Flinders University

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Controlling nano-carbon complexity and function. The project aims to develop versatile continuous flow thin film microfluidic device technology incorporating different external fields, including innovative magnetic or electric fields coupled with pulsed lasers, for gaining access to novel nano-carbon material for which current methods are ineffective or of limited utility. The technology will allow exquisite control, with real time monitoring, on reforming of carbon into functional material with tunable properties, along with the self assembly of nano-carbon, and fabricating composites of nano-carbon material. Understanding their fundamental properties including photoluminescence will be targeted, for leveraging the properties in applications to generate new processes and products. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology Continuous flow thin film processing technology using an in-house developed vortex fluidic device (VFD) coupled with different alternating and static external fields (including electric, magnetic, lasers) will provide ready access to well defined novel nanocarbon materials for a diverse range of applications. The integrated VFD-external field processing will allow exquisite control for fabricating nanocarbon material, not possible using conventional batch processing. The technology has in-built strategies for de-risking scale up, and low capital and small footprint, while minimising environmental impact. These are attractive to industry and implementing such processing will maximise Australia’s competitive advantage in advanced manufacturing for high value added nanocarbon materials, while opening new processing opportunities. This will be an integral part in positioning Australia for replacing toxic and depleting metals with nanocarbon in device technology, while providing high level training in an innovative multidisciplinary research environment, and capturing the imagination of the community.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Modular Vortex Fluidic Mediated Molecular Transformations. The project aims to develop the use of electric and magnetic fields to control chemical and biochemical reactions in high shear thin films under readily scalable continuous flow conditions to then be able to precisely build complex functional molecules. Depending on the orientation, strength and frequency of external electric and magnetic fields, and novel shear stress induced electric fields in solution, rates of reactions can be enhanced, with higher yields and tunable selectivity, and reduced waste and energy usage, which is not possible using traditional batch processing. This will be translated into molecular assembly line processing and the development of a new synthetic toolbox, with applications in preparing pharmaceuticals. Field of research: 0305 - Organic Chemistry The proposed research focuses on continuous flow processing using the versatile vortex fluidic device (VFD) in the presence of different fields (electric and magnetic), with a design strategy which dramatically de-risks scaling up in translating the new knowledge into downstream applications. VFD processing is significantly less expensive relative to traditional batch processing, has a smaller footprint and lower environmental impact (lower waste generation and energy usage), with just in time safer processing capabilities. These sustainability (green chemistry) metrics capture the imagination and support from the wider community. They are attractive to industry and implementing VFD processing will maximise Australia’s competitive advantage in advanced manufacturing for new industries. In addition, the multidisciplinary research will promote an innovative research culture, in linking chemistry, biochemistry, engineering and fluid dynamics, in precisely building functional molecules, for applications in a number of areas, including drug discovery and synthesis, while providing high level research training.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

How utopian thinking influences political engagement. There is evidence of growing political apathy in many countries. Yet, political disengagement is a serious problem for processes of democracy and the adaptiveness of society. This project draws on recent theorising within the psychological sciences to investigate the role of prospection - the creative imagining of ideal worlds ('utopian thinking') - as a key driver of political engagement. The project will test whether and how utopian thinking stimulates a questioning of the status quo, moral engagement, and the formation of new groups to address social change: outcomes critical for a society to adapt and advance. Educators, government and non-government organisations can draw on project findings to re-engage a disaffected populace. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology The past decade has witnessed continued and worsening disadvantage experienced by Indigenous Australians, alongside widespread environmental degradation and global human suffering. Addressing these challenges requires Australians to adapt, reform, and change. Our democratic institutions are arguably designed to afford us this ability, but democracy requires a politically engaged and informed citizenry. Adaptation requires people who tolerate, support and initiate social change. We draw on cutting-edge social psychological theory and methods to test the role of utopian thinking – that is, prospection about an ideal, positive future – in motivating political engagement with issues of racial and global equality, and environmental justice. Project findings can be used by educators, government, community and non-governmental organisations as part of their efforts to connect to, and engage with, citizens about pressing social issues.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Engineered plant receptors as orthogonal neuronal switches. This project aims to develop synthetic biology methods to study brain function by utilising engineered plant receptors. This project will expand our ability to manipulate nerve cell function with high specificity and without side effects in freely behaving animals. Plant receptors will be developed into molecular tools in an iterative process that improves key properties using rational protein design. Expected outcomes include innovative and broadly-applicable neuroscience methods and an understanding of receptors involved in plant growth and defense. Benefits of this project include an enhanced capacity to generate knowledge, multidisciplinary training opportunities and patentable synthetic biology technologies. Field of research: 1109 - Neurosciences The national benefits of this project include: 1. Generation of new molecular technologies for studying and engineering living cells; these technologies will be patentable inventions and have global applicability; 2. A deeper understanding of proteins that are involved in the defence and growth of plants, including of plants that are important to Australian agriculture; 3. A basis for international partnerships based on the future global interest in the use of new Australian technologies; 4. A unique opportunity to educate a next generation of broadly-trained and open-minded scientists in the rapidly growing and multidispliplinary field of synthetic biology.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Snake fangs: insights into evolution, palaeoclimate and biodesign . This project aims to generate unprecedented insights into the fangs of venomous snakes, focusing on elapids (taipans, tiger snakes etc). We will examine fang shape diversity, correlation with behavior and ecology, evolutionary history, and biomechanical properties. Data will be collected using cutting-edge micro-CT technology and analysed using 3D geometric morphometrics, computer simulations, and advanced phylogenetic techniques. This should greatly improve understanding of the evolution of venom fangs in all snakes. Other benefits include a large 3D reference database allowing identification of fossil fangs, with applications for studies of past climates, and a characterisation of fang biomechanics, relevant to biodesign and biomimicry. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology Australia is (in)famous for its diversity and abundance of venomous snakes. This project will harness our uniquely diverse venomous snake fauna to greatly improve our understanding of the diversity of snake fangs, and reveal how their shape has driven the evolutionary success of snakes. A correlation between fang shape and taxonomy will allow accurate identification of snake species in the fossil record from isolated fangs, releasing a valuable and untapped source of biodiversity data that improve estimates of palaeoclimates and climate change. The study will also biomechanically evaluate novel structures found in snake fangs, with potential applications in biodesign, like micro-needles, an important area of research in medical engineering. Finally, it will improve public appreciation of one of Australia’s most diverse, ecologically and medically important animal groups.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Australia's key role in the evolution of songbirds. This project aims to provide novel insights into the evolutionary history of songbirds, which originated in Australia and now make up over half of the world's birds. The project will combine fossil, morphological, and genomic data to describe early songbird diversity in Australia, reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of fossil species, estimate the timescale of their diversification, and resolve the timing and nature of key evolutionary changes in songbirds. The project is expected to produce critical new fossil evidence and to strengthen international and multidisciplinary collaborations. Expected outcomes include significant advances in our understanding of a major component of the Australian and global fauna. Field of research: 0403 - Geology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Can parasites cause host population divergence? . Parasites have been proposed to be drivers of population divergence, and ultimately speciation, yet the dynamics of this process are not well understood. This project will utilise new genomic techniques, novel hybrid zone analyses, and data on mate choice, to investigate the hypothesis that parasites drive population divergence through an interaction with immune response genes in the sleepy lizard Tiliqua rugosa. This species provides an unprecedented system, backed by 37 years of long term host-parasite and behavioural data, and recent genetic analyses. This project intends to produce significant data to allow an examination of the early stages of host-parasite evolution in action, providing novel insights into the speciation process. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics Parasites are predicted to change their distributions under climate change. Some parasites may increase their ranges and the incidences of infectious disease may rise. The consequences to wildlife, agriculturally important species, and also humans, is unclear. Understanding how parasites may drive host population divergence of immune genes in this well studied lizard system can provide a crucial window onto the early stages of evolutionary divergence and how species may adapt to parasites, and hence inform our understanding of what effects the movement of parasites might have in a wider context. To improve predictions and responses to climate change it is imperative that we deepen our understanding of mechanistic factors involved. This project will bring together a team of Australian and international researchers to help develop the next generation of scientists in Australia to take on the challenges to our wildlife, agriculture and human health that lie ahead.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

The Origins of Live Performance Subsidy in Australia, 1949—1975. This project aims to investigate the origins of live performance subsidy in Australia between 1949 and 1975, through the case study of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust. Its significance lies in challenging the accepted narrative that all Australian arts funding began with the Whitlam government. Expected outcomes of the project include scholarly publications and a policy paper, as well as public outputs such as a collection of digitised theatre scripts, staged reading performances and a podcast series. Through an enhanced understanding the pre-history of live performance subsidy in Australia, the project’s potential benefits include a reconfigured perspective on cultural history that strengthens the model of Australian arts funding. Field of research: 1904 - Performing Arts and Creative Writing

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

'There's no place like home': optimising the home environment to age well. This project aims to create new knowledge and digital tools for older people to be able to assess their home for access and safety, and arrange modifications enabling them to remain in their own home for as long as possible. Most older people wish to remain in their own home but often require home modifications in order to do so, which are traditionally prescribed by occupational therapists. The expected outcome of this project includes new digital tools which will enable optimal adaptation of the home environment. This should provide significant social benefits, such as increased safety, independence and support for older people to remain at home, and economic benefits from a reduced need for residential aged care or health services. Field of research: 1117 - Public Health and Health Services

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Brains frozen in time: vertebrate neural adaptations to invading land . The evolution of terrestrial animals from fish was one of the most significant events in our evolution, yet little is known about how the brain evolved during this transition. This project aims to investigate the major novelties acquired in the evolution of the early vertebrate brain in order to determine the functional reasons for such changes, as well as identifying the timing and environmental factors driving such changes. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the anatomy of the vertebrate brain with improved methods for reconstructing fossil brains to better understand our own neurological evolution. Expected outcomes include enhanced institutional collaborations within Australia, and between Australia, Canada and the USA. Field of research: 0602 - Ecology This research contributes towards better understanding of Australia's and Antarctica's natural environment through novel interpretation of its palaeontological resources. Fossils housed in Australian Museum and University collections at the WA Museum, Museum Victoria, Queensland Museum,Australian Museum and ANU Geological collections are valuable resources owned by the Australian public. New studies of these fossils will add new information to aid interpreting the past environments that these organisms inhabited, and enhance understanding of the geology of these formations. Such research contributes new data that can be of value to exploration for mineral and hydrocarbon resources. The East Gondwana Province, that existed when these fishes lived, spans across Australia and Antarctica, so the study of these fossils contributes to the better interpretation and correlation of geological strata across the continents. Enriching knowledge of these attractive fossils makes them more appealing for museum exhibitions, adding cultural value to our public museum's collections.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Effect of faults and barriers on groundwater flow and solute transport. This project will address the role of faults and dykes on groundwater flow and solute transport. Faults and dykes can act as barriers to groundwater flow, yet faults can also be conduits for flow through otherwise impermeable layers. Understanding their role is critical to assessing the impacts of mining, unconventional gas and water resource developments. This project expects to develop new methods to quantify groundwater flow through and along faults and dykes by combining geological, hydraulic and geochemical approaches with detailed 3D numerical models. The expected outcome will be an improved understanding of the role of faults and barriers in subsurface hydrology, and an improved ability to model complex groundwater systems. Field of research: 0406 - Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Problematic interactions between autistic adults and the justice system. This project aims to highlight how autistic adults may fall foul of the law due to a diminished ability to recognise subtle cues in social interactions that should warn of unfolding criminal activity or deteriorating relationships with justice system personnel. Autism Spectrum Disorder has unique characteristics that may lead to unwitting involvement in crime and problematic interactions with the justice system. This project expects to unveil innovative research paradigms, establish a knowledge base for police and the courts, and assist in developing guidelines for remediating misunderstandings that contribute to problematic interactions with the justice system. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Property as habitat: reintegrating place, people, and law. This project aims to produce an original account of property law that will connect it to place and human relationships. Property is at the centre of contemporary social life and law, yet it is often separated in legal scholarship from the human and natural worlds it structures. Using innovative analytical techniques and a grounded consideration of the functions and effects of property, the objective of the project is to produce an understanding of property as habitat that is both sensitive to place and adapted to social conditions. Expected benefits include a responsive understanding of property that is better able to address the challenges of Australian society into the future. Field of research: 1801 - Law

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

The evolutionary potential of fragmented and declining populations. This project aims to integrate adaptive genomic and epigenomic information from wild, captive and reintroduced populations to identify evolutionary potential across different life-histories and levels of habitat fragmentation. The project will capitalise on knowledge and genomic resources for Australian freshwater fishes, including a natural experiment of evolution. It is expected that the project will address fundamental and applied questions about the adaptive capacity of populations in their natural environment. The outcomes of the project will help evaluate and improve local and ecosystem-level initiatives towards the sustainable management of aquatic biodiversity impacted by human activities. The project will also inform on management of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Sound discrimination in embryos affects lifetime fitness. This project aims to investigate the role of prenatal sound discrimination on postnatal vocal learning and foraging breadth. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of neuroscience and psychology using an innovative approach to measure how embryos learn, and determine effects of prenatal vocal experience on the repertoire of postnatal behaviour. Expected outcomes include understanding biological mechanisms for effective learning across life stages that would be useful to develop novel approaches for non-invasive monitoring of embryonic cognition. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Literacy Instruction for Children with Autism. There is a social and economic imperative to assist all individuals to reach their full potential with regard to literacy skills. The central goal of the proposed research is to develop and evaluate new ways to support comprehensive literacy instruction for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Following our world-first pilot research, we will investigate the efficacy of the ABRACADABRA literacy instruction program delivered in small groups of children with ASD supplemented by a novel parent-child shared book reading program. Immediate outcomes extend beyond advances in the science of reading to upskilling parents and professionals who support children with ASD, and provision of tangible life-long benefits for individuals with ASD. Field of research: 1303 - Specialist Studies In Education

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Fisheries genomics of snapper in Australia and New Zealand Waters. This industry-driven project aims to assemble a strategic research alliance to generate and apply knowledge to a highly significant fisheries resource. It involves collaboration between the five major state government fisheries agencies in Australia, the New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute for seafood and two Australian labs with leadership in fish genetics and genomics. It expects to generate and integrate genomic, environmental and phenotypic datasets for snapper populations from across vast coastal regions of the two countries. The outcomes should substantially enhance intra- and inter-jurisdictional fisheries management and aquaculture initiatives, providing commercial, social and environmental benefits for many stakeholders. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Social exclusion in adolescence: risks, assets, experiences and policy action. This project aims to investigate social exclusion among young people aged 8 to 17 including the risks of exclusion they face, the assets mobilised to support their inclusion and their life experiences in the context of these risks and assets. The project intends to investigate which risks, assets and experiences are most closely related to outcomes, and how these vary by age and gender. Expected outcomes include a new understanding of the relationship between social exclusion and outcomes in adolescence as well as entry points for policy intervention. Addressing social exclusion in adolescence will lead to improved outcomes in health, education and productivity, and a more socially-cohesive society. Field of research: 1605 - Policy and Administration

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Dynamics of forgiveness and self-forgiveness. This project aims to study the dynamics between forgiveness and self-forgiveness following hurt and wrongdoing in interpersonal relationships. Prior research has focused on individuals’ traits, cognition and affect as determinants of forgiveness and self-forgiveness. This project will study dyadic-level dynamics between both parties, interdependencies between forgiveness and self-forgiveness in a dialogical process of moral repair. Expected outcomes include an advanced understanding of the psychology of moral repair and the restoration of relationships between individuals, couples, managers and clinicians following wrongdoing and interpersonal transgressions. The project will benefit family wellbeing and employee productivity by improving reconciliation and alleviating pain, stress and costs, both in families and at the workplace. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Teaching how to learn: promoting self-regulated learning in STEM classes. This project aims to investigate key factors that influence change in teacher practices and student achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). It will involve the development and evaluation of interventions designed to help teachers create learning environments that promote student engagement and the development of the cognitive and metacognitive skills needed for success in STEM. The project will advance our understanding of how to increase the quality of teaching and learning in STEM subjects. Improving teacher capacity and student performance in STEM is a national priority with significant social and economic benefits to Australia. Field of research: 1303 - Specialist Studies In Education

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Expecting the unexpected: how people prioritise predictability. This project aims to investigate how people represent and use information about unpredictability in their environment. Seeing too much predictability is problematic, but seeing too little can also be a problem, for example inappropriate "learned helplessness" can occur, whereby people feel disempowered because the world is seen as random. Recent findings demonstrated a bias in fundamental learning that may maintain these inappropriate beliefs about unpredictability. This bias is not anticipated by formal theories of learning. The project will investigate how this bias is brought about by first formalising a novel theory of fundamental learning and then systematically testing its assumptions. Field of research: 1702 - Cognitive Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

How archaeology can transform living in space. This project aims to investigate human engagement with material culture in the extreme environment of space by applying archaeological methods to the habitation design of the International Space Station. The project will use NASA data to record astronaut interactions with objects and spaces over time. The project expects to remedy deficiencies in previous psychological and engineering design research by taking a deep-time perspective on how a culture develops in a microgravity environment. The results are intended to identify how humans adapt to space technology and can be applied in the future design of long duration space missions to maximise both survival and efficiency. Field of research: 2101 - Archaeology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Defining how serotonin regulates gut motility. This project aims to deepen knowledge of gastrointestinal physiology, and reveal the mechanisms by which the major gastrointestinal signalling molecule, serotonin, regulates gut peristalsis. Almost all of the serotonin in our body is made in the gastrointestinal tract where it controls many functions, including how our gut wall contracts during peristalsis. Proper control of gut peristalsis and the transit of material through our bowel is important for our health. This project expects to define how serotonin controls peristalsis, where in the bowel this serotonin comes from, how serotonin communicates with the nervous system in our gastrointestinal tract, and how the cells that synthesise gut serotonin respond to contraction to trigger the secretion of serotonin. Field of research: 0606 - Physiology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Cellular bases of enteric neural circuitry underlying gut propulsion. This project aims to investigate the neural bases of behaviour in the mammalian gut. The Enteric Nervous System (ENS) plays a critical role in the propulsion of intestinal contents. This project expects to establish how specific functional classes of enteric neurons control propulsion along the gut. By recording the simultaneous neural activity from hundreds of different functional classes of enteric nerve cells simultaneously, whilst recording intestinal muscle electrical activity and the movements of the gut wall, the project expects to identify which enteric neurochemical classes of neurons generate specific motor patterns along the intestine. Field of research: 1109 - Neurosciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Illuminating the evolutionary history of Australia’s most iconic animals. This project aims to pinpoint the nature and timing of key steps in macropod history and to test how these link with major climatic and biotic changes. Macropods (kangaroos and relatives) are widely considered the marsupial equivalents to hoofed mammals on other continents, but we have a weaker understanding of how their evolution was shaped by environmental change. This project will combine palaeontology, anatomy and genetics to address questions such as how and why ancestral macropods descended from the trees and evolved bipedal hopping, and the upper size limits of the kangaroo “body plan”. This should improve our understanding of the long-term effects of climate change on marsupials, and provide a test of key placental-based evolutionary models. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology