UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Closing the gap between integrable models and branching processes. Integrable stochastic lattice models are highly effective for the study of universal phenomena in transport, directed polymers and interface dynamics. This project aims to address a key knowledge gap by developing and studying new integrable models for processes that (i) do not obey particle conservation and (ii) display population-dependent branching mechanisms such as in realistic reproduction dynamics. Such models are mathematically tractable and, as a result, the project will lead to a deeper understanding of key processes such as those that regulate bacterial colonies and proliferating cancer cells, and provide new insights into how interdependence and heterogeneity of individuals affects the late time behaviour of growing populations. Field of research: 4902 - Mathematical Physics This project will explore the deep connections between integrable vertex models in mathematical physics and branching processes in probability theory. Integrable vertex models are crucial for understanding complex systems, while branching processes are pivotal in mathematical modelling. Linking these areas will push the boundaries of mathematical sciences, leading to new insights and methodologies – many of which will have real-world applications. For instance, better understanding of branching processes will improve models used in epidemiology for predicting disease spread, and in environmental science for predicting forest fires and assessing climate change impacts, providing social and environmental benefits for Australia. The researchers trained in these discoveries will be well-prepared for careers in academia, industry, and government sectors, enhancing our workforce in critical STEM areas and providing economic benefits for Australia, as well as positioning our country as a global scientific leader. The mathematical tools developed will be made freely available through open-access repositories and libraries.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Optimisation based control for multi-agent systems. This project will explore fundamental links between near-optimality and stability in multi agent systems. Considering different interconnection topologies and different types of missions (e.g. consensus, randezvous), this project will exploit the stability of the closed-loop system in order to obtain better near-optimality. Expected outcomes include novel distributed near-optimal control algorithms, whose performance, stability and robustness will be investigated in detail. As multi agent systems is a critical enabling technology spanning all sectors, significant benefits are expected, including enhanced control and monitoring for important classes of complex systems, including those arising in collaborative robotics and smart grid. Field of research: 4007 - Control Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics Collaborative robotics, smart grids, intelligent transportation, and advanced manufacturing depend on multi-agent systems, consisting of multiple decision-making entities working towards a shared objective within a common environment. One example is a swarm of drones equipped with sensors and computational capabilities for communication, which can be deployed in diverse tasks including monitoring critical infrastructure, assessing agricultural crops, or handling materials within factories. Such ground-breaking technology has transformative implications across many sectors. This research will enhance the design of these multi-agent systems by developing a design methodology for highly effective and robust control algorithms. These algorithms will substantially improve the performance, stability and robustness of multi-agent systems while carefully navigating the inherent design trade-offs. We will accelerate translation of this research through our existing industry and government contacts, as well as workshops, seminars, and media articles. The benefits of this research are economic, environmental, and social because the project will contribute to tackling key societal issues across all sectors, including climate change mitigation, smart infrastructure development, and advancements in defence applications.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

The Physical Mathematics of String Dualities. This project aims to uncover new connections between mathematical structures by studying their physics in string theory. It will generate new knowledge in physics and pure mathematics using an interdisciplinary approach utilising a remarkable collection of symmetries, known as dualities. Expected outcomes from this synthesis of research fields include a new understanding of quantum corrections in both string theory and the mathematics of algebraic and differential geometry with cross-institutional collaborations at the national and international level. Significant benefits include bringing leading international researchers to Australia, cutting-edge research outcomes and research training in high-profile international collaborations. Field of research: 4902 - Mathematical Physics This project concerns string theory, a mathematical framework that can unify theories of quantum physics and gravity. String theory is a pathway to solving the big questions about our universe, such as the physics of black holes and the mechanisms of the Big Bang. The intricate mathematical structure underlying string theory remains unsettled. The goal of this project is to resolve open questions about this structure and provide new knowledge within both physics and mathematics. There are string theory research groups at universities worldwide, but it is still a developing field in Australia. This project is an opportunity to bring world-leading figures into our sphere of influence, fostering young Australian talent. It will also bring us closer to realising real-world applications of these theories, such as advanced materials design and quantum computing, which will provide commercial and economic benefits for Australian industries. There is already a strong interest in string theory in the general public, and we intend to capitalise on this by promoting our results beyond academia via activities such as public lectures. This will provide additional cultural and societal benefits in fostering a love of fundamental science among Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Discovery of missing pathways for breakdown of marine organosulfur. Sulfur is an essential nutrient for life and is transferred between organisms using small molecules termed metabolic currencies. Sulfur metabolic currencies have planetary-scale significance and support agri/aquaculture. Yet which microbes degrade them and what metabolic pathways they use, remain unknown. This project aims to discover microbes that can grow on organosulfur molecules, identify the pathways used, elucidate the chemistry of the enzymes they exploit, and study their environmental distribution. Expected outcomes include new knowledge of environmental nutrient cycling. Long-term benefits include improved understanding of microbial ecosystem recycling services supporting sustainability and resilience of marine production systems. Field of research: 3404 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry Marine algae harness sunlight, fix carbon, and synthesise chemical building blocks that sustain the ‘food web’ in Australia’s vast marine ecosystem, contributing to global nutrient cycles. This project aims to uncover the microbial pathways used to breakdown marine organosulfur, filling a critical knowledge gap in sulfur cycling in natural ecosystems. This will help accurate modelling of marine nutrient cycles and support practical advances in sulfur nutrition. Australia’s vast marine jurisdiction spans over 8 million square kilometers and supports a thriving ‘blue economy’ of >400,000 jobs with > $100 billion annual revenue. Identification of the breakdown pathways for organosulfur will lead to the discovery of new biological catalysts with strong commercial potential for the Australian biotechnology sector. Additionally, it will inform microbe bioengineering strategies to reduce reliance on synthetic sulfur-based fertilizers, supporting sustainable agri/aquacultural practices. To ensure broad impact, we will disseminate our findings to environmental experts and the public, maximizing the potential translation of our research into actionable solutions.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Mobilities of displacement in Australia's private rental housing crisis. This project aims to investigate the diverse experiences of displaced renters in Australia’s private rental housing market by advancing understanding of how people rebuild their lives in the wake of displacement. This project expects to generate new geographical knowledge about resettlement after displacement by pairing innovative qualitative techniques with novel geographical theories of mobility and home. Expected outcomes of this project include enhancing geographical research capacity on mobility and home through the development of collaborations. The project should deliver significant benefits to Australia by supporting private renters and affected areas in managing the challenges of displacement and resettlement. Field of research: 4406 - Human Geography This project aims to assist Australian rental households by identifying the support requirements of tenants undergoing relocation and suggesting strategies to reduce the adverse effects of moving and rebuilding their lives. Over one quarter of Australian households reside in privately rented homes. Rising rental costs place considerable financial strain on these households and many are forced to move to more affordable housing options across suburbs, cities, or even regions. There is a lack of understanding regarding the challenges faced during this time with the process often separating established family groups, friends, community ties, and available job opportunities. The resulting community impact alters workforce availability and necessitates changes in infrastructure and services both in the original and new locations. The research aims to benefit Australians socially and economically by assessing how these relocations affect the demand for community infrastructure and services. Insights will be disseminated to households through various channels including a social media animation and an online exhibition. These findings will be communicated to policymakers to help address these issues, as well as industry stakeholders, and service providers through a comprehensive report and an industry summit.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Climate-related relocation: improving policy and practice outcomes . The proposed project will significantly advance knowledge of the factors that enable successful relocation of communities away from sites of climate risk. Relocation of communities is a complex and difficult task and little is known about how to support such processes in ways that safeguard, dignify and improve people’s lives. Through in-depth case studies of community relocations in Australia, Fiji and the USA (Alaska), each at different stages of the relocation process, this project will generate new knowledge of the factors that determine successful and equitable outcomes. Expected project outcomes include novel and policy-relevant evidence on climate relocation, and new international research collaborations. Field of research: 4101 - Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation This project will significantly advance knowledge of the factors that enable successful relocation of communities away from sites of climate risk. Australia, Fiji and the USA (Alaska) are among the first countries globally where relocation of low-lying coastal communities is occurring, and little is known about how to support such processes in a way that safeguards, dignifies and improves people’s lives. Through in-depth case studies of community relocations in Australia, Fiji and the USA (Alaska) - each at different stages of the relocation process - this project will generate new knowledge of the factors that determine successful and equitable outcomes. Expected project outcomes include novel and policy-relevant evidence on climate relocation, comparative legal analysis and new international research collaborations that will provide great value to Australia socially, culturally, and environmentally. Research findings will be disseminated to relevant government ministries in Australia, Fiji and the USA, as well as international agencies, community organisations and community members. The project will enhance preparedness for climate-related relocation and adaptation, and advance Australia’s national interest in climate adaptation both locally and across the Pacific Ocean region.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Emotions as Complex Systems: Non-Linear Approaches to Real-World Emotions. Daily emotional experience is central to human well-being, but also highly complex. Maximising well-being and resilience requires a full understanding of the complex dynamics of real-world emotions, which cannot be achieved using standard linear statistical approaches. This project aims to apply cutting-edge empirical dynamic modelling tools, developed by ecologists to characterise complex systems, to model emotions in the world's largest database of daily emotional experience. Expected outcomes include new interdisciplinary collaborations, enhanced research capacity, and new knowledge of theorised complex emotion dynamics. This should result in significant benefits to emotion science and inform future interventions to enhance well-being. Field of research: 5204 - Cognitive and Computational Psychology Our day-to-day feelings are central to our well-being, making it essential to understand what drives emotional fluctuations in daily life. However, real-world emotions remain poorly understood because scientists have lacked the analytic tools and large-scale data needed to characterise the intricate, and seemingly unpredictable ways that emotions unfold. We address this gap by applying mathematical techniques from ecology to the world's largest daily emotion database to model the complex dynamics of real-world emotion. The knowledge generated by this project will improve scientific models of emotion and will thus inform how to effectively manage emotions to maximise resilience. As emotions are central to virtually every domain of human functioning, this project’s findings could benefit Australians by informing efforts to increase job productivity, improve social relationships, and enhance overall well-being. To ensure our research outcomes reach a wide audience, we will communicate our findings via media engagement and public-facing workshops. To maximise the future translational potential of our findings, we will engage with mental-health practitioners who develop and implement novel online/digital treatments for a range of common emotional disorders. Finally, by introducing novel mathematical tools to psychology, this project may improve understanding of other psychological processes beyond emotion.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

What drives moral amplification? Morality provides the foundation for human cooperation, however amplifying everyday moral attitudes, judgements, and beliefs has the potential to sow intolerance, social conflict, and polarisation. This project aims to explore how facing threats, from those experienced day-to-day to widespread societal issues and ecological contexts, can lead people to adopt more unforgiving moral stances. The findings will provide that basis for a new theorectical framework from which to understand the functions of morality and will feed into practice by identifying psychological processes through which intollerace can emerge, and in turn highlighting critical junctures for targetted interventions aiming to build social cohesion. Field of research: 5205 - Social and Personality Psychology Australia is facing a range of threats from climate change and disease outbreaks, to rising inequality and geopolitical instability. This project will examine how feeling threatened can lead to "moral amplification," where people not only judge others more harshly but also cling more rigidly to their own beliefs – in turn increasing social tension with those who think differently. The findings will provide insight into when and why specific challenges facing Australian society may lead to a generalised outbreak of societal unrest and intergroup conflict. The project represents a first attempt to understand moral amplification as a generalised response which has the capacity to shape attitudes and judgements across a range of contexts, and, ultimately, to splinter Australian society. The findings of this research will inform strategies to promote tolerance within an increasingly diverse and pluralistic society, with a particular focus on contexts where collective action and cooperation are essential for overcoming significant challenges facing the Australian population. Research outputs will be communicated to the Australian public through a variety of media outlets, briefings, blogs, and feature articles. They will also be directed to policy makers and interest groups seeking to build evidence-informed interventions that will improve the social cohesion of Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Incomplete Information Industrial Organization: From Theory to Practice. This project aims to refine the set of incomplete information models of industrial organization (Triple-IO) and develop a range of tools to evaluate the competitive effects of mergers, collusion, and related changes to market structure and firm conduct. This will significantly advance our understanding of markets and the role that bargaining plays in the efficiency of markets. Expected outcomes include expanding the set of Triple-IO tools available and enabling their practical application. Expected benefits include better informed, more sophisticated, and hence improved, decision making by competition authorities when evaluating the competitive effects of economic conduct. This will benefit societies by improving consumers' choice sets. Field of research: 3801 - Applied Economics The digital age has led to unprecedented increases in productivity and market power because larger firms are better at reaping the gains from technological progress. To ensure Australian consumers also benefit from this progress, competition policy - credible, evidence-based enforcement of competitive behaviour - has an ever more important role to play. Traditional analytical frameworks that guide competition policy rest on ad-hoc restrictions on firms’ behavior. Recommendations based on these are, therefore, vulnerable to the criticism that the conditions on which they are based may not be valid after a policy change, for example, a merger. The proposed project uses an innovative analytical framework that is robust to this criticism to provide fundamental insights into the effects of mergers, firms' incentives and ability to collude, and regulatory interventions. It gives competition authorities like the ACCC a reliable economic framework to analyze mergers, acquisitions and anticompetitive conduct. It will lead to software tools for diagnostic tests that quantify the likely effects of mergers on firms' abilities to collude and the competitive effects of mergers. By improving competition policy, the project will lead to lower prices and thereby greater choice for Australian consumers. Translation and dissemination through workshops with practitioners and researchers will promote the outcomes and lead to their adoption in future research.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Do-It-Yourself Commemoration of the Dead. This project aims to investigate the emergence of contemporary do-it-yourself commemorative practices that are reshaping how people care for and mourn the dead in Australia. The impacts of these self-organised rituals that are increasingly occurring outside of traditional institutions are profoundly significant but poorly understood. Through a grounded interdisciplinary study, this research will produce critical insights and knowledge about how diverse groups are navigating choices at the end of life. Our work aims to benefit individuals, communities, professionals, and policymakers by empowering personal expression and advancing sustainability and governance associated with the care of the dead in Australia. Field of research: 4401 - Anthropology Australian deathcare practices are changing. A significant shift toward do-it-yourself commemoration is radically reshaping the sector and transforming how Australians care for their dead. Such practices include 'direct' cremation without ceremony, creative treatment of ashes for memorialisation, consumer-led DIY funerals, and alternative disposal arrangements for the body. The growing popularity of these new, hyper-personalised forms of commemoration significantly impacts Australia’s $1.7-billion funeral industry and the cultural, social, economic, and commercial environments that surround it. While such practices are proliferating in Australia and overseas, they are poorly understood by academics, the industry, religious and community organisations, and the wider public. This research project aims to address this gap through an interdisciplinary, multi-methods approach that uncovers the scope, drivers, and implications of these changes, informed through national surveys and fieldwork with families, deathcare professionals, and community leaders. Outcomes will be communicated through symposia, academic publications, public-facing exhibitions and popular media coverage. This research aims to advance scholarship on ritual change and – given the profound importance afforded to the treatment of the dead by families and communities – to extend knowledge in industry and society so as to chart a better path into the future for deathcare in Australia and internationally.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Unravelling Toxic Cyanobacterial Ecosystem Challenges in Wastewater Reuse. This project seeks to tackle a pressing environmental and public health challenge: the threat posed by toxic cyanobacteria in the water we recycle for growing food. With climate change affecting water availability worldwide, using recycled wastewater for irrigation is becoming increasingly necessary. However, this water can contain harmful toxins and antibiotic resistance genes, which might end up in the food we eat. Our research aims to understand how these toxic algae live and interact in the wastewater effluent and to find effective ways to remove them. By doing so, we hope to make recycled wastewater safe for irrigating crops, ensuring that the food produce is safe to eat. Field of research: 4004 - Chemical Engineering A pressing issue in Australia’s arid climate is the safe and sustainable management of water resources, particularly in our escalating climate uncertainty. Our research aims to comprehensively evaluate toxin-producing and antibiotic resistance gene-harbouring cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater, which are significant barriers to its reuse for Australian agricultural and urban landscapes. We will devise bloom control by novel oxidation methods. The project will benefit Australian public health by ensuring safer water supplies and reducing risks associated with cyanotoxins, which can cause severe health issues in humans and animals, and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. Improving water reuse capabilities will significantly reduce the stress on Australia’s freshwater resources, allowing sustainable development and environmental conservation. Partnerships with government agencies, water utilities, and farming groups will allow adoption of recommendations from the research outcomes. The interdisciplinary approach supports the advancement of Australia’s scientific research capabilities. By fostering collaboration across multiple fields, the project addresses immediate environmental and health challenges while strengthening Australia’s position as a leader in innovative water management solutions. Results will be disseminated and communicated to industries through industry-oriented workshops and conferences, and to academia via peer-reviewed publications.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Mooring offshore floating wind turbines onto Australian seabeds. This project aims to address the geotechnical challenges to mooring offshore floating wind turbines onto Australian seabeds. This is significant because the current limited knowledge and empirical design method hinder confidence in the next generation floating wind development. This project will use innovative geotechnical centrifuge and numerical modelling to develop design guidelines to underpin offshore renewable energy development. With geotechnical mooring system solution accounting for ~35% of the total cost, the completion of this project will bring significant economic benefits in reducing costs to unlock renewable energy from our oceans. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering Offshore wind farms, where power generation is more reliable and consistent, are globally considered a key solution for renewable energy. Up to now, the global offshore wind industry has developed rapidly in shallow waters with fixed-bottom turbines. Yet further offshore in water depths exceeding 60m winds are stronger and even more consistent. Here, floating wind turbines (FWTs) have technical and economic advantages over fixed-bottom solutions due to their greater size and capacity. However, key to the success of FWTs is an effective mooring system, which currently costs ~35% of the overall investment. Comprising mooring lines and embedded anchors, mooring systems must be advanced, especially for deployment onto Australian seabeds that have problematic carbonate soil and harsh environments. This project will deliver scientific knowledge and engineering solutions to support mooring systems for offshore FWTs in Australian waters. We will share our research findings with industry networks to accelerate adoption and report them publicly through media articles. It will have economic, environmental, and social benefits for Australia. New renewable energy projects provide commercial income, create local jobs, and bolster domestic electricity supply, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. FWTs will increase Australia’s renewable energy supply providing access to reliable, secure, and affordable energy as well as supporting our ambitious goal to reach net zero by 2050.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

The History of the Hourglass: Temporalities, Material Culture and Science. This project seeks to write the first history of the hourglass from its origins c.1300 through to its global circulation in the sixteenth century. The most precise time-measurement device of its era, the hourglass changed the course of history through its role in maritime travel, scientific experiments and everyday time management. It transformed time into a silent, interior flow crucial to a wide range of cultural projects: in Cairo classrooms or alchemical labs; in the cook’s kitchen or preacher's pulpit. Alongside its critical intervention in the history of time, the project seeks to pioneer new scientific methods for analysing these fragile objects, with major benefits for their conservation in Australian and international collections. Field of research: 4303 - Historical Studies From iphones to luxury watches, mobile timekeeping devices are a constant feature of contemporary life. They seem to embody an obsession with measuring and managing our precious time in a pressured modern world. Yet such devices are nothing new. Small, precise, mobile, personal: the sandglass was a pioneering medieval technology that has been overlooked in histories of technological progress. Its complex uses in daily life, science, travel and the movement of European time across the world are poorly understood. This project seeks to write the first history of these remarkable objects from their origins in the fourteenth century through to their global ubiquity by the sixteenth. It encourages Australians to reflect on our experiences of time’s passing as the hourglass remains a potent image of time running out, from symbols of climate crisis to timers in showers during drought. Partnering with major research institutions in Germany and the UK, the project also seeks to put Australia at the forefront of analysing, conserving and displaying these fascinating and fragile objects. The project is designed to improve curatorial practice in Australian museums, and to provoke public reflection on objects that shape our experience of time, through media appearances, innovative public object laboratories to crowdsource stories of sandglasses, and a compelling new digital platform displaying sandglasses to wider publics.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Sexual violence against older women: Enhancing recognition and response. This project explores the hidden problem of sexual violence against older women. Drawing on national longitudinal data, in-depth interviews and novel arts-based methods, the project expects to generate vital new knowledge about the context, impacts and lived experience of sexual violence for older women and how services can promote justice and healing. Through analysis of mainstream media and legal documents, it aims to illuminate community attitudes. Anticipated outcomes include new theoretical tools for understanding sexual violence against older women, actionable guidelines for policymakers and services and increased community awareness. This in turn should enhance support for older women survivors in Australia and abroad. Field of research: 4402 - Criminology By 2050, a quarter of Australia's population will be aged over 65, most of them women. Many of these older women will be impacted by sexual violence, to the serious detriment of their well-being. Despite this, there is a tendency to view sexual violence as an issue affecting only younger women, neglecting the voices and needs of women in later life. This project fills a critical gap in knowledge by aiming to understand older women’s experiences of sexual violence, its context and impacts in older age, and how it is represented in law and in the media. Findings will be translated into a suite of resources to strengthen trauma-informed responses across health, justice and social services, ensure that policies are inclusive, address ageist attitudes in the community, and promote help-seeking for victim/survivors. This will generate social and cultural benefits for Australians – particularly older women – through increased understanding of the hidden problem of sexual violence in this cohort, amplified community awareness and improved service delivery through the development of education modules, guidelines and an exhibition. The project addresses the strategic national priority area of violence against women, contributing to the reduction of its economic and social cost.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

A mechanistic exploration of fern proteins that target lepidopteran pests. This project will investigate the mechanisms of action of a newly discovered class of insecticidal proteins from ferns. These proteins show broad activities against the larvae of common crop pests (lepidopterans; i.e. butterflies and moths), including those resistant to existing insecticidal approaches. The project will employ an integrated biological, biochemical and structural approach to determine how these proteins impart their insecticidal activities and to optimise their efficacy for future agricultural applications. Major benefits include interdisciplinary research training and the future development of transgenic crops expressing these proteins, to increase crop yields and underpin domestic and global food security. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology This project will address critical gaps in sustainable pest management for Australian and International agriculture, by investigating a new family of fern proteins (Fips), which target lepidopteran pests, (butterflies and moths). With escalating concerns over chemical pesticide use and the emergence of resistance in pest populations, alternative insecticidal strategies are urgently needed. This new class of insecticidal proteins offers a promising natural solution that has the potential to reduce reliance on costly and environmentally harmful chemical pesticides. By elucidating the molecular details of the mechanism of action of these proteins, we aim to underpin the development of sustainable, environmentally friendly, and economically viable pest management alternatives, to optimise crop yields and provide strategies for domestic and global food security. The success of this proposal will provide interdisciplinary training for a new generation of junior researchers (postdocs and students) and translatable outcomes that will underpin the future of Australia’s technological and agricultural advances.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Predicting how Australia’s pests will respond to climate change Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Metallic glass nanomaterials: New theory and syntheses. Our limited understanding of glassy (disordered) metallic nanoparticles is impeding the development of next-generation materials for biotechnology and clean energy. This project aims to use theory to guide fabrication of a new range of metal 'nanoglasses’. This is significant, because the properties of disordered materials can be vastly different from their crystalline counterparts, exhibiting enhanced plasticity, heat capacity, and chemical reactivity. Expected outcomes include a model for predicting the optical properties of nanoglasses and novel syntheses of gold-based nanoglasses, whose properties can be optimised at will. This should provide significant benefits, such as new options for cancer phototherapy and solar fuel synthesis. Field of research: 3407 - Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Metal nanoparticles have useful properties that have been harnessed to develop new biological sensors and new methods to generate clean fuels. This development was possible because the properties of crystalline materials are well understood. The properties of non-crystalline materials are not well understood. This project addresses this research gap, by studying a type of material called metallic nanoglasses. It is expected that the new nanoparticles developed in this project could more efficiently convert light energy into heat. This would make them ideal for new applications, such as in biotech, and lead to increased health benefits for Australians. This project will also seek to discover nanoglasses that can use energy from sunlight to speed up chemical reactions. Such particles could be used to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, creating an environmental benefit to Australians through its use in combating climate change. Taking the lead in developing and understanding these new materials will grow Australia’s standing as a world leader in nanomaterials research and allow us to train the next generation of innovators. We will seek local partnerships to commercialise applications of these new particles, which will benefit the Australian economy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Measuring What Matters: Capturing Critical Aspects of Time in Work and Care. This project aims to address Australia’s looming dependency crisis by exploring tensions between increasing women's labour supply whilst maintaining adequate fertility rates. Using a revolutionary new tool to measure the quality as well as the quantity of time spent in employment and unpaid family care, it expects to generate new knowledge on how workplace changes in digital technology, location and scheduling impact care, and on factors that support gender-similar care involvement. Expected outcomes are the capacity to monitor time allocation, develop policies promoting the combination of adequate care and employment and ensure Australia complies with international care data standards, with benefits to families, employers and governments. Field of research: 4407 - Policy and Administration Like other advanced economies, Australia is on a collision course between work and care. To slow population aging, nations must increase labour supply, while maintaining adequate fertility rates. But Australia ranks poorly in terms of gender equality in both paid work and unpaid domestic labour and care. This project will provide new knowledge on the factors shaping these intertwined challenges, using cutting-edge time-diary data to reveal critical aspects of family time and the gendered divisions of labour that conventional indicators miss. It will benefit Australia by providing a new perspective on how to make the work-care juggle fairer and more sustainable, including the impact of practices such as working from home, flexible hours and non-parental care. Partnerships with government, civil society and non-government organisations will ensure the project findings contribute to new policies that can both advance gender equality and better support families to care. This will bring valuable cultural change: improving the economic security of women, benefiting families and employers, and growing the national economy. A range of outputs will be produced, including an open-access database, a series of popular media communications and a project website to ensure the findings are accessible to policymakers, employers and the general public.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Variety is the spice of life: the mathematics of biological heterogeneity. Diversity between individuals shapes the fate of populations in many fundamental biological processes. This project aims to improve our understanding of how population behaviour is dictated by diversity in individual characteristics. This project expects to develop new mathematical theory that formally reveals the relationship between diversity in a particular characteristic and population behaviour. Expected outcomes include a new mathematical modelling framework, and advances in knowledge in mathematics, biology and ecology. This should provide significant benefits, as we will identify how diversity between individuals ensures regular development for cell populations and robustness to environmental changes for whale populations. Field of research: 4901 - Applied Mathematics Every biological organism, from bacteria to humans, is unique. Understanding how that uniqueness benefits a population of organisms will lead to a better understanding of the complex processes that govern life. This project will develop mathematical tools to predict how the diversity in individuals across a population affects the behaviour of that population. It will study whether individual diversity in cells can ensure the development of complex organisms, and by using whales as an example, examine whether diversity can protect a navigating population from human-driven environmental changes. In doing so, this project will generate knowledge and techniques that are relevant to a wide range of biological and environmental applications. These insights will provide significant economic and environmental benefits to Australia. Greater understanding of cell biology will reduce unnecessary experimentation, and its associated time and financial costs. Understanding the susceptibility of whale populations to human-driven change will assist with environmental decision-making, safeguard Australia’s valuable whale-watching industry and help protect whales from human actions. The mathematical and software tools developed in the project will be made freely available through repositories such as GitHub, so that they can be used to explore other applications.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Targeting the circadian clock to improve grain quality in wheat. This project aims to establish a novel approach to improve protein content of wheat grain without loss of yield in Australian conditions. The project expects to build a mechanistic understanding of how the circadian clock, which controls daily and seasonal rhythms, adjusts the timing of leaf senescence and affects grain nutrient content in wheat. Expected outcomes include an expanded view of the extent and influence of circadian clock variation within Australian wheat cultivars and deeper functional knowledge of circadian clocks in a cereal crop. This would provide significant benefits for breeders, growers and consumers because protein content determines the economic value of grain and end-use characteristics of flour. Field of research: 3004 - Crop and Pasture Production Wheat is Australia’s most productive crop, representing more than 10% of total agricultural production and worth ~$15 billion/year. The protein content of grain is an important trait because it affects the baking properties of flour and therefore the value of the grain. A long-standing challenge is that increased grain protein content is typically associated with loss of yield. This is controlled by the timing of key developmental stages in wheat growth and influenced by environmental conditions. This project aims to develop a new approach to improve grain quality of wheat grown in Australian environments by identifying genetic components and mechanisms that control the timing of growing processes. Increasing protein content of wheat grain by as little as 0.5% can add up to 20% to the value of the crop. Therefore, successful outcomes from this project could contribute to the sizeable agricultural economy, benefiting growers and consumers. Research outcomes from this project could be used by those within the agricultural and biotechnology industries via reports to inform growers of their local growing conditions and provide breeders a knowledgeable assessment of Australian conditions.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Bridging Worlds: Integrating Australian Indigenous Knowledges in Leadership. Current reconciliation processes and leadership models lack adequate integration of Indigenous Knowledges, hindering mutual understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The project addresses this critical gap by co-creating leadership frameworks incorporating Australian Indigenous Knowledges into education, corporate and community leadership. Aligning with Reconciliation principles, the project promotes mutual understanding and shared decision-making. Outcomes include models for integrating Indigenous Knowledges, together with culturally sensitive guidelines. Benefits include fostering culturally responsive leadership, preserving Indigenous wisdom and enhancing Australia's capacity to address societal challenges. Field of research: 4501 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture, Language and History "Bridging Worlds: Integrating Indigenous Knowledges and Practices into Contemporary Leadership", addresses a critical gap in Australia's leadership landscape at a pivotal moment. As we face unprecedented global challenges, this innovative research has the potential to revolutionise our approach to leadership, positioning Australia as a world leader in inclusive and effective governance. By synergising Indigenous wisdom with contemporary practices, we aim to create transformative leadership models that could reshape our organisations, communities and national identity. This collaboration between universities, Indigenous-run organisations and industry partners promises to usher in a new era of uniquely Australian leadership. This research could benefit our nation by advancing reconciliation, enhancing our ability to address complex challenges, fostering innovation in organisational practices and contributing to Australia's reputation for inclusive and sustainable business practices. To ensure our findings reach beyond academia, we will create guides for businesses, host public workshops and an annual symposium, develop educational resources and engage with media and policymakers. We aim to advocate for including Indigenous leadership principles in national standards. By improving leadership with Indigenous insights, we strive to build a stronger, more inclusive Australia that is better equipped to face future challenges and lead on the global stage.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Optimising land sparing and sharing to restore ecosystem services . Can we reconcile nature restoration and agricultural production in a finite landscape? Restoration provides benefits to people, such as pollination, but the complex flows of these benefits makes it difficult to recognise where – and how much – land to restore without reducing agricultural production. This project aims to develop novel tools for optimising restoration that solves how to spatially arrange restoration sites and allocate different land-use intensities (sparing vs sharing) while accounting for time lags and dynamic ecosystem service flows. Illustrating potential synergies, and developing a framework to achieve them, should provide substantial benefits by motivating landholders to undertake restoration in agricultural landscapes. Field of research: 4102 - Ecological Applications Restoration within agricultural landscapes can bring benefits to nature and people through ecosystem services (e.g., pollination and carbon sequestration). Yet the flows of ecosystem services are complex, which makes it challenging to plan restoration actions, especially on productive land. The aim of this project is to incorporate the dynamic elements of ecosystem services into a spatial and temporal optimisation framework, which will be illustrated for coffee production landscapes in Brazil (Australia’s largest source of imported unroasted coffee beans) and Australia. Coffee is Australia’s most consumed beverage, yet only 0.5% is produced domestically, despite optimal growing conditions and freedom from pests and diseases found elsewhere, indicating there is potential to expand local production. This research will help ensure the sustainability of domestic coffee production as the industry grows by informing decisions on where (and when) to undertake restoration activities. This may help buffer the effects of global coffee supply issues, which are likely to increase with climate change. Further, capacity exchange workshops aim to translate lessons from restoration options within Brazil’s world-leading coffee industry to boost the economic and environmental sustainability of Australia’s developing coffee industry. Finally, knowledge produced by this research is expected to be relevant to other pollination-dependent plantation crops (e.g., macadamias, avocados and mangoes).

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Breeder chicken stress resilience: welfare, production and progeny benefits. This project aims to develop interventions that improve chicken welfare by increasing the stress resilience of meat chicken breeder birds. This project expects to advance qualitative feeding programs and farm environments to reduce chronic hunger, increase stress resilience and positively impact progeny through transgenerational effects. Expected outcomes of this project include commercially relevant strategies to improve the lives of 530,250 parent stock and 707 million meat chickens annually in Australia alone. This will provide significant benefits such as improving the quality of life of breeder chickens, enhancing production efficiency and sustainability of chicken meat, and safeguarding the industry’s social license. Field of research: 3003 - Animal Production Parents of meat chickens are severely feed-restricted to prevent obesity-related health and reproductive issues but leave them in a constant state of hunger and stress. This is compounded by housing environments that lack complexity, leading to boredom and stress. Currently, there are no practical solutions to reduce the chronic stress experienced by meat chicken breeders. This project will develop early-life nutrition and environmental interventions to build stress resilience in breeding chickens and their progeny. The benefits will be healthier chickens, reduced cost of chicken meat and more efficient use of resources in local food production. This project ensures that chicken meat in Australia remains affordable and sustainable whilst meeting the demand for ethical food production. We partner with Feedworks, Turosi Foods Pty Ltd and RSPCA Australia to ensure that the research outcomes are commercially relevant and that interventions are rapidly adopted in partner organisations and through nutrition consultations locally and internationally. This work will inform poultry welfare standards and guidelines and animal welfare accreditation regulations. Australians care about animal welfare; this research benefits Australians by addressing the need for ethical, affordable, animal protein, whilst supporting primary producers with evidence-based interventions and strengthening the industry's social license to operate, positioning Australia as a leader in poultry welfare.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Sources of hull friction drag on freshly cleaned and painted ships. 99% of Australia’s goods and raw materials are imported or exported by ship and pressure is mounting to reduce the environmental impact. Recent research by the assembled team shows that rough wall turbulence is responsible for surprisingly high drag, even on freshly cleaned and painted ships, challenging International Maritime Organization estimates that hull roughness causes only a 9% drag penalty over the global fleet. This project aims to identify the causes of this higher drag and develop tools to predict hull roughness drag penalty using inputs from dry dock inspection. Research outcomes will allow ship operators to make better decisions about hull maintenance to lower operating costs, reduce fuel use and reduce emissions of shipping. Field of research: 4012 - Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering The Australian economy relies heavily on international freight, with over 1.5 billion tonnes of goods exported and 97 million imported annually. As a result, efficient shipping is crucial for Australia. Ships, like all vehicles, use energy to move, with most of it spent overcoming the friction (drag) between the hull and the water. This friction increases dramatically with roughness on the hull, and thus ship efficiency is closely tied to the smoothness of hulls. Current practices available to industry for estimating the energy penalty due to hull roughness remain unreliable. The International Maritime Organization estimates that 9% of ship fuel burnt globally is due to hull roughness, with a cost exceeding $10billion per year. Our research indicates that this figure is significantly underestimated and should be revised, as even newly dry-docked and cleaned ships exhibit higher drag penalties. This project will develop practical tools to quantify how hull roughness from paint quality, weld seams, and biofouling contributes to fuel consumption. It will permit ship operators to make more informed decisions about cleaning, painting and other modifications to hulls during dry-dock to reduce drag and hence fuel consumption. Our results will be shared with maritime organisations and industry through seminars and articles in journals and trade media. Australia will benefit economically and environmentally from more efficient marine freight and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Character sheaves and Langlands duality. In the recent years a large part of mathematics has been driven by the Langlands program. The aim of work proposed is to contribute to this program from our unique point of view. The expected outcomes include a comprehensive understanding of character sheaves and how they apply to longstanding difficult problems in mathematics. In addition to addressing fundamental questions in mathematics and expanding our understanding, the research program connects Australia to the most exciting recent mathematical developments thus benefiting Australian researchers and students. The project will also train highly qualified individuals who can make significant impact on science, industry, technology, and economy through their specialised skills. Field of research: 4904 - Pure Mathematics This project makes a fundamental contribution to representation theory, a pivotal branch of mathematics focused on the study of symmetries, particularly those that occur in nature. Representation theory serves as a vital tool across various mathematical disciplines, including topology, geometry, combinatorics and number theory. By researching representation theory, the project aims to bridge gaps in understanding algebraic and geometric structures essential to both mathematics and physics. Its findings will inform and support long-term applications in fields such as cryptography, GPS technology, Google search algorithms, machine learning, and quantum computing. This will provide commercial and economic benefits for Australia, positioning Australian information technology and finance industries at the forefront of pioneering developments. The research findings will be disseminated through open-access publications and presentations at public events, conferences and seminars, ensuring accessibility to a diverse audience.