UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

A next generation single-photon microscope for dynamic live cell biology. This project aims to establish a single-photon counting image scanning microscope that is capable of single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy and empowers researchers across Australia to perform dynamic structural biology with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. By combining time-resolved single-photon counting electronics with single-photon avalanche diode array technology, this microscope will provide picosecond-level detection of fluorescent protein properties (intensity, lifetime, anisotropy) that can reveal nanoscale changes in protein structure down to the nanosecond timescale. This breakthrough is expected to advance Australian research by enabling direct observation of protein dynamics previously beyond reach in a living cell. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Understanding the single-molecule events that govern cell biology, particularly the behaviour and interactions of proteins, is essential for advancing scientific knowledge and driving breakthroughs in biotechnology. This is because these molecular processes control fundamental biological functions, such as gene expression and cellular metabolism. However, Australia currently faces a significant gap in its ability to directly measure protein structure, interaction, and dynamics within the intracellular environment. To address this technological gap, we propose the establishment of an innovative image scanning microscope in Australia that combines cutting-edge single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detector technology with time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC). This integration will enable real-time, high-resolution observation of protein behaviour at the single-molecule level within living cells, providing unparalleled insights into protein function and interaction in their native cellular context. This research infrastructure will not only enhance scientific understanding but also drive innovation in biotechnology. By enabling precise measurements of protein dynamics, it will accelerate drug discovery, improve diagnostic technologies, and strengthen Australia’s competitive position in the global biotechnology market, contributing to both economic growth and social well-being.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Visual Governance in the City: Rethinking Graffiti and Public Images. Graffiti is a dynamic urban expression that challenges authority over public space. The project aims to understand how we manage urban spaces by regulating images like graffiti, posters, and street art, through the new concept of urban visual governance. It will examine the Australian graffiti removal industry and develop more effective and inclusive strategies for balancing restrictive policies and creative expression in cities. Expected outcomes include innovative methodologies that redefine how public images contribute to creating vibrant communities, policy recommendations for evidence-based graffiti management, and a new conceptual framework for urban visual justice. Benefits include pathways to more diverse and inclusive urban spaces. Field of research: 4406 - Human Geography This project examines how Australian cities manage public images such as graffiti, posters, and street art. It addresses a significant gap in our knowledge about how decisions to remove graffiti are made by local councils, graffiti removal companies, and community groups. It will investigate whether and how diversity (cultural or otherwise) in visual expression is accounted for in deciding whether to remove a public image. Central to the investigation are costs associated with such decisions. Expected outcomes include innovative methods for studying and managing urban visual culture, evidence-based recommendations for more effective and equitable approaches to unplanned images such as graffiti, and a framework for "urban visual justice" to guide policy decisions. Outputs include exhibitions and walking tours to stimulate public discussion on the role of visual culture in our cities and policy briefings to diversify visibility and voices in our public spaces. The project will work closely with councils, graffiti removal companies, and community groups to create more cost-effective and adaptive approaches to graffiti management, benefitting municipalities through reduced budgets and enhanced engagement. Benefits of this research extend to all who live in, work in, or visit our cities. By improving how we manage public images, the project will foster more liveable and cohesive urban spaces that better reflect Australia's diverse communities and cultures.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

A New Framework for Automated Compliance Checking for Building Approvals. This project aims to develop innovative methods to automate the assessment of building permits by harnessing the capabilities of Building Information Modelling and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The innovative integrated framework will employ AI to interpret building regulations, facilitating automated rule interpretation and execution. The expected outcomes include new approaches to rule interpretation using large language models and an integrated framework for automatic rule execution. These advancements are expected to significantly reduce building permit approval times, lower construction project costs, and improve design accuracy compared to traditional manual review methods. Field of research: 4013 - Geomatic Engineering Building permits are written approvals that ensure construction work meets safety, health, and sustainability standards for the durability of our built environment. Building approvals in Australia, however, remain a slow and costly process because checking permit applications is still a largely manual process. This project proposes leveraging Artificial Intelligence and 3D building models to streamline and expedite these approval processes. Specifically, our research will develop advanced Artificial Intelligence methods to automatically interpret building regulations and 3D models, facilitating the automated assessment of permit applications. The outcome of this research can contribute to creating an automatic building-approval system for construction projects. By improving efficiency within the construction industry, our approach has the potential to save both time and money, thereby providing economic, commercial, and social benefits. Faster construction of housing, in particular, can help address the current housing crisis and support disadvantaged communities across Australia. We will promote our work and its findings through public presentations, reports, and workshops to engage stakeholders in the construction industry, as well as relevant government departments and councils.