Western Sydney University

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Computational Design of Defect-Free Additive Manufactured Ceramic Structure. Despite its importance and potential, ceramic additive manufacturing (AM) is facing significant challenge for its inherent material characteristics prone to shrinkage and fracture during fabrication process. This project aims to fill a knowledge gap by developing a new computational design framework for a commonly-used indirect AM process. It will address a range of AM issues, such as residual stress/distortion, cracks, and uncertainty in a nondeterministic context. The study is expected to establish novel design methodologies for ceramic AM with process modelling, robust/reliable optimisation, and fracture-based design. It will provide ceramic industry with a new framework for biomedical, aerospace and mechanical applications. Field of research: 4017 - Mechanical Engineering Ceramics are gradually replacing traditional engineering materials in aerospace, biomedical, and defence industries. Their exceptional properties can produce stronger and better performing engine parts, orthopaedic implants, spacecraft, body armour and scaffolds for tissue engineering. As ceramics cannot be cast or machined easily, the industry has turned to additive manufacturing (industrial-grade 3D printing) to provide the flexibility needed to efficiently fabricate sophisticated and customisable ceramic structures. This project will develop new computer modelling and optimisation methods for manufacturing robust and reliable ceramic structures and overcome a series of critical issues currently associated with 3D printing, such as residual stresses, distortions and cracks. The results will deliver fundamental insights into the effects of structural design on the durability and lifetime of manufactured ceramic components which could be used to make orthopaedic implants and other biomedical products more durable. The new design methodologies and computational tools this project develops will enhance Australia’s technological share in the future ceramic additive manufacturing industry creating economic benefits for Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

The dynamics of object representations in the human brain. The human brain's ability to effortlessly recognise and categorise objects enables effective behavioural responses in complex everyday environments. Despite the apparent efficiency of this process, it is still unknown how the brain solves object recognition. This project capitalises on cutting-edge advances in artificial intelligence and neuroscience to resolve the spatiotemporal dynamics of object processing in the human brain. The outcomes will be a step change in our understanding of the nature and development of the multi-dimensional space underpinning neural object processing. This will ultimately facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders across the lifespan and accelerate the development of intelligent machines. Field of research: 5202 - Biological Psychology We easily identify objects in daily life, but our understanding of how the brain does this is far from complete. The current project combines brain recording with artificial intelligence to study how object recognition develops in the brain from infancy to adulthood. The project will lead to a new model of object recognition, which can be translated into smart machines. This has major economic and commercial benefits for industries that rely strongly on automated object recognition. For example, there have been countless incidents of self-driving vehicles causing dangerous situations due to very basic failures in object recognition, such as not being able to detect a bus or a child. Understanding how human infants develop robust object recognition in their first year, once translated into smart machines, would help avoid such problems in the future and put Australia at the forefront of new developments in smart technologies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

A Reconfigurable Neuromorphic Compute System for Brain-Scale Simulations. The project aims to construct a world-first reconfigurable neuromorphic compute system. The hardware is designed to run brain-scale simulations efficiently, providing a platform to develop our understanding of the brain and develop brain-scale computing applications. Expected outcomes are to enable the efficient simulation of biological brains for computational neuroscience research and investigation of novel machine learning approaches for practical applications. The Australian and global research community in neuroscience and machine learning would benefit from the infrastructure, as it can be accessed remotely via the internet, unlocking world-wide collaborative research into brain-scale computing. Field of research: 4009 - Electronics, Sensors and Digital Hardware Biological brains are much less power hungry than current AI systems and learn from far fewer examples. Up to now, it has been impossible to simulate the electrical signal processing in biological brains at the scale required, even on supercomputers. This has hampered our understanding of biological brains. To solve this problem, we will build the world’s first computer dedicated to efficient simulation of bio-inspired neural networks as large as a human brain. We will make the system available online to researchers world-wide so they can all contribute. With a predicted global market of over $50 billion by 2030 for brain inspired computers, our pioneering role will attract high-tech companies to Australia and create hundreds of high-skilled jobs. It will enable the creation of robust, high-performance AI and develop smarter technology for devices that everyone will use, such as mobile phones, or self-driving cars, and for manufacturing, mining, and health-care robots. A better understanding of brains will also lead to better designs for human-computer interface devices such as medical bionics prostheses.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Graded Symmetry in Algebra and Analysis. This project will study graded symmetries in mathematics by modelling them as groupoids and inverse semigroups. Groupoids have been at the centre of mathematical interest for a long time, but have gained special prominence in recent years as a focal point for algebra, analysis and dynamics. The majority of groupoids can be naturally graded. The project introduces graded combinatorial invariants for groupoids (such as graded homology) and relates them to their Steinberg and C*-algebra counterparts (such as graded K-theory). The outcome is to give sought-after unified invariants bridging algebra and analysis, and to exhaust the class of groupoids for which these much richer invariants will furnish a complete classification. Field of research: 4904 - Pure Mathematics This pure mathematics project seeks to employ the crucial role of partitioning and grading in understanding the symmetry in mathematical objects. Outcomes include finding sought-after unified invariants, bridging two main areas of Mathematics—Algebras and Analysis—and enhancing our fundamental understanding of mathematical symmetry. Outcomes will enhance our fundamental understanding of symmetry in mathematical objects, which through abstract algebra, has further applications in theoretical physics (development of string theory that can be used to improve our understanding of the universe), biology (through evolution of genomes which can help understand inherited disorders and their treatment) and cryptography (better data & finance security). The project will directly help to maintain Australia’s position at the foundational science, and the leading edge of developments in the fast-moving areas of mathematics. The project will also train future mathematicians to strengthen science, technology, and mathematical discipline in Australia, the areas which are highly needed for the future of the country.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Online anti-racism for Australia. Harmful manifestations of online racism are increasing. The neo-liberal assumption is that social media users and user groups can be responsiblised to disrupt online racism. This project analyses a subset of online anti-racism campaigns. The review provides the material to test effectiveness, using surveys. The survey findings will identify the ingredients for effective, safe and efficient online anti-racism intervention. An online anti-racism program will be developed, implemented and evaluated. The development of guidelines for online anti-racism will overtly address the challenges and risks of action in this environment where regulation is so heavily contested. Field of research: 4410 - Sociology Australians are exposed to racism in online activity every day. Online anti-racism has emerged in response, but this has been under-researched. The lessons for success from four previous online anti-racism initiatives in Australia will be used to develop and deliver an anti-racism campaign. This includes identifying the most effective and safest forms of delivery for anti-racist activists, government agencies and everyday Australians. The campaign includes a set of Guidelines to be used by our community partners, which include Councils, schools, and anti-racist Non-Government Organisations. They will also be distributed to our partners within the State Government Departments of: Education; Community and Justice; and Multicultural Affairs. Data on the challenges and risks of doing online anti-racism will be shared with online platforms, prompting them to improve regulations to better protect anti-racist activists. Outcomes of the project will help to make online racism more difficult, lessen the socially damaging effects of racism and improve community relations and social cohesion.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Brain mechanisms for coordinating with others through sound. Distinguishing between sounds produced by self and others is critical for interpersonal coordination and communication through speech and music. This project employs a novel dual-brain electrophysiological technique with tagged audio signals to elucidate how the human brain achieves this distinction, and when and why it cannot. Expected outcomes include new knowledge on the neurophysiological mechanisms that support self-other processing, and the acoustic conditions and behavioural strategies that facilitate their operation. These outcomes should ultimately have applied benefits for improving interpersonal coordination and social interaction, especially in digital environments and clinical populations with atypical self-other processing. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology The project will contribute to Australia's national interest by elucidating and enhancing the brain mechanisms that enable humans to communicate and coordinate through sounds including speech and music. Neuroimaging will be used to determine how the human brain optimally processes sounds produced by self and others during social interaction, and when and why it cannot. Expected outcomes are new knowledge in psychology and neuroscience, deepening the understanding of self-other auditory processing, and of the environmental conditions and behavioural strategies that influence it. These outcomes have potential applications for developing and commercialising better acoustic environments for human-human and human-machine teaming, especially for digital platforms used increasingly by the Australian and international community. Potential social and economic benefits to Australia include understanding and improving social interaction in individuals with mental disorders and clinical conditions characterised by atypical self-other processing, like schizophrenia and autism.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Diet, gut microbiota and the evolution of lifespan and reproduction. Nutrition has pronounced effects on lifespan and reproduction across animal species, yet how these effects are mediated is poorly understood. This project aims to determine if the gut microbiota regulates these nutritional effects. This project expects to deliver key insights on the complex interplay between nutrition and the gut microbiota, as well as the potential to manipulate this relationship to extend lifespan and alter reproduction. The expected outcomes of this project include generating new knowledge, building multidisciplinary collaborations and the development of novel experimental approaches. This should provide significant benefits, fore-most in bolstering Australia’s high international standing in evolutionary research. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics This project aims to deliver breakthroughs in understanding the role of gut microbiota in mediating the effects of nutrition on lifespan and reproduction in an exotic insect host. There is the potential for our work to have important benefits for human health and pest management: topics that are well aligned with two of Australia’s Science and Research Priorities (health and food). Faecal transplant of gut microbiota shows promise in the treatment of numerous human diseases (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease) and we use this approach extensively in our experiments. Therefore, testing how the effectiveness of this approach varies with diet, genotype and sex may help with the development of more effective human treatments in the future. Likewise, because we examine how faecal transplant influences lifespan and reproduction in an exotic insect, there is the potential to isolate the gut microbiota that reduce lifespan and inhibit reproduction and apply them to other orthopteroid pest species (e.g. locusts, cockroaches) that have substantial socio-economic and human health issues in Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Are Secreted Proteins determinants of host range in ectomycorrhizal fungi? This project aims to understand the role of small secreted proteins in governing symbiotic fungal-host compatibility and determine the impact of environmental change on the role of these proteins. Using innovative approaches, this project expects to achieve these goals using comparative genomics, transcriptomic analyses and functional characterisation of these proteins within a keystone Australian ectomycorrhizal fungus. It is anticipated that outcomes of this project will add a critical component to the global effort in understanding the role of soil microbes in supporting the health of plants experiencing a variety of climactic conditions. This could provide significant benefits to informing management practices of forest ecosystems. Field of research: 0605 - Microbiology The intended aim of this project is to identify the genetic traits of mutualistic fungi and their host trees that improve the efficiency of their symbiotic relationship under both normal and stressful conditions. The outcome of this work would result in enhanced tree health with fewer industrial inputs thereby improving the sustainability of our forestry practices both now and under future climactic extremes. Practically, this project will provide new tools to the forestry and bio-energy sectors that could be applied towards optimising inoculation strategies of forestry plantation seedlings with superior mutualistic fungal genotypes proven to enhanced tree productivity. The path to impact of this project will be promoted and measured through shared screening tools, regular policy briefings to stakeholders, via media releases as well as through informational seminars.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Mechanistic responses of phosphorus-limited forests to CO2 enrichment. Carbon dioxide continues to accumulate in the atmosphere, driven by human emissions. The future fate of the global forest carbon sink, which significantly slows CO2 increase in the atmosphere, helping to dampen climate change, remains poorly constrained, hindering mitigation and adaptation planning. A key gap concerns the role of phosphorus, crucial in limiting the productivity of Australian woodlands and tropical forests. Model-data fusion based on the results of a crossed CO2 x P experiment in Eucalyptus forest - EucFACE - will help close this vital knowledge gap, and leverage new mechanistic knowledge in a leading global model used for climate and emissions assessment. Field of research: 0501 - Ecological Applications Australia's eucalypt woodlands and forests are a vital part of our landscapes and national identity, providing economic, social and environmental benefits. Woodlands are impacted by ongoing environmental change, but there are surprising and important gaps in our understanding of how rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations in combination with climate affect their productivity, carbon storage and biodiversity. Interactions with soil nutrients in Australia's phosphorus-deficient soils are a key knowledge gap. This project will advance knowledge and develop predictive tools targeted to providing key evidence to inform adaptive management and land-based carbon abatement measures. The project capitalises on past Commonwealth investment in a globally unique elevated CO2 experiment at WSU to provide new understanding of how rising CO2 concentrations and phosphorus availability interact in a representative Australian native woodland ecosystem. Knowledge gained will inform enhancements in a state-of-the-art ecosystem model suitable for large-scale analysis, assessment and policy support.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Understanding the survival of forests under drought . Droughts are predicted to become more extreme in the near future, with potentially devastating impacts on Australian forest ecosystems. This project aims to address key knowledge gaps in our understanding of how plants tolerate extreme drought stress and utilise this new knowledge to improve vegetation models suitable for assessing ecosystem vulnerability. We will use innovative experimental methodology to determine the processes by which water transport breaks down in roots, stems and leaves and the mechanisms governing recovery from severe drought stress. The project will provide a deeper understanding of drought tolerance in trees, improved forecasting of risks to native vegetation, and enhanced management of native forest resources. Field of research: 0602 - Ecology Extreme drought events are expected to become more frequent in Australia’s future climate. While much of Australia's flora is adapted to drought, the predicted increase in drought intensity, combined with heatwaves, may outstrip the capacity of plants to adapt or acclimate to new conditions. A detailed understanding of plant hydraulic function is essential to accurately model vegetation response to water stress and predict plant survival under extreme drought. This project will provide new knowledge on the mechanisms by which plants tolerate severe drought stress. Direct collaboration between plant biologists and modellers will ensure that this knowledge is incorporated into models suitable for large-scale analysis of ecosystem vulnerability. This will provide economic and environmental benefits associated with evidence based decision making in the management of forest and woodland ecosystems. The new understanding of drought tolerance in plants will also be translatable to the horticultural and forestry industries, helping to drought-proof Australia's agricultural sector.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

National Facility for Physical Fire Simulation. This LIEF proposal aims to establish a ground breaking national facility for physical fire simulation (NFPFS) that will extend and upgrade existing research capacity in Australia to become world leading. The facility will open new research possibilities and collaborations on the fire resistance of structures and infrastructure, from individual components (e.g. columns, beams) to structural assemblies (e.g. joints, frames). The NFPFS will unite researchers in their endeavours to conduct high-quality research in fire-related disciplines from all Australian mainland states; enhance collaboration with industries and government agencies; and provide research, training and education for this critically important area to the country. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering Fire disasters (e.g., bushfires) have widespread economic, social and environmental impacts, including life or property losses, and damage or destruction of critical infrastructure and services. The proposed NFPFS facility will play a significant role in developing new fire-resistant construction materials and structural systems, as well as contributing to education and technology transfer. A better understanding of the fundamental behaviour of materials and structures exposed to fire will foster innovations in design and construction that can be incorporated into future performance-based standards. This will safeguard Australian communities from various fire hazards and infrastructure failures. The research by using this facility is also likely to generate innovative technologies for developing cost-effective, environmentally-friendly, and fire-resistant new construction materials and building products, which will greatly benefit the Australian construction and manufacturing industries, promoting local innovation and industrial competitiveness.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Delivering defences: using fungi to enhance plant resistance to herbivory. This project will identify how the diversity of beneficial fungi in the soil is affected by agricultural management, and will reveal how these fungi govern the ability of plants to defend themselves from insect herbivores. Through innovative field surveys and experimentation, this project will generate new knowledge in the key areas of soil ecology and plant defence. This will allow us to exploit these soil fungi to enhance crop protection while simultaneously conserving soil ecosystems. Effectively boosting plant defence in this way will reduce reliance on ecologically damaging pesticides, promote soil biodiversity, and ensure the sustainability of crop production into the future. Field of research: 0602 - Ecology Reducing damage to agricultural crops by insect herbivores will allow us to meet the challenge of feeding a growing population. Microbes in the soil have the capacity to boost the natural defences of plants. This project delivers major socio-environmental and economic benefits by unlocking our ability to utilise these microbes in sustainable agriculture. Doing so will reduce our reliance on expensive and ecologically damaging pesticides while promoting soil biodiversity. These benefits will be relevant to (i) farmers as they look to manage their soils sustainably, conserve their local environment, and maintain crop pest-resistance; (ii) bioinoculant industries who will benefit from accurate information on effective microbial formulations for pest resistance; (iii) Australian agricultural export industries subject to stringent organic and sustainability guidelines of trading partners.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Mapping fertility control among migrant and refugee women in Australia. This project aims to increase understanding of fertility control among migrant and refugee women living in Australia. This vulnerable group of women report low rates of contraception use and high rates of unintended pregnancy, with significant negative health implications. This project will examine women’s negotiation of fertility control, within the context of broader sexual and reproductive embodiment. It will provide novel insight into women’s negotiation of contraception choice and sides effects, abortion and reproductive coercion, recognising women’s agency, across a range of cultural contexts and backgrounds. These findings will provide recommendations for culturally meaningful health promotion activities and healthcare provision. Field of research: 1117 - Public Health and Health Services Migrant and refugee women from non-English speaking backgrounds are a growing population in Australia, who experience inequitable reproductive health outcomes, including lower rates of contraception use and higher rates of unintended pregnancy. This has negative implications for the quality of life, physical health and psychological wellbeing of women and their families, whilst putting pressure on Australia’s economy and health infrastructures. Addressing the fertility control needs of migrant and refugee women is an urgent priority, documented in the Australian National Women’s Health Strategy 2020-2030. This project uses community led research methods to explore women’s lived experiences of fertility control, in the context of their broader reproductive embodiment, including women from recent and established migrant groups. The results will inform culturally tailored health promotion activities and healthcare provision, with the aim of educating and empowering migrant and refugee women to control their fertility and reduce unwanted pregnancy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Music and speech as a window into the predictive brain . Prediction is fundamental to daily life, and yet we know little about how this central process works in the brain. This research program aims to provide in-depth insight into predictive processing by investigating the precise, culturally relevant, and communicative domains of music and speech. The research expects to reveal cognitive and neural correlates of “what” will occur and “when” it will occur, while exploiting the musician brain as a model for plasticity. Expected outcomes include a multi-dimensional model of prediction and its neural markers that will lay the foundation to investigate impaired predictive processing. This should substantially benefit health and education by providing perspectives for training and rehabilitation. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology The ability to predict is vital for everyday life. We use prediction when we cross a busy street, talk with a co-worker, or move with music. However, little is known about how the brain predicts, or how prediction impairment can be assessed and treated. This research has the potential to benefit health and education for the Australian community by providing a foundational evidence base for prediction, which could inform the development of cost-effective and socially rewarding music-based interventions and techniques for teaching and learning. Through this research, it will be possible to discover underlying impairments in developmental disorders such as Dyslexia, Developmental Language Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder, with the goal to improve outcomes for these groups and to reduce disparities with typically developing children. By using music and speech as a window into the predictive brain, this research will place Australia at the forefront of this exciting and emerging field, with potential avenues to improve economic and social productivity through clinical interventions, education, and training.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Het-Crete: High-Grade Chemical-Treated Heterogeneous Recycled Concrete. Of over 20 million tons of mixed construction and demolition waste generated annually, only 5% is recycled and less than 1% is adopted for low-grade construction activities. This innovative research aims to solve Australia’s mixed construction and demolition waste disposal problem and lower its greenhouse-gas emissions at the same time. The research develops Het-Gregate with novel chemical admixtures and greenhouse-gas emissions to create Het-Crete, with new mixing techniques for its an optimal performance high-grade concrete. Life-cycle analyses will be conducted to generate Het-Crete specifications for the industry. This will significantly elevate Australia’s world standing in recycled concrete research. Field of research: 3302 - Building This project will create Het-Crete, the world's first building material for high-grade construction applications using mixed construction and demolition waste combined with novel environment-friendly chemical admixtures and greenhouse-gas emissions. By employing novel automation modelling, Het-Crete recycled concrete will be shown to match the quality of virgin concrete, offering Australian construction industry a cost-benefit alternative building material for structural applications. This proposal will elevate Australia’s world standing in recycled-concrete research and reveal the full potential of recycled concrete. Benefits for Australia include: (i) lowering its greenhouse-gas emissions by efficiently re-using abundant CO2 emissions; (ii) reducing Australia’s landfills by reusing mixed construction and demolition waste; and (iii) raising environment awareness among Australian construction professionals and the public by effectively and efficiently deploying building waste. The new material, Het-Crete, will be the first of its kind and will help to ensure that Australia meets its net-zero target by 2025.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Nurturing Australia's Little Multilingual Minds. Despite its substantial multilingual capacity of more than 300 languages, Australia has been described as a 'graveyard for languages'. In partnering with community organisations we will facilitate polyglot early learning, commencing with Spanish and Vietnamese. Expected outcomes are a deep understanding of multilingual families’ experiences, a model to support lifespan multilingual education, and openly-accessible database of child language in heritage languages. Benefits include a pivotal contribution to early childhood education with the creation of a tailor-made, principle-based program, which will enhance children’s academic achievement, familial social and mental wellbeing, and cultural and economic opportunities for all Australians. Field of research: 1702 - Cognitive Sciences Lifelong bilingualism enhances cognitive, social, and academic skills and in turn employability, productivity, and wellbeing. Thirty percent of Australian children grow up in households where a heritage language (HL) is spoken, reaching 50% by 2050. The majority miss the opportunity to retain their HL and reap the academic, cognitive, economic, psychological, and social benefits of being bilingual. This project will identify specific needs for HL maintenance. A co-designed version of our Little Multilingual Minds (LMM) program will deliver HL retention, and enhanced children’s wellbeing. Outcomes of this project will be a model to support lifespan multilingual education, and an openly accessible database of child speech in heritage languages. Our innovative intervention will generate 100 new bilinguals per year. Benefits include a pivotal contribution to early childhood education with the creation of a tailor-made, principle-based program set to unlock Australia’s bilingual advantage.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Walking my path: NSW Indigenous LGBTIQ+ peoples' experiences & aspirations. There is little known about the experiences, needs and aspirations of Indigenous gender and/or sexuality diverse peoples in New South Wales. This means that government, corporate and community sectors lack information on how to secure their social, economic and cultural inclusion. In collaboration with local Aboriginal community controlled organisations, the project will create new knowledge about the key events and experiences shaping Indigenous gender/sexuality diverse peoples' immediate needs and longer-term aspirations in NSW. This will inform the development of culturally and gender/sexuality appropriate service provision and promote social cohesion and community (re)connections through engagement with community, economy and culture. Field of research: 1605 - Policy and Administration The health and care needs of Indigenous Australian sexual/gender diverse people are currently under-serviced across Australia. This group have one of the highest rates of depression and suicide. This project will work directly with BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation to develop meaningful early interventions and appropriate service provision that can be translated nationally. The project will develop a suite of evidence-based policy briefings to inform government policy, providing a significant body of evidence to inform BlaQ’s partners in the Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations. An outreach model will be delivered that builds Indigenous community awareness raising strategies, the knowledge base of key stakeholders, and their support networks of existing and proposed services. We will develop best practice models that will significantly improve the service provision of Indigenous and non-Indigenous service providers. The project will generate more effective and responsive service provision for this group, and improve their access to employment, housing, health and community care.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Living with Urban Heat: Becoming Climate-Ready in Social Housing . This project aims to address liveability in rapidly warming cities by focusing on the role that social practice plays in complementing technical and infrastructural cooling solutions. This project expects to generate new knowledge about equitable heat adaptive practices. It does so by working with culturally diverse social housing residents using an innovative blend of participatory action research and transition design. Expected outcomes of this project include practical, low-cost cooling strategies that can be implemented now, along with increased social input into planning for the hotter urban future. This should provide significant benefits, such as enhanced civic capacity to generate society-wide climate readiness. Field of research: 1604 - Human Geography It is increasingly evident that global warming is threatening liveability: people die from heat-related health issues every year and mental health is affected when indoor temperatures rise and outdoor heat restricts mobility. This project focuses on western Sydney where hot days (above 32 degrees) and extremely hot days of 35+ degrees have become the new normal during summer. It will work with social housing residents and Community Housing Providers to identify heat adaptive social practices and develop new low-cost strategies to increase wellbeing in the face of rising urban heat. By combining university, housing sector and residents’ expertise it will address three National Science and Research Priorities—mitigating heat-related health risks, improving energy efficiency in homes and promoting immediate and long-term community adaptation to environmental change. Research will benefit social housing residents and providers in western Sydney, the housing sector state-wide as well the broader Sydney community and other heat-vulnerable cities in Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Maximising the Use of Waste Glass in Sustainable Composite Columns. This project aims to develop novel structural concrete made with over 80% waste glass for use in manufacturing sustainable concrete-filled steel tubular columns used in buildings. Because of limited established markets for recycled glass, significant stockpiling of recycled and recyclable waste glass currently exists across Australia. This study will provide a suite of novel solutions to maximise the use of waste glass in structural concrete by fully replacing sand and gravel with crushed glass and up to 72% cement with glass powder. This will provide practical solutions to address not only Australia's glass recycling crisis but also the worldwide issue of disposal of waste glass. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering The innovations in developing sustainable concrete and associated construction are at the forefront of international trends and will address the need to promote sustainable construction and a circular economy. The research outcomes will solve Australia's glass recycling crisis, which will provide significant economic, commercial, environmental, and social benefits to the Australian community. The annual glass waste generated in Australia is 1.16 million tonnes, of which over 40% go directly to landfills. Because of limited established markets for waste glass, significant stockpiling of recycled and recyclable waste glass mixed with other combustible wastes exists across Australia, heightening the risk of fire and threatening the environment. At the same time, there is a shortage of quarry materials and natural sands in many places in Australia because of the tremendous demand for concrete and natural aggregates. This project will provide innovative solutions to maximise the use of waste glass in concrete and promote the use of this concrete in composite construction.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Physics-aware machine learning for data-driven fire risk prediction. The 2019/20 Australian fire season was unprecedented in its extent, impact, and the response of fire agencies. In this project, we aim to answer the question: was the scale of these fires driven by known drivers of fire (drought, weather, fuels and ignitions), or were fundamentally new undescribed processes and phenomena involved? We will accomplish this by developing an innovative, physics-aware machine learning model of fire risk and spread, trained and validated on a two-decade satellite fire record. The predictive ability of the model will be tested on the 2019/20 fire season to determine if novel drivers of fire can be identified, and the model itself will be operationalised into a novel short-to-mid term fire risk prediction tool. Field of research: 0406 - Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience This project will strongly benefit Australian communities, ecosystems, emergency services and agriculture by improving our ability to prepare and respond to extreme bushfire seasons, by providing a new, innovative tool for fire risk forecasting, and by identifying and understanding novel drivers of the costly 2019/20 fire season. The development of this machine learning model will assist fire management agencies to identify areas at risk of fire and plan resource allocation more rapidly, and will allow communities and individuals to make more timely preparations and assessments of risk. In applying this model to a retrospective analysis of the 2019/20 fire season, this project aims to strengthen our understanding of fire behaviour in south-eastern Australian eucalyptus forests by identifying novel drivers of extreme fire seasons, information that will be vital for protecting populations and natural assets in a warmer, drier future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Creole Voices in the Caribbean and Australia: Poetics and Decolonisation. Creole Voices will investigate the experiences of Caribbean people that have been repressed or lost in colonial archives. Its first theme introduces the methods of historical poetics to Caribbean literary studies in order to recover a forgotten archive of poems written in the region’s hybrid creole languages and to reconstruct for the first time the history of Creole poetry between the end of slavery and formal decolonisation. Its second theme synthesises archival research and literary reconstruction to explore the lives of Caribbean people arriving in Australia over the same period. Creole Voices’ discoveries will be made readily accessible to Australian and Caribbean communities through online digital archives, podcasts, and publications. Field of research: 2005 - Literary Studies At a time when the number of Australians from Caribbean backgrounds is increasing, Creole Voices will confer great social and cultural benefits as the first comprehensive exploration of Caribbean people’s role in Australia’s cultural formation. It will contribute to social cohesion by giving a new perspective on how Caribbean people participated in key aspects of Australia’s history like its convict period, its economic expansion through mining, its sporting achievements, the tribulations of the White Australia era, and the current context of multiculturalism. It will further the aims of DFAT’s Caribbean Regional Program by establishing links to institutions and scholars across the Caribbean and by ensuring that all materials uncovered will be accessible to Caribbean and Australian communities. Outputs like the project’s podcast series and digital anthology are designed to maximise public exposure. It will boost Australia’s international research standing by producing elite publications and aid renewal in Caribbean studies following the retirements of several eminent Australian scholars in this area.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Investigating voluntary and involuntary intergroup contact . Extensive research suggests that interactions between people of opposing groups - intergroup contact - reduce prejudices and improve social cohesion. Yet these benefits may not be realised if intergroup contact is actively avoided, passively received, or mandated. Drawing from social psychology and human geography, this project aims to establish the conditions under which voluntary contact occurs and how voluntary (vs. involuntary) intergroup contact shapes diversity experiences and impacts social attitudes, trust, and civic participation. With data from multiple settings and participant populations, this project has the potential to inform interventions and policies that deliver harmonious, healthy and productive communities. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology The mental health burden of discrimination is estimated to cost Australia $30M per year. This project is set to bring social, economic, and cultural benefits by informing the development of interventions and policies that reduce discrimination and increase social cohesion. Currently, many diversity programs revolve around involuntary intergroup contact. For example, some schools integrate students from diverse backgrounds and ability levels. Some workplaces require employees to undergo diversity training. And, some immigration policies mandate new arrivals to spend a period in regional communities. The project aims to identify the typical settings of voluntary versus involuntary contact and the social impacts of these different kinds of contact for individuals and communities. Using data from schools, the workplace and ordinary community settings, this research intends to clarify the kinds of contact that are best for different people and contexts. It will also engage with policy makers to help formulate policies and interventions that maximise benefits for Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Being a Transnational Muslim in Australia in an Era of Hyper-Security. Muslims have been the focus of significant policy articulations around security and integration in a hypersecuritised environment. This project aims to investigate how Australian Muslims are negotiating increased surveillance and public hostility and how this impacts on their sense of belonging. Working with members of four disparate Muslim communities in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, the project will examine the varied manifestations of national and transnational belonging for conceptions of identity and social inclusion. In addition to generating new knowledge in the sociology of religion and migration studies, this project will also yield novel data for better policy and practice both locally and internationally. Field of research: 1608 - Sociology Within the current context of the Australian government’s emphasis on the security and counter-terrorism agenda, this project analyses and advances our understanding of the interrelationship between transnational connections and Muslim migrant integration. Western anxieties over the implications of certain transnational activities among Muslim migrants and the promulgation of anti-Western sentiment ensure this project is relevant. It will address a critical area of national and international study. Empirically, the project will generate novel data on how social inclusion among Muslim communities are affected by national and international terrorist events as well as transnational connections. By investigating perceptions of belonging, as well as transnational practices of Australian Muslims, this project directly addresses the issues of cultural citizenship, intercultural relations, and human rights, which are central to building resilient communities in Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Rhizosphere mediation of soil greenhouse gas fluxes with climate change. Increasingly extreme heat waves, droughts and floods contribute major uncertainties in predicting natural land-based climate change mitigation. This project will quantify current and future greenhouse gas absorption in a managed grassland ecosystem, and the new knowledge will contribute to carbon emissions offsets in climate change accounting schemes. We will conduct this research using a manipulative field experiment, controlled laboratory incubations, microbial gene analysis and mechanistic modelling to provide new insights into future potential climate change mitigation by soils. Field of research: 0501 - Ecological Applications This project will provide environmental benefits by improving our understanding of how soil processes can take carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. This project will bring societal and economic benefit to Australia’s vast grazing lands by informing farmers how much carbon their soils can store. Economic benefits emerging from the project are also related to the data and model results necessary to calculate contributions to any carbon Emissions Reduction scheme. The new knowledge is urgently needed by Australia to inform reliable climate change mitigation strategies. The project builds on international collaborations with world leaders in soil carbon measurement and advanced computational methods, and leverages significant investment by NCRIS via the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN).

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Leaf and wood physiology and biomass allocation as drivers of plant growth. This project will build new understanding of how physiological and morphological traits of plants drive growth rates and reflect evolutionary adaptation to different environments. This is significant because growth rates are pivotal in vegetation ecology and a core element of plant ecological strategies. Expected outcomes include new cost-benefit theory for plant form and function considered at whole-canopy scale, with empirical tests from Australian and Chinese ecosystems and via global trait datasets. Benefits include new approaches for predicting plant physiological properties and growth rates, and new knowledge crucial for understanding links between species traits, plant strategies and, ultimately, ecosystem productivity. Field of research: 0602 - Ecology Plant growth underpins ecosystem productivity, timber production and crop yields. This project will deliver new understanding of what factors drive field growth rates, and how processes fundamental to growth, like photosynthesis and respiration, are coordinated. New theory will be developed, and predictions confirmed with data collected across Australia: from tropical savanna and rainforest, to arid desert shrublands, to coastal forests and woodlands in the south-east. Analysis of global datasets will build broad-scale generality. This knowledge will have clear potential to improve management of Australia’s forest estate and to guide crop improvement programs. Theory and data from the project will be used to refine the “P model”, our “next generation” ecosystem productivity model used for predicting shifts in vegetation distribution under future climates, and associated changes to ecosystem carbon, nutrient and water cycles. This project clearly articulates with the National Priority area “Build Australia’s capacity to respond to environmental change”.