UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Deciphering immune responses to severe respiratory viral infection in... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Hunting for gamma ray bursts with an Australia-Italy satellite swarm Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Reaching the under screened "“ Exploring and evaluating the potential of... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Improving antidepressant treatment outcomes with personalised circadian... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Demand- and Supply-Side Policies for Improving Housing Affordability. This proposal aims to address Australia’s housing affordability crisis using an innovative economic life-cycle model of the housing market. It expects to generate new knowledge about housing affordability proposals related to superannuation withdrawals, government equity participation, pension means-testing, and increasing housing supply. Expected outcomes include understanding how policy impacts on homeownership, prices, and wealth distribution, with a focus on low-income households and younger households. This should provide significant benefits to policymakers by offering them model-driven insights to guide the design of effective, equitable housing policies and addresses a critical gap in the Australian housing economics literature. Field of research: 3801 - Applied Economics Australia’s housing affordability crisis is worsening, with record high house prices and limited supply making it increasingly difficult for Australians to own their own home. Despite widespread policy discussion, the quantitative effects of government interventions such as early access to superannuation for house deposits, government equity sharing, removing the exclusion of owner-occupied housing from the pension means test, and relaxing other supply constraints are still under researched, making an effective solution further out of reach. This project studies these key economic policy interventions and develops models and measures to calculate the mismatch between buyers and the supply of available housing. This research will benefit Australians economically and socially by identifying which policies effectively improve housing affordability without unintended consequences. Effective housing policy can enhance affordability, support the transition to home ownership for young Australians, reduce inequality, improve geographical mobility, and decrease the strain on social services caused by homelessness and financial stress. We will extend our research impact beyond academia by sharing our findings with the wider community, the housing industry, policymakers and state and federal government. To maximize reach, we will publish articles in mainstream media and collaborate with journalists to ensure our insights inform both decision-makers and the broader public.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Mapping the human polyadenylome at single-cell resolution Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Rise of the molecular machines: A synthetic ribosome for peptide assembly. This project aims to create a small-molecule molecular machine that mimics the ribosome's function to assemble peptides and proteins. This advancement will enable the production of diverse peptides and proteins, extending nature’s ribosomal biosynthetic machinery through the ability to incorporate both natural and non-natural amino acids. This molecular machine will use a switch/rotor mechanism, powered by visible light, to enable sequential attachment of each amino acid followed by coupling to the growing peptide chain. This technology aims to overcome the limitations inherent in current chemical peptide synthesis methods and should greatly benefit the biotechnology sector in the production of bioactive peptides. Field of research: 3405 - Organic Chemistry This project will invent new synthetic methodologies to prepare peptides and proteins. These developments aim to transform the way complex peptides are manufactured by chemical synthesis. The research outcomes will expand Australia's research capability and global competitiveness in the field of biotechnology, delivering significant commercial benefits to the third largest manufacturing sector in Australia. Social benefits may be realised through the discovery of new bioactive molecules, which will become key components of innovative health products used by Australian citizens. This project will provide economic benefits to Australia as new inventions and discoveries generate valuable intellectual property of interest to Australian and international biotechnology companies, and through the training of researchers in biotechnology and related fields. Research outcomes will be promoted by protecting the intellectual property by patents; these will then be licensed to Australian industry, enabling commercial translation.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Exploring the mystery of quark and lepton flavours Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Living memorials, art in dialogue. Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Mapping the human polyadenylome at single-cell resolution . Poly- and de-adenylation of messenger RNA is an important means of regulation of protein abundance but remains poorly understood. Cytoplasmic poly(A) tail elongation has been observed in response to viral infection. Advances in sequencing technologies now allow us to map cytoplasmic and nuclear polyadenylation at single cell resolution. In this project we will map mRNA polyadenylation of nasal epithelial organoids at single-cell resolution at resting state as well as with a viral stimulus. This will enable us for the first time to understand the role of poly-adenylation in the immune response. Field of research: 3102 - Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Polyadenylation is a modification made to messenger RNA (mRNA) that plays a crucial role in controlling when and how proteins are produced. Despite its significance, we still have limited knowledge about how polyadenylation differs between cell types at rest or in response to external stimuli. This project aims to develop a novel approach for measuring polyadenylation at single-cell resolution. Using this approach, we examine the differences in polyadenylation between cells in resting state and in response to external stimuli. We will generate protein expression data using tiny organ-like structures (organoids), enabling us to link changes in polyadenylation with changes in protein abundance. The tools, data and insights generated by this research will be invaluable to scientists working in the synthetic biology industry. The outcomes from this research will enable improvements in manufacture and quality control of synthetic mRNA, which has many downstream applications in food, chemical and medicinal manufacturing. We will share our findings via social and traditional media, and engage with peak industry bodies in the biotechnology sector.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Unraveling metastasis-specific immune niches to transform cancer... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Unraveling metastasis-specific immune niches to transform cancer... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

A New Approach to Inverse Problems for Minimal Submanifolds. Aim: This project will determine the geometric structure of an a priori unknown manifold from knowledge of only the volumes of the minimal submanifolds embedded in it. Significance: This project will encapsulate the celebrated Michel's conjecture for boundary rigidity into a broader framework of minimal submanifolds. For physics, this inverse problem is widely seen as a way of connecting quantum mechanics with general relativity through the framework of the AdS/CFT correspondence. Expected Outcomes: We will establish geometric rigidity results relating to minimal surfaces. Benefits: Creating a mathematical framework for minimal surfaces that potentially leads to new connections between quantum mechanics and general relativity. Field of research: 4904 - Pure Mathematics This project uses advanced mathematics to study how space-time geometry can be reconstructed from minimal surface data—an idea inspired by developments in theoretical physics. Minimal surfaces are geometric objects that help reveal the shape and structure of space-time in modern physical theories. The methods developed in this project could one day contribute to better understanding the relationship between quantum mechanics and gravity. While grounded in pure mathematics, the project explores connections with machine learning and imaging, with potential long-term applications in areas such as medical imaging and geophysical exploration. It involves collaboration with international experts and offers high-level training for Australian PhD students and early-career researchers. The project strengthens Australia’s standing in fundamental research while equipping local talent with mathematical and computational skills relevant across science, technology, and engineering.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Kinetics-Guided Theranostics for Prostate Cancer: Utilising Dynamic... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Application of machine learning and spatial transcriptomics for the... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Take the money and run: understanding decisions to cash out of a risky bet. In recent years, the advent of smartphone and internet gambling has dramatically changed the gambling products that are available to consumers. Present-day gambling involves decisions that are far more dynamic and immersive than the static and slow-paced gambling decisions traditionally studied in cognitive psychology, and current cognitive theories are therefore of limited use in explaining contemporary gambling decisions. This project we will develop a novel research paradigm that yields fine-grained behavioural data on how people make decisions when faced with contemporary gambling products. Our specific focus is on constructing a theoretical framework for understanding the widespread ‘instant cash out’ feature of contemporary gambling. Field of research: 5204 - Cognitive and Computational Psychology The growth of online and mobile sports-betting platforms has substantially changed the ways that Australians gamble. Digital platforms provide a range of new betting features that are poorly understood and under-regulated, and that have contributed to a rise in gambling-related harm in the community. In this project we will study instant cash-out, an online gambling feature that allows users to receive an immediate payout from their bets even before the event they have bet on has concluded. Little is known about the cognitive processes that motivate individuals to cash out and, although there is correlational evidence linking cash-out usage with increased gambling-related harm, the causality of this relationship remains unclear. The absence of this evidence presents a major challenge for developing effective regulation of instant cash-out. This project will use a combination of controlled experimental research and longitudinal observational research to fill these evidence gaps. Findings from this program of research will shape future regulation of instant cash-out, thereby reducing gambling-related harm in the community, and will also illuminate the cognitive processes underlying dynamic financial decision making more broadly. Results will be presented to Australian and international policymakers and regulators through policy briefs and position statements, and will contribute to increased awareness and understanding of modern gambling products in the general public.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Dead transposons jump start new life in fungi to drive plant diseases. Genomes of plant pathogenic fungi can have large amounts of what appears to be dead or inactivated transposable elements, or jumping genes. However, research on fungicide resistance in the main pathogen of canola, the blackleg fungus, has revealed the movement of these elements to drive the emergence of resistance or changes in disease related genes. This project aims to test the hypothesis that fungi with seemingly inactive transposons do indeed encode functional copies that have eluded researchers for many decades. This is significant contribution to understanding fungal genomes and their mechanisms of rapid evolution to overcome plant defenses or fungicides. The research aims to benefit those controlling plant pathogenic fungi. Field of research: 3107 - Microbiology Transposons are pieces of DNA that can move within the total DNA of an organism, usually with a negative impact. Many organisms defend themselves against these mobile pieces of DNA, destroying transposons before they can take effect. This project examines a major fungal pathogen that impacts Australian agriculture; for many decades, it was assumed all its transposons would be destroyed by the fungus’ genome defences. Recent research, examining how the fungus overcomes fungicides used in its control, found evidence of mobile DNA as the mechanism for fungicide resistance. This project will test if these unusual transposons are mobile, growing our understanding of transposon function in plant pathogens. This will provide significant commercial, economic and environmental benefits for Australia’s valuable agricultural industries, helping to predict the ways fungi and other pathogens overcome current disease control methods, and protecting agricultural production. The insights gained from this research will be disseminated beyond the academic arena through long-standing connections within the grains industry.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Characterising the plasma proteome of polymyalgia rheumatica Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Clinical and scientific predictors of response to faecal microbiota... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Development and non-immune functions of intestinal regulatory T cells Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

A New Approach to Inverse Problems for Minimal Submanifolds Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

A temporary "bloodstream": human oxygenating hydrogels for the... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

A gene drive to control malaria Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

A gene drive to control malaria Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Trustworthy Model Reprogramming: Learning with Imperfect Pre-trained... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research