UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

The role of immuno-exosomes in innate immunity. This project aims to determine the role of exosomes (EV) in innate immunity. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles secreted by mammalian cells that have an important biological function in intercellular communication by transferring biologically active proteins, lipids, and RNAs to neighbouring or distant cells. Following exposure to a foreign organism, cells dynamically change the protein composition of the EV they secrete. While this data supports a role for EV as key players in innate immunity, a full understanding of the biological relevance of these vesicles and how they serve as a cellular defence mechanism is lacking. This project will provide significant benefits such as addressing key questions in EV biology and providing new fundamental insights into a novel and poorly understood component of the innate immune response. Field of research: 1107 - Immunology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Catalysing solutions to climate change in low-lying islands. This project aims to create new knowledge about successful adaptation to climate change on low-lying islands. There is a poor understanding of how communities in low-lying islands can adapt to climate change. This project seeks to provide evidence about adaptation practices to sustain island communities through a changing climate. Expected outcomes include developing a database of adaptation strategies, creating systems for monitoring change, and building capacity of early career researchers. This project is expected to enhance our understanding of adaptation and resilience to environmental change in Australia and low lying regions. Field of research: 1604 - Human Geography

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Engineering microbes that increase coral climate resilience. This project aims to develop microbes which are able to enhance the climate resilience of corals. Coral reefs around the world are being lost at an alarming rate. Developing microbial symbionts to enhance coral climate resilience will give Australian and other coral reef ecosystems an increased chance of surviving the impact of climate change. The project will also enhance understanding of the functional roles of microbial symbionts of corals, and advance the microbial symbiosis discipline globally. Expected outcomes include healthier coral reefs through the use of more climate resilient coral stock in reef conservation and restoration initiatives. Field of research: 1002 - Environmental Biotechnology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Nanoionics: Engineering ion transport with two-dimensional materials. This project aims to use graphene and other emerging two-dimensional materials to investigate and manipulate ion transport in nanoscale channels. Nanoionics focuses on understanding ions for transport and storage in nanoscale systems, central to numerous technologies related to water, energy and biomedicine. The project will provide sophisticated methods for revolutionary technological innovations to solve problems in several industries including manufacturing, mining, water management and bioengineering. Providing access to previously unavailable structures and materials, the project will support Australia’s manufacturing sector by transforming established industries with next generation technologies. The project will also build capacity of nanoionics engineers and provide intellectual property for commercialised products. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Nuclear architecture in a living cell facilitates navigation of the genome. This project aims to investigate the role of nuclear architecture in regulating genome function by development of a new microscopy method to quantify the diffusive route of fluorescent proteins in live cells. The anticipated outcomes of this project include an insight into how chromatin dynamics facilitate DNA target search and an analytical tool for cell biologists to probe how genomes work in their natural environment (the cell nucleus). Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Novel tools and nanotechnology to navigate intracellular trafficking. This project aims to investigate how material accesses different compartments inside cells, also known as trafficking. Using immunology, cell biology and nanotechnology, the project will manipulate intracellular trafficking to achieve specific cellular functions. Outcomes will also form the basis of intellectual property development for new products by Australian biotechnology companies. These products will improve veterinary and human health services, leading to increased productivity. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Computational design of high-temperature lanthanide-based molecular magnets. This project aims to improve our knowledge of special molecules pivotal to develop enhanced computer memories, namely Lanthanide Single-Molecule Magnets. The development of faster and more energy-efficient computers crucially depends on increasing their data storage capacity. Harnessing single molecules as tiny magnetic needles to store information is the next fundamental step. Recent findings have seen breakthroughs towards the development of a commercially viable molecular computer. This project will develop ab-initio computational methods for the systematic rational design of high-temperature lanthanide-based single-molecule magnet materials. Field of research: 0307 - Theoretical and Computational Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Uncovering novel metabolic processes in eukaryotic cells. This project aims to investigate the origin and function of the large number of chemically undefined metabolites that occur in all cells. The project will utilise advanced analytical techniques, as well as computational and genetic approaches, to characterise the chemical structures of these metabolites and identity the enzymes involved in their synthesis and degradation. It will provide new information on the metabolic capacity of eukaryotic cells and allow the generation of more accurate models of metabolism. These outcomes have important biotechnology applications and will identify metabolic processes that underpin normal and disease states in animals and human cells. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Measurement of matter-antimatter asymmetries and the search for new physics. This project aims to advance mankind's understanding of nature at the deepest level and will provide Australians the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of knowledge. While the universal matter-antimatter asymmetry and the existence of dark matter imply that new fundamental physics must exist, the nature of the new physics remains mysterious. This project will employ the Belle II experiment at the KEK Laboratory in Japan to make measurements of matter-antimatter asymmetries in the decays of sub-atomic particles called B-mesons. In addition the development of advanced data analysis techniques, secure high throughput computing, automated petabyte-scale data processing and advanced neural networks will provide highly trained data scientists able to tackle other problems such as Australia's cyber-security needs. Field of research: 0202 - Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Outsider artists and the reformulation of Australian art. This project aims to produce an understanding of outsider artists, their lives, their histories, and the socio-historic context in which they made their work. “Outsider artists” includes artists experiencing incarceration, disability, mental illness and other forms of marginalisation. Integration of their work will lead to a deeper understanding of mainstream art in Australia to paint a richer, more complex picture of the history of Australian art. The project will alter the perspective of arts policy and agencies, and of Australian artists themselves. Field of research: 1901 - Art Theory and Criticism

