Geomatic Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Are evolutionary refugia traps for endemic species? This project aims to determine whether species that have small geographic ranges and which live in historically stable refugia have evolved narrow climatic tolerances. The project will compare such species with more widespread, related species living in the same areas and combine field- and lab-based estimates of physiological tolerances with genomic estimates of population history and diversity. The expected outcome is to test the prediction from evolutionary theory that small-range, refugial species are intrinsically more sensitive to climatic change. The project expects to provide improved guidance for ecological management of biodiversity hotspots. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Adaptive modelling of human responses in complex interaction. This project aims to combine strengths of human cognition and evolutionary computing to efficiently solve problems which neither can do alone. The project will develop techniques combining advanced non-intrusive sensor measures of behaviour and emotional reaction in interaction tasks to enable high level computer support for human goal seeking, in complex data and design environments. This project will allow non-expert users to use tools normally requiring extensive training in settings where the user can 'see' when they get something they like but do not know how to instruct a computer system to show or do it. Applications of the project will include visualisation for bespoke manufacturing or for high dimensional data, generating abstract art, or improving teleconferencing systems. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Many body correlations in a Bose Fermi gas. This project aims to create a degenerate Fermi gas of metastable helium atoms to study some basic properties of elementary quantum systems. The unique properties of helium provide access to observe many-body correlation functions. Expected outcomes are a new demonstration of the Pauli exclusion principle, where no two Fermions can be in the same location, and revealing the fundamental correlations that underlie many-body quantum systems. Correlations between Fermions underpin many effects in physics, such as high temperature superconductivity and quantum magnetism. This knowledge will have an influence on the development of new quantum technologies, such as quantum computers. Field of research: 0206 - Quantum Physics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

New approaches and applications of integrable quantum field theory. This project aims to develop new mathematical approaches to the theory of integrable systems to obtain exact solutions of various non-linear models of two-dimensional quantum field theory. The project is based on an unexpected correspondence between classical and quantum systems which provides a powerful method for describing physically interesting models of integrable quantum field theory. Expected outcomes include exact solutions to non-linear sigma-models which have important applications in many areas, including condensed matter physics, string and field theories and Riemannian geometry. The project expects to provide significant benefit to the advancement of knowledge in physics and mathematics. Field of research: 0105 - Mathematical Physics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Electrical properties of human dendrites. This project aims to determine the electrical properties of dendrites in human neurons. Dendrites are the primary site of synaptic input to neurons and their electrical properties play a key role in information processing in the brain. While we know much about the electrical properties of dendrites in other species, primarily rodents, little is known about the electrical properties of human dendrites. This project aims to address this gap in knowledge for the first time. The results obtained will shed light on the mechanisms the brain uses to process information, and therefore will bring us a step closer to truly understanding ourselves. Field of research: 1109 - Neurosciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Guiding principles and guardrails for genetic association studies. This project aims to investigate deep connections between genetic structure (population genetic processes, linkage disequilibrium and population structure) and the ability to statistically detect genetic variants responsible for variation in traits. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of statistics, mathematics and biology through an innovative, multidisciplinary approach that synthesises and extends foundational disciplinary results. Expected outcomes of this project include principles and methodology that underpin future genetic association studies by supplying a framework for interpreting results. This should provide significant benefits by reducing false conclusions and their associated costs. Field of research: 0102 - Applied Mathematics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Transport and productivity, a study on Australia's largest trading partner. This project aims to study how transport infrastructure supports innovations, productivity gains, and industrial development. This project will study the effects of this development on productivity and resource allocation in the manufacturing sector, output and efficiency growth, and the spatial allocation of capital and labour inputs. The project expects to build a geospatial database covering China's full transportation network from 1993-2014, merge this database with manufacturing plants’ longitudinal data, and apply (quasi)-natural experiments for analyses. Knowledge derived from this project will be significant for Australia because China’s productivity, resource allocation, and competitive advantage directly impact Australia’s industrial development, employment and sustainable economic growth. Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Global positioning system for small molecules: accelerating lead discovery. This project aims to establish a tool to accelerate lead generation from very small molecules. This will shift the paradigm in the identification of small molecules that can serve as lead compounds for the development of specific probes or drugs. This project offers a new strategy to rapidly generate lead compounds from a library of compound fragments. The new approach is expected to facilitate identification and development of new lead molecules, drawing on advances made in the field of fragment-based lead discovery, which is increasingly used in the pharmaceutical industries. The tools developed can also be applied for imaging of biological processes. By developing new technologies, the project should deliver intellectual property with potential for commercialisation. Field of research: 0304 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Long-term variability of the Australian monsoon. This project aims to address large uncertainties in Australia’s hydroclimate projections, by reconstructing Australian monsoon variability over the past three million years. The project expects to generate new knowledge to quantify the frequency and amplitudes of extreme rainfall and drought in Northwest Australia. By providing essential new information about the timing, frequency, and intensity of past drought and extreme rainfall, the project is expected to enable more accurate climate projections required for effective adaptation and mitigation. This project will also benefit the Australian archaeology community, by providing a much-needed environmental context for mapping Australian pre-history. Field of research: 0406 - Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

What's shaking down under? This project aims to determine the underlying cause of recent earthquake activity in central Australia. Of all the stable continents, Australia is surprisingly seismically active, with intra-plate earthquakes occurring relatively frequently. However, these are unpredictable, placing lives and infrastructure at risk. This project offers the opportunity to use a new seismic experiment to improve detection of small events that may warn of a more dangerous earthquake to come, and provide sub-surface imaging of the hidden crustal boundaries and faults that are ultimately responsible. Benefits will include improved hazard assessment, and a new predictive model for exploration that relates regional seismicity, crustal faults, and mineral systems. Field of research: 0404 - Geophysics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Uncovering how rust fungi cause devastating plant diseases. This project aims to generate a new understanding of how rust fungi infect plant cells using single-cell sequencing technologies and data-driven investigations. This project expects to discover conserved rust infection strategies and the first characterisations of mechanisms that transfer virulence proteins from the fungus to the plant. Innovations and new knowledge from this project will be of high-impact and of benefit to the Australian and international community through knowledge discovery about conserved rust infection mechanisms. This project expects to deliver strategies for effective rust disease management that will in the future lessen the impact of rust diseases on agriculture and natural ecosystems in Australia. Field of research: 0607 - Plant Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Bone metabolism change with lifestyle in ancient Asia-Pacific populations. This project aims to address a significant gap in our current knowledge of global change in skeletal health throughout recent human history. By contributing the first bone microstructural data for archaeological humans from across Asia-Pacific, this project aims to map the ways in which these ancient humans grew and adapted to different lifestyles. The project expects to identify new ways of predicting human bone health response to environmental and cultural change, contributing models for the wellbeing of past, living, and future human generations. Field of research: 1601 - Anthropology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Tasting history: food, culture, and national identity. This project aims to prioritise the role of taste in history by mapping how cultural heritage has driven nation building in Australia through the example of food. Scholarly research on the sense of taste is a significant area of critical historical inquiry. This project will develop a novel approach in a comparative study of the significance of biscuit consumption from colonial expansion to militarism; among other sources, it explores cookbooks and recipe archives as documents that underpin cultural heritage. In addition to historical analysis, this project will yield cultural, health, and environmental benefits in Australia that intersect with international debates about the sociocultural ramifications of food politics and food sovereignty. Field of research: 2002 - Cultural Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Geometric flow of hypersurfaces and related problems. This project aims to address many of the important problems in the area of geometric flow of hypersurfaces. Geometric flow is the central direction in the field of geometric analysis and has proven to be powerful in understanding geometry and topology of the underlying manifolds. The project expects to improve our understanding of the flows and enable their application to unravel new results in geometry and topology through the development of new mathematical techniques. The project is expected to impact on a range of related fields, including image processing and materials science. Field of research: 0101 - Pure Mathematics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Ethnoarchaeological investigation of religious systems in Ancient Polynesia. This project aims to document and compare the long-term historical trajectories of Eastern Polynesian chiefdoms by developing a new perspective on ancient ritual practices and monuments. Using archaeological, historical and ethnographic material, the project expects to increase our knowledge of Polynesia’s archaeological history. Anticipated outcomes of this project include a better understanding of traditional religious systems in Polynesia, and the development of a theoretical and methodological framework for the study of ancient rituals. It should further create a new model of collaborative research with Pacific Islanders for whom their legacy of ritual monuments bear a critical cultural significance; it thus informs a better understanding of Australia’s role in Pacific studies. Field of research: 2101 - Archaeology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Transnational networks of Salafi Clerics. This project aims to provide a comprehensive examination of the transnational networks of the ultra-orthodox Salafi Sunni Muslim clerics. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of Islamic studies and religion in society by studying transnational religious actors. This project offers new insights on the workings of Salafi clerical networks, and how these clerics attempt to influence and operate in Muslim societies. Since Salafism is blamed for providing the ideological foundations for extremism, the project provides significant benefits to the scholarly community as well as for policy makers, intelligence professionals and the general public in Australia and worldwide. Field of research: 2204 - Religion and Religious Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Molecular systems biology of novel flower colour evolution. This project aims to discover new and potentially useful structural and regulatory genes while advancing knowledge of the chemical, genetic and ecological basis of unique evolutionary flower colour shifts. Dramatic shifts in floral colour is widespread in flowering plants, however, just how changes in flower colour occur remains poorly understood. This project will take advantage of unique Australian plants to investigate the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary shift in flower colour changes. This project expects to advance knowledge on plant specialised metabolism with potential contributions to the floriculture, food and flavour industries. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Advancing uncertainty prioritisation in water resource management. This project aims to develop a holistic framework for prioritisation of uncertainties in Integrated Water Resource Assessment and Management to assist water resource analysts and planners to improve sustainability of water resource management outcomes. The framework will help scientists, consultants, policy makers and water users better select which sources of uncertainty to address in their work, with what resources, and what methods. Expected outcomes are novel analytical methods to evaluate current practice in uncertainty prioritisation, communicate when and how to use established and novel uncertainty management techniques, and improve prioritisation of uncertainty using proof-of-concept model-based analyses. The project should improve decision making in policy and industry, and societal and environmental outcomes of water management. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Genomics of drought adaptation in endangered Eucalyptus woodlands. This project aims to investigate divergence in drought response strategies among foundation Eucalyptus species, using the latest genomic advances. The project expects to contribute new knowledge of drought adaptation in trees, specifically identifying above and below ground interactions that may constrain evolutionary responses to climate change by assessing genotype-trait associations in an integrated, whole plant research model. Expected outcomes include enhanced capacity to design agroforestry and restoration breeding programs to increase tree productivity and resilience under increasing aridity. This will benefit the conservation of endangered Australian woodlands, restoration of degraded landscapes, and production forestry. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Hybrid nanowire-nanoantenna infrared photodetectors. This project aims to demonstrate room temperature hybrid nanowire-nanoantenna infrared photodetectors by integrating plasmonic nanoantennas on semiconductor nanowire arrays. It is expected that such novel device architectures will not only bring enhanced performance in responsivity, detectivity, and photoresponse bandwidth, but also additional functionalities such as selective wavelength and tunable polarisation, which may significantly outperform current infrared technology. The outcomes will provide a new device platform for next-generation, large-scale, reduced-cost, high-performance imaging systems in self-driving navigation, object identification, spectroscopy, and other high-end defence and civilian applications. Field of research: 0906 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Active topological photonics with all-dielectric nanostructures. This project aims to address the challenges of topological protection in active and tunable photonic elements utilised for compact optical transmitting devices by designing dielectric nanostructures. The rapidly growing demands of information processing have launched a race for compact optical devices transmitting signals without scattering losses. The recent emergence of topological phases of light provides unique opportunities to create new photonic systems immune to scattering losses and disorder increasing the efficiency of light transmission in optical devices. The project expects to advance knowledge in fundamental nanoscale optics and benefit globally important photonic applications, ranging from high-speed data processing and communications to optical storage and low-power nanolasing. This project will provide benefits by uncovering disorder-immune technologies for emerging photonic industries in Australia. Field of research: 0205 - Optical Physics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

The drivers of genome evolution and diversification in marsupials. This project aims to investigate the impact of the four basic forces of evolution, mutation, selection, neutral drift, and gene flow, on the genome. Genome-scale data have a signature of these forces and extracting it would greatly improve the quality of evolutionary models fit to the data, but the framework to identify the evolutionary forces has not been developed. This project will develop tests for assessing the impact of the primary evolutionary forces on the genome, and test these methods using simulations. The new framework of genomic analysis will be disseminated through an intuitive software package, and will be used to estimate with unprecedented confidence the history of diversification and genome evolution of marsupials. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology