UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Mathematical and computational methods for precision medicine in Acute... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Supporting Choice for Cervical Screening: Implementing HPV... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

All in the family: understanding a new class of bacterial toxins. This project aims to unravel missing molecular details of how a major superfamily of proteins is able to drill holes in cell membranes. Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria all use pore-forming proteins as cell-killing weapons of mass destruction. Despite their lethal nature and their roles in infection and immunity, how these proteins work remains enigmatic. The outcomes could reveal novel mechanisms general to these proteins and provide fundamental insights in understanding vital physiological processes across all kingdoms of life. Ultimately, this knowledge may guide the design of artificial protein pores that are selective for specific molecules with applications such as measuring metal ions, sugars, pesticides or pollutants. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology This project will provide insights into fundamental biology of bacteria including many with known importance in agriculture and biotechnology. For example, some of these bacteria kill fish and are found in nematodes which can devastate livestock production. This work will focus on bacterial pore-forming proteins, that punch holes in cell walls, which could lead to the development of novel approaches for the control of both bacterial and insect pests, as insects such as mosquitoes host some of these bacteria. The project also has the potential to lead to development of engineered proteins with great importance in the biotechnology industry, placing Australian science at the forefront of an emerging technology. This may have significant impact on the Australian economy through spin-off companies and licensing agreements. For example, engineering pore-forming proteins into crops to defend against pests has saved billions of dollars annually. This project could identify suitable proteins that could protect against emerging pests and to overcome resistance in existing crops.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Identification of causal variants for complex traits. The aim of this project is to identify causal variants for complex traits in cattle and humans. Although most important traits in agriculture, medicine and evolution are complex traits, very few of the genetic variants affecting these traits are known and this undermines our understanding of how genetic variants affect a trait and practical uses of this knowledge. Huge datasets of individuals with genome sequence and phenotypes and new statistical methods provide the opportunity to close this gap. The outcome will be identification of many genomic variants causing variation in complex traits. This will benefit scientific understanding of complex traits and the ability to predict traits for individuals from their genome sequence. Field of research: 3102 - Bioinformatics and Computational Biology The most important traits in agriculture (e.g., crop yield) and medicine (e.g., susceptibility to disease) are complex traits controlled by many genetic variants and environmental factors. Currently few of these variants are known and this undermines the use of genome sequence data on individuals. This project aims to identify these genetic variants to enable improved prediction of complex traits. The methods pioneered in the project will be able to be used in all species. Farmers, particularly those raising less common breeds, will benefit from faster genetic improvement of cattle for increased meat and dairy production. The project will also increase our understanding of how genes control complex traits leading to new methods of influencing these traits. More accurate prediction of future phenotype in people underlies the new personalised medicine (e.g., targeted cancer treatments). Already pathways are in use to implement this new knowledge in the prediction of phenotype in agriculture (e.g., national genetic evaluation systems) and in people.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Next Generation Spatial Data Management for Virtual Spatial Systems. This project aims to design novel spatial data retrieval methods for efficient and accurate querying of large datasets with location information. Spatial data is being generated at an unprecedented rate due to the prevalence of mobile devices and ubiquitous connectivity. However, harnessing this data is hampered by outdated and inefficient methods. The project will investigate data retrieval methods that self-optimise for high query efficiency and accuracy, by utilising underlying real-world data patterns. It will enable novel applications for virtual spatial systems with large-scale querying needs, such as spatial digital twins and metaverses, benefiting location-based service providers, urban planners, and emergency management agencies. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science Spatial data (as used in maps and navigation apps) is being generated at an unprecedented scale from satellites and mobile devices. Increasingly it is used to build virtual spatial systems with real-world applications. For example, a digital version of a city—enhanced with real-time spatial data from sensors and 5G networks—will allow scenario-modelling (e.g., the impact of a flood) to achieve the best outcome (e.g., an emergency response). However, such usage is hampered by old, inefficient data technologies. This project will develop highly efficient spatial data retrieval methods for virtual spatial systems used by organisations and government agencies. The database community will be able to use our results to develop next-generation spatial database systems, which will bring significant business opportunities and enormous cost savings. Our results can inform urban planners and transport and emergency managers, for example, providing real-time spatial data analysis for planning, transport system optimisation, and flood risk management, protecting properties, livelihoods and lives.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Control of vascular form and fate by a novel pre-mRNA splicing mechanism . Vertebrate vasculature forms elaborate, branched networks essential for life. As developing vessels permeate tissues and organs, dynamic and spatiotemporally regulated cellular signalling determines the fate, patterning and distribution of new vascular networks. This project follows the recent discovery of a mechanism whereby RNA diversification through alternative splicing controls complex signalling patterns in forming vessels. This project investigates this molecular mechanism in embryo and tissue development. The project will produce fundamental knowledge in RNA diversification, vascular fate, growth and cell signalling. New knowledge generated may lead to new approaches in stem cell biology, tissue engineering and regenerative biology. Field of research: 3105 - Genetics In vertebrate animals, the network of blood vessels (vasculature) provide nutrients and oxygen essential for healthy tissue function. Vascular changes are central to the process of healing and ageing. But there are fundamental gaps in our understanding of the cellular and molecular interactions that control how blood vessels form in body tissues. This project will explore how regulation of genes and cell signalling, together control blood vessel formation, growth and function. Understanding the molecular control of blood vessel formation and function in tissues creates opportunity for improvements in tissue engineering, tissue repair and regenerative biology. These innovative approaches will benefit biotechnology, pharmaceutical development and drive further research into vasculature. Longer-term outcomes may help people to keep working and participating in social activities as they age through new tissue repair and future medical applications.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Distributed Optimisation without Central Coordination. This project will develop the mathematical foundations for discovery and analysis of iterative methods for optimisation problems in distributed computing systems. Most methods in distributed optimisation were not designed for distributed computing, rather they were adapted for purpose post-hoc. By building on recent advances in monotone operator splitting, this project expects to develop a mathematical theory for decentralised optimisation algorithms specially designed for distributed systems. The framework is expected to produce a suite of algorithms, each customised to exploit a specific network configuration. The project will provide significant benefits in distributed machine learning applications such as federated learning. Field of research: 4901 - Applied Mathematics Many large, resource-intensive computer applications, such as cryptocurrency systems, scientific simulations, and machine learning platforms, solve the problem of massive job sizes by using distributed computing systems. In these systems, a network of computers divides the work between machines to complete jobs that would be impossible for a single computer to handle alone. Existing algorithms do not make full use of the characteristics of the computer network. This project will develop a rigorous mathematical framework to enable novel solution methods specially designed for distributed computing systems. Project outcomes will measurably improve computational performance and allow even larger problems to be solved. Future applications in healthcare, for example, include detecting the symptoms of stroke or diabetes from wearable devices and other data sources. All data, results and code generated in this study will be made publicly available, helping Australian mathematicians and developers to lead the world in distributed optimisation technologies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Lattice Panel Based Optical Apertures for Optical Wireless Networks . Future work and homes will demand superfast wireless connectivity supported by optical fibre networks providing high speeds into our buildings. The technology gap, however, is a system to deliver this level of connectivity to our wireless mobile devices. Addressing this need, this innovative project proposes a novel architecture of lattice panel apertures based on arrays of phased arrays that can establish and steer multiple optical beams simultaneously. It will investigate these system architectures, demonstrating their feasibility. By transforming broadband wireless into the future of optical mobile networking, the project outcomes will extend to every connected office and home, benefiting Australia’s economy and national security. Field of research: 4006 - Communications Engineering Our society increasingly relies on superfast internet connectivity and, to meet part of the demand, optical fibre networks can now deliver high speeds into buildings. However, within buildings, and over short distances around our work and living environments, current technologies are unable to deliver similar high connectivity wirelessly to mobile devices. Such a gap limits the possibilities of automation, for example in applying smart sensors to deliver advanced applications to users through their wearable devices. This project will demonstrate the feasibility of faster and more secure mobile networking using only optical wireless transmission, a technology that will be compatible with next-generation wireless networks such as 6G mobile networks, and beyond. Outcomes will be open access to maximise knowledge transfer to stakeholders in industry, communications and defence who are delivering the wireless technologies and networking essential for future internet needs. Project outcomes will help improve every connected office and home, benefiting Australia’s economy and national security.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

AI in agriculture: hybrid machine learning models for nitrogen simulation. Agricultural simulation models are used to guide nitrogen management to reduce nitrogen loss and its environmental impact, but they were developed using constrained datasets, which restricts them to site- or regional-specific simulations. This project adopts a novel approach to addressing these problems by applying machine learning-based data analytics. The project will refine the linkages between nitrogen losses and their key drivers, and improve the existing agroecosystem models through data imputation, parameter optimisation and module enhancement. The outcomes of this project will lead to an accurate prediction of nitrogen losses from agriculture, advancement in agroecosystem models and their adaptability to a global context. Field of research: 4106 - Soil Sciences Quantifying nitrogen losses from agricultural practices is critical to address the challenges of environmental degradation and climate change, and safeguard Australia’s food production systems. Agricultural simulation models are well placed to estimate how much, and through which pathways, nitrogen is lost to the environment but current models have many shortcomings. This project will use machine learning-based data analytics to substantially improve the simulation and prediction capacity of these simulation models. This research will help identify the best nitrogen management practices for diverse growing regions in Australia to increase crop productivity, while reducing environmental degradation. This will avoid environmental, economic and societal consequences arising from nitrogen mismanagement (e.g., overuse of nitrogen fertilisers), and will ensure that the rural sector remains profitable and sustainable. The databases and models developed in this project will be made available to researchers, industry and policy makers, and will benefit digital and high-precision agriculture.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Close Relations: Irishness in Australian Literature. The project aims to transform understanding of Australian literature by combining existing and digital methods to investigate the complex role of Irishness in its production, circulation and reception. It expects to generate new knowledge in Australian, Irish and computational literary studies and to advance a critical and methodological framework of relational literary studies. Expected outcomes include enhanced knowledge of the history of migration and identity formation in Australia, and a new way of integrating human- and computer-led approaches to literary inquiry. The project’s substantial benefits should include advancing understanding of Australia’s cultural history and promoting public engagement with Australian literature. Field of research: 4705 - Literary Studies Irishness is ubiquitous in Australian literature, but rarely discussed. Although many Australian authors, characters, and tropes have strong Irish associations, Irishness is usually folded into Britishness, so there has been little attention to its formative yet fractious role in Australia’s national story. Recent computer-enabled modes of enquiry also reveal a previously lost archive of Irish works, including in historical periodicals, while offering new methods for exploring and understanding this important literary phenomenon. As well as enhancing our knowledge of Australian identity and culture this research will offer benefits to Australia including developing innovations in data mining and visualisation to investigate complex textual and cultural documents at scale, and enhancing cross-cultural understanding between Ireland, Australia and the global Irish diaspora. Our use of crowdsourcing to engage the public will promote digital literacy and participation, while the public discussion we will facilitate about cultural difference and belonging in Australia will support community cohesion and wellbeing.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Enabling wider use of mechanistic models for biodiversity forecasts . Forecasting species distributions is challenging yet necessary. The pattern-based models commonly used are error-prone. Mechanistic models, best equipped for the task, are limited by lack of data. This project aims to enable wider use of mechanistic models by developing new methods for dealing with incomplete trait data and uncertainty. It expects to generate new knowledge about how species’ traits define the environments in which they persist. Anticipated outcomes include enhanced capacity to apply mechanistic models to conservation problems, methods for communicating uncertainties and models for tens of species of immediate conservation interest. This will enable more reliable biodiversity forecasts, supporting better decision-making. Field of research: 4104 - Environmental Management Accurate forecasts of how threats such as climate change will affect where, and in what numbers, animals are found are critical to effectively manage Australia’s unique biodiversity. The most accurate forecasts can be expected from models that relate species’ behaviour and traits (physiology, morphology) to environmental conditions, but for most species such data are limited as field studies are expensive and time-consuming. Building on existing physiological and ecological datasets, we will develop improved methods for generating accurate forecasts when data are incomplete plus tools to measure and communicate the associated uncertainties. Scientists and managers can use our models to better understand how environmental change will affect the distribution of skinks and tree-dwelling marsupials in eastern Australia, which has been recently devastated by drought, bushfires and floods. State and federal agencies can use these more accurate models to make more robust and cost-effective conservation management decisions for a range of iconic Australian species including the koala, now classified as endangered.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Redefining the immune landscape of the human ocular surface. At the ocular surface, the cornea and limbus need to mount effective immune responses to maintain corneal transparency for clear vision. The current paradigm is that the human cornea houses the same innate immune cell subsets (dendritic cells and macrophages) as naïve mice in pathogen-free facilities. Our pilot data challenge this premise, with early evidence that innate and adaptive cells (T cells) coexist in normal human corneas. Integrating state-of-the-art techniques, we will advance understanding of immune regulation at the human ocular surface by comprehensively defining immune cell biology and dynamics. We will define the effect of age on immune cells in these tissues, and relationships between the tear proteome and cell behaviours. Field of research: 3204 - Immunology The cornea at the surface of the eye and its surrounding area (the limbus) produce immune responses if damaged or contacted by an infectious agent. Current understanding of this response is mostly from mouse studies. Our preliminary results suggest that corneas in humans are different from mice and house a distinct type of immune cell – a T cell. This project will be the first to characterise the immune cells of the human cornea and limbus. We have pioneered a high-resolution method to image immune cells in living human eyes to study the form and behaviour of the cells. Our project will redefine fundamental understanding of the eye’s immune cell biology, enhancing Australian research in vision science and immunology. We will make the first atlas of immune cells of the human cornea and limbus publicly available and share our new method for visualising the eye’s immune cells with researchers, via publications and scientific meetings. We expect strong interest from the ophthalmic imaging industry, with scope to develop new software tools for automated analyses of cell dynamics.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Defining the microenvironmental regulators of spleen function and immunity. The spleen is an important organ that is present in almost all vertebrates and is a critical site for the induction of systemic immune responses. The current paradigms of spleen biology are mostly derived from rodent studies, but the cellular biology of the spleen in humans remains poorly defined. Using novel tools, advanced transcriptomics and imaging techniques this project aims to reveal the functions of stromal cells in the spleen in humans and to define the fundamental roles of spleen stromal cells in long-lived immunity. The anticipated outcomes are to build Australia’s research capacity and to generate new knowledge of significance for our fundamental understanding of the spleen and the role of this tissue in the immune system. Field of research: 3204 - Immunology The spleen is present in almost all vertebrates, providing critical immunity to bacteria and viruses in the blood. However, exactly how the spleen engenders immune responses and what non-immune cells create the spleen architecture is not well defined. Much of our understanding of the spleen comes from mouse studies and how this organ works in humans is not fully understood. This project will use advanced imaging technology to define the biology of the cells that create the human spleen and to determine how these non-immune spleen cells foster long-lived immune responses. This knowledge will guide future research into the immune system and will reveal new ways of boosting the immunity to infections and chronic diseases like cancer. This project will engage with other researchers to provide training in state-of-the-art imaging technologies not available elsewhere in Australia. It will ultimately contribute to the commercial development of new medical products.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

How do kangaroo herpesviruses jump to new host species? . This project aims to study alphaherpesviruses of kangaroos and other marsupials. These viruses cause outbreaks of severe disease in captive populations of marsupials when they are transmitted from natural hosts to new host species, but these cross-species transmission events are poorly understood. This project aims to study these viruses, and their capacity for cross-species transmission, using new approaches that consider herpesviruses as dynamic, mixed populations of viruses. This project also aims to develop novel, practical, and accessible vaccines to prevent disease. Benefits are expected to arise through prevention of disease in captive marsupial populations, including benefits for conservation efforts and for Australian tourism. Field of research: 3009 - Veterinary Sciences This project will study alphaherpesviruses of kangaroos and other marsupials. These viruses cause outbreaks of disease in captive populations of marsupials in zoos and wildlife parks when the viruses are transmitted to new species, however these viruses are poorly understood. This project is expected to provide foundational knowledge of how these viruses are able to cross into new species. This project is also expected to develop novel vaccines for use in captive animals to prevent disease outbreaks. Benefits to conservation efforts are anticipated through the use of vaccines to protect the health of animals involved in captive breeding programs. Benefits to Australian tourism are anticipated though the use of vaccines to protect the health of exhibited animals in zoos and wildlife parks. There is a clear translation pathway for these vaccines through existing systems that support the production and use of autogenous (custom) veterinary vaccines. This represents a feasible and attractive alternative to commercial vaccine development, thus supporting the health of this small but important group of animals.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Hitting bacteria with a Bam: Lectin-Like Antimicrobials as New Antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance in disease-causing bacteria is a rapidly growing problem, making the development of new antibiotics of critical importance. This project aims to develop naturally produced lectin-like protein antibiotics as novel antimicrobial agents. To achieve this, the project will produce an extensive library of these antibiotics and test them for potency and specificity. Using cutting-edge techniques, it will determine how these antibiotics kill cells on a molecular and cellular level. It is anticipated this research will create the tools and knowledge required to exploit lectin-like protein antibiotics to fight bacterial infection, which will lead to their use in the prevention of crop and livestock losses due to disease. Field of research: 3107 - Microbiology This project aims to develop lectin-like protein antibiotics to treat bacterial infections in plants, animals, and humans. There is a growing crisis of infection caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We desperately need new antibiotics to treat these infections. Lectin-like protein antibiotics are highly potent and have demonstrated potential in treating bacterial infection, however, our poor understanding of how they kill bacteria is a roadblock to their further development. This project expects to produce a detailed understanding of the mechanism of these antibiotics. Further, it will develop an extensive library of these antibiotics and engineer novel variants, creating key tools for their development. It is anticipated that this project will benefit Australia economically and socially through direct commercialization and by lowering the burden of bacterial disease. In pilot studies, lectin-like protein antibiotics have been used to prevent bacterial infection in both plants and animals. The knowledge and tools this project aims to produce are required for the translational use of these antibiotics.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Investigating novel pathways in ferroptosis. This project aims to develop new tools to investigate iron-mediated cell death and uncover new pathways involved in ageing. Accumulation of iron leads to frailty in late life, a process that appears common to all animals. Iron becomes reactive and inappropriately triggers a cell death process called ferroptosis leading to dysfunction. To understand these processes and to identify means to intervene, this project aims to use genetic approaches to identify new cell pathways that regulate ferroptosis. This project also aims to develop new tools to study this process. Outcomes of this project may include the identification of potential strategies to alter late life frailty with an expected benefit to life sciences and biotechnology industries. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology In 2017, there were 3.8 million Australians aged 65 and over (comprising 15% of the total population) with both the proportion and number of older Australians expected to continue increasing. This project will generate an understanding of the role of a newly identified form of iron-dependent cell death, known as ferroptosis, in ageing in a whole organism. This information will contribute to developing a complete understanding of biological ageing. The knowledge gained may, in the longer term, identify new strategies to alter ageing rate and reduce late-life frailty in a targeted manner. To achieve this aim, we will develop new tools and technologies for studying iron-dependent cell death and ageing. Outcomes of our research will be shared with a network of researchers in the biology of ageing, as well as clinician researchers investigating diseases of old age such as cancer and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Thus, in the long term, this fundamental biological research could contribute to future improvements in the health and fitness of the growing number of older Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Improving the mental health of young adults in Australia's universities. This project aims to contribute to national efforts to address high rates of depression and anxiety among 18-25 year-olds by investigating alterable factors that impact student mental health in Australia’s universities. With one in two young adults now engaged in post-secondary education, the research expects to generate critical new knowledge about educational conditions, practices and experiences that support (or thwart) the wellbeing-needs of students with diverse backgrounds. This knowledge will be translated into actionable, evidence-based recommendations for policy and innovation. Improving university student wellbeing should benefit the health, educational and employment trajectories of young adults in both the short-and longer-term. Field of research: 3904 - Specialist Studies In Education With higher education participation at unprecedented levels, universities have significant potential to contribute to national efforts to support the mental wellbeing of young adults. They are currently hindered, however, by a lack of systematic evidence about tertiary students’ mental health and incomplete understanding of alterable factors that foster (or frustrate) diverse young adults’ wellbeing-needs in higher education. By developing a sustainable Australian Student Wellbeing Research Hub, this project will provide universities and policymakers with the robust data and advanced knowledge they need to ensure student wellbeing initiatives are evidence-based and beneficial. Key findings will be accessible through a searchable website and publications designed to build the capacity of institutions and the higher education sector to adopt and evaluate cost-effective student wellbeing initiatives. In the long run, this increase in capacity should improve young adults’ health, educational, and employment trajectories, resulting in significant socio-economic benefits for individuals, families, and the nation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

A digital twin framework for human mobility measurement in the home setting. Mobility is essential to maintain quality of life and healthy ageing, yet we do not have the capability to perform accurate long-term mobility assessments of a person in their home or community. This project will overcome this engineering challenge by developing a user-friendly ‘digital twin’ that combines wearable sensors, 3D mapping and artificial intelligence to predict and visualise real-time human joint motion and mobility in any location. This digital twin framework will benefit next-generation healthcare for older Australians, including telemedicine and remote rehabilitation for isolated communities, performance monitoring of elite athletes and military personnel, and the gaming and film/animation industries. Field of research: 4207 - Sports Science and Exercise This project aims to develop an advanced digital twin to monitor and visualise the mobility of an individual in their own home over extended periods. It will combine 3D mapping of the home, wearable technology and artificial intelligence to generate user-friendly human joint motion and motor task assessment with unprecedented accuracy. Maintaining mobility is an essential part of healthy ageing, yet the long-term mobility pattern of older persons living in their home is poorly understood. This project will provide a deep understanding of how older Australians move and interact with their living environment. The digital twin framework has the potential to impact the multi-billion-dollar aged-care sector and facilitate low-cost telemedicine and rehabilitation for remote communities. The framework has applications in sports and elite athlete training and injury prevention, human performance monitoring of military personnel, and improved infrastructure design for long-term living in naval application and spaceflight.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Hunger for Change: Student Food Insecurity and Youth Agency in Australia. Rising food prices threaten to exacerbate an already pressing problem of food insecurity among students in Australia universities. This project will examine the causes, consequences, and nature of food insecurity among students in Australia employing interviews, focus groups and participant observation. It will contribute to scholarly debates on food security and youth agency through highlighting the imaginative ways in which young people are developing responses to food insecurity. The project will offer the Australian government, State governments and universities opportunities to build upon student-led solutions to food insecurity, enhance capacity for research on food and youth issues, and heighten public understanding of the issue. Field of research: 4406 - Human Geography The project focuses on the problem of food insecurity which affects 40% of university students in Australia but has not yet been the subject of intensive research. There is an urgent need to rectify this situation, especially given current concern over rising prices and an impending global food crisis. This project will provide vital new data on students' own experience of food insecurity, including how it relates to other forms of social deprivation. It will also identify and seek to encourage student-led solutions to food insecurity. Through the development of a toolkit for government and universities, the project will offer key stakeholders crucial information and practicable ideas that could form the basis for universities' institutional response to food insecurity, for example through the development of new university food policies in Australia. Via the production of an animated film, recipe book, and global network, the research will create opportunities for wider publics in Australia and overseas to understand the vulnerability of students and, especially, how young people can address food crises.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Photoacoustic cellular manipulation: building from the bottom up. In this project we propose an approach for creating complex 3D prints. Whereas current approaches are limited to defining the external geometry, this technology will permit the organization of the internal structure as well, with the potential to do so at the scale of individual cells. Achieving this has important applications in bioprinting human tissues and additive manufacturing. This is based on the manipulation of particles and cells using holographic acoustic fields controlled by patterned light. This is compared to current acoustic patterning approaches are mostly limited to static simple geometric arrangements and lack the flexibility to produce arbitrary, rapidly changing fields that enable the fabrication of complex structures. Field of research: 4003 - Biomedical Engineering The printing of human organs and tissues is of great importance to the health outcomes of many Australians. While this nascent technology is still advancing, it is currently limited by the ability to manipulate and build complex biological structures at the cellular level. This project proposes the development of a new technique, combining light patterning and ultrasound, to finely control single cells and permit the fabrication of complex structures, including human tissues. This project will provide researchers a new tool to engineer complex structures that are tailor made from the level of a single cell to the macroscopic geometry. By engineering tissues and from the ‘bottom up’, researchers can further understand the structural nuances of diseases. Improved tissue models have wide applications in drug discovery, minimizing the need for animal testing, and therapeutics in the form of improved tissue implants. This research will benefit the Australian health industry, with further commercialization potential in the development and sale of equipment that permits cell-scale additive manufacturing.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Destratification and mixing by boundary turbulence in oceans and rivers. Periods of high temperature heat the surfaces of the oceans and lowland rivers, thereby increasing stratification and inhibiting mixing. This undermines the processes that normally distribute heat and CO2 and can lead to processes like rapid destratification in rivers that can result in mass fish-kills. This project aims to reveal the mixing and destratification mechanisms driven by turbulence from wind and sudden temperature change in oceanic and riverine systems through controlled laboratory experiments, targeted field measurements and theoretical modelling. Outcomes will include physical understanding, predictive models, and practical tools for waterway management, with the potential for better management of our riverine systems. Field of research: 4012 - Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering Periods of high temperature heat water bodies so the top layer is much warmer and less dense than the water below. This ‘stratification’ reduces mixing between the layers, blocking normal distribution of heat, oxygen and carbon dioxide. In Australian lowland rivers, hot summers caused by global warming are causing extreme stratification and, when it suddenly breaks down, mass fish kills. Understanding the physical mechanisms of destratification (turbulence and sudden temperature change) is key for water management in rivers and lakes, but our knowledge is currently limited. This project will use novel laboratory experiments, field data and modelling to create models of stratification dynamics, which will also apply to ocean processes and weather prediction. The models will help river managers predict stratification and destratification events so they can take actions (e.g. environmental flows) at critical times to avoid mass fish deaths and maintain the rivers for water supply and other uses. We plan to work with the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to apply the research to create management solutions.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Brain states and their roles in evasive behaviour. Using cutting-edge custom microscopy, neuroinformatics, and optogenetics in the larval zebrafish model, this project aims to describe the neurons, circuits, and networks that govern brain states. These brain states, by altering sensory-response relationships, allow animals to tune their behaviour to their circumstances, and the small transparent brains of zebrafish offer the possibility to observe activity across all neurons in the brain while these processes occur in real time. Benefits would include knowledge gained about this fundamental property of the brain, further refinement of technologies in microscopy and biophyisics, and the training of Australia’s next generation of optical physicists, neuroscientists, and mathematicians. Field of research: 3109 - Zoology Animals, including humans, tune their behaviour to their environment. To respond appropriately to stimuli received by the senses, the same nerve cells and their connections function quite differently in different circumstances (e.g. at rest vs under threat). While tools exist to investigate the function of a whole brain or a single neuron, to date neuroscientists have not been able to study these different brain states. We will use advanced genetic tools in zebrafish that allow us to observe neurons firing in real time as the fish sense stimuli. We will develop new methods in optical physics to observe and model how a large neural network can quickly change its functional properties to suit its context. This fundamental biological research into how sensory information influences brain states will have wide application. In the long term, it may lead to a better understanding of conditions like autism that affect how people sense the environment. It will also aid engineers designing algorithms to receive information from artificial sensors used in robotics and artificial intelligence.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Characterising a novel stress-sensing signalling factor. Aim: To understand how phosphorylation regulates signalling pathways to allow metabolic adaptations in response to energetic stress. Significance: A fundamental understanding of the activation of signalling pathways via phosphorylation is vital for our knowledge of homeostasis and the mechanisms controlling cell survival. Expected outcomes: To generate new systems biology and physiology data to understand how the stress response is regulated and characterise new stress-sensing pathways. Benefits: A greater understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling metabolism in response to stress has extremely broad applications to improve metabolic efficiency in fields ranging from exercise- and life-sciences to agriculture. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Understanding how cells respond to stress (e.g. how muscle cells respond to exercise) is a fundamental research question in biology. Cellular stress activates enzymes known as kinases, but we do not know exactly how they function to preserve stressed cells from death. This project will develop new approaches to understand that process by studying the effects of kinases on cells experiencing exercise stress. We will also investigate a newly identified and uncharacterised protein that responds to exercise stress to see how it regulates fibre size, function and exercise capacity of skeletal muscle cells during ageing, injury and regeneration. Preliminary data suggest it has a role in boosting muscle strength. Understanding these mechanisms will inform research into how muscles adapt to exercise, recover from injury and decline with age. This is highly relevant to Australia’s ageing population as maintaining muscle mass is key to healthy ageing. It could also lead to better livestock production and athletic performance. We will share our results at national and international conferences and in leading journals.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

A Process-Based Framework for Open Innovation with Social Media Data. This project aims to improve the capacity of Australian businesses to derive value from social media data for innovation in an efficient manner, which is central to improving Australia’s global competitiveness. This will be achieved by developing an open innovation process-based framework for social media, which utilises advanced analytics to unlock the value of social media data and provides the analytics tools required at each stage of the innovation process. The resulting outputs will allow local businesses to transform social media data into actionable insights for each of the three stages of the open innovation process through machine learning and social network analysis algorithms. Field of research: 3503 - Business Systems In Context Many Australian manufacturing and service businesses use social media, but few systematically use social media data to drive open innovation (innovation informed by people and knowledge outside the business); current analytical tools are not designed for that. Our project fills this critical gap by developing the first holistic, actionable, cost-efficient open access tool Australian businesses can use for open innovation. We will create advanced machine learning and social network analysis algorithms to identify innovative ideas for idea generation, lead-users for idea development and opinion leaders for idea commercialisation using easily accessible social media data. A local winery and a clothing manufacturer will pilot our tool to create new (or innovate old) products (e.g., herb-infused wine or sustainable clothing) and build a community of talent for innovation (e.g., engaging lead-users in product design); thus, reduce costs, risks and timescales of innovation and create new (or increase existing) revenue streams. Consumers will benefit from novel products/services that meet their needs and preferences.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Microcosm Experiments for Improved Species Distribution Models. This project aims to use a spatially-explicit experimental system based on protists (microscopic organisms) to evaluate the predictive performance of dynamic distribution models, which are a newly-emerging class of species distribution models. Species distribution models are a fundamental part of ecological science, and underpin a range of applications related to managing threatened and invasive species. The project is expected to provide insights into when these models are likely to work better than more traditional correlative models in non-lab environments. The experiments will inform further development of dynamic distribution models, and help determine whether dynamic distribution models can be usefully applied to species management. Field of research: 3103 - Ecology Species distribution models—mathematical models that predict the occurrence of species across landscapes—are a fundamental part of ecology used in settings from land-use planning to management of threatened and pest species. Traditional models correlate species occurrence or abundance at a location to local environmental variables. In contrast, new dynamic distribution models predict occurrence from models of population dynamics that are driven by environmental conditions. It is difficult to evaluate the behaviour of the two types of model with field data, which limits further refinement. This project uses an experimental system that provides a means to evaluate how accurately and reliably the models predict species abundance and distribution, and will help define the predictive limits of each method. Improved insight into these models will help users such as environmental government agencies and nongovernment organisations to manage the Australian environment and conserve biodiversity. Our links to and collaborations with such organisations will facilitate the application of our research findings.