MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2024 · 2024-06

ctDNA-guided clinical management of melanoma Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2024 · 2024-06

Randomised controlled trial of screening patients with Schizophrenia for... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Integrated multimodal microscopy facility for single molecule analysis. This project aims to establish an integrated multimodal microscopy facility in Australia for extensive structural characterization of functional and biological materials at the nanoscale and single molecule level. Discoveries using the facility will provide new insights into the relationship between molecules, materials, and their functions. The key outcomes and benefits of this facility are to i) strengthen the research effort in materials science and biotechnology, ii) advance the development of functional materials for biosensing and energy storage, and iii) create new catalysts for green energy conversion. The funding will ensure researchers have access to the latest technology critical to maintaining world-class research. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering This project seeks to establish an integrated multimodal microscopy facility in Australia to address critical research challenges in surface feature-related molecular analysis. The new equipment integrates atomic force microscopy which gives a picture of surface features with enhanced Raman spectroscopy which gives the chemical signature at each position. The facility will provide new insights into the relationship between molecules and materials, by structural/chemical characterization of functional and biological materials at the nanoscale within their local microenvironment. This facility will enable cutting-edge research into biomolecules and nanostructures to address fundamental questions and guide the design of next-generation devices and healthcare solutions across multiple sectors. The proposed facility is significant as it will strengthen research in biotechnology, advance the development of functional materials for biosensing and energy storage, and create new catalysts for green energy conversion. There is no such facility in Australia, so we anticipate high demand for the capability from the 6 participating institutions and the wider community. It will lead to new cross-discipline collaborations and reciprocal instrument access. This funding will ensure that researchers in materials and biological science, chemical and biomedical engineering have access to the latest technology critical to maintaining world-class research and opening new research areas.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Upcycling of mixed plastics from bioprocessed municipal solid waste. This project aims to develop a scalable catalytic process that can sustainably upcycle mixed plastics from bioprocessed municipal solid waste into hydrogen and valuable carbon nanotube products. The process will integrate pyrolysis, reforming, and carbon growth technology into a single reactor, enabled by the rational design of multifunctional catalysts. Through computational process simulation and optimization, life cycle analysis, and techno-economic assessment, investment and operational costs at larger scale are anticipated to be greatly reduced. By mitigating mixed waste plastics from going to landfills, the project will also provide significant benefits to clean energy production and advanced material manufacturing in Australia. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Waste generation has increased massively around the world in recent decades. A possible approach to reducing waste involves the upcycling of mixed waste plastics that otherwise pose significant environmental issues. This project aims to overcome current technological and economic limitations, by proposing a new technology for catalytic upcycling of mixed plastics from bioprocessed municipal solid waste. The project will mitigate the amount of waste from going to landfills, thereby reducing associated costs and potential environmental impacts. The suggested technology has the potential to create new revenue streams for waste management facilities and generate income from the sale of valuable products produced from the upcycling process, contributing to the growth of the green economy in Australia. The large-scale development of the proposed technology can also foster innovation, create new job opportunities, and increase investment in sustainable waste management practices, further enhancing economic and environmental benefits.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Universal Legal Identity and the Sustainable Development Goals. This project is the first comprehensive study into the risks of exclusion associated with the pursuit of the universal legal identity target enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals. Through a systematic examination of legal identification initiatives at international and country levels, in Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia, the project will generate new knowledge on how exclusion in legal identity regimes is produced and who it affects. Outcomes include improved understanding of these risks and practical guidance to address them. Expected benefits include more inclusive state and non-state approaches to legal identity, as well as enhanced protections and development opportunities for marginalised populations in different contexts. Field of research: 4804 - Law In Context Establishing one’s legal identity – increasingly in digital form – has become fundamental to modern life, with state credentials required to open a bank account, use a mobile phone or access health services. Proof of legal identity is key to unlocking access to rights, services and opportunities. Yet globally, 1 billion people do not have proof of identity, threatening global development goals. This project will provide the first comprehensive study into the risks of exclusion associated with contemporary identification systems, especially in a development context, and provide solutions to mitigate these risks. The project will reshape policy and practice globally by building awareness among decision-makers in Australia (the Digital Transformation Agency) and internationally (DFAT) by providing guidance and a toolkit to enhance the consideration of marginalised populations in legal identity initiatives. The project will benefit national efforts in the roll out of new identity solutions, and Australia’s development assistance in our region by promoting more inclusive and stable societies in the Asia Pacific.