UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Data-led bioengineering to uncover hidden chemical wealth in bacteria. The soil bacteria Nocardia are an untapped source of industrially prized chemical compounds called natural products. This project aims to develop innovative bioprospecting genomics technologies built from the disciplines of microbiology, biochemistry and computational statistics to discover hundreds of new natural products in Nocardia. This project will unlock the diversity of potent new enzymes and molecules with high economic value that could include insecticides to protect crops, bioactives to fight diseases, or new enzymes for food and biofuel production. This research unlocks enormous hidden chemical potential in soil bacteria, to build sustainable national economic growth through innovative, high-value industrial chemical development. Field of research: 3107 - Microbiology Soil microbes are a rich source of molecules called natural products (NPs) that are our most potent, industrially prized chemicals. For example, NPs are the basis of drugs to treat cancers and infectious diseases and manage organ transplants, and insecticides to protect crops. This project will develop fundamental knowledge of microbes and their natural products and create new technologies to speed their discovery. Our focus is an under-explored genus of soil bacteria that is rich in untapped NPs, including ones with potential to counteract antibiotic-resistant superbugs. We will use highly innovative modelling to link the NPs with the genetic basis for their biosynthesis, providing opportunity for future, low-cost commercial-scale production. The data and genetic blueprints will be available in open access to other researchers, and the computational tools developed will empower scientists to unlock the potential of their own data. Thus, this project could have far-reaching economic, commercial and social impacts across Australia by discovering high-value chemicals in bacteria found in Australian soils.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Photoinduced Palladium Catalysis for Next Generation C-H Bond Activation. This project aims to discover new methods for the conversion of carbon-hydrogen bonds in organic molecules as a general strategy in chemical synthesis. A key conceptual advance in this project is the unification of transition metal catalysis and visible light as a powerful tool to activate these traditionally unreactive, yet abundant chemical bonds in alkanes. With application in fields that range from fine chemical production to drug discovery, the overarching aim of this research is to establish new carbon-hydrogen bond activation reactions and to demonstrate that this strategy can be translated to the invention of new pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and advanced synthetic materials that will have societal impact. Field of research: 3405 - Organic Chemistry Alkanes are simple organic molecules found mainly in oil and natural gas. This project will develop new ways to build chemicals from alkanes using visible light to catalyse reactions. Although alkanes are important raw materials of the chemical industry, they are relatively unreactive, limiting our ability to create new molecules from them to use in, for example, new fertilisers, pesticides and drugs. The new catalysis methods we develop will make it possible to create materials that are beyond the reach of current technologies. They can be applied to drug discovery and invention of advanced materials that do not yet exist for medicine, textiles, engineering and packaging. We will share these new processes with the Australian science and technology community, including CSIRO and local companies with established manufacturing capacity, who will gain a competitive advantage in producing high-value chemical products from simple hydrocarbon feedstock. This project will strengthen Australia’s chemical sector and enhance Australia's supply chain resilience for key chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Butyrophilin ligand sensing by the immune system. T cells are an important part of the immune system, surveying our body and preventing many diseases. A subset of T cells, gamma delta T cells, are a crucial component of the immune system. A key problem is that the mechanism(s) controlling gamma delta T cell behaviour are poorly understood. This proposal aims to decode how these cells are triggered into action by using innovative tools to investigate the molecular basis underpinning their function. This project expects to create fundamental new knowledge regarding how gamma-delta T cells are regulated, which will ultimately allow us to harness these cells to improve health. Field of research: 3204 - Immunology T cells are part of the immune system that surveys our body to eliminate pathogens and cancers. For this purpose, T cells use receptors designated as either alpha-beta or gamma-delta. While alpha-beta T cells are well studied, the mechanisms controlling gamma-delta T cell behaviour are poorly understood. This project aims to discover how gamma-delta T cells are triggered into action using sophisticated cell sorting and antibody markers to investigate the molecular basis underpinning their function. It builds on our data identifying a novel sensing mechanism that differs markedly from that used by alpha-beta T cells. This project will fill a major gap in our understanding of T cell immunology leading to future treatments for diseases such as infection and cancer. The work will secure new patents and industry partnerships that will enable adoption of the discoveries by industry to both improve human health and enhance Australia’s economy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Small Scalable Natural Language Models using Explicit Memory. Deep neural networks have had spectacular success in natural language processing, seeing wide-spread deployment as part of automatic assistant devices in homes and cars, and across many valuable industries including finance, medicine and law. Fueling this