Flinders University

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

From Baskets to Boomerangs: Knowledges, Lifeways and Colonial Legacies. This project aims to transform our understanding of Australian Aboriginal lifeways by undertaking a comprehensive study of objects made from fibre and wood, from iconic boomerangs through to woven basketry. Although crucial to toolkits for millennia, systematic research about plant-based technologies has been limited, even though knowledge about their creation has been passed down across generations. This project, initiated by River Murray Traditional Owners, will employ innovative archaeological science techniques, explore colonial legacies and use creative engagement methods to provide new insights into the diversity of Aboriginal experiences and connect Traditional Owners with their material cultural heritage housed in museums. Field of research: 4501 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture, Language and History In contrast to studies of archaeological objects made from stone or bone, systematic studies of fibre and wood objects are rare, despite their crucial role in human life for millennia. From iconic boomerangs to woven baskets, the research will comprehensively study Indigenous Australian fibre and wood museum objects from the River Murray in South Australia. This project, initiated by Traditional Owners, will provide new evidence about Aboriginal ways of life and environments while archival research and interviews will explore unique histories and colonial legacies. The research will benefit Indigenous Australian community members through employment opportunities and privilege Aboriginal ways of knowing. The benefit to all Australians will come from a deeper understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal cultures, both past and present, and how they are connected. Enduring weaving and carving practices will be communicated via workshops, field work and ‘artist in residence’ programs, accompanied by broad distribution of all findings through public presentations and publications.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Tackling Crystal Methamphetamine Supply in Rural and Regional Australia. This project tackles one of the leading drug policy and organised crime issues in Australia, namely the increased availability of crystal methamphetamine (ice) in rural and regional communities. The first study of its kind nationally, it will use an innovative combination of qualitative and quantitative methods across six communities in three states to uncover how ice infiltrates regional communities, the drivers and mechanisms and impacts thereof. Expected outcomes include a roadmap to reduce supply and harms, strengthened communities and enhanced international collaborations. With ice use and supply costing the Australian government $5 billion per year, the project stands to provide significant social, public health and economic benefits. Field of research: 4402 - Criminology This project analyses one of the leading drug policy and organised crime issues in Australia, namely, the increased availability of crystal methamphetamine (ice) in rural and regional communities. The first of its kind nationally, the study aims to produce grounded and triangulated data about the mechanisms of ice supply to and within six communities across three states (South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria). Drawing from ethnography, interviews, surveys, and social network analyses, the outcomes will significantly advance criminological knowledge about the causes and impacts of ice supply (social, health and economic) on rural and regional communities and generate new insights relevant to the mitigation of ice supply and associated harms. As strategic applied research, the project aims to improve responses at local, state and federal levels to the ice problem for rural and regional Australia. With the annual Australian enforcement, health and lost productivity costs of ice use totalling more than $5 billion, the projected benefits of the research are far-reaching.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

The first English speakers in their own words. This project aims to produce the first comprehensive study of the attitudes in the earliest English literature. The project expects to generate new knowledge about the first English speakers, what issues mattered most to them and how broad the range of attitudes was. Expected outcomes of this project include new approaches to studying the past, enhanced international collaborations and a public access to the project's data through an open access digital resource. This should provide significant benefits in terms of our understanding of the past and how it shapes attitudes in contemporary Australia. Field of research: 4705 - Literary Studies This research represents the first major study of cultural attitudes in medieval English literature by developing new techniques to map direct expressions of opinion and new methodologies for studying the past. It will establish Australia's expertise in early English literature studies and drive future research by creating a publicly available digital resource. The study will benefit all Australians because, as a society of principally English speakers, it will transform our understanding of how the first English speakers perceived the world and reveal the issues that mattered most to them. ASIO’s Annual Threat Assessment assesses online activities as ‘the most concerning trend’ and medieval attitudes are known to be used online to drive extremism, so the study will also benefit all Australians as a resource to counter such misconceptions and promote greater social cohesion. It will also offer commercial and other content creators direct access to better data. The research will benefit effective contemporary communication as well as providing new insights into our past.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Benchmarking the neurophysiology of human cortex models in vitro. This project aims to improve human brain models in vitro by developing an analytical tool benchmarking biophysical similarities to the adult human cortex. This project expects to generate new knowledge by testing for the first time the theory that integrating sensory-like inputs and awake/sleep-like cycles of electrical activity in vitro may complete the maturation of human brain organoid models. It will also generate new methods to simplify the analysis of multimodal path-clamping data (Patch-seq). Expected outcomes will facilitate research collaboration and the reproducibility of accurate experimental replicates of the human brain. This will provide significant benefits in the global race to understand human brain computation mechanisms. Field of research: 3209 - Neurosciences "Understanding how the human brain functions is a significant global research challenge with immense potential to benefit the lives of millions of Australians. This project will fine tune the cultivation of stem cells outside the body to generate specific brain cells and tissues. New technologies will be developed to measure how well the bioengineered tissues match those in the adult human brain. Short-term benefits include commercialisation opportunities for the Australian biotech industry. Longer-term benefits to all Australians will come from using the tissues and technologies to: 1. better understand data processing principles in the human brain to inspire new computational approaches, 2. provide insights into brain damage resulting from genetic or environmental stress, 3. provide new approaches to understanding and improving mental health and well-being in Australians to decrease the currently high social and economic costs of lower personal well-being and work productivity, 4. enhance preclinical models to identify brain disorder treatments and improve the cost-efficiency of Australian clinical trials. "

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Transforming harvest surplus into nutritious meals for food relief. The project aims to transform currently wasted harvest surplus into nutritious shelf-stable plant-based products for the food-relief sector. It integrates novel social-enterprise models with advanced food manufacturing and bespoke training and volunteering opportunities for food insecure individuals, to facilitate their pathway out of food insecurity. In close collaboration with food relief supply-chain provider Foodbank SA and policymaker Green Industries SA, the project will tackle two major problems for Australia – food insecurity and food waste – through systems thinking and leveraging underused resources, while building collaborations across academia and multiple industry sectors. Field of research: 3506 - Marketing The project conducted in collaboration with Foodbank SA and Green Industries SA, will devise innovative social-enterprise models to transform currently wasted perishable fruit and vegetable surplus into shelf-stable nutritious plant-based products for >5.5M Australians who are food-insecure. The outcomes will offer solutions to two major problems for Australia: food waste (at farm gate and in supply chains), and food insecurity. We will develop and trial novel social enterprise models combining advanced manufacturing, distribution, and supply chains with bespoke training and volunteering programs to assist food-insecure people on a pathway out of poverty and food insecurity. Successful trials at Foodbank SA will immediately improve food quality at >600 charities it supplies, and the new model will be shared with Foodbank’s and Green Industries' networks, improving practice across Australia and beyond. Food-relief recipients – families in vulnerable situations – will immediately benefit through better nutrition and increased opportunities, which will bring longer-term social and health benefits for Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Veteran suicide: investigating the historical and social dimensions . This project aims to address veteran suicide by conducting an historical and cultural analysis of the ways government, the military and the community have understood, governed, and serviced veterans from 1914-present. This project will generate new knowledge, moving beyond orthodox medical and cultural assessments to explore wider historical, cultural and sociological relations of veteran suicide, including civil military relations, and the influence of the veteran sector and families and community. The project will develop an innovative survey that will form the foundation of a longitudinal social health and wellbeing dataset on veterans, and contribute to policy and service provision to reduce veteran suicide and improve their wellbeing. Field of research: 4410 - Sociology The Australian community have not been able to reduce veteran suicide incidents. This research supports the shift in the field of veteran wellbeing to a social health approach. The research uses historical, sociology and demographic methods to generate a long history of veteran suicide (1914-present). The research collects and analyses documentary evidence, life history interviews, as well as survey data. The research will provide a holistic picture of how veteran suicide has been conceived and addressed over time and will provide broad assessment of how effective disciplinary, policy and service provision models have worked. 80 sociological autopsies outline a life course approach which will contribute knowledge to policy and service provision. The data will be used to produce an innovative survey instrument for longitudinal data collection. The research draws heavily upon lived experience and has structures for co-design. The research analysis will be graphically and textually represented in novel ways that translate to policy and service provision. The interviews will form a web based testimonial site.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Hiding in Plain Sight: 'Associated Entities' and Australian Democracy. Associated Entities (AEs) are organisations that are formally linked to political parties. This project aims to examine how AEs interact with Australian democracy by investigating their impact on elections, the law, and party system dynamics. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the impact of these nearly 200 key political actors, with a particular focus on how they are able to elude significant scrutiny of their activities. Expected outcomes include a new typology of AEs, a new financial index to measure their impact, and proposals to improve their regulation. The key benefits generated include: a strengthened campaign finance regime, and enhanced transparency and integrity to Australia's democracy. Field of research: 4408 - Political Science The project examines the role and impact of 'associated entities', which are organisations either set up, run by or affiliated to political parties. To date, we have little clear evidence or direct research of their influence on Australian democracy. The project will produce public and academic outputs which set out (1) how associated entities might undermine electoral competition (2) set out strategies to improve their regulation (3) directly address public concerns about the links between political parties and their funding. Key regulators and other stakeholders have identified a range of cocnerns about gaps in the regulatory environment, and this project can directly inform efforts to strengthen the current system. Key social and economic benefits will flow from this research as Australia’s party finance regime can be strengthened. The project includes a key stakeholder forum (primarily representatives from the federal and state electoral commissions) to explore regulatory changes, and broker input in order to strengthen the link between citizens and political parties.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Coastal Bathymetry with Advanced Technologies (CoastBAT). This proposal will fund Coastal Bathymetry with Advanced Technologies (CoastBAT), a facility that will provide high resolution bathymetry in nearshore and inland waters, where information is currently limited due to high cost and/or difficult access by traditional surveying operations. The access to such information (and capability to monitor change) will unlock research opportunities in areas related to coastal sciences, while benefiting industry and training students in the use of the most up-to-date bathymetric surveying methods. This equipment facility represents a low-cost solution not currently available in other academic institutions in Australia and will facilitate collaborations across institutions nationally and internationally. Field of research: 3709 - Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience With Australia’s vast coastline and intensifying stresses on nearshore and freshwater systems, there is an urgent need to obtain reliable datasets to inform research and policy. The CoastBAT facility will provide bathymetric information in coastal areas that are normally out of reach to traditional surveying operations given high hydrodynamic energy, difficult access and/or cost of operation, affording Australian researchers access to information that is typically scarce, non-existent or at insufficient resolution. The data obtained will have important economic, social and cultural impacts as it will allow researchers to have a far better understanding of the drivers of coastal change, and provide Councils and State Government with science-based guidelines for adaptation and management response to sea level rise and climate change. This facility will also provide wider, important economic outcomes by providing information at the centimetre scale resolution that can be used to improve navigational safety and protect coastal infrastructure.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Materials for Sustainability Analysis Facility. This project aims to commission two instruments for characterising materials used in sustainable technologies: a state-of-the art photo-induced force microscopy and infrared spectroscopy system (PiF-IR) and a benchtop electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer. Neither of these critical instruments are currently available in South Australia. This project expects to introduce these capabilities to enhance diverse projects in sustainable materials. Expected outcomes include new discoveries in materials for solar cells, rechargeable batteries, sorbents for pollution control, and recyclable materials. Significant benefits are anticipated for fundamental material science with follow on benefits to industry and the environment. Field of research: 4004 - Chemical Engineering The two scientific instruments funded by this grant will enable the study of properties of newly developed materials used in renewable and sustainable technologies and support further refinement and improvement of the materials. The materials will be used in improved solar cells, flexible rechargeable batteries, and improved hydrogen production from renewable energy, impacting directly on renewable power generation and storage. It will also support improved sorbents for pollution control and the development of self-healing and recyclable materials. The applicants have an outstanding record of collaboration with industry partners who, equally, have a record of uptake of their research into their manufacturing activities, so the pathway to adoption of these materials to the benefit of Australia is clear.  The resulting improvements in renewable power generation, power storage and sustainable products will contribute directly to addressing two of the biggest issues of our time, environmental sustainability and climate change and, through it, improve the lives of all Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Beyond Inclusion: Belonging and Racial dignity for Africans in Australia . This project aims to investigate why Black Africans in Australia experience significant challenges of integration in comparison to other migrant groups. This issue of national concern, exacerbated by ongoing negative public and media discourse, has prompted calls for deportations of community members due to failed integration. Applying a unique and innovative Afrocentric methodology, this project expects to generate a new understanding of racial dignity as key to belonging for Black Africans in Australia. By linking racial dignity as core to integration and belonging, the project should expand cross-cultural understandings that may inform culturally appropriate practice approaches with members of this community. Field of research: 4409 - Social Work The recent trending #AfricanGangs social media hashtag intensified national debates in the media and parliament about 'failed multiculturalism', with some calling for Africans struggling to integrate within Australia to be deported. Despite African migrants reporting the highest cases of discrimination and exclusion in Australia, a pressing knowledge gap around 'what works' for this community remains, as evidenced by current limitations of cultural competency frameworks. The project addresses this knowledge-to-practice gap by identifying significant African practices that foster wellbeing, resilience and dignity, such as music, food and storytelling. This knowledge, drawn directly from the African community, will be used to develop a tailored, culturally appropriate practice framework for services supporting them. A highly collaborative approach will ensure the framework's adoption and application by relevant human service organisations. Tailored services for vulnerable communities such as the African community will lead to better health, social, cultural and economic outcomes and consequently increase their overall contribution to Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

A genomic toolkit to future-proof the seaweed industry. This project will combine genomics, artificial intelligence and experimental ecology to develop guidelines and technologies that maximise the growth and resilience of key seaweed species for aquaculture. Industrial seaweed production is growing rapidly and is expected to supply 1000s of jobs to regional Australia and 10% to the nation’s emissions reduction target by 2040. Expected outcomes of this project include a genomics-based regulatory framework and hatchery tools that support rapid industry growth and minimise biosecurity and climate change risks. This will benefit government, aquaculture, and ecosystem management by improving design, assessment and implementation options for sustainable and productive use of Australian seaweeds. Field of research: 3005 - Fisheries Sciences Industrial seaweed production is growing rapidly in Australia, for food, materials, agricultural feed, and restoration. At the same time, southern Australian waters are warming three times faster than the global average, causing the loss of seaweeds and ecosystem services valued at ~$1M per km of coastline per year. This project will provide government and the aquaculture industry with the first genomics-based regulatory framework to guide productive and climate-resilient seaweed farms. This framework will translate genomic research and statistical modelling into an interactive, easy-to-use guide, co-developed with end users. It will enable users to include genomic data in the design, assessment and implementation of seaweed projects, encouraging the sustainable and productive use of Australian seaweeds and accelerating success in this rapidly growing industry. These tools will also provide scalable, sustainable restoration solutions to bolster natural marine ecosystems and securing ecosystem services provided by kelp forests experiencing widespread climate change impacts.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Pair bonding: is it all in the brain? This project aims to understand the interaction between classic pair bonding neural circuits, parasites, and the immune system in sleepy lizards. Social bonds are a cornerstone of human societies, especially true of the pair bond and this project expects to generate knowledge to help understand why healthy adult pair bonds are the single best predictor of longevity in humans. The expected outcomes of this project are to reveal the mechanistic basis of pair bonding by identifying the brain regions, cell types and neurochemicals that promote pair bonding behaviour — for the first time in a wild animal. This project should provide significant benefits by increasing our knowledge of how pair bonds promote wellness. Field of research: 3103 - Ecology Social bonds are a cornerstone of human societies, especially true of the pair bond and this project expects to generate knowledge to help understand why healthy adult pair bonds are the single best predictor of longevity in humans. The expected outcomes of this project are to reveal the mechanistic basis of pair bonding by identifying the brain regions, cell types and neurochemicals that promote pair bonding behaviour — for the first time in a wild animal. This project should provide significant benefits by increasing our knowledge of how pair bonds promote wellness. This project will use, as its model, a well-studied lizard system where individuals form monogamous bonds, to investigate the interaction between candidate factors, the immune system, the brain, and parasites. The project benefits Australians by aiding in the management of our wildlife and informing the understanding of how enduring relationships help human wellbeing, especially for those experiencing social isolation. Project outcomes will be communicated to conservation groups and the public via articles in magazines, media interviews, and social media.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Submerged cultural landscapes and the underwater heritage of Sea Country. This project aims to substantially extend our knowledge of the vast but poorly characterised submerged cultural landscapes on the Australian continental shelf, which remains one of the critical gaps in Australian archaeology. Original fieldwork will target locations in Western Australia and the Northern Territory to enrich and contextualise the submerged archaeological record within the broader discourse. The project will combine archaeology, marine science and Indigenous knowledge to enhance our understanding of Pleistocene and early Holocene human-environment dynamics. Research will be undertaken in partnership with Traditional Owners and will support a national policy for the protection of Indigenous underwater cultural heritage. Field of research: 4301 - Archaeology Two million square kilometres of Australia’s past cultural landscapes were drowned by rising sea levels after the last ice age. This project will focus on a critical gap in the study of Australia's deep past: the submerged cultural heritage of Australia's continental shelf. The first Australians lived in this landscape before the continental shelf was drowned to separate Australia from New Guinea. This fragile Indigenous archaeological heritage is under-studied and under increasing risk thanks to impacts such as offshore development and climate change. This research will substantially improve the study of Australia’s submerged heritage. The outcomes of the project will align with the national trajectory for Australia to ratify the UNESCO Convention on the protection of underwater cultural heritage, advance discussions on Indigenous cultural heritage under water, impacting management, industry, research and local communities around Australia. Research will be undertaken in partnership with Traditional Owners and will support a national policy for the protection of Indigenous underwater cultural heritage.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Solar-Driven C-H Functionalization Reactions. This project aims to investigate the functionalization reaction of unreactive C-H bonds using light as the source of energy. Light is a transformative change to synthesis as thermal activation is exchanged to solar activation. The latter gives access to excited state chemistry and enables reaction steps that are thermally inaccessible. It is a key strategy to leverage synthesis to the demands of the 21st century and to minimise its ecologic footprint. At the same time this strategy provides a lever to profoundly impact and drive new concepts in synthesis. Significant benefits are expected, such as increase in fundamental knowledge on photochemical processes, but also the access to new materials for applications as drugs or OLEDs. Field of research: 3405 - Organic Chemistry This project will investigate new methods for making organic small molecules for applications as diverse as pharmaceutical products and light emitting organic materials (OLEDS) used in TV sets around the world. The synthesis of such small molecules currently requires energy-demanding thermal processes based on fossil fuels and the use of lengthy sequential synthesis steps, which add to costs and wastes. The research aims to use sunlight as a renewable energy source to synthesise small organic molecules in a new more economic and environmentally benign way. The research will benefit Australia through the commercialisation of the intellectual property (IP) generated, which will be actively pursued through communication of the new IP to the Australian chemical and pharmaceutical industry by the researchers and the University’s commercialisation team for implementation by Australian companies to reduce both costs and wastes normally associated with the production of these materials. This work will therefore benefit both the Australian economy and our environment.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Investigating the archaeological values of Marra cultural heritage sites. This project aims to investigate the archaeological landscape of Limmen National Park, the traditional Country of the Marra people, and to inform the creation of a cultural heritage management plan. It builds on a long-standing relationship with the Marra and the urgency to preserve their cultural knowledge associated with the Park. The project will use a two-way thinking methodology, combining contemporary Aboriginal knowledge with archaeological and anthropological data to understand the meaning of the archaeological record for Aboriginal people today. Key outcomes include data for continent-wide archaeological narratives, a holistic blueprint to help manage the Park’s cultural heritage, and an archive for Traditional Owner research. Field of research: 4501 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture, Language and History This research will raise awareness of the rich archaeological and Aboriginal history in one of Australia’s most remote National Parks. The research will add a new layer to the story of Australia’s past and provide new insights into the relationship between cultural heritage and Indigenous health and well-being. Project results will generate benefits for the Northern Territory tourism industry and contribute to national conversations around how best to manage Australia’s cultural heritage and history in remote areas. The project’s social benefits include promoting Indigenous connection with their cultural heritage and helping facilitate cultural education programs in remote areas. By collaborating with Traditional Owners and the Park’s managers, the project also seeks to build employment pathways for younger generations to work in the nation’s National Park system.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Safe and accessible care for older survivors of psychological trauma. This project aims to improve the safety and accessibility of community aged care services for older survivors of psychological trauma, particularly those from diverse populations. We will co-design and test a practice framework that transforms the conceptual principles of trauma-informed care into actionable care behaviours and processes for implementation. Outcomes will include a world-first roadmap to guide implementation of trauma-informed aged care, as well for policy makers to regulate and monitor its delivery. The project will also increase knowledge about the priorities for change within aged care from the perspective of older trauma survivors, and improve understanding of how best to engage this group in co-design. Field of research: 4205 - Nursing Community aged care services provide older people with support to live well and avoid hospitalisation, premature entry into residential aged care, and other outcomes with major associated public costs. However, research demonstrates that people who have survived psychologically traumatic events, commonly from diverse groups including veterans, migrants, and Care Leavers, delay or avoid accessing aged care for fear of re-traumatisation. The recent Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommended implementation of trauma-informed models of care into aged care, but providers and policy makers lack tools and expertise to guide them. Working together with older trauma survivors, aged care providers, and policy-makers, we will co-design and test a Framework to support the sector to implement and monitor the delivery of trauma-informed care. By supporting the aged care sector to deliver safe, suitable, and accessible care, this project will promote early access to effective care for marginalised older Australians, promote quality of care delivery, and reduce the risk of costly adverse outcomes.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

How do protein quality control mechanisms maintain neuronal ageing? This project aims to interrogate how mechanisms of protein quality control act in the brain - an organ that is particularly vulnerable to a high load of misfolded protein - to maintain normal physiology during ageing. This project expects to make advances in cellular biochemistry and neuroscience, using an innovative proximity labelling approach to identify quality control regulators in neurons that specifically engage with misfolded proteins during ageing, within the nervous system of a living animal. Expected outcomes of this project will generate new knowledge of brain physiology and ageing relevant to all animals. This should provide significant benefits, such as a greater understanding of long-term brain functions including memory. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology This Project addresses a fundamental question in biology – what is the basis of brain ageing at a molecular level? Research outcomes will provide a greater understanding of the natural process of ageing: specifically, how biochemical pathways in ageing brains fundamentally differ from other tissues. Australia’s population has one of the highest life expectancies worldwide (#6 in 2015), and ageing in a productive way is of utmost importance to individual and population health. Insights into the molecular basis of protein quality control in the brain is essential to enhance the maintenance of brain functions and increase the social/economic contributions of ageing Australians. This research also creates the opportunity to place Australia at the cutting-edge of neuroscience research at its most exciting time, through the development of innovative technologies and providing training to the next generation of young scientists. Lastly, this work will promote the global standing of Australian basic research through collaborations, presentations at international scientific meetings and science outreach.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

The Devonian Gogo Fauna: Diversity, Palaeoecology and Global Significance. The late Devonian Gogo Formation (380 million years old) is undoubtedly one of the richest and best-preserved assemblages of fossil fishes and invertebrates from this age anywhere on Earth. This project will use CT scanning for stomach contents, plus use biomechanical and morphometric analyses to reconstruct tropic relationships of reef-dwelling organisms and test the resilience of the reef ecosystem. Several new species will be published and the heritage significance of the site will be assessed. Working with local indigenous stakeholders, the scientific findings will feed into developing a long-term management plan to protect and conserve the site for future research work and to grow tourism in the region. Field of research: 0602 - Ecology The Gogo Fossil sites are known as the best preserved Devonian fossil fishes and crustaceans in the world. This project will provide the first detailed models of the complex ecology of the site, with several new unknown species described to be incorporated into the ecological modelling, plus new documentation of the sites faunal diversity. The site faces an uncertain future with current proposals to build a dam on the Fitzroy River, so there is an urgency to get research completed. The site is on Gooniyandi land, so we aim to work with local land-owners to combine the detailed scientific significance of the site with local indigenous knowledge to develop a long-term management plan for protection of the site and to conceptualise future tourism ideas. The national benefits are thus in building new cultural assets, managing our most significant heritage sites, input to future potential UNESCO World Heritage proposals, and developing tourism, jobs, educational programs through collaboration with local first nations peoples.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Defining how gut bacteria regulate metabolism: a role for gut serotonin. This project aims to understand how serotonin-producing cells in the gut interact with gut bacteria (the microbiome), using a combination of cells in culture and live germ-free and genetically modified mice. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding cellular interactions that underlie important physiological pathways, such as the control of blood glucose and fat storage. The intended outcomes of this project are to identify how gut bacteria communicate with serotonin-producing cells to regulate metabolism, and whether diet acts via a gut microbiome-serotonin axis to impact physiology. The expected benefit of this project will be to provide a new understanding of highly complex physiological systems that regulate our health. Field of research: 1116 - Medical Physiology This project aims to benefit the health and wellbeing of Australians. In Australia, 67% of Australian adults (12.5 million people) and almost 25% of children are overweight or obese. These statistics provide a concerning projection for the likely rise in obesity-related metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, and continued reliance on schemes such as the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS). Currently, 170 people a day are registered with the NDSS, at an increasing cost to the economy, with an estimated $14.6 billion spent in 2010 on direct diabetes-related costs. The outcomes of this project aim to provide new approaches to regulating blood glucose control for metabolic disorders such as diabetes, to improve the quality of life for Australians and reduce the economic burden for Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Prospecting for Australia's Submerged Landscapes through Machine Learning. This project aims to apply machine learning to image-based seabed surveys to prospect for submerged Aboriginal archaeological sites, beginning with both of Australia’s only known sites. This will be the first attempt globally to develop a technique to pinpoint potential archaeological material within large area surveys, tagging features which can then be tested through scientific diving. Expected outcomes are workflows that pair machine learning algorithms, marine robotics and scientific diving to greatly enhance prospecting efficiency. This will enhance knowledge and benefit management of these resources on Australia’s continental shelf and beyond, reducing the impacts of offshore industry on cultural heritage. Field of research: 2101 - Archaeology This project will develop tools to locate submerged archaeological sites across the Australian continental shelf in a much more efficient and cost-effective manner than previously possible. Australia has long recognised the importance of Indigenous archaeological sites, but global research has increasingly highlighted that sea levels were lower by up to 130 metres for most of the 65,000 year occupation of this continent. Discovery of submerged archaeological sites in Western Australia in 2019 confirms that such sites can survive the process of inundation. As Australia recognises the existence of Aboriginal lands offshore and moves towards ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001) there is an urgent need to locate, understand and protect these sites from natural and human impacts. This project combines established techniques from other disciplines to offer new and innovative solutions to enhance archaeological prospecting techniques through machine learning, which will support heritage management and sustainable marine industry at a large scale.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Impacts of changing water ownership and reforms on Australian water markets. Water markets play a critical role in helping Australia’s food bowl survive periods of severe drought. This project aims to evaluate how the Murray-Darling Basin water markets performed, in terms of the impact of water ownership, and investigate how water reforms have affected rural communities over the past two decades. Expected outcomes include a clearer understanding on how different water ownership structures impact price and price volatility of water, market power, economic welfare of water traders, and what social and economic impacts water reforms in the past decades have in the Basin. The findings will provide critical evidence for evaluating future water reforms, building resilient rural communities and safeguarding food security. Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics The complex nature of water as a commodity, and the need for collective action in reallocation, highlight the difficulty of policy development and implementation. Cost-effective and efficient water reallocation in the Murray-Darling Basin has been one of the most politically contentious questions in Australia in recent decades and will be one in the foreseeable future. When climate change increases water scarcity, water market may become even more important. This project’s findings will provide valuable insights on if/how bargaining power is affected by participant characteristics, and assist policies in improving market mechanism and efficiency. Findings from this project will provide empirical evidence for successful cost-effective water reform policies. Enhancing the welfare of Murray-Darling Basin rural communities through investigating the water reform consequences is crucial, which safeguards Australia’s food security. Lastly research insights of this project will have great relevance for many water practitioners, in Australia and internationally, generating considerable social benefits for the nation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Warratyi: Cultural Innovation in the Indigenous Settlement of Australia. This project aims to determine the role of cultural innovation in the Indigenous settlement of Australia's arid zone 50,000 years ago. Using innovative methods, it will produce new data on key technologies, symbolic behaviours and human interactions with animals and environment to identify the cultural innovations needed to overcome the challenges of Australia's deserts. Expected outcomes include new understandings of the settlement of the arid zone to inform global debates relating to the dispersal, settlement and lifestyles of early humans in marginal environments. Expected benefits include new information for cultural tourism and education and to support South Australia’s World Heritage nomination for the Flinders Ranges. Field of research: 2101 - Archaeology This project will provide new insights into how cultural innovations, symbolic behaviours and technological sophistication brought about the Indigenous settlement and occupation of Australia's arid zone. It will document Indigenous responses to climatic and environmental changes at the site of Warratyi in the Northern Flinders Ranges, excavated and dated to 49,000 years ago, and assess how this relates to the early occupation of the arid zone. Working collaboratively with the Adnyamathanha, the research adopts the methodological innovation of braiding Western and Indigenous science to ensure that understandings of Warratyi’s exceptional archaeological record are as nuanced and wide ranging as possible. Bridging the sciences and the humanities, this low-risk research will enhance scholarly and public understandings of how Indigenous cultural and technological innovations shaped the human past in Australia, enable better decision-making around cultural heritage assessments, and contribute directly to Australia's plans for a World Heritage nomination of the area that includes Warratyi in South Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Molecular control of memory traces. This project aims to understand how particular molecules help encode memories in the brain for future retrieval. Individual memories are encoded in brain cells through an unknown physical process. This project uses innovative approaches to manipulate memory-containing cells and will provide a new detailed explanation of memory. Outcomes of this work will significantly advance the current understanding of how memories are physically generated and maintained, which is an essential component of human and animal life. This research provides significant benefits in understanding the biology behind memory and in maintaining memory capacity in ageing. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Aging in a productive way is of utmost importance to individual and population health. Maintaining memory is crucial for healthy aging. This project will address a fundamental question – how memory traces are encoded and maintained in the brain at the molecular level. This work will provide a deeper understanding of mammalian memory and thus will result in improved knowledge to maintain cognitive capacity in ageing. Furthermore, these insights will impact on brain performance and will help increase social and economic contribution of ageing Australians. Most human activities are based on memory of previous experiences. Understanding such an essential brain function as memory has wider implications beyond health, for example in education and information technology.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Circadian photoreceptor sensitivity and impacts of modern lighting on sleep. Light has powerful non-visual effects, including effects on sleep. These non-visual effects are mediated by cells in the eye that are most sensitive to blue light. There are large individual differences in sensitivity to non-visual effects of light that are not understood and that would give great insight into suboptimal sleep, which has become widespread in modern society. This study will be the first systematic examination of individual differences in the effect of blue light on sleep and will uncover how alterations in the gene responsible for the effects of blue light on sleep (OPN4) contribute to these differences. This will lead to scalable individualised solutions to the unmet problem of how modern light environments impact sleep. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology Light has powerful effects on sleep. The move to energy-efficient LED lighting is occurring world-wide, with little systematic study of its effect on human physiology, resulting in unwanted negative effects on sleep. Australia's transition to LEDs has resulted in national savings of an estimated $5.5 billion per year. Current LED systems, however, do not take human biology into account and contribute to inadequate sleep (costing the Australian economy $26 billion per year), workplace accidents (costing the Australian economy $61 billion per year), and incalculable costs to general health. Our recent research shows that some people are much more sensitive to the effects of light than others, but we do not know the biological reasons or the real-world impacts. Our team is ideally positioned to understand mechanisms for individual differences in the impact of modern lighting on sleep. Our project will provide a mechanistic understanding of light sensitivity and will lead to scalable solutions for measuring light sensitivity and ultimately improving the way we light our homes and businesses.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Quantifying trophic niches to measure the resilience of marine predators. This project aims to pair global movement with feeding ecology datasets to characterise relationships between space use and diet breadth, and tests the effects of marine industries on functional roles of marine predators. This expects to generate knowledge about population and individual specalisation using innovative biochemical approaches and shark’s unique dental anatomy. Expected outcomes include a biochemical database facilitating global collaborations, and a vulnerability scale to rank resilience to impacts based on relative specalisation. This should benefit managers by accounting for previously unknown effects of marine industries on specialists at elevated extinction risk, with limited resilience to local impacts and global change. Field of research: 0602 - Ecology Australia’s growing marine-based economy, estimated to be worth ~$100 billion/year by 2025, must balance recreational and industry use with maintenance of a functional marine ecosystem and animal conservation. Wildlife with specialised diets and small home ranges are at heightened risk of extinction, potentially unable to adapt to impacts from disruptive industries. This project will identify biochemistry to better define the food sources and distributions of sharks and rays, and then test, through advanced tracking approaches, the impact of different marine-based economies on one of the world’s most threatened group of species. The effects of industrial developments, wildlife tourism, waste disposal, and aquaculture facilities on sharks and rays will be tested through case studies in five sites throughout Australia. This project is of national interest because it directly addresses the need to understand and manage the health of our unique and extraordinary marine ecosystems in which many endangered sharks and rays continue to decline.