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Investigating how visual imagery influences cognition. This project will characterise the role visual imagery plays in other cognitive functions, namely visual working memory and attention. This will be done by studying two special populations that have extreme forms of visual imagery: aphantasia and synaesthesia. This work will develop innovative psychophysics and physiological techniques to identify different cognitive strategies used to solve visual working memory and attention tasks. Further magnetoencephalography (MEG) decoding approaches will be used to compare and contrast the neural signatures of voluntary and involuntary visual imagery, working memory, and attention. This work will help us understand why some individuals have better imaginations, memory, and attention than others. Field of research: 5202 - Biological Psychology Our ability to remember, pay attention and imagine impacts almost every facet of life, from our own personal memories and sense of self to academic and job performance. These cognitive functions are also impaired in many psychological and neurological disorders. This work will uncover why some people have better visual memories and attention than others, and will assess how individual differences in cognitive strategy choice may drive these differences in memory performance and attention capabilities. By understanding what limits the capacity of our memories, attention, and imagery we may be able to develop tools for boosting these cognitive functions in the future. In collaboration with educational neuroscience partners, this may be achieved through the development of cognitive training programs or targeted stimulation of specific brain regions. This could have commercial and social benefits through personal cognitive enhancement for those with impaired cognitive abilities, as well as the general population, through improving memory, attention and imagery both in the workplace and in our personal lives.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Child Citizens: Young People and Australian Democracy since 1945. This project provides a new account of Australian democracy from the perspective of children and young people. It tracks changes in children’s conceptions and practices of citizenship since 1945 to explain their contested status in contemporary politics. Far from simply being ‘citizens in waiting’, the project shows that young people have long been active participants in political and civic life and reveals how their citizenship claims have expanded across this period, alongside those of other marginalised groups. Its findings will add nuance to current debates about children’s political exclusion, with its social impact enhanced through the development of an online research portal and collaboration with the Museum of Australian Democracy. Field of research: 4303 - Historical Studies This project makes a unique contribution to ongoing discussions about Australian children's opportunities to participate in democratic processes. It contextualises recent debate over young people's political involvement by charting a longer history of children's civic engagement since 1945 and enhances our understanding of past attempts to include them in government decision-making. Its findings will improve the outcomes of initiatives designed to promote young people’s interests, including the work of the National Children’s Commissioner and state and territory equivalents, and of the newly appointed Youth Steering Committee, by allowing these entities to learn from past successes and failures. The project delivers practical benefits to the wider community through the development of an online research portal featuring free resources suitable for use by school students, teachers and community groups. In addition, collaboration with the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House on a series of events in the final year will ensure the findings reach a wider audience.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

A network perspective for ecosystem responses to plant invasion. Invasive species are key drivers of global change, yet, our understanding of their negative impacts on ecosystems is limited within many contexts. This project will provide the first large-scale test for interactions between plants and microbes, via network analyses, as yardsticks for invasive species impacts on ecosystems. Using innovative approaches that link interactions network properties with ecosystem functioning, the fundamental data generated in this study will answer unsolved theoretical questions, providing evidence for the use of networks to predict and mitigate invader impacts. These benefits are not only crucial for biodiversity managers but also for those responsible for sustainable crop development under future climates. Field of research: 4102 - Ecological Applications All organisms interact with other organisms. These ecological interactions shape biodiversity and its underlying functions. This project will characterise interactions between plants and soil microbes, via network analyses, to predict the risk and ecological damage caused by invasive plants to Australia’s unique biodiversity. Invasive species have cost the Australian economy >$390 billion in the last 60 years, demonstrating the need for novel approaches to better understand, prevent, and manage them. The project’s outcomes will benefit Australia’s environment and economy by informing new ways to assess invader impacts and manage invaded lanscapes, resulting in better outcomes for biodiversity, national biosecurity, and risk assessment. Australia is home to more than 2,700 invasive plant species, many of which severely disrupt native communities. This project aims to ‘rewire’ essential interactions that are lost between native species under invasion to inform new ways for habitat remediation. More generally, there is an urgent need for innovation to reduce the impacts of ongoing global change on Australia’s biodiversity and agricultural sector. Understanding perturbations caused by invasive species to plant-microbe interaction networks, and how to mitigate these impacts, will inform mananagment under diverse contexts for desirable outcomes, from assisting colonisation of endangered species to enhancing sustainable crop production under future climate conditions.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Data Complexity and Uncertainty-Resilient Deep Variational Learning. Enterprise data present increasingly significant characteristics and complexities, such as multi-aspect, heterogeneous and hierarchical features and interactions, and evolving dependencies and multi-distributions. They continue to significantly challenge the state-of-the-art probabilistic and neural learning systems with limited to insufficient capabilities and capacity. This research aims to develop a theory of flexible deep variational learning transforming new deep probabilistic models with flexible variational neural mechanisms for analytically explainable, complexity-resilient analytics of real-life data. The outcomes are expected to fill important knowledge gaps and lift critical innovation competencies in wide domains. Field of research: 4611 - Machine Learning In the era of big data, digital innovation for small-to-large enterprises increasingly relies on understanding data complexities. This in turn increases the necessity for automated scalable analytics to address non-conventionally solvable problems in existing learning systems and vendor solutions. This research aims to develop foundational, systematic, deep variational learning theories and models for analytically explainable, complexity-resilient enterprise analytics. The outcomes are expected to fill important knowledge gaps in AI and data science and to lift innovation competencies in wide domains, which is currently not possible using existing knowledge and vendor solutions. The research addresses multiple national science and research priorities, including health, transport, cybersecurity, and environmental change, involving increasing data complexities and challenges, and requiring data-driven discovery. The deliverables will potentially enable profound intellectual, socioeconomic, and commercial benefits, applicable to any enterprises for transforming their analytics capability/capacity, productivity lift, and evidence-based transformation and decision-making. The translation pathways include communicating the significant results to industry and government end users through workshops, training, and future consulting and linkage engagement with small-to-large enterprises.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Transcriptional and translational regulation of the neuronal protein tau. The microtubule-associated protein tau is important for brain development and performance. To perform these functions, tau levels and its variants are tightly controlled in brain cells. However, the factors that regulate tau remain largely unknown. This project will employ latest gene technologies to identify the molecular regulators of tau, for each step of the process from DNA to the protein. The outcome of this study will significantly advance our understanding of gene regulation and mechanisms for controlling protein levels and contribute to a deeper understanding of brain function during development and aging. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Aging in a productive way is of utmost importance to individual and population health. An essential component to this is maintaining brain function throughout life. This project will address a fundamental question – How is a factor that is critical for brain development and function controlled and regulated to execute its diverse functions? Building on our international leadership in genetically engineered mouse models to understand brain physiology, we will employ latest technologies to identify and validate master regulators of this brain factor, from the start of DNA up to protein formation and function. Furthermore, we will generate novel models where, for the first time, this regulation can be followed in the living organism. Both the experimental outcomes and the technologies developed during this Discovery Project will guide biomedical research in areas beyond the significant advances in knowledge regarding brain development and function. Providing a deeper understanding of brain function will eventually assist in life style advice and therapeutic developments that help increase social and economic contributions of ageing Australians. To this end, the Discovery Project will significantly advance current knowledge and further enhance the high international standing of Australian neuroscience research.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Cosmic Renaissance: The Last Chance for Planet Formation Around Dying Stars. This project will generate a novel model where planets emerge from gas expelled during interactions between dying stars, rather than forming around young stars. It relies on unique multi-wavelength, high-angular resolution observations of planet-forming disks around dying stars and simulations of disk formation. This research will provide unprecedented insight into the uncertain process of planet formation around young stars and inform future space exploration missions. The project's benefits include generating new knowledge, enhancing Australia's reputation in stellar and planetary astrophysics, inspiring STEM interest, and training researchers in machine/deep learning and hydrodynamic modelling - valuable skills for academia and industry. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Astronomy attracts young and old by providing context for our lives and inspiring us to ask questions that transcend our relatively humdrum existence. The fascination that the field exerts on individuals is powerful: planets circling far away stars, with characteristics that are different from those on Earth, harbouring alien life, have been the subject of science fiction stories for hundreds of years. Our project aims to determine how planets form, not around Sun-like stars, but around old, dying stars. The story of these second-generation planets is intertwined with the life and death of stars, and how they interact to create disks and nebulae. This project fosters engagement with European Southern Observatory member countries and maximizes returns on investments in astronomy infrastructure. The resulting high-impact science will elevate Australia's global reputation.The cultural impact this carries has significant national benefit, inspiring students to appreciate how science can be applied to understanding the natural world. This project will also train researchers in the art of image reconstruction, modelling fluid motion, with applications in science and industry, including Defence, Aerospace, and Climate Science. The associated student training will foster programming proficiency, analytical skills, and big-data science - a sought-after skill set in industries that value innovation and information.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Trust and Distrust in Social Epistemic Networks. This project aims to discover critically-needed understandings of the social causes and consequences of ‘fake news’. It will do this by investigating and mapping the relationship between ‘epistemic vices’ and people’s acceptance of misinformation and disinformation (e.g. conspiracy theories). It will bring together approaches from experimental philosophy, natural language processing, social network analysis, and normative reflection to provide new insights regarding distrust and intellectual vice, thus significantly advancing knowledge of the ‘dark side’ of social epistemology. Results will lead to urgently required guidance regarding the features of social networks that exacerbate or buffer against the manifestation of these vices. Field of research: 5003 - Philosophy Democracy is under threat in Australia and worldwide. One challenge democracies face is the spread of misinformation and unwarranted conspiracy theories by domestic and foreign actors, who undermine civic trust and interfere with efforts to address global problems like the coronavirus pandemic and climate change. If we lack a shared reality, we will not reach consensus on how to respond to these generation-defining challenges. To help shield Australian and global democracy, this project aims to deliver reproducible results and open-source tools to enable Australian individuals, organisations, and regulators to assess the capacity of a social network to produce and disseminate knowledge and understanding. The national benefit is the improvement of national resilience to attacks such as the spread of misinformation by those hostile to our shared national interest in a well-functioning, orderly democracy. The project intervenes both at the level of the individual (including their character traits such as closed-mindedness and attitudes such as distrust) and at the level of society (including geometries of trust and distrust).

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Understanding Growth in Emotion Regulatory Flexibility in Emerging Adults. Emerging adults (ages 18-25) are now facing unparalleled social and technological change and the on-going effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such demands can be overwhelming and undermine engagement with education and employment, with serious impacts for the individual and society. At the same time, our novel model proposes that the diverse daily adult-like stressors that characterise emerging adulthood can also drive growth in flexible emotion regulation when combined with reflection on, and insight into, their own coping processes. Our research expands scientific knowledge by taking the first steps to uncover why some emerging adults increase their ability to flexibly regulate their emotions over this period, whereas others fail to do so. Field of research: 5204 - Cognitive and Computational Psychology Emerging adulthood (ages 18-25) is a unique time when young people are facing significant changes and stressors as they transition into adulthood. The COVID-19 pandemic and its on-going effects have only added to these demands. It is important for both individuals and society to understand the factors that affect the ability of young adults to grow capacities that will help them to manage these stressors. What if these diverse stressors could be harnessed to aid the growth of capacities for resilience, specifically emotion regulatory flexibility? We will discover how this transformation takes place, the time course for these changes, and why some young adults excel at it while others struggle. In doing so, we will empower young adults to turn these stressors into catalysts for refining their emotion regulatory flexibility, setting them on a path towards positive outcomes in adulthood. With Australia's future prosperity riding on the shoulders of its emerging adults, this research is more important than ever. During this key window, emerging adults who can enhance their flexibility in emotion regulation are in a better position to ensure positive trajectories of functioning. We will explore new frontiers in emotion regulation research, share our findings through workshops, online resources, and peer-reviewed papers, and empower the educators, organisations, and communities who shape the lives of young adults with the tools they need to guide them towards a brighter future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Images of Power in the Roman Empire: Mass Media and the Cult of Emperors. Contemporary leaders understand the power of an image to influence public opinion, but are they following a path well-trodden by Roman emperors? This project aims to illuminate the role that mass media and images played in securing and sustaining imperial power during the Later Roman empire from the Flavians to the Theodosians (69-450 CE). The comparison of coins, statues and monuments will shed new light on the dynamic ways that popular media were used to mediate between emperors, their officials, provincial elites and the wider populace, and show how leaders used mass media in the Roman world. Social and cultural benefits include a better understanding of the ways that leaders today handle such media to influence public opinion. Field of research: 4303 - Historical Studies The relationship between images of power and public opinion is one that has vexed leaders from the ancient Roman emperors to politicians in the current day. The use of media as a tool for persuasion and the costs of such media, often borne by the public purse, have come under increasing public scrutiny. The difference between representations of politicians in Australian capital cities, especially Canberra, and regional areas has parallels in the Roman empire. This project will allow Australian leaders to understand better the influence of religious persuasions on its own democratic institutions, including the press. This improved understanding may bring significant cultural benefits by prompting a more careful handling of popular media and especially religious representations. Educating Australia's school-aged citizens in the pros and cons of manipulating the political process through mass media may have significant social benefits in the short term, by improving their understanding of our political process and civic responsibilities, and long term, as these students are Australia’s future voters, tax-payers, and political agents. Academic benefits of the project will include a better understanding of the impact of media on governance in the ancient world, and the training of early career researchers in methods of historical research with significant social impacts.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Federated Omniverse Facilities for Smart Digital Futures. A world-first trans-disciplinary, -domain, and -institutional smart 3D omniverse R&D ecosystem AuVerse will be built in NSW, affiliated with Queensland, and accessible to academia and industry. AuVerse will support cloud-based, reality-virtuality-fused, immersive, interactive and secure future-oriented digital design, development, training and society. In the new era of digital innovation and paradigm shift, AuVerse will substantially boost Australia’s pivotal research leadership and business competitiveness in nurturing new-generation, collaborative and transformative digital R&D and talent pipeline. It will enable large-scale strategic business innovation and transformation including smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science This project aims to create a smart omniverse ecosystem called AuVerse. It will be Australia's first decentralised, trans-disciplinary, and cross-domain R&D facility. An omniverse ecosystem describes an interactive computer platform integrating next-generation AI technologies and real-time data to create a shared immersive space, a copy of the real world. It can be used to develop and test virtual simulations of true-to-life environments and conditions in a secure space and drive a new era of digital innovation, transforming many aspects of the economy and society. While a few countries and companies prioritise research into the virtual omniverse, Australia still lacks capacities and capabilities and is falling behind fast. Unlike conventional systems, AuVerse will be able to create a digital twin of every object, living being and process, enabling futuristic immersive and interactive digital design, development and training at a fraction of the costs. It can be deployed to areas such as cybersecurity, health, emergency services, defence, space, finance and banking, insurance, farming, food and manufacturing. It supports emerging digital research and next-generation talent training. The team will maximise the benefits and outcomes beyond academia by providing access to companies and the public, working with strategic industrial, governmental, and international organisations, and translating research outputs into smart digital business innovations.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Natural flood management: Nature-based flood mitigation in the 21st Century. The 2021-22 floods in Eastern Australia revealed the vulnerability of rivers to climate extremes. To prepare for a future with more intense floods, we must integrate nature-based flood mitigation strategies into river management. This project aims to address the potential of using Natural Flood Management (NFM) as a 21st Century flood mitigation solution. NFM uses natural processes to slow floods, reduce erosion, and minimise flood risk. Collaborating with NSW government partners the project expects to deliver scientific evidence for NFM and solutions for implementation in river rehabilitation, planning and community capacity building. The results will impact society's ability to adapt, reduce economic costs, and benefit the environment. Field of research: 4104 - Environmental Management The 2021-2022 floods in Eastern Australia were some of the largest, most widespread and most costly on record, impacting millions of people and businesses. Despite this, the use of large-scale, nature-based flood mitigation strategies has not been thoroughly studied or implemented in Australia’s rivers, and government, industry and communities have not yet pivoted with sufficient urgency to build river resilience at-scale. This project aims to change that by addressing the potential for, and implementation of, Natural Flood Management (NFM) as a next-generation nature-based flood mitigation tool. NFM uses natural processes to slow floods down, reduce erosion, and minimise flood risk. Collaborating with NSW government partners across >15 catchments and ~20,000 km of stream length, this project will be the first to explore NFM for Australian rivers. It expects to provide communities and agencies with strategies to prepare for more intense floods in the future, as well as deliver scientific evidence of NFM to support flood risk modelling. The outputs and outcomes will be used to build community capacity and inform government and industry decision-making processes that prioritise actions and allocate rehabilitation funds. Investing in nature-based flood mitigation strategies is in the national interest, as it will improve flood preparedness, reduce the economic impact of floods, and safeguard the ecosystem services that are vital to society, the economy, and the environment.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

The Foundational Australian Agrivoltaics Regulation Model (FAARM) Project. This project aims to design a just and efficient solar energy legal framework to assist Australia in meeting its ambitious renewable energy targets. Although other countries are moving to co-locate solar facilities with agriculture, in Australia, uptake of this solution is stymied by lack of agreed legal principles and conflicts over land use. This project brings government, industry, and research together to accelerate Australia’s adoption of agrivoltaics and generate significant, socio-economic, and environmental benefits. Expected outcomes include a comparative agrivoltaics database, industry-responsive regulatory model, and co-designed strategic guidelines boosting Australia's decarbonisation efforts and agricultural resilience. Field of research: 4802 - Environmental and Resources Law As the world faces the unprecedented three-fold challenges of climate change and an energy and food crisis, Australia needs to adopt as many renewable energy technology solutions as possible. But uptake is slow. Australia needs to reach 82% renewable energy by 2030 but is currently only projected to reach 64%. An important solution rests in the possibility of co-locating solar energy with agriculture, particularly as returns from agriculture have decreased by 14% over the past 12 months, to provide a second income stream and potentially improved agricultural returns for farmers. Advancing agrivoltaics, coupling solar energy and agriculture, depends on confidence, clarity, fairness, value, and predictability for solar energy developers, farmers, and government. Providing expertise and knowledge on how to deliver these for agrivoltaics addresses a gap that industry and government stakeholders acknowledge that research is required to fill. This project responds to this industry need, bringing a fresh perspective that balances decarbonisation, farming, and energy justice to reshape policy globally by delivering co-created knowledge with government and industry partners creating novel tools and models to enhance the consideration of energy justice in agrivoltaics. The project will benefit national efforts in creating a just energy transition to increase socio-economic benefits for farmers and stimulating commercially viable agrivoltaics projects to reduce climate change impacts.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

New methods to protect honey bees from Varroa destructor mites. The most destructive pest of the honey bee is the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. This pest arrived in Australia in 2022 and eradication efforts failed in September 2023. We must now manage this pest if Australia’s honey bee industries are to survive. The aim of this project is to develop a new chemical free mite control method. In collaboration with two beekeeping companies this project will exploit a specific sensitivity of the mite to heat to create a heat based control method for commercial hives. The outcome will be a new robust method for mite control to enhance bee hive health and management. This will benefit sustainable apiculture in Australia which is vital for both pollination of food crops and honey production. Field of research: 3003 - Animal Production Varroa destructor, a dangerous parasite of honey bees, arrived in Australia in 2022 and has rapidly spread in New South Wales. It is the greatest threat to honey bees. Overseas, the mite decimated wild honey bees and drove 50% of beekeepers out of the industry. In Australia we are reliant on bees for pollination of our food crops as well as our rural honey industry. Known chemical treatments are deemed unsatisfactory by beekeepers worldwide, because of their costs, labour, effects on bee health or the recurrent appearance of resistance. Through collaboration with beekeepers and a precision beekeeping start-up, this project will develop an alternative to chemical treatments. The project will use an innovative approach to controlling mites using heat. The project will take advantage of the different sensitivities of mites and bees to heat to apply the minimum amount of stress that is necessary to knock down mite populations in a hive. Modern beekeeping tools developed in Australia such as high insulation hives and hive sensors will be leveraged to rapidly develop this new precision thermal control method. The outcome will be a new option for mite control in Australia that will enhance colony health and the effective management of hives in apiculture. Stakeholders will be involved through presentation at industry events and a workshop to ensure rapid translation. The benefit will be to secure Australia’s bee industry which delivers vital crop pollination services to agriculture.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

From lab to field: smart sensing technologies for future farming. This project aims to solve the long-standing industry challenge of establishing a non-invasive early-stage pregnancy detection system on farm. Using novel sensing technologies, the university–industry partners will significantly improve livestock and dairy productivity and animal welfare, and reduce costs and rates of operator injury. The outcomes will include enhancing the selectivity of gas-sensing technologies, and gaining advanced knowledge on mass-producing gas sensors; the results are likely to be commercialised after project completion. The economic, commercial, and social benefits will benefit not only the industry partner but a wide range of industries from food and agricultural industries to environmental monitoring sectors. Field of research: 3401 - Analytical Chemistry The ability to detect bovine pregnancy early and non-invasively after insemination plays a vital role in the reproductive management in farming industry. Current methods – including rectal palpation and ultrasonography – are invasive with a risk to the pregnancy and the cow’s health, and require expensive trained specialists. The university–industry team will develop a cutting-edge, non-invasive sensing technology that will revolutionise cattle management in the meat, livestock, and dairy industries by allowing producers to conduct pregnancy testing safely and accurately without the need to hire a veterinarian. The novel technologies we develop will be a game-changer in the healthy and cost-efficient breeding of cattle, which is essential to help Australian farmers manage highly sustainable herds. We expect the advance to enable significantly improved livestock and dairy operator productivity, to decrease costs, to reduce operator injury, and to improve animal welfare. Our advances will have additional future potential in the manufacturing of complex nanosensors.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Ethical Enterprise Representations for Personalised Sustainable Finance. The rapidly evolving field of sustainable finance requires responsible services, satisfying environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria. This requires disruptive FinTech innovations - ethical enterprise learning from whole-of-business financial data, however the corresponding valid theories and industrial solutions are unavailable. We aim to develop forward-looking ESG-integrated enterprise learning theories and tools to represent and analyse entire businesses and data and develop novel ESG ratings and ESG-efficient investment solutions. These will advance knowledge and capabilities in enterprise AI and sustainable finance, transform financial services, and enhance Australia’s leadership in FinTech research and innovation. Field of research: 4602 - Artificial Intelligence Sustainable financial services play a pivotal role in today’s economic, social and environmental developments, where there are critical gaps in building an enterprise understanding of complex data, environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, clients and interactions across business lines for responsible and sustainable investing, risk, decisions and services. Hence, this project aims to address these demands and challenges by developing forward-looking AI-driven FinTech innovations, capabilities and a talent pipeline to provide automated and ethical enterprise AI to enable smart sustainable financial innovations. This will address multiple national science and research priorities including environmental change and cybersecurity. It will also result in significant national benefits including enhancing Australia’s leadership in the rapidly growing ESG, AI and sustainable finance areas by producing a number of submissions to top-tier venues; transforming smart sustainable financial services to achieve sustainability goals (e.g., carbon footprint, sustainable growth) and personalised and sustainable investment and financial services; uplifting enterprise innovations and competitive advantage in responsible and ethical AI for interpretable evidence-based transformation and to lift productivity. The LP’s multi-disciplinary research and linkage nature will nurture significant new research, innovation and training opportunities bridging computer science and finance.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Functional Panel Data Analysis: Harnessing Big Data for Society. Panel data models measure cross-sections of complex data sets, such as subnational demographic and high-frequency financial data. They are critical for solving pressing societal and economic challenges, yet current methods fail to capitalise on opportunities afforded by unprecedented volumes and sources of data. This project aims to develop new theories, better methods and faster algorithms to analyse function-valued panel data to produce accurate forecasts. Expected outcomes involve advances in big data-analytic theory and easy-to-implement algorithms for forecasting demographic and financial data. Improved forecasts will bring significant benefits for financial markets, superannuation and insurance industries, governments and society. Field of research: 4905 - Statistics Handling the unprecedented volume and complexity of data in today’s society calls for new, sophisticated, yet practical theories, methodologies and algorithms. Harnessing big data for business and society - combining mathematical modelling, computation, econometrics and statistics, and finance - is an emerging capability for expanding scientific knowledge. By enabling a rich understanding of how longevity and financial risks may impact retirees, this fellowship aims to resolve what is a sustainable pension age. The new data-analytic methods are able to produce accurate demographic forecasts and optimise financial returns. These outputs are essential for developing accurate and affordable insurance or superannuation premiums, maintaining the solvency of the insurance and superannuation industries, improving government planning and policy for aged care, and minimising financial risks. Translated into purpose-built, open-source software and coupled with industry training, the new statistical advances will build the capacity of various industry and government sectors. Outcomes are more stable markets and industries, better directed public spending, and better retirement outcomes for over 16 million Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Advancing Robust Autonomy in Cyber-Physical Systems. This project enhances the safety of cyber-physical systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and smart farming technologies in Australia. It will leverage large language models for generating realistic scenarios of potential hazards and extracting formal models for rigorous testing. This interdisciplinary approach aligns with Australia's goals for national safety and innovation in autonomous systems, addressing key challenges outlined in the national regulatory frameworks for autonomous vehicles and mining. The anticipated outcomes include improved methods for safe autonomous operations, fostering safer commercialisation pathways and bolstering Australia’s global market competitiveness in autonomous technology sectors. Field of research: 4612 - Software Engineering This project addresses the critical need for enhanced safety and efficiency in autonomous systems like self-driving cars, drones, and automated medical devices in Australia. The research gap it fills is the lack of comprehensive testing methods for these advanced systems. Improved testing will not only boost technological reliability but also align with national safety and innovation objectives. The benefits for Australians are manifold. Economically, it could expedite the integration of autonomous systems across industries, fostering job growth and market competitiveness. Environmentally, more efficient autonomous technologies can contribute to pollution reduction and better resource management. Socially, it enhances public safety, from safer transportation to more accurate medical devices, positively impacting daily life. To maximize the impact of the research, I plan to collaborate closely with industry leaders and policymakers. This includes aligning our testing methods with Australia's 'National Policy Paper on Automated Vehicles' and Western Australia's autonomous mining safety codes. Through workshops, public talks, and active engagement with stakeholders, I aim to integrate the findings into practical applications rapidly. These efforts will ensure the research is not only academically robust but also practically relevant, cementing Australia’s status as a frontrunner in safe and advanced autonomous technology.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Transposons as a means for rapid evolution of a complex organ. The project aims to assess the role of transposons in the complex changes required for the evolution of a placenta, a new organ that has evolved more than 100 times vertebrates including our own ancestors. The project will use new genomic resources, genomic techniques, and gene manipulation to provide a mechanistic understanding of how changes in the expression of genes can support the evolution of a placenta. Expected outcomes of this project include a new understanding of how complex organs originate and evolve in animals. This will benefit society because it provides a deep understanding of our own evolutionary history and provides a framework for future studies to investigate the origin and evolution of organs more broadly in animals. Field of research: 3109 - Zoology This research will answer a core criticism of evolutionary thinking since its inception “How do complex biological structures originate and evolve?”. Specifically, the research proposes and tests a new mechanism that supported the evolution of a placenta as a new organ. Furthermore, we will learn about the reproductive biology of some of Australia’s unique wildlife, which may improve management of threatened reptiles. This fellowship will support the continued development of a theory driven research program that will grow Australia’s dominance of discovery-based research. This project is uniquely suited to Australia because it takes advantage of our unique wildlife. By demonstrating how our wildlife can answer fundamental questions about the origins life, this project will advance our global standing in the fields of evolutionary biology and genomics. The fellow supported by this program has a strong record of science communication and outreach, all research outcomes from this work will be communicated to the public through multiple streams of public communication. This will lead to improved literacy in the fields of evolution and genetics, allowing the public to better understand the world around us and our place in it. To summarise, this project will provide real social, cultural, and environmental benefits by promoting Australian research excellence, promoting scientific discussion in the wider community, and providing new understanding about Australia’s unique fauna.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Chinese Australian Writing on Indigenous Country. This project will produce the first major study of Chinese Australian writing about Indigenous people, culture and country from the 19th century to the present. Drawing on literary, historical, and cultural studies approaches, it will provide insights into the enduring Indigenous-Chinese relationships from Chinese perspectives. It will bring to light how Chinese immigrants engage with Indigenous issues to articulate a sense of belonging. It will provide a new account of the making of Chinese Australian identity, by exploring a distinctly Chinese position between Indigenous and settler sovereignties. It will enhance understanding of the role and responsibility that Chinese Australians have towards national reconciliation. Field of research: 4705 - Literary Studies This project will bring to light Chinese Australian writing about Australia’s First Nations peoples, cultures and country from the 19th century to the present. It will reveal for the first time the largely overlooked relationship between Indigenous and Chinese Australians from a Chinese perspective. The project will show how Chinese Australians have engaged with Indigenous issues and used this to express a sense of belonging and citizenship in Australia. Understanding the shared history of Indigenous-Chinese relationships will have social and cultural benefits to the Australian community by helping new Chinese immigrants better integrate into Australia, mitigating the lack of appreciation of Indigenous cultures among Chinese Australians, and providing much-needed insights into the role and responsibility of the Chinese Australian community in achieving national reconciliation. The project will offer a valuable model for other immigrant groups, and will therefore contribute to building a new pathway to reconciliation, community cohesion and resilience in Australian society.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

The Power of Teacher-Student Relationships to Optimise Student Outcomes. This project aims to determine how teacher-student relationships support adolescents’ motivation, engagement, and achievement in Mathematics, Science, and English via three hypothesised dimensions: socio-emotional support, instructional help, and conflict. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the impact of teacher-student relationships in each subject, over time, and if they can be improved by intervention. Expected outcomes include an online practice-driven toolkit and scalable intervention to enhance teacher capacity to build positive relationships. This knowledge will have significant benefits for students, teachers, and policy by identifying how to enhance the relationships most critical to adolescents’ academic success. Field of research: 5201 - Applied and Developmental Psychology This project will establish which elements of teacher-student relationships optimise students’ motivation, engagement, and achievement in secondary school. Identifying how teachers can build and maintain the relationships that foster adolescents’ academic success in the short- and long-term has significant social and economic benefits. Student disengagement and attrition cost the Australian economy $896 million annually. Students who experience positive relationships with their teachers tend to have higher engagement and achievement and are less likely to leave school. There is a high rate of teacher attrition (5% annually) in Australia. Teachers who experience positive relationships with students report less burnout and are less likely to leave the profession. By providing teachers and students with an evidence-based model to cultivate and sustain positive relationships, this project will contribute to the improvement of Australian educational systems, quality teaching, and student outcomes in the core subjects of Mathematics, Science and English, which are essential to a high calibre Australian workforce.