success is the use of ever larger models, with exponentially increasing training resources, accompanying hardware and energy demands. This project aims to develop more compact models, based on the incorporation of an explicit searchable memory, which will dramatically reduce model size, hardware requirements and energy usage. This will make modern natural language processing more accessible, while also providing greater flexibility, allowing for more adaptable and portable technologies. Field of research: 4602 - Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence technologies are widely used in automatic assistant devices in homes, cars and many industries. AI uses natural language models—statistical representations of a language such as English—for analysing text, machine translation and captioning images. The best models use vast computer resources to run large complex artificial neural networks. We will create and share with other researchers and engineers an innovative model with much lower processing requirements and many operational advantages. Rather than training a model to memorise a whole dataset, our new, fast retrieval method will access a large external memory (like Wikipedia) as needed, making it quicker to update and customise, including addressing key problems such as misinformation spread and cultural bias. Voice-controlled virtual assistants will be capable of more sophisticated interactions than answering simple questions, and AI used in decision-making will be able to explain outcomes (e.g., denial of banking credit). Users will also benefit from more powerful AI mobile phone apps (e.g., faster and better translations).

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Engineering Methods for Resolving Complex Mutational Networks in Proteins. This project aims to develop a novel computational framework for resolving complex mutational networks that underpin how proteins function and evolve over time. It seeks to develop statistical inference methods that are robust, efficient, and widely applicable. The project will promote international collaboration and spawn multidisciplinary research by introducing parameter estimation and optimisation techniques that stem from signal processing, mobile wireless communications, and random matrix theory. The project's outputs can be used to understand diverse protein systems and have the potential to be applied to wide-ranging applications from protein engineering to brain signal analysis to vaccine design. Field of research: 4006 - Communications Engineering Proteins, encoded by DNA, represent the basic building blocks of life. But studying how genetic mutations affect the properties and actions of interacting proteins is notoriously difficult. This project is unique in addressing this fundamental biological problem with techniques from data science and engineering. We will produce efficient and robust algorithms and software tools that can be applied to analyse diverse and complex datasets, such as interacting systems of proteins, beyond the reach of existing technologies. This could aid researchers identifying the pathways used by bacterial proteins to acquire antibiotic resistance or the networks of cancer mutations that drive the disease. We will share our data and create easy-to-use software packages to help biological researchers benefit from our advances. This engineering “toolbox” will have broad application to translatable bioengineering technologies that will contribute significant social and economic benefits to Australia. Potential long-term applications include protein engineering, brain signal analysis and drug and vaccine design.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Fast effective clustering technologies for highly dynamic massive networks. Clustering is a fundamental data mining and analysis task. In an interconnected evolving world, friendships and information flows are modelled as large dynamic networks. Structural clustering and correlation clustering are important and well-studied approaches for static networks; for evolving networks, where links appear and disappear over time, we lack efficient techniques. Anticipated outcomes are new practical clustering algorithms for dynamic networks – with performance guarantees of efficiency and clustering quality – and prototype software, guiding us to pick a good clustering. Expected benefits include better understanding of spread in evolving social networks, accelerating the software testing cycle, and improved topic detection. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science Massive volumes of data are continuously created and shared, such as from tweets or sensors. Grouping related items into clusters is essential for efficient and effective data mining and analysis. This grouping is critical, but current approaches struggle with the great volumes of rapidly changing data and lack reliable ways to know when clusters no longer make sense. This project aims to develop new algorithms that provide a new, richer approach to clustering in massive highly dynamic data networks. Paired with new visualisation techniques, they will enable faster, more reliable discovery of knowledge from data sources and thus improved interpretation of the social, information and traffic networks our society depends on. This project aims to produce an accessible easy-to-use prototype system to enable improved data-based insights for applications in marketing, software engineering and health that will deliver efficiencies and cost savings to industries that rely on real time data. Our tools will be shared with the academic, public-sector and industrial research communities and end-users in conferences, seminars and live demonstrations.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Obstacles to Contract Enforcement in Indonesia. The Australia-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership (IA-CEPA) came into force in 2020 but foreign investment in Indonesia has consistently failed to meet targets, largely due to concerns about the lack of reliable and just judicial contract enforcement. This project aims to investigate why predictable and fair contract enforcement in Indonesia is so inaccessible, particularly for foreign investors, and, through doctrinal and empirical research, explain the causes of this situation. In partnership with Indonesian courts and lawyers, it also aims to support the development of legal and policy reform proposals that can help resolve Indonesia’s commercial contract enforcement problems and encourage Australian investment there. Field of research: 4804 - Law In Context Indonesia is the world’s fourth largest country, third largest democracy and largest Muslim nation and is predicted to have one of the world’s five largest economies by 2050. It is of significant economic and strategic importance to Australia. In spite of the recently implemented Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership (IA-CEPA), many Australian businesses avoid investing there because they do not trust the Indonesian legal system to protect their investments through reliable and just judicial contract enforcement. Although there is strong anecdotal evidence that contract enforcement is generally weak in Indonesia, there is a lack of detailed research to confirm this, let alone explain its causes and identify ways to improve the situation. This project aims to remedy these deficiencies through empirical research and, in partnership with Indonesian courts and lawyers, develop pragmatic legal and policy solutions to Indonesia’s contract enforcement problems to support IA-CEPA. Doing so will allow Australian business to invest with much greater confidence in Indonesia’s fast-growing economy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Unravelling the brain circuits linking emotions and heart rate variability. We are all familiar with the rapid breathing and heart pounding that occurs when we are frightened. Is the feeling of panic because we sense our heart pounding, or does our heart pound because we panic? This age-old question has resisted attempts to understand its neurobiological basis. This project aims to address this lack of knowledge using novel cutting-edge neuroscience methods that enable mapping of connected brain pathways and the ability to change the activity of specific brain cells with millisecond time resolution. The project will identify, and functionally characterise, the link between the heart and emotions, to gain new insights into the interaction between the autonomic nervous system and disordered emotional regulation. Field of research: 3209 - Neurosciences Emotions such as anxiety are closely linked to breathing and heart rate, but for over 100 years we have asked: does anxiety raise heart rate or does a raised heart rate cause anxiety? This project conducts experiments designed to understand the link between higher brain neural pathways that regulate emotions and brainstem neural circuits that regulate heart function. We will map previously undescribed neural pathways between the brain and brain stem in rats. We will alter the activity of specific pathways, using innovative methods, to gain insight into their function during rest and under stress. To answer the question above, we will test whether interrupting the heart rate response to anxiety changes emotional perception. This basic research will improve our understanding of the anxiety disorders that affect many Australians and of the interaction between some mental health disorders, such as depression, and cardiovascular disease. Our results will provide a foundation for clinical studies testing the effect of changing breathing patterns to help moderate extreme emotional responses to triggering stimuli.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Human Leukocyte Antigen-A and -B regulation of Natural Killer cell function. The aim of this project is to determine how genetic variation in the genes encoding cell surface receptors expressed by innate lymphocytes and the molecules they recognise diversifies their capacity to sense and respond to infection. This knowledge is critical for understanding why there are intrinsic differences between individuals with respect to their capacity to respond to different types of infection and will ultimately inform our capacity to better deploy personalised medicines. Field of research: 3204 - Immunology Precision medicine—personalised to an individual’s genes, lifestyle and environment—has the potential to offer huge health and economic benefits to Australia arising from earlier identification of disease and ensuring that the initial treatment is the most appropriate. While the immune system responds to a wide range of diseases, we need to understand why the response differs so much between people. In the humans, one type of cell that plays a vital role in the immune response —the Natural Killer (NK) cell—shows unusually high genetic variation. This study investigates how this genetic variability determines how NK cells recognise and respond to unhealthy cells. As well as generating new knowledge of basic immune mechanisms, it will help define why the immune function differs between people, contributing to precision medicine for conditions such as cancer, motor neuron disease and transplantation. Our results will be shared with prominent researchers in a wide range of fields and will enhance ongoing partnerships with the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

About time; a new biology for the mineralocorticoid receptor . Temporal control of cell function aligns biological pathways with environmental cues and is critical for optimal heath in mammals. This project will shed light on how a hormone receptor, the MR, modulates time keeping of biological clock time in cells. We will bring together cutting edge genetic modals and bioinformatic approaches with a unique set of research models to define the interaction between the MR and the circadian clock and its role in the normal biology of the heart. New data will significantly enhance our understanding of the biology of MR and cortisol for the circadian time keeping function in peripheral tissues, and gain a clearer understand how our heart cells adapt to environmental circadian disruptors such as shift work. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology This project is about how circadian rhythms and a hormone receptor (MR) coordinate to control cell and tissue function. Circadian rhythms are internal processes that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours and provide organization to biological processes. We recently discovered that the MR receptor regulates circadian rhythm function but do not know how. We will deliver new data showing how MR activity is controlled over time and the ensuing impact on tissue function. We will also define how the MR regulates the circadian clock in the process of adapting to environmental disruptors. Random work hours and poor sleep are increasing globally, profoundly affecting worker health, particularly in shift workers who live with disrupted circadian rhythms. Understanding the underlying biological processes determining tolerance or vulnerability to circadian disturbances is key to helping employers optimise work practices to maintain a healthy and effective workforce. This work will be shared with effected industries such as health, emergency services and mining sectors to assist in improving safety outcomes.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Cryo correlative Focused Ion Beam, a new frontier in structural biology. This project aims to establish the first fully integrated cryogenic correlative focused ion beam instrument in Australia. Focused ion beam microscopes are rapidly evolving instruments that harness the properties of ions to remove unwanted material from specimens. Integration of a fluorescent optical microscope within the same instrument will allow the targeted imaging of bio/material interfaces, cell and protein structure in their native environment. The potential innovations, applications and benefits to society are far reaching, with the facility expected to impact the development of atomic-scale imaging of protein structures for future drug development, biological processes and materials for advanced technology and manufacturing Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology This project will establish a state-of-the-art microscope that gives researchers unparalleled access to the interior structure and functioning of cells and biologically important molecules such as proteins. It will allow atomic-scale imaging of proteins in their native environment rather than in isolation. The new instrument will enable biotechnology research that can improve our understanding of the biology of pathogens that cause malaria, inform the design of new drugs and help design biomedical surfaces that kill bacteria. It will be widely accessible as it will be part of the suite of high-resolution imaging technologies located at the Bio21 Institute in Victoria, that hosts users from Australia and internationally. This advanced microscope will extend the impact of multi-million dollar investments in high-resolution imaging and strengthen Australia’s leading position in a rapidly evolving technological area. The enhancement of Australian research outcomes and capacity for translation of research will be significant.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Whole-head optically-pumped room-temperature magnetoencephalography. This project aims to set up the first whole-head room-temperature Magnetoencephalography (OP-MEG) imaging facility in the southern hemisphere. This will introduce new capabilities to the Australian human brain imaging community by enabling 1) more ecologically-valid experimentation where participants can freely move, and 2) unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution of non-invasive recordings from deeper brain regions involved in critical brain functions such as learning and memory. This project adds to the already excellent existing capabilities in human brain imaging in Australia bringing novel imaging approaches across interdisciplinary research programs in neuroscience, bioengineering, physics and psychology. Field of research: 5202 - Biological Psychology We propose to build the first Australian Optically-Pumped Magneto-encephalographic (OP-MEG) facility. OP-MEG is a novel brain imaging technique that allows mapping of the human brain at unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. OP-MEG is safe, fast, and non-invasive. This novel brain imaging technique will allow us to understand a wide range of human brain functions whilst also supporting safe brain mapping in children and pregnant women, who due to movement interference and imaging safety concerns remain largely understudied. OP-MEG will also promote new industry collaborations in the fields of engineering, materials manufacturing, and the biomedical sector through future clinical applications in epilepsy, dementia, and stroke. Establishing this facility will keep Australia at the forefront of breakthrough imaging technologies, support neuroscience research, and foster applications in health, artificial intelligence and brain-inspired technologies. The facility will be available to all investigators in Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems. ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems. The ARC Centre for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems aims to deliver the mathematics required to compute life. The Centre will deliver innovation in computational and mathematical biology and establish in silico biology alongside in vivo and in vitro biology. These models will allow us to understand the complexity of life at the cellular level and enable new ways of combining diverse and heterogenous data. This will allow us to understand the mechanisms underlying cellular behaviour, and to apply rational design engineering methods in order to control the dynamics of biological systems. Field of research: 4901 - Applied Mathematics To solve biological challenges in sustainable agriculture and food production, it has become essential to be able to predict cell behaviour. Data to describe the molecules in a cell is available, but data must be supported by dynamic models. Each cell involves millions of molecules with relationships between thousands of proteins, and the number of equations and unknowns is far beyond current mathematical methods. The Centre will deliver advanced mathematics to study biological processes through whole cell modelling and will develop methods for engineering biotechnological applications. Software industry collaborators will accelerate the translation of research outcomes to the first computer-aided design methodology for biological processes. The Australian biotechnology sector will benefit from early access to this technology that will reduce costs and speed innovation. The Centre will be linked to industry partners that depend upon biological processes for creation of products, such as food and wine, through institutional commercialisation pathways.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Predicting the future threat of mosquitoes under climate change. This project aims to predict the future distributions of local and invasive mosquito species under climate change by testing their ability to adapt to hot, cold and dry environments. The project expects to generate new knowledge by identifying traits that underpin climate change adaptation in mosquitoes. Expected outcomes of this project include an enhanced understanding of future mosquito distributions through new predictive models that incorporate adaptive changes. This should provide significant social and economic benefits, with outcomes intended to improve the management of local pest mosquitoes and prepare Australia to tackle invasive mosquito threats. Field of research: 3104 - Evolutionary Biology Mosquitoes in Australia pose threats to human and animal health by transmitting disease-causing agents, including dengue and Ross River virus. This research aims to enhance our understanding of future mosquito distributions in response to climate change, leading to significant benefits for Australia. It will develop new models that better predict future mosquito distributions, preparing Australia to tackle invasive mosquitoes that reach the mainland in future decades and protecting the health of Australians. Knowledge gained from this project can be used by governments to inform pest control interventions and improve land management, providing environmental benefits by mitigating the spread of local pest mosquitoes under climate change. In the long term, an improved understanding of future mosquito distributions will be useful for forecasting populations at risk of mosquito-borne diseases, leading to social and economic benefits by protecting Australia’s citizens and workforce.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Deciphering the rules of T cell residency across intestinal compartments. Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) are key for immune protection against infection and cancer at barrier sites including the gut. Whilst much of our understanding of gut TRM comes from studies on the small intestine, how these cells develop and function in the large intestine is unknown. Using state-of-the-art techniques and novel animal models, this project aims to (i) identify molecular pathways by which the local intestinal microenvironment influences TRM development and (ii) how these pathways could modulate TRM generation specifically in the small or large intestine. The expected outcomes are to generate fundamental new knowledge that will have significance for regulation of the immune response. Field of research: 3204 - Immunology Immune T cells that protect us from pathogenic microbes are mostly located in the lymph nodes and spleen. However, following resolution of intestinal infection immune T cells are "directed" to remain in the intestines where they can provide rapid immunity towards future gut infections. This project seeks to understand the molecular factors that cause immune T cells to remain resident in tissues like the gut. This knowledge will allow vaccine design to specifically direct the tissue location of immune T cells to optimise defence against future infections anywhere in the body. Vaccines that ensure immune T cells are in the right place to guard against future infections would bring great benefit to veterinary and human health. Discoveries developed as part of this proposed project are expected to result in commercial products and patent applications for improved vaccination strategies, strengthening Australia’s leadership in this field.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Law, Literature and Naturalization in an Age of Empire. The history of naturalization offers significant insights into how sociocultural and legal limits on citizenship evolved, and how these limits were imposed and experienced before the advent of border restrictions. Deploying innovative methods at the intersection of literary, legal and cultural history, this project aims to provide the first global account of Jewish naturalization during the British empire’s expansion, a crucial phase in immigration history. This account will generate new knowledge about how minority communities are incorporated into the state. Its benefits include a new framework to document the lives of migrants and refugees and the development of novel cultural resources to address the social challenges of migration. Field of research: 4705 - Literary Studies How and whether nations choose to grant citizenship to immigrants is a question of enduring and current importance. An agreed process of ‘naturalization’ is fundamental to national social cohesion. This project investigates how the idea and process of naturalization evolved in Australia in relation to the expansion of the British empire. It charts this history through literary sources, immigration records, and explores how ideas from the 18th-century European Enlightenment continue to influence Australian understandings of citizenship and rights. This will help us better understand contemporary Australian civic identity and where our ideas about social integration have come from. The project will create a historical and cultural record, accessible to local communities through workshops, exhibitions, and a digital archive of stories about how diverse people and early immigrants and refugees have experienced the transition to citizenship. This will interest many Australians and deepen knowledge and understanding of our past.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Improving the Outcomes of Indigenous Boarding School Graduates. This project generates evidence that is urgently needed to improve Indigenous Australian boarding school outcomes, by examining the life paths and experiences of recent graduates. It draws on rich qualitative data regarding Indigenous graduate experiences, to examine practices that affect retention, attainment, post-school pathways and cultural wellbeing. This project expands a novel Indigenous research method, photoyarn, to amplify the voices of Indigenous participants using digital co-research processes. Providing first-hand evidence to inform Indigenous education policy, this project also produces best practice guidelines for Australia's boarding school industry, toward closing the gap in Indigenous boarding graduate outcomes. Field of research: 4502 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education This project seeks to increase knowledge of Indigenous Australian boarding school graduate experiences, toward improving school-based practices and post-school pathways. Centring the voices of Indigenous boarding school graduates who have completed school within the past five years, it examines post-school employment, education and cultural wellness outcomes to generate evidence urgently needed to inform boarding school practices in Australian boarding schools. Practically, this project develops best practice guidelines to assist private and public schools with Indigenous boarders, scholarship and philanthropy programs, and policymakers in navigating the complex away-from-home schooling experiences faced by Indigenous students who often have no access to local high schools. This project has social and cultural benefits for the Australian community, the outcomes of this project supporting Indigenous young people to maintain cultural knowledge while separated from family and community. Knowledge produced will inform Indigenous boarding practices and national Indigenous education policy toward Closing the Gap.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Porous Tandem Catalyst for CO2 Conversion into Sustainable Chemicals. This project aims to develop new strategies to design and tune the performance of multifunctional catalysts for the conversion of carbon dioxide as a sustainable feedstock for the production of valuable commodity chemicals used in the manufacture of consumer products. New insights into reaction mechanisms, and relationships between catalyst structure and performance, are expected through innovative analytical tools. Anticipated outcomes include a toolkit of catalyst design principles, underpinning the development of next-generation catalysts with superior energy efficiency, waste minimisation, and associated socioeconomic benefits, which should contribute significantly to Australian science, industry and the environment. Field of research: 3406 - Physical Chemistry Australia has a long-term emissions reduction plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. However, this requires emerging technologies to deliver the remaining abatement necessary to reach net zero without harming the economy and jobs. This project will develop novel methods to prepare inexpensive catalysts (that speed up chemical reactions) to convert carbon dioxide waste into high-value-added chemicals such as fuels and plastics. These catalysts can be readily adopted by the chemical industry into their current manufacturing processes. The outcomes of this project will provide economically efficient routes to producing sustainable chemicals by recycling carbon dioxide in industrial processes, strengthening Australia’s world-leading chemical manufacturing industry, and offering new investment opportunities, associated jobs, and wealth creation. Using atmospheric carbon dioxide in chemical manufacturing will help Australia work towards its net-zero emissions targets, reduce climate change, and positively impact human health and quality of life.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

From data to fast insights: a database system for seamless data exploration. This project aims to develop a next-generation database platform for seamless data exploration, where users can interactively search for insights buried in the data, without a clear outcome in mind. Unlike today's database management systems, this platform does not require costly experts to tune the database for fast responses, and guides users towards finding insights. Using the latest advancements in machine learning to facilitate data exploration and reduce the time and effort to discover insights, this open-source database platform should provide significant benefits to Australian businesses and boost scientific discovery, increasing Australia’s competitiveness in the global data-driven market. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science A rich variety of data is increasingly being created, such as from the sensors embedded in infrastructure and devices, large scientific experiments, finance, air quality and temperature monitors, and road sensors. Data exploration is the process of analysing data to reveal hidden patterns and anomalies. These insights can, for example, improve farming processes, reduce production costs, and improve the efficiency of institutions such as hospitals. However, data exploration is often a slow, labour-intensive process requiring costly specialised expertise. Using new machine learning techniques, this project will advance data exploration making it accessible to non-experts by automating laborious and complex tasks currently performed by experts. The new data exploration techniques will reduce the time, cost, and effort in finding new insights and will be made openly available. Their use by data-heavy Australian industries and public utilities will lead to improved decision-making, increased efficiency, and better use of resources, boosting Australia’s economy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Measuring and predicting sea spray spume droplets in the field. Sea spray spume droplets modulate heat and moisture fluxes between the ocean and atmosphere. These fluxes are a major source of uncertainty in extreme weather forecasting models due to a lack of reliable field measurement techniques. This project aims to develop a novel measurement technique to measure sea spray and generate new knowledge on the magnitude and nature of sea spray spume production. Expected outcomes include novel tools, a baseline dataset of sea spray field observations and predictive capabilities. Providing critical information to forecast extreme weather and tropical cyclones, this research will improve accuracy of coastal weather hazard prediction providing many social and economic benefits for Australia and other nations. Field of research: 4015 - Maritime Engineering Tropical cyclones are among the most destructive and deadly natural disasters in Australia, accounting for one-quarter of the annual A$38 billion in damages caused by natural disasters. Reliable forecasts are critical to mitigate their impact on coastal communities and offshore industries. While predicting the tracks of cyclones has improved in recent decades, predictions of their intensity has not. This lack of improvement is in part attributed to the lack of understanding of sea spray (small droplets blown from the ocean surface into the air) generated during extreme winds as there are currently no reliable techniques available to measure sea spray near the ocean surface. By developing innovative measurement techniques and predictive models of sea spray generation, this research will provide the knowledge and tools to significantly improve forecasting of tropical cyclone intensity. Better forecasts of tropical cyclone will allow Australia to mitigate their impact through improved disaster management, decision making and risk reduction, and bolster trust and safety of coastal communities and industries.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Effective integration of human and automated analyses for security testing. This DECRA project aims to significantly improve the performance of current state-of-the-art automated security testing approaches, enabling them to discover more security bugs in strict time constraints. The key innovation of the project is its novel way to embrace human element to leverage the ingenuity of the developers. This project will help companies improve the security and reliability of their products, thwarting cyberattacks that cost Australian business $29 billion each year. The knowledge from this project will be transferred and integrated into higher education subjects to train the next generations of software developers, who are responsible to build security-critical systems that we all rely on now and in the future. Field of research: 4612 - Software Engineering As a digital nation, cybercrime heavily impacts Australian government, businesses and infrastructure. One of the most common ways for hackers to perform cyberattacks is by exploiting undetected security vulnerabilities in software systems. This project will blend knowledge of human cybersecurity experts together with automated tools to design new ways to detect software flaws in a shorter time. The resulting cost-effective software testing approach will help Australian software companies discover vulnerabilities in their software systems before deployment, making their systems more secure and reliable. More secure and reliable software systems will have economic and social benefits for Australia by reducing cyberattacks that cost Australian business over $20 billion each year in lost productivity. This project will also bring educational benefits as outcomes will be used to train the next generation of software developers in essential security-critical methods.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Ending Aqua Nullius: Sustainable and Legitimate Water Law in Settler States. This project aims to investigate how treaty and agreement making can lead to water law reform in settler colonial states. This project will use interdisciplinary approaches in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada and the US to develop new knowledge of how Indigenous sovereignty shapes water law. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced collaborations between researchers and Indigenous Peoples, evidence-based law and policy guidelines for ethical, pluralist water laws, and context-specific pathways for water law reform developed in partnership with Indigenous Peoples as part of Treaty-making. This should provide significant benefits, such as improving both the legitimacy and ecological sustainability of water law in Australia. Field of research: 4804 - Law In Context This project will improve both the sustainability and legitimacy of water law in Australia. Rural and regional communities depend on irrigated agriculture (worth over $AUD17.7 billion in 2018). Australia has not yet addressed the injustice of the historical and ongoing denial of Indigenous water rights, now identified by the Productivity Commission as a key priority. This project will use global insights and local partnerships with Indigenous Peoples to deliver evidence-based policy and law reform recommendations to government agencies to achieve a more holistic, inclusive, legitimate, and just water law framework in Australia. New legal models for water management through treaty and agreement making will increase Indigenous access to water, which delivers a wide range of cultural, social, health, and economic benefits for Indigenous Peoples. The project will also produce transformative new legal mechanisms, reflecting a ‘Caring for Country’ ethos, that will help to deliver more ecologically sustainable water management for all Australians, and support resilient, economically robust, regional communities.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

An integrated electrolyser for CO2 conversion from capture media. This project aims to develop an efficient electrochemical method to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) to valuable chemicals. It expects to displace the energy-costly step of its upstream CO2 capture process. The key novelty is the use of flow-through electrodes and optimal solvents to promote CO2 conversion at high rates. Expected outcomes include enhanced efficiency of CO2 sequestration, and new techniques to develop electrodes with well-controlled local reaction environments, which are essential for electrochemical energy conversion and storage. This will benefit Australia's environment and industries such as cement and aluminium manufacturing in managing carbon emissions, and accelerate Australia’s transition to a carbon-neutral economy. Field of research: 4004 - Chemical Engineering This project will develop technology to capture carbon dioxide and convert it to useful, value-added materials using electrochemistry employing novel electrodes. The technology will recover carbon dioxide from the air, thereby offsetting the carbon footprint of important industries while generating valuable chemicals such as formic acid, carbon monoxide, ethylene, and ethanol. The global market for products such as these is worth hundreds of billion dollars per year. The project has the potential to lower the energy cost of the carbon capture process by 44%. This technology will not only accelerate Australia’s transition to a carbon-neutral economy but will also generate valuable export income as intellectual property and chemical feedstocks. The findings will also advance expertise in carbon dioxide capture and conversion technologies, which are important to support future policy making. Commercial realisation of the potential outcomes of this project will involve partnering with Australian companies or generating a local spin-out company.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

The Colour of Sexual Slander. This project aims to investigate the history of sexual slander in the 19th century and its relationship to ideas of race and gender. Working within legal and historical frameworks, it seeks to examine, for the first time, court files and legislative records across the USA, UK and Australia, to understand diverse women’s attempts to redress sexual insults and reputational attacks, and drive law reform. Expected outcomes include international collaborations and path-breaking works of interdisciplinary history. Significant benefits are expected, including shaping policy and legal strategies in the present to combat the ongoing problem of sexual abuse and harassment, leading to improvements in women’s personal safety and economic wellbeing. Field of research: 4303 - Historical Studies The sexual harassment and abuse of women is a pervasive and pressing problem in Australia. Promoting women’s safety is a key priority for state and federal governments and the broader community. This interdisciplinary project will be the first investigation of the ways in which slander law was reformed in the nineteenth century and used by women of different race and class backgrounds to fight against sexually abusive and harassing speech. By translating court files and legislative records into engaging stories of personal agency linked to social movements, expected benefits include international collaboration, a path-breaking history of the intersection of gender and race relations, and informed interventions in current policy, legal and media debates about respect for women. Knowledge of women’s historical agency in achieving legal reform is empowering. The project will serve the national interest by contributing significantly to policy and legal strategies to improve women’s ability to redress the harms of sexual abuse, which in turn increases their workforce participation and economic wellbeing.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

A new dating tool for Australia’s cultural and natural history. This project aims to advance Australian geochronology and Earth magnetic field research by constructing high-quality paleomagnetic records from stalagmites and lake sediments. It is expected that this project will provide a new dating capacity in Australia for academia, cultural heritage and government in a region with rich Indigenous history. This should provide significant benefits advancing our understanding of Australia’s timeline and raising appreciation of the oldest continuous living culture in the world. The ancient geomagnetic field data will also be integrated into geomagnetic field models as part of the international effort understanding Earth’s magnetic field evolution and future impact on society. Field of research: 3705 - Geology Traditional archaeological dating relies on finding remains of radiocarbon (carbon-dating). These can be difficult to find and additional methods of dating are required. Developing accurate data on changes in the Earth’s magnetic field through time provides the basis for the magnetic dating method. This project will analyse Australian cave stalagmites and sediments to construct high quality records of magnetic field history. A key outcome will be a new capacity for dating Aboriginal Australian materials by comparing their magnetism to records of the Earth’s magnetic field. The project will provide improved understanding of Australia’s unique cultural timeline and appreciation of the oldest continuous living culture in the world. The magnetic field has an important role in sustaining life, protecting the Earth from cosmic radiation, and in navigation. Understanding past changes will help with predictions of future changes in Earth’s magnetic field, enabling better preparation for impacts on our environment and technological infrastructure.