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Understanding the Impact of Generative AI on Curiosity-Driven Learning. This project aims to assess beneficial and detrimental effects of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on curiosity-driven learning. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how GenAI use impacts learners’ curiosity, including how effects differ by use strategies and individual differences. Expected outcomes include improved scientific consensus around how the technology can maximise curiosity in learning, which will be used to develop documentation advising key stakeholders such as educators and governments. This should benefit the development of education policy and inform individual learning strategies, supporting societal wellbeing and the advancement of human ingenuity. Field of research: 5204 - Cognitive and Computational Psychology Curiosity is a foundational pillar in education, with far-reaching consequences for students’ achievement and their engagement in life-long learning. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is being increasingly adopted into educational practice in Australian universities, but we have little understanding of how use of this technology impacts motivational processes like curiosity. This project triangulates evidence via literature integration, randomised experiment, and a meeting of experts to gain a holistic and robust understanding of the benefits and potential risks of this new technology. Findings of the project will inform policy guidelines that highlight understanding in a format that is accessible for educators, policymakers, students and members of the community. Understanding the strategies and contexts in which GenAI can help or hinder curiosity-driven learning will help to optimise learning systems and educational structures and processes, thereby improving student academic outcomes and encouraging lifelong learning practices. Findings will provide feasible and cost-effective strategies to employ GenAI that will equip Australian universities to effectively navigate the upsurge in this technology and empower students’ in their personalised learning journeys. The project will position Australia as a leader in the implementation of GenAI in education while safeguarding Australian education bodies and societies from potential risks associated with this technology.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Safe & Sound: Privacy-Enhancing Technologies To Protect Young People Online. This project will develop privacy-preserving technologies to protect young people online while upholding security and individual rights. Australian policymakers trying to protect children face challenges in balancing privacy and effectiveness of mandatory requirements, highlighted by recent debates around the under-16 social media ban. The research will evaluate age-verification systems through realistic testing, engage parents and young people to ensure safety measures reflect community expectations, and explore ways to detect harmful content without harming privacy. By tackling limitations with safer alternatives, the project aims to provide policymakers with evidence-based recommendations to enhance digital safety for young Australians. Field of research: 4604 - Cybersecurity and Privacy Protecting young people online is an urgent issue. The Australian government passed legislation to ban children under 16 from some social media platforms. The backlash against this ban highlights the challenge of balancing safety, privacy, and individual rights. Yet, Australian policymakers currently lack the robust research needed to gauge the real-world effectiveness and security of digital safeguards. This project aims to identify the limitations of current security engineering approaches and develop innovative paradigms for online child protection that will not sacrifice their privacy. It will rigorously evaluate the age-verification systems planned for deployment in Australia, testing their efficacy and compliance with individual rights in realistic settings as young people may actively attempt to bypass these measures. It will engage parents and young people to define the ideal parameters that align technological constraints with community expectations. It will explore the feasibility of improving cryptographic messaging protocols that integrate child safety features—such as detecting known child sexual abuse material—without compromising the fundamental security properties of digital systems. Research findings will be shared through media articles, a policy roundtable, and a public white paper. It will provide evidence-based recommendations for policy that will ensure safer digital spaces while upholding democratic values, providing social benefits for Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Reducing gender inequalities for women with psychosocial disability. This research aims to address the pressing gender inequalities faced by women with psychosocial disability. Despite a higher prevalence of the disability in women, they are more likely to be rejected by the National Disability Insurance Scheme than men and receive little support elsewhere. This project expects to fill critical knowledge gaps on women’s inadequate access to support and the impact on their life outcomes. Expected outcomes include new evidence on how policy change can enable greater gender equality for this group. This should provide significant benefits by informing the reform of Australia’s support ecosystem for psychosocial disability, improving life outcomes, reducing social costs, and promoting fair social policies. Field of research: 4206 - Public Health The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a significant social policy innovation designed to help people with disability live included lives. However, it has not worked as intended for women with psychosocial disability, who are frequently rejected by the NDIS. With the NDIS replacing other services, many women are left without support, increasing their risk of unemployment, poverty, homelessness, hospitalisation, and premature death. As the NDIS undergoes reform and governments recognise this policy gap, policymakers need strong evidence to ensure women with psychosocial disability receive adequate support to achieve better life outcomes. This project will analyse the National Disability Data Asset, newly available for research, to deliver insights into how policy change can enable greater gender equality for this group. The findings will also be relevant for closing inequalities for people with psychosocial disability of other genders who face similar barriers. This research will help shape policies to create a fairer and more effective support ecosystem, improving individual well-being while benefiting Australia’s economy by increasing productivity and reducing long-term social costs. Findings will be shared with key stakeholders including the National Disability Insurance Agency and the Department of Social Services in policy briefs to drive real-world impact, and made accessible publicly in plain language summary, Easy Read and Auslan translations.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Mapping the human polyadenylome at single-cell resolution Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Rediscovering Ancient Arabic Gospels with Phylogenetics and AI. Arabic translations have been largely overlooked in New Testament textual criticism, limiting understanding of the transmission of biblical texts in the Islamicate world and neglecting key evidence for reconstructing the earliest text. This project addresses this gap by analysing three ancient Arabic translations of the Gospels found among the recently discovered Sinai New Finds. Using deep learning, large language models and Bayesian phylogenetics—an approach from evolutionary biology—the project aims to advance textual criticism methodologies applicable to diverse textual traditions. Expected outcomes include critical editions of newly discovered manuscripts and insights into the history of the Gospels, particularly in the Near East. Field of research: 5004 - Religious Studies The Bible is sacred for more than 2 billion people worldwide, including more than 11 million Australians. Its text is changing as scholars continue to reevaluate decisions affecting the editions of the Greek New Testament. But important Arabic sources are being overlooked. Furthermore, the current editors are using a ‘Big Data’ algorithm which exhibits bias and is ill-suited to the task. This project will use Bayesian phylogenetics for a more rigorous and reproducible approach. The use of AI and other natural language processing techniques will position Australia at the forefront of computational analysis of historical documents as this methodology is applicable to other manuscript traditions as well as biblical studies. The results will impact scholarship on Christian origins, recover excluded voices in textual history, and inform translations of the Bible globally in decades to come. The project will also highlight and celebrate the role of Middle Eastern Christians in preserving the text of the Bible. Hundreds of thousands of Arabic-speaking Christians have migrated to Australia from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere. As these manuscript traditions are part of their cultural heritage and legacy, this project will benefit Australia culturally and socially. Results will be disseminated to the public by publishing articles in the media, e.g., The Conversation, as well as running a seminar for members of the Arabic Orthodox community in Melbourne.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Harnessing AI to Protect Endangered Languages. According to UNESCO, around 3,000 languages could disappear before the end of the century, at a rate of one every two weeks. This project aims to develop a computational framework to explore and document under-resourced languages. Adapting language models for high-resource languages, like Spanish or English, and linguistic resources available for smaller languages, like Indigenous Australian languages, the project will introduce innovative approaches to develop accurate, efficient, and compact models of language. The models will be incorporated into a tool for translation, analysis, and exploration of texts in under-resourced languages, providing insights on linguistic variation and supporting fieldwork and engagement with native speakers. Field of research: 4602 - Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing our everyday life through the use of AI tools for information retrieval. Unfortunately, as these technologies require large amounts of data, they are mainly available for widely spoken languages such as English or Chinese. Their popularity and daily use increase digital inequality globally, risking the disappearance of smaller languages. The myriads of smaller languages and cultures in the world, especially indigenous languages in Australia, are being left behind by technological progress in language tools. This project advances the technology for smaller languages by combining their translation dictionaries, grammars, and available texts with the power of large language models such as ChatGPT, focusing on mutual correctness and reliability. It will provide a publicly available and open-source tool that will be demonstrated to the public through workshops and be advertised on social media. The tool will facilitate exploration of traditional lexicons and stories and will be valuable for the general public as well as linguists working in language documentation and for typologists who study linguistic variation. This technology is culturally and environmentally important as it helps preserve and revitalise endangered languages and improves understanding of other cultures. It provides economic and social benefits to multicultural Australia by making AI more inclusive and accessible to a larger number of diverse communities.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Words of warning: How illiberal public discourse signals democratic decline. This project aims to investigate the relationship between illiberal public discourse and democratic decline by analysing large amounts of political speeches from Australia and twenty other democracies. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of political communication and regime change using an innovative combination of quantitative methods and specifically fine-tuned Large Language Models. Expected outcomes of this project include the development of an early-warning system for democratic decline. This should provide significant benefits to the academic community and policymakers in Australia and internationally by offering new insights into the relationship between shifting public discourses and the health of democracy. Field of research: 4408 - Political Science Democratic decline and political instability are urgent challenges for Australia and other democracies around the world. Democratic backsliding - when governments undermine democracy from within - threatens governance, social cohesion, and stability. Understanding the early signs of this can help safeguard democratic institutions and language may be the key. This project will use customized Large Language Models to analyse vast amounts of political speeches. By systematically analysing shifts in public discourse, alongside other indicators of democratic decline, it will create new knowledge about the role of political communication in shaping democratic resilience. The project’s findings will have significant policy implications, equipping Australian policymakers, civil society, and government institutions such as the Australia Institute or the Department of Home Affairs (Strengthening Democracy Taskforce) with a user-friendly early-warning tool to detect and counteract emerging threats to democracy. This will enhance Australia’s capacity to develop evidence-based policies aimed at halting democratic erosion, strengthening institutional safeguards, and promoting transparency in governance. By fostering international collaborations and contributing to scholarly debates worldwide, this research will boost Australia’s influence in promoting democratic norms, strengthening diplomatic efforts, and reinforcing the country’s commitment to democratic values on the global stage.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Living and Dying Well in an Age of Peak Death. This project aims to investigate the impact of Australia’s impending transition into an era of Peak Death – when more people will die than ever before due to ageing demographics. This project aims to generate new knowledge in the areas of anthropology and death studies utilising a mixed-methods approach to uncover the distinct preferences of dying Australians and the capacity of deathcare sector to meet them. Expected outcomes include a novel theorisation of the peak death phenomenon, a comprehensive mapping of sector capacity, enhance coordination between deathcare operators and regulators, and a new international scholarly network. This should provide significant benefits for industry, regulatory bodies, and the Australian public. Field of research: 4401 - Anthropology By 2040, Australia’s annual death rate will double, as the country enters an era of peak death that is currently poorly understood. Both the number of deaths and the distinct preferences and care needs of older Australians have the potential to upend contemporary deathcare infrastructures, with multidimensional knock-on effects. This project analyses the impact of peak death, via A) comprehensive mapping the Australian deathcare system, identifying its vulnerabilities and opportunities for growth; B) a nationally-representative survey of death attitudes and preferences; and C) targeted interviews and participant observation with older Australians and deathcare professionals. In the 2021 Intergenerational Report, the Federal Government recognised population ageing and a rising demand for support services as two of the five major forces that will shape the Australian economy in coming decades. Priority 2 of the National Science and Research Priorities further directs investment in capacity building for deathcare. The project is designed to maximise the utility of research findings for Australia’s $1.7 per annum deathcare sector, through convening a multiprofessional project advisory committee and annual Peak Death Futures Forums with regulators, industry, and community groups. The project is accompanied by a program of public events and media. Thusly, the project will deliver targeted outcomes to assist all Australians to live and die well in the peak death era.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Boom or bust? Predicting species’ responses to extreme environmental change. This project aims to transform our understanding of population responses in hypervariable environments as they face intensifying climate pressures by using Australian terrestrial ectotherms as a model system. This project will identify individual traits that drive demographic processes by integrating existing long-term field data with new genomic analysis, physiological experiments, and ecological modelling. Expected outcomes include the ability to differentiate between natural population fluctuations and changes driven by climate and human disturbance. This new knowledge will inform managers what species are at risk following disturbance and, most importantly, it will enable the prediction and mitigation of additive climate change impacts. Field of research: 3103 - Ecology Arid and semi‐arid regions cover over 70% of Australia, yet we lack a reliable way to predict how species in these hypervariable environments, classified as boom‐bust, will cope with increasing threats. Climate change, drought, fire, and human‐driven habitat changes further add to instability over the long term, risking biodiversity loss. This project will discover the physiological and genetic traits that help species persist under extreme conditions, drawing on decades of field data, laboratory experiments, and genomic tools. With these insights, we can build stronger models to forecast how species will respond to future disturbances, guiding proactive and efficient conservation strategies. The outcomes of this research will help managers and policymakers pinpoint the species at highest risk and focus conservation resources more effectively. By reducing costly emergency measures, strengthening climate resilience, and protecting our unique wildlife, this research delivers economic, environmental, and cultural benefits for all Australians. This proactive approach can reduce costly crisis interventions, strengthen Australia’s ability to adapt to climate change and protect biodiversity. Outcomes will be disseminated to national parks, ecological recovery programs, and local, state, and federal agencies. Ultimately, this project will foster greater ecological resilience in Australia’s arid and semi‐arid landscapes, safeguarding our remarkable biodiversity for future generations.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Children as cultural agents: New frameworks for creative arts practice . Currently under-researched, there are limited opportunities for children and young people from marginalised backgrounds to assume artistic decision-making responsibilities within the creative industries. This has resulted in systemic exclusion from cultural citizenship and artistic leadership. This project aims to utilise co-design methodologies to design inclusive, culturally safe spaces for children and young people to exercise creative agency and leadership in arts participation contexts. Expected outcomes of this project include developing evidence-based replicable frameworks for cultural leadership, thus providing significant benefit and re-establishing Australia as a world-leader in arts participation for children and young people. Field of research: 3604 - Performing Arts Australia is facing a crisis in youth arts after over a decade of decimated investment from across government and philanthropic sectors. This has resulted in an alarming erosion of expertise, capacity, infrastructure, and organisations who prioritise and specialise in working with children and young people. Currently, Australia has no strategy or specific policy to determine how we invest in the future of Australia's Youth Arts sector. Drawing on findings developed in previous pilot studies, this project will utilise world leading practice in inclusive co-design to build replicable frameworks for creative practice that address systemic inequities in arts participation. Working closely with established industry partners, the project aims to generate new knowledge that will support the development of a youth arts strategy that centres the creative and cultural leadership of children and young people. The innovative research design will include the perspectives of children as co-researchers and support the national sector to strengthen and expand the communities they work with. The social and emotional benefits of arts participation are well documented and at a time when the mental health of young people is rapidly declining, equitable models of arts and cultural participation are vital. In addition to academic forums, the outcomes for this project will be disseminated via a festival and symposia for industry, specifically practitioners in arts, health and education contexts.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Using low-redshift cosmic observables to probe local space-time curvature. This project aims to measure local distortions in space from nearby clumps of matter using exciting new observations and simulations. We usually study our cosmic neighborhood in a vastly simplified way, neglecting local curvature entirely. This project will develop methods for data analysis that go beyond common over-simplifications. This project expects to generate new knowledge in studying inhomogeneous curvature and expansion, which are naturally expected in the nearby Universe, with a novel approach. Expected outcomes include potential solutions to current differences in observations compared to theory. This should place Australia as a leader in cosmology and supply the next generation of scientists with advanced computational skills. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Einstein’s theory of general relativity describes space as a kind of fabric, with its curvature determining the motion of massive objects. This leads to all gravitational interactions from the Earth’s motion around the Sun to the expansion of the Universe. In cosmology, general relativity forms the basis of our understanding of the Universe - however, this is a very complicated theory, so we usually simplify it a lot. This project addresses an important research gap by modelling the Universe using an advanced computational method called numerical relativity, removing common simplifications completely. Using a combination of simulations and observations of exploding stars and black holes, this research will determine how space is curved in our cosmic backyard. This will secure Australia’s place as a leader in cutting-edge cosmological research, as well as generating economic and social benefits by training young Australians in software development, data analysis, critical thinking, and communication skills, all highly-sought abilities in industries such as finance, climate research, and engineering. This research will also serve as an exciting new topic for outreach to the Australian public, enticing budding young scientists through accessible media releases and public talks.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Imaging the explosive birth of the Universe. This project seeks to test our hypotheses for how the Universe began, by searching for gravitational wave echoes of the Universe’s first moments. The most-promising idea for the beginning is Inflation, where the Universe undergoes an exponential expansion in the first fraction of a second. We aim to detect gravitational waves sourced by this expansion by using telescopes in Antarctica to search for the polarisation patterns these waves would imprint on light from the cosmic microwave background. A detection or non-detection will inform our models for the origins of the Universe. The project will also train students and researchers in data science and petabyte-scale data processing, contributing to a highly skilled STEM workforce. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences By observing the Big Bang in the early Universe, this project will study physics at extreme energies, many orders of magnitude larger than accessible in particle accelerators. This will provide greater knowledge of the physical laws governing how the Universe formed in its first moments, which in turn is the first step to understanding of how to control and manage such intense energies. Origin stories, "Where did we come from?", are significant to all human societies. By studying how the Universe began, this project contributes to the modern understanding of our origins. It also will build Australia's scientific capacity and skills by training the next generation of scientists and engineers in advanced scientific analysis and practical skills for handling Big Data. Handling the project’s Petabyte-scale datasets will give students the computational skills that are central to today’s economy; it will also enable the transfer of key data science technology from international partners to Australia. Many of these students will cross over to the industrial, financial and technology sectors, enhancing Australia's capacity for innovation in these critical fields and providing long-term economic benefits for this country. This project's outreach to schools and news media will support the goal of "Engaging all Australians with science". By studying and talking about how the Universe began, this project can engage the public's curiosity and inspire young people to enter STEM fields.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Defining optimal cell culture conditions to prevent T cell ferroptosis . This project aims to improve the survival and function of T cells by fine-tuning the conditions in which they grow. Currently, physicians rely solely on a minimum number of collected primary cells to expand or modify, which presents a challenge in acquiring sufficient cell numbers. Our project specifically aims to understand and control the metabolic changes that lead to particular cell death, with the goal of developing better culture conditions to keep cells healthy and functional. The anticipated benefits include include advancements in fundamental biology, cell metabolism research, cell expansion industries, cell-based therapy research, and more. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology T cell therapies offer life-saving treatments for cancer and immune disorders but remain prohibitively expensive in Australia, costing around $750k per course of treatment. One contributing factor is the significantly high production expenses. A key challenge in T cell therapy manufacturing is maintaining cell survival and function during prolonged culture which can lead to cell dysfunction, reduced efficacy, ultimately increasing production time and costs. This project tackles this manufacturing challenge by identifying metabolic changes in T cells over time and developing fine-tuned culture conditions to optimise production efficacy. Specifically, the project will focus on metabolic shifts (i.e., assess protein and lipid levels between a freshly isolated T cell and cultured T cells) that influence cell death and fate. The project will use healthy human donor cells to complement in vitro findings with compelling biologically-relevant data to improve project quality. The findings will be used to create a defined media for T cell manufacturing that optimises cell function and enhances the efficiency of the manufacturing process. The fundamental knowledge generated has scope to be extended to various immune cell manufacturing protocols, and has potential to inform future T cell therapy developments. Outcomes from this project will be promoted through institutional social media, presented at conferences, and communicated to industries utilising cell culture technologies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Computationally efficient climate projections under net-zero and beyond. The project aims to develop a computationally efficient climate model emulator suitable for net-zero and net-negative emission scenarios. As a result, the project expects to generate new knowledge of our future climate, specifically spatially resolved projections with an explicit focus on uncertainties. The project’s expected outcome is a new capability to explore the climate implications of different choices on the path to net-zero and beyond. This should provide significant benefits, such as establishing Australia’s position in the rapidly growing area of spatially explicit climate model emulators and providing a new, open-source tool for use both within, and outside, research. Field of research: 3702 - Climate Change Science Climate change is having a profound impact on the lives of Australians, with recent bushfire, flooding and heatwave events all likely influenced by our changing climate. These impacts will continue to evolve as the climate continues to change, impacting Australia’s economy and way of life. The project aims to develop new modelling capability that would allow projections to be made for any scenario of interest, at the level of spatial detail that is most relevant to the lives of Australians. The projections would reflect our latest scientific understanding, both where we are confident about the expected changes and where there is greater uncertainty. The project’s key output would be new climate insights, improving the quality and depth of information available for Australia’s medium- to long-term planning and risk management. This will provide environmental, economic and social benefits for Australia, thanks to a deepened understanding of our current and future environment and improved information for decision- and policy-making. The project aims to have an impact beyond academia by providing the developed tools as open-source software, making them free for anyone to use in their own applications without the need for specialised computing equipment.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Why the robot crossed the road: can AI perform believable comedy? This project investigates whether AI and robots can perform believable comedy, addressing a significant gap in our understanding of machine capabilities and human-robot interaction. Using innovative theatre-based methods, it aims to develop and evaluate performance techniques that allow machines to create authentic comedy. The research will produce the first major study on robot comedy performance, a theoretical framework for more-than-human comedy, and new interdisciplinary methods for collaborating with AI. Outcomes will enhance Australia's research capacity in creative technology, improve understanding of how machines use humour and manipulation in everyday life, and contribute to fields ranging from entertainment to social robotics. Field of research: 3604 - Performing Arts Machine-made humour is often laughably unsuccessful, and audiences, actors, and reviewers remain sceptical that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will ever be capable of creating and performing live comedy. If it were able to be humorous and learn this distinctly human trait, then machine-made comedy might alter our sense of humanity and increase acceptance of AI. This interdisciplinary project creates a series of prototypes that stage machine-made humour for live audiences, the ultimate test of their success. The prototypes focus on nonverbal humour, the foundation of comedy, related to staging, timing, tone, and surprise. This foundational approach to machine performance makes the research widely applicable to everyday interactions with computers and robots, maximising its impact. The project will create new methods and techniques in arts, entertainment, and interaction design through traditional academic outputs, and more broadly, through public presentations, and workshops. Humour is a challenging frontier in AI, and studying it as a performance offers potential new insights into initiating play, joy, mystery, and satisfaction in interaction, as well as an appreciation of deception, withholding, partiality, and coercion. Understanding these pleasures and perils of machine-made humour is critically important in the ‘post-truth’ era. This project offers urgent strategies for the public to practice sceptical viewing of machine-generated content.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Exploring the mystery of quark and lepton flavours Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Mesoscale Study of Ion Transport: Transforming Energy Storage. Ion transport in porous electrodes is the core process for energy storage and conversion, governing charge speed and capacity. During fast charging and discharging, ion transport becomes spatiotemporally heterogeneous, complicated by the electrode's structure. By integrating constant potential molecular simulations and numerical models, this project aims to investigate how electrode porous structures—considering across-scale factors such as nanopore size, number, and particularly their mesoscale connectivity—impact ion transport under fast operations. Outcomes include an enhanced understanding of electrode design, optimised energy storage performance, and a cost-effective digital tool for next-generation energy storage technologies. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Australia's renewable energy sector will play an important role in meeting our goal of net zero by 2050. However, utilisation of renewable energy still faces efficiency challenges. A major bottleneck is the lack of advanced energy storage technologies that are essential for balancing grid supply and power demand to maximise the use of renewables. Supercapacitors offer great promise for energy storage because of their long lifecycle and potential for rapid charging and release. Electrodes are the main component of supercapacitors, but, we do not know which porous structure will provide both high performance and cost-effectiveness (i.e., using less electrode materials). This project aims to design a highly efficient electrode porous structure for supercapacitors by developing physics-based numerical models complemented by experimental insights. This design approach will reduce device-testing costs, accelerate development, and achieve on-target/demand energy storage capability. The project has economic and environmental benefits for Australia. Our renewable energy sector contributed 29% of total electricity in 2022 and is projected to attract $76 billion in investment and create 600,000 jobs by 2030. It will support Australia’s transition to a sustainable future and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The resulting digital design tool will be showcased to industry and government stakeholders to accelerate its translation with industry partners.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Living memorials, art in dialogue. Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Slow emergencies, policy change, and hopeful futures for young people. This project aims to address the combined negative impacts of the ‘slow emergencies’ of climate change, artificial intelligence, and pandemics on young people in Australia. It generates new knowledge on how to respond to slow emergencies through education and youth policies, and on how participatory methods advance policy change. Expected outcomes include policy development through the co-design of solutions, and building youth agency via toolkits for schools and policy bodies. The project will enable significant benefits in enabling young people to be healthy and thriving instead of hopeless in facing the future. This has longer term benefits to Australia, including in protecting the environment and building a secure and resilient nation. Field of research: 4406 - Human Geography This project will i) build new knowledge on how the ‘slow emergencies’ of climate change, artificial intelligence, and pandemics are together affecting young people’s hope for the future; and ii) inform policy to address the resulting impacts on youth wellbeing. Slow emergencies are crises that are mostly imperceptible in everyday life and thus worsen due to insufficient policy action. However, there is concern these crises are particularly affecting Australian young people, with a 50% increase in mental health issues and rising suicide rates over the past 15 years. This project addresses critical gaps in knowledge and action by making the impacts of slow emergencies on young people more visible and actionable for policymakers. Through interviews, policy forums, and tools and outputs distributed across states and territories, the project will generate new knowledge and contribute to policy reform in addressing the impacts of slow emergencies. The project has social benefits in improving the wellbeing of young people, who are essential to Australian national priorities to protect the environment, transition to net zero, and build a secure and resilient nation that can manage the rapid development of artificial intelligence and future pandemics. Understanding and adoption of the research will be furthered through collaboration with policymakers, national engagement via policy briefs, and an online platform to support policy decision-making.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Unravelling The Mechanism Behind Neurovascular Communication. Neuronal function depends on precise communication with blood vessels to obtain oxygen and nutrients to produce energy. Although this is a concept generally utilised in neuroscience, how neurons and vessels communicate is a vital question that remains unsolved. This project will investigate whether neurons regulate the function of the recently discovered interpericyte tunnelling nanotubes, which are tubular structures that connect distal blood vessels, adjusting blood delivery. The expected outcomes include the generation of new knowledge using transgenic mice and imaging methods of the retina only available at the Univ of Melbourne. This project aims to help to establish the conceptual framework for studies on basic neurovascular function. Field of research: 3212 - Ophthalmology and Optometry Brain and retinal function depend on the precise delivery of oxygen and nutrients from the bloodstream. This is achieved by fine communication between neurons and blood vessels, which allows the delivery of the right amount of oxygen to every neuron. This physiological process is called neurovascular coupling. Although this is a concept generally utilized in neuroscience, how blood flow is delivered is a fundamental question that remains largely unsolved and very important for understanding how our brain and retina work. Accordingly, the main outcome of the proposed project will be the discovery of how neurons regulate the function of retinal microvessels , which is conceptually ground-breaking and will reinforce the position of Australia as a leader in neurovascular research. This project requires the use of advanced imaging techniques that our team has developed and is the only lab that successfully performs them in Australia. While this study purely focuses on answering basic physiological questions with no direct applications to human health, it may establish the conceptual framework for future studies on neurovascular communication, whose dysfunction affects 10.6 million people in Australia with an economic burden of more than $74 billion. In addition to publishing outcomes in highly prestigious scientific journals, our findings will be broadcast to non-scientific audiences through active engagement with relevant media channels.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Advancing stochastic optimisation: highly-correlated restless bandit models. This project will address a significant challenge in stochastic optimisation – the curse of dimensionality. The project plans to tackle this longstanding obstacle to the analysis of important real-life processes, from medical/transportation resource scheduling to satellite communications through new breakthroughs in the study of correlated restless bandit models. The expected outcomes include innovative techniques for solving such problems, as well as new knowledge and discoveries in relevant research fields. The anticipated benefits include making powerful methodologies accessible to the public to solve important problems in the areas of energy reduction, public health, and transportation. Field of research: 4901 - Applied Mathematics Random effects are everywhere. We can't predict with certainty what the traffic will be like on our way to work tomorrow, what next week's sales will be, or how many patients will arrive to our emergency department during the next shift. Despite this uncertainty, we need to make decisions about factors such as routes, purchase of stock and resource allocation. The study of how best to do this is known as stochastic optimisation. This project will add to our knowledge of a specific, but very important, class of stochastic optimisation problems known as restless bandit problems. It will develop methods for dealing with the uncertainty, complexity and size of modern systems in both the private and public spheres. The methods will serve as powerful tools that will benefit Australia economically, socially and culturally by improving the efficiency of service, management, access and control systems such as our healthcare, transportation and communication systems. The fundamental knowledge generated will enhance Australia's reputation in the field, seed further research and boost higher education. The investigators have existing industrial links through the OPTIMA Industrial Training Centre and other collaborations. We will promote the research outcomes of this project through these links and beyond through non-traditional outlets such as social media and The Random Sample podcast.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Unraveling metastasis-specific immune niches to transform cancer... Category: Medical Research