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Indigenous leaders: lawful relations from encounter to treaty. This project aims to draw together history, law and the creative arts to recover, make visible and make accessible the continuous traditions of Indigenous people’s leadership in conducting lawful relations in Victoria. The project aims to develop methods of translating these encounters and their insights. The intended outcomes should shape critical deliberations on the future of non-Indigenous Australia’s legal and social relationships with its First Peoples, particularly regarding treaty-making. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

The meaning of home for children following parental separation. This project aims to identify the meaning of home for children in separated families by interviewing children and parents about children’s experiences of home and homemaking. Since most children now traverse two households, there needs to be an increasing emphasis in policy, law and professional practice on listening to children regarding their post-separation living arrangements. By describing and analysing home for children, the project will provide a solid basis for shifting the prevailing focus on parents’ needs in application of the law toward more child-responsive parenting arrangements. This new knowledge will support parents and professionals to achieve child-responsive approaches to post-separation parenting arrangements, reducing potentially adverse impacts of parental separation on children, and benefitting children, families and the community. Field of research: 1801 - Law

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Using chemistry to illuminate sulfoglycolysis, a major organosulfur pathway. This project aims to develop a detailed molecular description of the sulfoglycolysis pathway, a major pathway involved in cycling an abundant sulfolipid. The project will use an integrated chemical, biochemical and structural approach to illuminate how sulfoglycolysis degrades sulfolipid to access its elemental and energy constituents. Expected outcomes include an advanced understanding of the biosulfur cycle, the development of new chemical approaches to manipulate sulfur cycling for agricultural and biotechnology applications, and deepened ties to leading international researchers. Potential benefits include new strategies to reduce dependence on agricultural fertilisers, promote gut wellbeing, and control insect pests. Field of research: 0305 - Organic Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Disposal of the dead: beyond burial and cremation. This project aims to investigate the contexts, motivations, responses to, and implications of emerging alternatives to the profoundly important practices of burial and cremation. This project will provide a timely and critical investigation of the social, cultural, regulatory, commercial, environmental, and personal challenges posed by alternative technologies for disposal of the dead. Expected outcomes will inform the funeral industry, regulators and the public. Field of research: 1608 - Sociology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Real groups, Hodge theory, and the Langlands program. This mathematics project aims to settle open questions in real groups. The real groups are the fundamental symmetries occurring in nature and are important both in number theory and in the physical sciences. In particular, this project aims to reach a comprehensive understanding of Langlands duality for real groups, investigate how Hodge theory can be used to describe the unitary dual, and investigate the micro-local structure of systems of differential equations. Potential benefits include increasing the international stature of mathematics in Australia and improving the quality of the workforce. Field of research: 0101 - Pure Mathematics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Dating the aboriginal rock art sequence of the Kimberley in north west Australia. This project aims to develop a robust time scale for the known aboriginal rock art sequence in the Kimberley, Western Australia (WA). The project will use new knowledge of complex processes on sandstone surfaces across the north Kimberley, and an innovative combination of four scientific dating methods developed through our earlier work. The project expects to provide a well-dated sequence for Kimberley rock art based on replication of results, confirmation across different methods, and a large interdisciplinary data set. The project will allow rigorous analysis of the relationship between dating results and rock art styles that has not previously been possible, and give new insights into Australia’s deep indigenous heritage. This will have a significant impact for future efforts in rock art conservation, and lay a foundation for cultural tourism, with important benefits for the local economy and health of regional indigenous communities. Field of research: 0403 - Geology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Iron, ferroptosis and the biology of ageing. This project aims to determine how and when regulation of iron is lost. Failing iron metabolism during life may dictate the rate of ageing by driving a newly discovered cell death program. Combining biology, chemistry and physics, this collaborative project aims to transform the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of biological ageing. Anticipated outcomes include new assays for measuring iron in biology and identification of potential pathways that regulate death signaling and lifespan. Outcomes will benefit life sciences and biotechnology industries. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Chemo-prevention of tropical canine parasitoses and vector-borne diseases. This project will determine the prevalence and diversity of established, emerging and novel canine vector-borne agents and endoparasites in a tropical setting by using conventional and next generation molecular diagnostic tools. It will fill an important gap by providing independently-verified evidence on how well canine anti-parasitic products marketed in Australia and Asia by Bayer Animal Health, perform in high-infection pressure settings, as a chemo-preventative for these disease agents. Tropical regions spanning northern Australia and Southern Asia are highly conducive to a plethora of canine vector-borne and parasitic pathogens that cause significant morbidity and mortality in dogs. Many of these agents also pose a risk to public health. The outcomes will be directly translated to best-practice guidelines for the advancement of companion animal (and indirectly human) health and welfare. Field of research: 0707 - Veterinary Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Transport of nucleotide sugars and their roles in cell wall biosynthesis. This project aims to define and manipulate transporters involved in the delivery of activated sugars for cell wall polymer biosynthesis. Cell wall polymers play important structural and functional roles in plants. They also represent an important renewable resource in the form of biomass and contribute to the nutritional value of food. The project will complete the characterisation of cell wall-associated transporters, apply new technologies to visualise cell wall biosynthesis in growing plants and leverage this knowledge to manipulate biomass in rice. This information will provide fundamental knowledge on a crucial process in plants that can be used the development of functional foods for agriculture and tailored biomass for industry. Field of research: 0607 - Plant Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Beyond the exciton: shaping molecular energy landscapes using polaritons. This project aims to deliver a fundamental understanding of polariton-mediated light and heat energy transfer in molecular systems, paving the way for their exploitation in solar cells and chemical catalysis. Controlling energy flow within and between molecules is one of the challenges of molecular science. Such control allows concentration of light energy for solar harvesting and direction of thermal energy for site-selective chemistry. Recent work shows that molecular polaritons, admixtures of light and molecules, are a new and unique tool to assert this control. This project aims to deliver genuinely disruptive improvements in solar cell efficiency using polaritons. Field of research: 0303 - Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Functional impact of high fat and high sugar diets on memory encoding. This project aims to determine the functional mechanisms of how fats and sugar affect neuronal processes vital for learning and memory. Expected outcomes will define the neural mechanisms underpinning cognitive changes in emotional and spatial memory encoding, and how these relate to brain and metabolic parameters. This will provide benefits by unveiling the possible consequences of dietary fat and sugar on the brain, and the mechanisms of neuroplasticity enhancing interventions. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

The disability inclusive city. This project aims to examine adjustments in urban policy and delivery of mainstream urban services in response to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Focusing on participation of people with disability in mainstream housing, health and community services, the project will develop a better understanding of the factors determining both access to, and the quality of, services they receive. Analysis of variation across four urban regions will reveal the wider urban dynamics shaping these outcomes. The knowledge gained in this study will inform both urban and disability policy strategies and will advance theories of the disability inclusive city. Field of research: 1604 - Human Geography

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Cryogenic quantum microscope facility. This project aims to establish a cryogenic, quantum microscope facility in Australia. Quantum sensing is a new field that harnesses the properties of individual quantum systems to realise new types of detection and imaging with unprecedented combination of sensitivity and spatial resolution. The potential innovations, applications and benefits to society are far reaching across the full spectrum of scientific and engineering activity, from the development of atomic-scale imaging of protein structures for drug discovery, to the study of chemical, physical, and biological processes and materials for advanced technology and manufacturing. Field of research: 0204 - Condensed Matter Physics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Where do inductive biases come from? A Bayesian investigation. This project aims to investigate the origin of our thinking and learning biases using state-of-the-art mathematical models and sophisticated experimental designs. Expected outcomes include bridging the gap between human and machine learning by pairing mathematical modelling with experimental work, forming a necessary step toward the development of machine systems that can reason like people do. This will provide significant benefits such as understanding how people operate so effectively in real environments, when even the most powerful computers struggle to handle the complexities of everyday learning problems. Field of research: 1702 - Cognitive Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2018 · 2018-01

Wiring the retina for human vision - a single-cell behavioural approach. This project aims to combine optical and behavioural methods to explore how colour information is channelled from individual cone photoreceptors through the living human retina, to the brain. By non-invasively stimulating either a single cell or specific arrangements of cells, the project aims to contribute fundamental knowledge about how the retina is wired to inform our exquisite sense of colour and spatial vision. This understanding has consequences across a range of disciplines, including artificial vision systems such as driverless cars, retinal disease, and the processing of information through neuronal connections in general. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology