Australian National University

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Enabling next-generation earthquake and tsunami early warning. This project aims to develop a new approach for earthquake and tsunami early warning, avoiding many of the limitations currently present in such systems. The project will combine machine learning and artificial intelligence with state-of-the-art geophysical modelling, allowing high-quality real-time prediction of seismic hazards with full uncertainty information. Highlighting opportunities at the interface between geoscience and data science, the project will stimulate novel approaches, and build Australian research capacity in this area. Expected benefits include improved techniques for geophysical imaging and real-time data analysis, in addition to enhanced capabilities for mitigating the costs associated with seismic activity. Field of research: 0404 - Geophysics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Capturing highly beneficial and persistent legume symbionts. This project aims to investigate impacts of climate change on the survival of symbiotic soil bacteria and the nutritional benefits they provide plants, using molecular technology. This project will generate new knowledge about the process of adaptation in symbiotic bacteria, by measuring genomic changes. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced capacity to design ecological or genetic manipulations of soil bacteria to augment plant survival and health. Anticipated benefits include enhanced woodland restoration in a biodiversity hotspot, options to mitigate habitat damage from climate change, and strategies to increase agricultural productivity with less fertiliser. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Monetary policy, redistribution and endogenous asset market incompleteness. This project aims to provide a new framework for modelling agent heterogeneity and for evaluating the effects of monetary policy on aggregate welfare and wealth distribution over the business cycle. This project will focus on monetary policy, using new quantitative theories with new efficient computational methods, to understand and quantify links between monetary policy the dynamics of aggregate outcomes (such as inflation or employment), and the distribution of individual wealth (such as money, capital and housing). Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Deep-sea observatories for astrophysics - stardust on the ocean floor. This project aims to study the past 10 million years for unique signatures trapped in Earth’s deep ocean archives. It will investigate how and where the heavy elements are made in nature, and if nearby supernovae impacted on Earth. The project will provide a detailed time history of close-by supernova events. The set of radionuclide data can also be utilised for Earth’s climate record. The training included will provide qualified researchers for many fields, such as nuclear technology, nonproliferation, medical physics and nuclear safeguards, important for national security, health and economy. Field of research: 0202 - Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Ultrasensitive single atom-counting for astrophysics and nuclear technology. This project aims to study nuclear reactions identified as highest priority by United States and European working groups. This project addresses a wide range of applications that are critical to society, the generation of energy (nuclear fusion, fission, advanced nuclear systems), medical applications, national security and environmental applications. It addresses the fundamental question of where all the elements originate and will benefit the general community with qualified research in nuclear technology, non-proliferation, nuclear safeguards and through accelerator-based research relevant, for example, for hadron therapy. Field of research: 0202 - Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Challenging the neoliberal critique of deficit spending and public debt. This project aims to analyse the rhetoric of balanced budgets by examining its intellectual and political history and revisiting counterarguments. Expected outcomes from the project will include insights into the development of rhetoric based on analysis of archival, textual and interview-based data . Findings from the project will be published in online fora with wide readership in national and international policy circles. The project has the capacity to provide insights into and benefits for policy discourse on government deficit-spending and public debt. Field of research: 1608 - Sociology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Statistics for manifold-valued data. This project aims to develop, and then implement, a new suite of fully flexible, interpretable and tractable models for manifold-valued data, along with robust and accurate estimation techniques for their parameters. Multivariate data with complicated constraints, such as manifold-valued data, is frequently encountered in the physical, biological and medical sciences, however it is difficult to define tractable statistical models and estimate their parameters due to the curvature and nonlinear geometry of the sample space. The outcomes of the project are of direct mathematical interest as well as having significant interest to science and business disciplines where manifold-valued data is commonly observed. Field of research: 0104 - Statistics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Rupture: nature-society transformations in mainland Southeast Asia. This project aims to understand the nexus between intense, cumulative processes of socio-ecological change and emerging forms of social agency. Three case studies of Cambodian and Vietnamese dams, and a review of Thai-Lao cases, will reveal local and civil society responses to nature-society rupture and how these responses affect the region, inform advances in environmental change management, and be relevant to Australia's security policies. Field of research: 1604 - Human Geography

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Preventing and addressing environmental harm through restorative justice. This project aims to develop a knowledge base on how Restorative Justice (RJ) principles and practices can prevent and address environmental harm. Research has demonstrated that RJ is a powerful response to a wide variety of governance challenges and could provide a useful alternative paradigm for environmental regulation. This project aims to apply the processes and values of RJ to environmental regulation with a focus on harm prevention, advancing theory into a new domain of application. This should lead to immediate and long-term benefits, including better prevention of environmental harm, better relationships with communities, and stronger commitments by those who have caused harm to rehabilitate, repair and reform. Field of research: 1801 - Law

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Does coevolution drive speciation? This project aims to connect micro-evolutionary processes with macro-evolutionary patterns to test the extent to which tightly coupled co-evolutionary interactions between species drive evolutionary diversification. The project will use techniques including the most recent phylogenetic modelling methods, field experiments and molecular genetics. Expected outcomes include advancing understanding of the mechanisms that generate biodiversity and developing new techniques for acquisition of DNA from museum specimens. The project is expected to provide significant benefits, such as insights into the processes that promote new species in nature. Field of research: 0602 - Ecology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

ARC Training Centre for Multiscale 3D Imaging, Modelling and Manufacturing. The ARC Training Centre for Multiscale 3D Imaging, Modelling and Manufacturing aims to connect the detailed microscopic characteristics of materials with their macroscopic properties and design characteristics of natural and manufactured structures. It will train a new generation of researchers and practitioners in the emerging discipline of Digital Materials. The approach allows optimisation at all scales, enabling cost reductions and performance enhancements in key industries, including Oil, Gas and Energy Resources, Medical Technologies, and Advanced Manufacturing. The Centre expects to reduce the time needed in the prototyping cycle and product development, increasing industry’s capacity for accelerated innovation. The developments will build world-class Australian capabilities for developing high-value scaleable production of bespoke products and optimised process design. Field of research: 0910 - Manufacturing Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

The formation of the first stars in the universe. This project aims to solve one of the fundamental problems in astrophysics, how the first stars in the Universe were formed after the Big Bang. Using high-resolution simulations, including magnetic fields and jet/outflow feedback, the mass function of the first stars can be determined. The project will transform our understanding of how the first heavy elements were created in the Universe, providing crucial input for Australian-lead international and national observational surveys, and semi-analytic models of galaxy, star and planet formation, all directly following the formation of the first stars. This project will contribute to three of the six big questions defined in the Decadal Plan for Australian Astronomy 2016-2025, expand knowledge in the physical sciences and drive the next generation of large facilities and Australian frontier technologies. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Factors causing wheat stripe rust epidemics. This project aims to tackle wheat stripe rust, one of the most important fungal diseases of wheat in Australia, causing losses of up to $125 million a year. This project expects to gain insights into the fungal evolution and the molecular mechanism that causes hyper-virulent pathogen isolates. The expected outcome is to identify and characterise multiple genetic factors in the pathogen that contribute to wheat stripe rust epidemics in Australia. This project will contribute to improved disease management strategies to contain wheat stripe rust, resulting in higher wheat yields, reduced application of fungicides and increased revenue for Australian wheat farmers. Field of research: 0607 - Plant Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Groups, piecewise linear representations, and linear 2-representations. This project aims to address fundamental questions at the interface of two central areas of modern mathematics, geometric group theory and higher representation theory. Higher representation theory is a relatively new field, but its tools have already had a tremendous impact on mathematics. The project is expected to use these tools to address outstanding questions in geometric group theory. The expected outcomes of this project include resolutions of open problems in the theory of Artin groups and the creation of a new subject, the dynamical theory of two-linear groups. Field of research: 0101 - Pure Mathematics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Single spin molecular microscope. This project aims to create a new tool for imaging and analysing material at the atomic level. The tool is based on individual quantum coherent spins in diamond which can be manipulated and optically read. The project expects to generate knowledge in quantum metrology and an understanding of molecular dynamics at the nanoscale. The expected outcome is a new type of device capable of imaging complex physical systems at the level of their individual constituent components. This has significant benefits in improving designer materials, energy production, information storage, and drug design. Field of research: 0204 - Condensed Matter Physics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells: a pathway to 30 per cent efficiency. This project aims to develop a new type of solar cell that is much more efficient than today’s commercial silicon solar cells. Increasing cell efficiency is one of the most effective ways to reduce the cost of solar electricity, but silicon cells are approaching practical and theoretical limits. This project expects to boost the efficiency of silicon solar cells by adding a low-cost solar cell on top to create a tandem device. The expected outcome is a solar cell that can convert more than 30 per cent of incident sunlight into electricity, compared to 20-25 per cent for current cells. Developing cheap, high efficiency solar cells should further reduce the cost of solar electricity, and accelerate the uptake of clean energy. Field of research: 0906 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

The early woman writer, 1530-1660. This project aims to provide a literary history of women’s textual practice in the English Renaissance. This project will examine the scope, content and purpose of early modern women’s writing to make new discoveries about reading, writing and book use in the period when book production and distribution was first appearing on a larger scale. It uses digital technologies to create open-access digital forms of this writing to extend access to it, and also to further Australia’s position in both cutting edge digital scholarship and scholarship on the early modern period. Field of research: 2005 - Literary Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

The cosmic distribution of metals. This project aims to understand how the elements forged in stars flow through space and find their way into new stars and planets, using a combination of high-resolution numerical simulations and novel methods in machine learning. The history of these elements, and how they came to be in planets like ours, is one of the most basic questions remaining in astrophysics. The expected outcome is to provide a model for the history of the elements that can both stand on its own and provide a theoretical basis and a set of statistical tools to interpret the flood of data that will arrive from Australian and international telescopes over the next five years. The project will provide deeper insight into the history of the chemical elements that make up stars and our planet. It will also leverage Australia’s significant investment in observational excellence and hardware and enhance Australia’s leadership in astronomy. Field of research: 0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Deciphering how plants control water and salt co-transport. This project aims to increase our understanding of how plant cells regulate solute transport. Crop growth depends on water uptake and transport, and the rapid movement of water across plant cell membranes requires transporters such as aquaporins. Preliminary data indicates that a series of signals can switch aquaporins between functioning as highly selective water channels and salt transport channels. The project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and salt co-transport, using genetics, molecular biology, and electrophysiology data to decipher how plants regulate and coordinate aquaporin solute transport during growth and in osmotic adjustment. The project has the potential to lead to improvements in crop-plant solute transport traits, enhanced agricultural productivity, and yield stability in saline and water limited environments. Field of research: 0607 - Plant Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Solving and estimating dynamic models of strategic interaction. This project aims to investigate how firms interact with each other through time and how these interactions drive both the operation of, and value created in, economic markets. While recent theoretical models predominantly capture the complexity of these dynamic interactions, the methods for testing these models’ predictions against observed data do not. Instead, they are based on a range of simplifying assumptions that undermine the reliability of their analysis. This project will develop statistical and computational methods to better understand observed economic behaviour. By allowing the effects of proposed economic interventions and regulations ex ante, this project will support the development of more efficient and better-targeted policies in every area of the economy. Field of research: 1403 - Econometrics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Multiscale engineering of durable absorber coatings for solar thermal power. This project aims to advance the long-term stability and efficiency of high-temperature absorber coatings for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. Solar energy is a vast and largely untapped resource in Australia. The project will design superior light absorbers and scalable and low-cost approaches for their fabrication. Optimal absorber properties will be achieved by multi-scale engineering of the coating composition and micro-texturing via modelling of the light absorption and heat transport within these complex nanocomposite structures. The intended outcome of the project is a set of commercially competitive absorber coatings, with superior performance and durability, that support the development of CSP as a competitive technology for energy generation. Field of research: 0913 - Mechanical Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Development and investigation of functional solid-state nano-pore membranes. This project aims to develop robust membranes with molecular size pores using atomically thin layers and silicon-based materials. Using state-of-the-art characterisation techniques and computer simulations it seeks to derive a fundamental understanding of the membrane formation processes and pore properties. Expected outcomes include industrially compatible fabrication processes that should enable rapid integration of the membranes into advanced device applications as well as enhancing national capabilities for materials characterisation. Significant benefits should result from novel applications of the technologies in the areas of medical- and bio-sensing, filtration, and lab-on-the-chip devices. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Electrically-driven semiconductor nanowire lasers. This project aims to investigate the concepts and strategies required to produce electrically injected semiconductor nanowire lasers. The project will achieve this by understanding light interaction in nanowires, designing appropriate structures to inject current and engineer optical profile and developing nano-fabrication technologies to make them. Electrically operated nanowire lasers would enable practical applications such as on-chip integrated optical systems and ultra-sensitive miniature sensors. The project is expected to pave the way for further development of this technology. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Revealing the deep Earth in deep time. This project aims to determine the nature of the chemical and dynamical transformation of the Earth’s interior at the end of the first 25 per cent of its history. This will provide a new understanding of the related establishment of modern surface features such as extensive continents and an oxygenated atmosphere, as well as investigate causal relationships with west Australia’s mineral resources. The expected outcome will be a significant new understanding of the chemical and thermal history of our planet. Field of research: 0402 - Geochemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Genome-wide discovery of translation control mechanisms. This project aims to reveal currently unknown molecular details of protein synthesis, a step of gene expression that is central to all of life. To achieve this, innovative methods based on next-generation sequencing will be deployed in the yeast model organism. Yeasts are of importance as pathogens as well as in the food and biotechnology industry sector. Thus, new knowledge generated in this project will help solve problems of invasive pathogenic behaviour and biomass production. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics