Deakin University

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

The big gamble: an interdisciplinary study of the normalisation of gambling. This project aims to explore industry and socio-cultural factors that contribute to the normalisation of gambling. Gambling is recognised as an urgent public health issue in Australia, posing a health threat to individuals and communities. However, there is limited empirical evidence about the processes that may contribute to the normalisation of different forms of gambling. This project aims to explore the interplay between the sophisticated promotional tactics used by the gambling industry, and the socio-cultural mechanisms which may interact with these promotional tactics to normalise gambling beliefs in youth, women, and older adults. This project expects to help local governments and related stakeholders develop a comprehensive range of public health strategies aimed at preventing the risks and harms posed by the normalisation of gambling. Field of research: 1117 - Public Health and Health Services

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Superwettability effects on oil-mist coalescing fibrous filters. This project aims to provide new knowledge about how to use surface engineering techniques to produce highly efficient, energy-saving fibrous filters for separating oil mists from air streams. The focus is to address the challenge of the low efficiency of current generation coalescing filters for removal of oil mists smaller than one micrometre. The project will result in new methods to precisely control fibre surface wettability and oil drainage within fibrous filters. The new knowledge and coalescing filters developed will benefit scientific and industrial fields including metal processing, automotive, engineering and manufacturing, electronics, food, hospital, mining, pharmaceuticals and energy generation. Field of research: 0910 - Manufacturing Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

School autonomy reform and Australian public education. This project aims to provide an evidence base for policymakers and practitioners that articulates how Australian public schools at an individual and system level engage with school autonomy reform. The project expects to generate an evidence base and new knowledge in the form of dilemma cases, position papers and a practice framework to support social justice through school autonomy reform. This evidence base will produce national economic and social benefits for Australian communities by identifying the requisite knowledge and practices that will enable key stakeholders to mobilise school autonomy in ways that produce just outcomes for all students. Field of research: 1605 - Policy and Administration

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Discovering a ‘good read’: Pathways to reading for Australian teens. This project aims to support the school, library, and book industries to increase teenagers’ recreational reading. Matching the right book to the right reader is essential to increase young people’s motivation to read. Yet how cultural intermediaries should operate to best effect within the complex ecologies that shape young people’s text selection is unclear. The project expects to generate robust evidence on how teens discover books and the cultural factors that influence their choices. Expected outcomes include strategies that libraries, schools, and the book industry can use to promote Australian content for young adults, and equip young people to participate more fully in the social and economic benefits of pleasure reading. Field of research: 2002 - Cultural Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Media innovation and the civic future of Australia's country press . At a time when the future of news and public interest journalism is facing unprecedented crisis, this research will take a participatory approach to developing and road-testing an innovations agenda for Australia’s country press in the digital era. Longstanding partners Deakin and Country Press Australia will provide the first comprehensive assessment of the sector’s civic value and provide urgently needed evidence and strategies to rethink media innovation, inform industry practice and federal communication policy. Outcomes will include realising the industry's collaborative potential as a driver of innovations that can increase quality news and information flows and ensure the sustainability of newspapers serving rural areas. Field of research: 2001 - Communication and Media Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Australians and federation: commemoration, identity and engagement. This project aims to advance understanding of the history of Australians' attitudes towards federation since 1901. It will use a series of commemoration case studies drawn from the 1950s and 2000s to analyse changing attitudes towards the federal compact. The project is significant in its application of historical methodology to the conception of the federation as a living, breathing structure. Expected outcomes are a greater understanding of how Australians have attached to their federation over time, contextualisation of debates about national commemorations, and insights into historical attitudes towards civic institutions and democratic governance. Benefits include a more informed debate about federation reform. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Advanced sodium batteries using 2D material interphases with ionic liquids. This project aims to stabilise alkali metal electrodes that are necessary for the development of advanced batteries by using interphase engineering mechanisms to protect electrodes from unfavourable reactions. This project will enable the use of high-energy and safer anodes, essential in promoting better use of renewable energy in the future. This is expected to contribute to fundamental knowledge and have real commercial prospects for sodium batteries via improved artificial protective interface design. This project has many potential benefits, such as the development of new materials and processes needed to produce safe, high-capacity batteries with applications in both smart-grid, and behind-the-meter stationary storage. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Strengthening intercultural relationships among Australia's rural youth. This project aims to investigate what strengthens and hinders intercultural relationships among young people in rural Australia. New patterns of migrant rural settlement, while crucial to economic and social stability, have created urgent challenges to intercultural relationships among rural youth from diverse local, refugee and migrant backgrounds living under conditions of economic precarity. Using an ethnographic and longitudinal approach, the project expects to generate new insights into the conditions, capacities and identity resources which help and hinder intercultural relationships among such youth. The project outcomes will provide evidence to inform programs that aim to strengthen youth community cohesion in Australia's rural communities and increase their belonging to rural life. Field of research: 1608 - Sociology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Enhancing higher education participation among African refugee youth. This project aims to examine higher education participation among African refugee youth in Australia. The project will analyse refugee youth's pathways to and experiences in higher education using data generated through interviews, focus group discussions, policy reviews and enrolment pattern mapping. Expected outcomes include empirical knowledge on African refugee youth's transition to and progression in higher education, an analytical framework for assessing educational disadvantage and policy responses, and an Equity Practice Guide for practitioners who work with African refugee youth in secondary schools and universities. Field of research: 1608 - Sociology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

New classes of aluminium-magnesium-silicon alloys via scandium additions. This project aims to establish the knowledge required to be able to improve Aluminium (Al) alloys using scandium (Sc). The transport sector accounts for 20 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions globally, and the use of Al to reduce the weight of vehicles offers the potential to significantly reduce these emissions, however the properties of current Al alloys do not meet the necessary requirements. To overcome this challenge there is a need for new Al alloys with optimal balance of cost and performance. One opportunity in this area is the use of Sc, however the high Sc price has restricted research thus far. With the recent discovery of rich sources of Sc in Australia, the price of Sc will drop and become a viable solution. This will provide benefits by securing Australia’s position as a leader in the field of advanced Al products for engineering applications. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Shape-shifting birds: a novel consequence of climate change. This project aims to identify which species are affected by climate change, and whether these changes in their ecology enhance or decrease fitness and survival. Climate change is having drastic effects on animal biology, threatening many species. Recent data suggest that changes in body shape (the size of appendages) is one such effect. By studying the bills and legs of birds this project aims to investigate changes in body shape as a biological response to climate change. This project will model the predicted consequences of changes in body shape on population trends in Australian birds, enabling the prediction of which species are most threatened by climate change, and helping inform conservation priorities. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Epigenetics and Indigenous Australia. This project aims to investigate how epigenetics is being received by Indigenous Australians, and to identify the potential risks and opportunities that narratives of biosocial damage entail. Epigenetics is a rapidly evolving science concerned with how life experiences, such as trauma or stress, can modify DNA and be passed on to negatively affect children's (and possibly grandchildren's) health and development. This project will offer an understanding of the relationships between Indigenous health and epigenetics that will help Indigenous researchers, policymakers, and government bodies make well-informed decisions about the application and direction of this new science. The research will make a significant contribution to understanding how the interplay of biology, race, and society unfold at the intersection of different knowledge systems and at the forefront of technological progress. Field of research: 1601 - Anthropology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

The role of pollutants and emerging diseases in endangering a global migratory flyway. This project aims to investigate the role of chemical pollution on disease susceptibility and survival in shorebirds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF). Among all long-distance migratory birds, the more than eight million shorebirds along the EAAF have notably been hit hard by global change, with population declines up to 80%. This project will use data from birds on their Asian migratory stopover sites, data from seven years of blood and virus samples, and 38 years of banding data collected while staying on the Australian non-breeding grounds. The project will provide essential data for developing mitigation strategies to help curb the populations’ demise, while informing on the effects of pollution on the role of migrants in disease spread. Field of research: 0502 - Environmental Science and Management

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Sensor stream pattern mining for automatic anomaly recognition and intervention. This project will develop a general framework of accurate automatic recognition of meaningful anomalies in multivariate sensor data streams that require action to avoid detrimental events and allow automatic intervention for efficient mitigation. Existing anomaly recognition algorithms miss many patterns and manually relating co-occurring stream patterns to an anomaly is inefficient and error-prone. The project expects to develop methods for intercepting a combination of co-occurring patterns to ascertain what an anomaly is and identify the anomaly and its stages that indicate the necessity of intervention. This project will advance techniques for sensor stream data mining and enable general applications of sensor surveillance and automatic mechanical intervention. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Functionalised two-dimensional nanomaterials for future energy storage. This project aims to identify new ways to enhance the properties of two-dimensional nanomaterials and to tailor material attributes that can meet the fabrication and application needs of flexible and high performance supercapacitors. Two-dimensional nanomaterials are proving critical for pushing the boundaries in energy storage devices, making them more powerful and longer lasting than current state-of-the-art devices. This project is expected to result in a scalable approach to producing novel materials and devices which will enhance Australia’s capacity for advanced manufacturing. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Mapping, modelling, and manipulating graphene oxide interfaces. This project aims to provide a platform for the controllable manipulation of graphene oxide in water and with additives. Graphene oxide-based materials promise transformative change in the areas of filtration, separation science, energy materials and specialty coatings. Expansion of these materials into this broad range of high-performance applications is limited by the lack of reliable control over the organisation of the graphene oxide sheets in solution and in the presence of additives. This project will identify the practical steps for controlling the inter-sheet spacing in graphene oxide stacks, which is critical to realising their potential in real-world applications such as in filtration membranes for water desalination. This project will provide significant benefits in making reliable energy materials and filtration and separation membranes. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Pyrosecurity: understanding and managing bushfires in a changing climate. This project aims to examine cultural and political factors that have shaped bushfire management in Australasia during the past two decades and identify how practices might better adapt to a changing world. Bushfires are a serious natural hazard with major social, economic, and environmental impacts. Social and climatic changes are altering the intensity, frequency, and consequences of bushfires, creating significant uncertainties in how we anticipate them. This project will examine how bushfire management practitioners and institutions manage diverse uncertainties, leading to new theoretical insights and strategic policy advice. Expected benefits include better prediction and management of bushfire impacts and improved education and training of bushfire practitioners. Field of research: 1604 - Human Geography

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Planning for sustainable development and biodiversity on Indigenous lands. This project aims to develop a new approach to participatory land-use planning for sustainable development and conservation, in partnership with the Tiwi Land Council. Planning for sustainable development is complex but vital to reconciling economic, social and conservation goals worldwide. The project will evaluate land-use scenarios, including Indigenous Protected Areas, with ecological and economic models that integrate Indigenous and scientific knowledge. Benefits will include new planning tools and improved understanding of trade-offs between goals, especially on Australia’s Indigenous estates. Field of research: 0502 - Environmental Science and Management

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Why are fish shrinking as the climate warms? This project aims to uncover the mechanisms behind the temperature-size rule, a phenomenon causing fishes and other aquatic organisms to decline in size as the climate warms. Drawing on multidisciplinary expertise to test three competing theories, this project expects to identify the fundamental processes driving the temperature-size rule phenomenon. Expected outcomes include improved models to forecast the effects of global warming on fish and fisheries. The new knowledge and predictive power should be of direct benefit to natural resource managers in the continuing effort to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. This will guide policy and management decisions by enabling more accurate forecasts of the impacts of climate change on wild and cultured fishes. Field of research: 0608 - Zoology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Improving battery safety with boron nitride nanotube separators. This project aims to improve the safety of lithium ion batteries by developing high –temperature, stable separators. The use of batteries in a hot Australian summer is a major safety issue for our society. This project will develop a new and safe battery technology with the help of boron nitride nanotubes to effectively reduce the risk of thermal runaway of battery cells. The expected outcomes will have a global impact on the safety of the current battery technology and the innovative application of boron nitride nanotubes in battery technology. It will position industry on the cutting edge of battery technology required for energy storage development in Australia. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Flavour enhancing functional feeds for farmed Barramundi. This project aims to improve the flavour quality of Australian farmed barramundi through developing novel functional feeds. The project expects to expand our fundamental knowledge of flavour enhancement, whilst providing practical benefits with respect to final product quality. The project will enable industry to achieve higher product quality benchmarks, towards the ultimate goal of improving the marketability of barramundi both locally and overseas. This project will provide significant benefits to the Australian barramundi industry by increasing product values, thereby facilitating an economically sustainable growth of this important regional industry. Field of research: 0704 - Fisheries Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Interfacial design for high performance carbon fibre polymer composites. This project aims to develop customisable surfaces on carbon fibres to complement any intended resin for composite materials. Poor fibre-to-matrix adhesion is currently a known weakness of carbon fibre composites, hindering the large scale translation of these materials into mass transport solutions The outcomes of this project will be the development of superior composites and the fundamental knowledge of what interfacial molecular interactions are required to obtain composites able to tolerate high shear forces. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

An optimisation-based framework for non-classical Chebyshev approximation. This project aims to solve open mathematical problems in multivariate and piecewise polynomial approximations, two directions that correspond to fundamental obstacles to extending classical approximation results. Through an innovative combination of optimisation and algebraic technique, the project intends to develop foundations for new results in approximation theory, and new insights into other areas of mathematics, most notably optimisation. The techniques and methods developed should also have significant benefits in the many disciplines where approximation problems appear, such as engineering, physics or data mining. The research outputs resulting from this project will be used in a wide range of fields to help implement programs, policies and improve decision making. Field of research: 0103 - Numerical and Computational Mathematics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Leader of the pack: social structure and predator management. This project aims to quantify the importance of the individual in behaviour and social structures when managing social predator populations to protect economic and environmental assets. Using dingoes as a model system this project will characterise social structure and behaviour under varying management scenarios. This information will be embedded within models of ecological networks to examine the effects of disrupting dingo packs on biological communities. The project expects to improve understanding of how behaviour and social interactions influence ecological outcomes, improving conservation and management. Field of research: 0502 - Environmental Science and Management

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Revisiting the ontogeny of vocal learning in birds: from neuron to fitness. This project aims to test the hypothesis that acoustic exposure prior to hatching directly affects gene expression, neural development, behaviour and consequently fitness, in wild populations of songbirds. Recent research suggests that animals are receptive to acoustic parental signals long before birth and may use such previously unrecognised signals to make adaptive developmental decisions. This project will quantify the effect on neural development and vocal learning in embryonic birds, employing a model songbird species. The outcomes of this study will transform our understanding of the adaptive potential of prenatal vocal learning, which will have significant benefits for human speech and language development. Field of research: 0608 - Zoology