UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Differentiation of effector and tissue regulatory T cells . Regulatory T cells (Tregs) populate almost every organ of the body and play a central role in preventing inflammation and maintaining health. To exercise these functions, Tregs undergo a developmental program, the details of which are poorly known. This project will utilize newly developed biological tools and state-of-the-art technology to uncover the molecular mechanisms that govern Treg development and function. The project will generate basic scientific knowledge and new intellectual property that will afford new opportunities for research and development. The outcomes of this project will help to devise strategies to treat diseases such as autoimmunity, cancer and metabolic syndrome, and will thus benefit veterinary and human health. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics This project has the potential to have economic and commercial benefits to the Australian community. It will generate basic scientific knowledge and new intellectual property that will afford new opportunities for research and development. It will further build the capacity of Australian companies, institutes and universities for the development of new biological products for the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. Such products will drive economic growth and productivity and benefit veterinary and human health services. In the long term, outcomes of this research will contribute to novel approaches to reduce the burden of chronic diseases such as autoimmunity or inflammation. The project will also provide high-level training to students and postdocs, which will increase the competitiveness of the strategic biotechnology sector in Australia and raise the skills of its human capital.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Diamond electrodes for bimodal cellular control. The objective of the work proposed here is to develop a new tool for investigating intercellular communication. Currently, techniques for probing cellular functions are either well-suited to controlling a limited number of individual inputs or a large number of complete cells. This projects aims to address these limitations by utilising cutting edge fabrication techniques to create an optically controlled nanoscale array of diamond electrodes, capable of modulating a large number of single cellular inputs with precision. This technology will allow researchers to manipulate cellular processes with more control than ever before, potentially gaining insights useful for understanding brain function, memory formation, or cell death. Field of research: 0204 - Condensed Matter Physics This project has the potential to provide a triple-benefit to Australia. Firstly, it will deliver a unique device that can modulate and stimulate the signals sent by cells within the brain. This will provide a pathway to enhance the biomedical and applied research capabilities of Australian neuroscience researchers, ultimately with potential impacts in health and clinical diagnostic and treatment programs which require an understanding of how the brain works. Secondly, it will lay the fundamental scientific groundwork and development of advanced manufacturing capability to enable the future realization of devices that provide an interface between the brain and machines. Investment in the development of brain machine devices will likely attract funding to start-ups in the rapidly growing field of neural interfaces. Thirdly, this project will produce highly skilled scientists capable of navigating the complex interdisciplinary world of advanced manufacturing and advanced biotechnology industry at the intersection of nanoscience and neuroscience.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Ancestral, conserved and novel mechanisms in marsupial genomic imprinting. Genomic imprinting is the differential expression pattern of some genes depending on whether the gene copy came from the mother or the father. This differential expression is essential for embryonic development and errors lead to disease. To date, most of our knowledge of the control of genomic imprinting comes from the mouse, but much less is known about this process in marsupials. Our comparative approach, using marsupial mammals that are distantly related to mice and humans, aims to clarify how genomic imprinting mechanisms have evolved, which patterns are conserved across mammals, and which vary. Our proposed research aims to provide new approaches and understanding of this fundamental process essential for the continuation of life. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics Mammals inherit two copies of their genes, one from the mother and one from the father. In some cases only one copy is turned on, a phenomenon known as genomic imprinting. Most imprinted genes in mammals control the growth of the embryo and placenta and if mutated cause abnormal development. Imprints are established in the germ cells (the eggs and sperm). Almost all studies have been in mice, but we have shown that marsupials also have genomic imprinting. This project, using our iconic native fauna, will conduct fundamental research on the signals and mechanisms involved in imprinting of germ cells, embryos and fetuses, will encourage cutting-edge research and produce highly cited publications increasing the profile of Australian science. Extending knowledge of the evolution of genomic imprinting and developing new experimental models based on the unusual developmental strategies of our marsupials will enhance the scope and focus of Australia’s research, train PhD students, foster international collaborations and bring new opportunities to Australia including international funding

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Algal direct-air CO2 capture through interfacial enzyme immobilisation . Capturing CO2 directly from the atmosphere is challenging due to inherently slow mass transfer kinetics. This project aims to overcome this using an enzyme that can rapidly solubilise CO2 from air into water, to produce algae. By engineering the enzyme immobilisation at the air-water interface, this project will activate and protect the enzymes, increasing their lifespan and reducing costs. By understanding mass transfer and enzyme activity in the interfacial immobilisation media, floating enzyme rafts can be developed for deployment over expansive areas, facilitating large-scale conversion of atmospheric CO2 into algae-derived fuels, feeds and chemicals. Field of research: 1003 - Industrial Biotechnology This project aims to establish a means of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for conversion into valuable algae biomass, which could be used for food, fuels and chemicals. The project will provide the knowledge required to design enzymatic rafts capable of providing algae with CO2 directly from the air. This knowledge is foundational for future technological innovations needed to take advantage of the tremendous potential for expansion of the algae industry, for which Australia has unique geographic and climatic advantages. The ability for production sites to be located away from point sources of carbon dioxide would expand the feasible range of sites and scale of algae cultivation, facilitating rural development and helping Australia meet its emission targets. By establishing the knowledge and scientific capabilities required to implement algal systems for utilising atmospheric CO2, Australia will be better positioned to lead the development of a patentable platform with significant environmental, economic and commercial benefits.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

A microfluidic approach to study the mechanobiology of ageing blood vessels. This project aims to study the effect of the stiffening of ageing arteries in endothelial cells. It explores the changes that occur in endothelial cells using a unique microfluidic technology with tuneable wall stiffness to mimic the biophysical and biochemical properties of ageing arteries. The expected outcome is the identification of the cellular mechanisms that control endothelial responses to arterial stiffening. This should provide the fundamental knowledge required to assist in the development of new therapies to tackle age-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease and dementia. Field of research: 1116 - Medical Physiology Arterial stiffening of ageing adults is a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases and dementia, affecting thousands of Australians and costing Australia’s healthcare system millions of dollars annually. Treatment of such diseases requires a much better understanding of the fundamental biology of arterial stiffening, which in turn requires new, advanced experimental tools to mimic the conditions occurring in stiffened vessels. In this project, we will produce a bio-mimetic model of a blood vessel with tunable stiffness, to explore the response of the endothelial cells to arterial stiffening at the cellular and molecular level. The knowledge generated will underpin efforts to develop new treatments to tackle age-related diseases such as heart attacks, stroke and dementia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Imperfect vaccination drives herpesvirus evolution through recombination. Vaccines are used to help control disease caused by herpesviruses in animals, but some vaccination programs may drive the evolution and spread of herpesviruses with increased fitness (transmissibility, replication and virulence) through recombination. This project aims to study an important avian herpesvirus (infectious laryngotracheitis virus) in the natural host (poultry) to gain fundamental knowledge of how vaccination programs influence the emergence of diverse recombinant viruses, and identify which types of vaccination programs are best at preventing the emergence of fitter and more virulent viruses. The results are expected to inform vaccination practices to allow more effective control of these viruses in poultry and other animals. Field of research: 0707 - Veterinary Sciences This project aims to identify how veterinary vaccines can be used most effectively to prevent the emergence and spread of recombinant herpesviruses in animals, particularly poultry. Herpesviruses cause significant diseases in a wide variety of animals, including livestock and companion animals. Infection can result in severe disease and causes economic losses to livestock industries. This project aims to provide fundamental knowledge of how herpesviruses evolve to cause more severe disease in animals and how different vaccine programs can be used to help prevent the emergence of these viruses. Improved control of diseases caused by herpesviruses in individual animals and animal populations through improved vaccination practices, will have benefits for animal health, welfare and production. There will also be economic benefits for the associated livestock industries that are important for the Australian economy and for food security.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Computing the climate-life history nexus for Australia's fauna. Life histories are the trajectories organisms follow as they develop, grow, reproduce and age; they are shaped by evolution and limited by the physical and biological environment. Recent breakthroughs by the CI allow the computation of life histories in any sequence of climatic environments, with demonstrated potential to gain new insights into the past, present and future responses of species to climate variability and change. This project aims to apply the new methods to understand how species' life histories have adapted to Australia's unique physical conditions and predict how they will respond to future conditions. It will simultaneously lay the foundations for a long-term, open-access research program on species' climate responses. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology This project aims to apply apply cutting-edge tools and conceptual advances to understand how Australian species adapt and respond to the unique and often harsh climate of this continent. The new approaches connect the actual environments species experience to their ecological responses, predicting how fast they can grow and reproduce in the face of stressors such as heat, cold, dehydration and starvation. It will provide the means for hundreds of species to be modelled so that we can better understand and predict which of our native species will be most vulnerable to future climatic stress. The project findings will also deepen our understanding of how the ecology our native species, including lizards, venomous snakes and parrots, has been molded by climates of the past. The outputs of the project will be integrated into the Atlas of Living Australia. This will allow other researchers to use and build upon the approach well beyond the life of the project, and set in motion a global research program to better understand how species will respond to natural and artificial climate and habitat changes.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Computational methods for population-size-dependent branching processes. Branching processes are the primary mathematical tool used to model populations that evolve randomly in time. Most key results in the theory are derived under the simplifying assumption that individuals reproduce and die independently of each other. However, this assumption fails in most real-life situations, in particular when the environment has limited resources or when the habitat has a restricted capacity. This project aims to develop novel and effective algorithmic techniques and statistical methods for a class of branching processes with dependences. We will use these results to study significant problems in the conservation of endangered island bird populations in Oceania, and to help inform their conservation management. Field of research: 0104 - Statistics The project focuses on the development of new computational methods for a class of mathematical models used to analyse populations in which individuals compete for resources. Our results will be applied to two currently threatened island bird species for which we have extensive datasets: the endangered Chatham Island black robin in New Zealand and the threatened Lord Howe currawong in Australia. The application of our models and computational methods will directly inform the conservation management of these two species. Also importantly, our newly developed tools will reinforce considerably the use of these mathematical models in several fields including ecology, conservation and population biology, thereby advancing knowledge in these areas. As the world is currently facing the sixth mass extinction event and an ever-increasing number of species are declining, there is a need for efficient and accurate probabilistic and statistical methods that can be used by conservation biologists to ensure the long-term survival of species

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Enabling the Internet of Things (IoT): structured networked control systems. Networked control systems are an emerging technology that combines control, communication and computation to deliver solutions for a range of manufacturing, safety-critical infrastructure, such as transport, defence and other Industrial Interent of Things (IIoT) applications. The current analysis and design approaches often take a ``monolithic" view of the system, which render them inadequate for addressing many important IIoT applications. This proposal will exploit specific features and structure of the plant, the communication network and the distributed computation to provide an analysis and design methodology which will deliver significant advances in control and optimised performance of IIoT with benefits to the economy and society. Field of research: 0906 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering A range of manufacturing, safety-critical infrastructure, such as transport, and defence applications will increasingly rely on engineered solutions that exploit a fusion of control, communication and computation to control and optimise their performance. Further, companies globally are moving towards "digitalization of their business" and they want to use Internet of Things as a paradigm that drives their transformation. This project will deliver fundamental research on structured networked control systems that will enable significant advances in control, robustness and performance to deliver benefits to a range of novel applications and eventually make IoT/IIoT a reality. The potential benefits to the economy and society are enormous, including improvements in productivity and outputs in manufacturing and process industries, transportation and communication, energy efficiency, reduced pollution, regulation of our built environments and sophisticated devices for medical applications.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Literature and the Face: A Critical History. The project aims to chart and analyse the representation of the human face in literary texts from the medieval to the contemporary era. It expects to generate comprehensive new knowledge about changing literary and textual discourses about the face by combining rhetorical analysis, the insights of cognitive literary theory, and digital methodologies. Significant outcomes include a deeper understanding of the cultural history of facial expression, identity and emotion, with particular attention to gender and ethnicity. The project’s engagement activities will illuminate the relationship between literary history and contemporary social understandings of the face and allow us to better understand current transformations in facial recognition. Field of research: 2005 - Literary Studies This new history of the face in European and Australian literature proposes a bold and comprehensive way of writing literary and cultural history. It combines detailed rhetorical analysis with long-range cultural history, cognitive theory, and the insights made possible by digitised texts and sophisticated data mapping. Through its international collaborative network it will produce an unprecedented, original and timely understanding of the way the face seems to ‘speak’ in European and Australian literary texts. It will make the powerful insights of humanities research and literary scholarship available for productive dialogue with the general public through a series of engagement activities. It will contribute to public debates on topics such as the use of facial recognition software, social media practices, the shaping forces of gendered and ethnic identities, and the way we increasingly use the face as a social commodity. The project will lead to a deeper understanding of the significant contribution humanities research can make to contemporary technological developments and forms of social change.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation in built environments. This project aims to facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation and mitigation across Australia’s built environment sectors: design, urban planning, construction and property. Cities are significant contributors to climate change but actions are presently limited, and largely unintegrated across sectors. The project expects to generate new knowledge to advance climate change action. An expected outcome is a framework to guide decision making in the built environment. Through communication to practitioners and policy makers, this project plans to provide significant benefit for Australian cities and society: progressing climate change action, informing investment decisions and reducing the harm and cost of climate change impacts Field of research: 1205 - Urban and Regional Planning Significant economic, environmental, social, and cultural benefit can be gained for Australian cities if action to address climate change impacts occurs sooner rather than later. This project intends to generate new knowledge to ensure Australian cities are planned, designed, constructed and managed to minimise greenhouse gas emissions, and to ensure they are well adapted to the changes in climate that cannot be avoided. An expected outcome of this project is a framework for integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation across the built environment to provide guidance for practitioners and policy makers. This would provide significant benefit to Australia by advancing the further development and integration of climate change adaptation and mitigation actions across Australia’s built environment sectors (design, urban planning, construction and property). It would contribute to emissions reductions and facilitate a built environment that is well adapted to climate change risk. The project’s findings would inform investment decisions, and reduce the harm and cost predicted as a result of climate change.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Making policy reform work: a comparative analysis of social procurement . This project aims to clarify the institutional and cross-sectoral conditions needed for successful implementation of emerging social procurement policy reforms; these seek through public spending to increase employment and business opportunities for people experiencing social exclusion. Via a mixed-methods comparative study in the leading jurisdictions of Victoria and Scotland, the project will extend scholarly knowledge of implementing policy reforms that rely on government and non-government actors working together in new ways, and practical understanding of what is needed to realise social procurement policy goals. This will contribute to effective public expenditure and ultimately help redress the societal consequences of exclusion. Field of research: 1605 - Policy and Administration Since 2015, Australian governments have committed billions to improving employment and business opportunities for marginalised people through social procurement, with a limited blueprint for implementing this significant policy reform. This project will generate essential knowledge to support effective implementation - and, thus, effective outcomes - of this major public reform agenda. It will improve practical understanding of how social procurement commitments can be embedded by governments, corporations and social purpose businesses by shedding light on the factors for successful implementation. In so doing, this study will contribute to increasing employment and business activity of those who experience significant barriers to economic participation. It will thus increase our national productivity and reduce the public costs - currently $10B p.a. in welfare spending and at least $40 billion in unrealised productivity - of un(der)employment. The project will also yield insights relevant to implementing other policy reforms that involve active participation of organisations from across sectors.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Building trust and sustainability by promoting a moral frame to nature. The collective benefits of sustainable behaviour tend to be abstract and less obvious compared to the immediate benefits of self-interest. This project aims to examine an avenue through which to make these benefits more concrete and personal – by providing a moral frame to nature. The studies aim to explore how this may be achieved, the socio-ecological factors that might limit such attempts, and the downstream implications for generalised trust and cooperation amongst human groups. We expect the findings will offer insight into an important avenue through which we can leverage human cooperation and trust and promote the value of the common good. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology We expect the findings from this project will provide tangible avenues through which to respond to environmental change. With a better understanding of when and why people care about the natural environment, we aim to enhance conservation efforts. Furthermore, the findings will reveal how using a moral frame for thinking about environmental resources can promote cooperation between humans. Beyond building an understanding of how to better promote conservation efforts, the findings will also contribute to our general knowledge around issues of human trust and fairness. We expect this will be of great value as we face a bottleneck of increasing human population and growing resource scarcity.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Developing Robust Small Area Population Forecasts for Planning and Policy. This project aims to create more robust, detailed, and accurate small area population forecasts, and implement them in a sophisticated forecasting system for one jurisdiction in Australia, USA, UK and Canada. The project is significant as it expects to generate a suite of new and innovative methods, theory, and population forecasts that will be useful to researchers and planners both in Australia and overseas. Expected outcomes include new forecasting methods, associated computer code, many open-access academic papers, and new international collaborations. More detailed and reliable population forecasts will bring substantial benefits to those planning our future infrastructure requirements (e.g. schools, hospitals, housing and transport). Field of research: 1603 - Demography Australia’s long term economic, social and environmental development is dependent on more robust, detailed and accurate small area population forecasts. These forecasts will better inform planning for the billions of dollars spent each year on schools, hospitals, public transport, housing, and the supply of power, water and sewerage services in jurisdictions across Australia. Until now, small area forecasts have often been inaccurate and unreliable - as shown, for example, by the shortage of school places in many inner suburbs of Australia's largest cities in recent years. Research to improve small area forecasting has, for many decades, been very limited and many methods used today are mediocre and not fit-for-purpose. This project will develop new forecasting methods, associated computer code, and generate many open-access academic papers and new international collaborations. In short, more accurate small area population forecasts will enable better decisions to be made about major investments in local services and infrastructure, and place Australia as a leader in small area population forecasts.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Functional dynamics of skeletal microbiota in healthy and bleached corals. Little is known about the microbiota inhabiting coral skeletons, but several sources of evidence point to their importance in the coral holobiont. Particularly during coral bleaching, drastic changes happen in the skeletal microbiome, with potential beneficial as well as detrimental effects on the holobiont. This project will characterise the functions of skeletal microbiota, how microbial communities are structured along physico-chemical gradients, and how microbial gene expression changes through coral bleaching. This will lead to better insights into the roles of skeletal microbiota in the holobiont, the processes occurring in the skeleton during bleaching, and the role that skeletal microbiota may play in the fate of bleached corals. Field of research: 0605 - Microbiology Coral bleaching occurs increasingly frequently and is a pressing problem for the survival of the Great Barrier Reef and other Australian coral reefs. This project on the rarely-studied coral skeleton will provide critical information about physico-chemical and metabolic processes occurring through these stress events. By providing a critical baseline of the functioning of healthy and diseased coral holobionts, it can serve as the basis for future strategies to mitigate coral mortality due to bleaching. The project brings together a multi-disciplinary team of top scientists from Australia and overseas and will strengthen Australia's international position in coral reef studies and conservation. This transformative research will train early career scientists in bioinformatics, a key enabling skill the shortage of which has been identified as a national vulnerability.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Pheromone attenuation: signal perception in changing atmospheric landscapes. Insects use chemical signals, or pheromones, to communicate with conspecifics. To convey information, the pheromone molecules must pass through the atmosphere and physically interact with receptors, typically located on the antennae of the receiver. Pheromones, like other organic compounds, are degraded by ozone, UV light, and radicals. While we know that pheromone plumes attenuate through the dispersal of molecules, the additional impact of pheromone degradation has been ignored. Our project aims to highlight the significance of odour survival for insect chemical communication by examining how atmospheric conditions, including air pollution, affects signal integrity, antennal morphology and signal perception. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology Insects communicate with pheromones, chemical molecules released by one individual and detected by receptors on the antennae of another. Pheromones may convey information about the location of a potential mate, and their suitability as a partner, and so it is crucial that they can be detected, both for individual reproduction and the viability of the population. Like any chemical, pheromones may degraded through reactions with other chemicals, including air pollutants in the atmosphere. The presence of these reactions can markedly reduce the 'half life' of a pheromone, thereby increasing the risk the pheromone is not detected. And yet we know next to nothing about these effects. While this is represents an important gap in our knowledge, it also has more profound, practical implications. Insects play an important role in our lives – pollinating crops; removing decaying material; or representing food for other animals. There is an alarming global decline in the abundance of insects, and this project could reveal the possibilty that an inability to communicate effectively is a contributing factor.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Defining the origin of a cell lineage that surrounds and cleans the brain . The vertebrate brain is responsible for up to a quarter of the body’s metabolism, a metabolic load that produces large amounts of tissue waste and requires an efficient cleaning system. A recent discovery in zebrafish and preliminary data has uncovered a cell type surrounding the brain that derives from vasculature. These cells play fundamental roles in scavenging and clearing tissue wastes. The project aims to investigate the origins and control of this cell type in zebrafish and mouse brains. This will produce new knowledge in brain development, cellular composition, structure, function and evolution. Outcomes are expected to generate new approaches in stem cell biology, tissue engineering, regeneration and ageing of the brain. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics There is a fundamental knowledge gap in understanding the cellular and molecular interactions that control cleaning of the brain. Cellular and metabolic wastes accumulate over time in the brain and negatively influence brain function, reducing workplace and social participation in an ageing population. This project aims to improve our fundamental understanding of cells involved in clearing wastes in the tissues that surround the brain in vertebrate organisms. The project will also build new knowledge, capacity and research directions in stem cell biology. Project outcomes therefore include economic benefits to Australia in building new cutting-edge research directions and research capacity, new fundamental knowledge with potential direct economic benefit in improving workplace and social participation and knowledge towards new technologies in tissue engineering, tissue repair and regenerative targeting of the ageing brain. Importantly, this project will train future scientists in world-class molecular, developmental and cellular biology, building future capacity for Australian science.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

KGB Empire: State Security Archives in the former Eastern Bloc. A generation has passed since the fall of Soviet communism, and yet our knowledge about the functioning of the institution at the heart of that system—the chekist state security apparatus—remains highly fragmentary and incomplete. This project will shed light on its history and ongoing legacy through a comparative study of state security archives across a range of East European countries. The project has a double focus, comprising historical work in the archives—using archival documents to advance our understanding of how the security apparatus operated during the late socialist period; and historical work on the archives—investigating how these archives are being used and misused in the region today. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies The post-Cold War international order is increasingly unstable and challenged by rising authoritarian actors. In the case of the former Eastern bloc, the history and legacy of a powerful and distinctive state security apparatus is an important factor shaping these contemporary processes. In 2018, the use of a deadly nerve agent on British soil, apparently carried out by the Russian security apparatus, was a reminder that the ramifications of this legacy extend across international borders. Specialist expertise on the past and present of these security agencies will help Australia to navigate this complex and volatile terrain. The project will also position Australian scholars at the forefront of the international research effort to study former socialist state security archives, including those only now undergoing declassification (Ukraine, Latvia). It will enable Australian scholars to contribute to advancing knowledge on state persecution and collaboration under authoritarian regimes, and on the ongoing legacies of histories of state violence today.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

3D micro-bioprinting: acoustic actuation to shape single-cell organization. This project aims to develop an innovative cell-printing technology to replicate the microscale cell structure found in native human and animal tissues. This is based on an interdisciplinary concept that combines ultra-high frequency acoustic cell manipulation with 3D stereolithography printing, and will examine acoustic waveguide element design and their topological optimisation. In contrast to current 3D printing methods that are not suitable for precisely integrating microscale elements in the printing process, this work will open up the range of materials, including functional human tissues, that can be printed. Field of research: 0903 - Biomedical Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Aftermaths of War: Violence, Trauma, Displacement, 1815-1950. This project aims to investigate the cultural, social and psychological aftermaths of wars between 1815 to 1950 from a comparative, transnational perspective. By connecting the displacement of people, the brutalization of warfare and the trauma associated with it, this study will offer a broader and more complex understanding of the experience of civilians and combatants in the wake of armed conflicts. In so doing, it will challenge traditional periodizations which delineate between periods of war and peace, and seek to uncover the profound legacies of war not just within but beyond nation states. This will prompt a re-evaluation of our understanding of what constitutes warfare and its aftermaths. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies The Australian nation is comprised of displaced peoples from both within and beyond our borders. The experience of refugees and the long-term effects of war are thus central to understanding both Australian identity and the history of the modern world. The public benefit of this project lies in enhancing the quality and profile of Australia’s research in modern history, and in extending the research capacity of a productive research network in violence studies. It creates a focused new team, consolidates strategic international research linkages, and will generate both high-impact publication outputs and transformative disciplinary interventions. This project will also be of social and cultural benefit to the Australian public. Outcomes include new knowledge to be disseminated to the Australian community through accessible publications and media interviews. These outcomes are expected to enhance public understanding and contribute to a more informed discourse on refugees and population displacement more broadly.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Photonics Platform to Transform Mobile Fronthaul Infrastructure. Future wireless systems of mobile networks and defence platforms will need to offer high-speed, low-delay, reliable connectivity and high bandwidth. With the explosive growth of wireless systems, this creates significant challenges in fronthaul - the link connecting antennas with the signal processors and core network. This project aims to design and develop an innovative fronthaul for wireless systems based on a dynamically reconfigurable, software-defined photonic platform capable of meeting diverse requirements. The outcomes of this project will help build a scalable fronthaul solution to overcome fundamental challenges and realise cost-effective pathways for transforming how future wireless networks and defence platforms are realised. Field of research: 1005 - Communications Technologies Wireless communication has transformed society over the past decade. Continual technological advances provide fast and seamless connectivity to ever-increasing mobile devices. Global wireless data traffic is expected to increase 8-fold by 2023. Mobile networks will require a major transformation to meet these future demands and similar challenge also exist in future defence platforms. This proposal aims to solve an important bottleneck in our current systems by designing and developing an intelligent reconfigurable software-defined photonic platform for fronthaul. The use of reconfigurable photonic technologies in the fronthaul will offer unprecedented capacity, transmission speed, and latency as well as the programmability of fronthaul. The project will demonstrate pathways for low-cost wireless broadband services and new high-performance architectures for defence platforms. Through the transformative potential of this new approach, the project will help to cement Australia's ambition for a stronger wireless and defence industry, delivering social, environmental, and economic benefits to all Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Environmental and cultural change along the Central Murray River. The aim of this project is to understand how past people in the riverine landscapes of the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) were influenced by and adapted to environmental change. This will be achieved using a novel cross-disciplinary approach combining state-of-the-art palaeoenvironmental and archaeological methods. Indigenous people of the MDB have always been closely linked to rivers, however, over the period of human habitation flows on these rivers were likely subject to changes that exceeded present-day variability. Understanding how these changes have impacted humans, offers clues on adaption to environmental change and aids in developing strategies for living with the inherently variable and vulnerable rivers in drylands. Field of research: 2101 - Archaeology This project will examine how past climate change affected humans in the Central Murray Valley by reconstructing hydrological and environmental variability since human arrival in the region and through investigating the close and long-standing link between indigenous populations and rivers in the region. The Murray-Darling Basin is Australia’s most important agricultural region, and its rivers are the continent’s lifelines. Understanding long-term indigenous adaption to environmental change is thus anticipated to provide a crucial baseline for developing much-needed sustainable strategies for living with the inherently variable, yet critically vulnerable, dryland rivers of Australia. The novel integrative approach suggested here is expected to (i) strengthen Australia’s capacity to respond to environmental change and thus contribute to future water security and sustainability, (ii) provide new insights into Australia’s cultural heritage, and (iii) allow Australian researchers to push the boundaries of global knowledge on human-environmental interaction.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Learning the Focus of Attention to Detect Distributed Coordinated Attacks. Cyber security analysts need to detect and respond to attacks as soon as possible, to minimise the damage attackers can inflict. However, the growth in highly distributed attacks that span multiple networks has meant that massive volumes of data need to be analysed. While machine learning techniques can help filter the data, we need techniques that can automatically provide a focus of attention for analysts on the most relevant observations. Our aim is to devise a novel suite of attention mechanisms that can focus the search of machine learning techniques for cyber security. The results of this project will improve the accuracy and efficiency of detecting distributed attacks across multiple networks. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing This project addresses the Science and Research Priority on Cyber Security by devising new machine learning techniques to focus the attention of security analysts on the most likely attacks in complex monitoring environments. One of the major challenges facing cyber security analysts is the volume of data that needs to be analysed by experts to detect attacks. The techniques developed to learn the focus of attention for analysts will reduce the time required to detect attacks, thus limiting their impact and improving the productivity of security operations teams. This project will also train highly skilled graduates with expertise in machine learning for cyber security, who can contribute to the skills base in Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

The Transitional and Turbulent Structure of Rotating Disk Boundary Layers. Design optimization in areas of energy, materials processing, manufacturing and aerodynamics often depends on fluid flows adjacent to surfaces (wall-flows), and many such flows are three-dimensional (3-D). At present, 3-D wall-flows are poorly understood, and thus we aim to provide the first comprehensive study of the prototypical 3-D wall-flow on a rotating disk. Experiments in a bespoke facility will cover the important flow regimes (transitional and turbulent), and novel sensors will quantify the detailed 3-D flow structure. By clarifying critical instability scenarios and revealing turbulent flow scaling structure, this project will fundamentally advance physical understanding and analytical and computational models of 3-D wall-flows Field of research: 0915 - Interdisciplinary Engineering Complex fluid flows along solid surfaces are poorly understood but fundamental to the optimal performance of such things as swept wing aircraft, rotating machinery (such as gas turbine engines), and a number of industrial and materials processing applications. By elucidating the flow structure of the prototypical 3-D boundary layer, the proposed work will lay the foundation for the performance enhancement of applications connected to the transportation, energy and manufacturing sectors within Australia. The technological enhancements will have the potential to benefit economic and commercial interests within Australia and increase our ability to compete in global markets. For example, an increase in the efficiency of gas turbines would benefit the transport industry and help mitigate the costs of air travel. In addition, the increase in efficiency of energy-producing and -consuming devices will have the potential to reduce the generation of pollutants, which would benefit the environment and help Australia meet its emission reduction targets.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Novel mechanisms for regulating the retinal vasculature. Tight control of the retinal vasculature is crucial for maintaining normal vision. Unlike most blood vessels in the body, those in the retina and brain receive no direct neural control. Rather they rely on support cells to communicate the needs of neurons. This project aims to examine the mechanisms by which resident immune cells, called microglia, regulate retinal capillaries in response to neural activity. New knowledge examining a novel mechanism will be generated. This information is crucial for enhancing our understanding of how blood vessels are controlled in the retina and brain and will guide the development of novel ways of examining blood vessel function. Field of research: 1109 - Neurosciences The outcomes of the research proposed are critical for understanding how the blood vessels in the retina are regulated. This knowledge forms a foundation on which assessment of the vasculature can be made, which is central to a range of imaging modalities that are used to assess the brain and eye. Thus, this project will have commercial and economic benefits to Australia. In addition, we will be training PhD students and employing research personnel to undertake the research. Finally, the knowledge gained will place Australia at the forefront of biological sciences internationally. In the longer term the information gained is likely to form a foundation on which to not only improve the way blood vessels in the eye are examined but also information that could be useful for the understanding of diseases of the vasculature including diabetic retinopathy and occlusions.