University of Technology Sydney

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Nanoparticle with Metal Organic Framework for Lithium Recovery from Brine. The project aims to develop technology enabling lithium to be cost-effectively extracted from brine. Today Australia meets the increasing demand for lithium by mining hardrock lithium, an environmentally damaging activity. An alternative is to source lithium from brine produced as industrial wastewater (in desalination or shale gas production). The main challenge that brine presents to selectively extracting lithium is competing ions. By advancing knowledge of nanomaterials and membrane distillation, the project expects to overcome both this technical challenge and other practical challenges. From wastewater, the anticipated system will produce additional clean water and a valuable commodity that can offset the cost of water treatment. Field of research: 0907 - Environmental Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Taking advice: Limits and potentials of social decision-making in older age. Older adults are increasingly victims of financial fraud and abuse. While well-intentioned advice has the potential to improve financial decision-making, ill-intentioned advice can lead to exploitation. This project will use extensive behavioural testing to establish the factors governing how much weight older adults give to advice depending on the type of advisor, the type of advice, and feedback about advice quality. The outcome will be a model of the influence of advice on decision-making in ageing. This will provide an evidence base to create best practice guidelines, interventions, and decision aids that will reduce exploitation and increase the independence and wellbeing of Australia’s rapidly ageing population. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology Elder financial exploitation is one of the fastest growing crimes, and older adults lose more than $2.5 billion to financial scams each year, which is more than any other segment of society. Financial and legal institutions have been ineffective in reducing the incidence, resulting in a significant public health issue. With Australia’s growing population of older adults, financial losses place a tremendous and increasing burden on older adults, their families, and our health, financial, and social care systems. By establishing the factors influencing older adults’ propensity to act on advice and how they integrate advice with new information, this research will provide a foundation of knowledge to inform the design of effective public information campaigns, interventions and decision aids. This will ensure older adults make better decisions and the institutions supporting them are able to communicate good advice in the most effective manner. The benefits are likely to include a reduction in aged-care costs to the economy as well as enhanced wellbeing among older individuals and their families.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Defining the Microbial-scale Processes Governing Ocean Health . This project aims to resolve the foundations of healthy ocean function by employing innovative approaches to uncover the links between marine chemistry and microbiology. While the importance of microbes in governing ocean health is unquestionable, they are often studied over inappropriately large-scales, leading to inaccurate interpretation of the oceanic processes that ultimately influence fishery production and climate control. We will develop new oceanographic tools and analytical techniques to provide a unique "microbes-eye-view" of the sea. The project's outcomes are anticipated to deliver transformative new knowledge on the controls of ocean productivity and sustainability, helping to safeguard Australia’s valuable marine estate. Field of research: 0605 - Microbiology Invisible and often ignored, marine microbes are in fact the most abundant organisms in the ocean and play profoundly important roles in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems. By governing the productivity of marine food-webs and associated fisheries, while mediating the chemical cycles that control climate, these tiny microbes have big impacts, and are key to sustaining the marine industries and ecosystem services worth $50 billion/yr to Australia’s economy. However, despite their fundamental importance, marine microbes have traditionally been studied at inappropriately large-scales, and as a result our understanding of the ecological factors controlling their impacts often remains very poor. This research will apply innovative oceanographic, genomic and analytical chemistry approaches to more precisely unlock the influence of the microbiological stewards of our extremely valuable marine ecosystems, while also providing excellent training for the next generation of Australian marine scientists, helping to manage and protect our nation's important ocean territory.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Maximising Bioenergy Recovery from Sewage Sludge. Sewage treatment is producing large amounts of sewage sludge, which represents a substantial, but largely untapped, energy source. This project aims to develop and demonstrate an innovative, economically attractive and environmentally friendly technology, and the underpinning science, to maximize bioenergy recovery from sewage sludge. The technology is based on the treatment of sludge using free ammonia, a by-product of sewage treatment. This project is expected to benefit Australia by substantially reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and accelerating a shift to affordable renewable energy. The outcomes of the project would provide significant energy, economic, environmental and social benefits for Australians. Field of research: 0907 - Environmental Engineering The water utilities have set the aspirational targets of maximizing bioenergy recovery from sewage sludge and providing greenhouse gas neutral water services. Through removing the key technological and knowledge barriers for maximizing bioenergy recovery by delivering an innovative technology and its fundamental mechanisms, this project will provide critical support to both the Australian and global water industry in achieving their aspirational targets. The outcomes of this project would bring significant energy, economic, environmental and social benefits for Australia. It would conservatively bring Australia an additional energy production of 120,000 MWh per year, which would be adequate for supporting the sewage services in Sydney and for supporting the energy requirement of up to 40,000 households in Australia. The net economic benefit would be around $20~30 million per annum, accompanied by a substantial reduction in CO2 emission by 80~130 kilotonnes per year in Australia. The project would also create significant business opportunities for Australia through technology commercialization and licensing.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Automatic Machine Learning with Imperfect Data for Video Analysis . This project aims to propose new algorithms and technologies for constructing an efficient video analysis system, which will be aligned with Australia’s science and research priorities. Specifically, during this project, a novel network structure search method based on auto machine learning will be proposed, an unsupervised domain adaptation algorithm will be developed, and a generative data augmentation method will be constructed. All of these will construct a stable and efficient deep neural network, which is able to process large size videos captured from real scenarios in high efficiencies. Various fields, such as health care service and cybersecurity, will benefit hugely from this project. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing The proposed research is closely related to a number of Australian Government’s strategic research priority areas, such as “Effective technologies for individuals to manage their own health care” and “Discovery and understanding of vulnerabilities, threats and their impacts, enabling improved risk-based decision making”. The expected research outcomes from this project will significantly improve the ability of individuals, businesses, governments, and social groups to make more efficient use of large video data in a wide range of application areas, such as in aged-care facilities, video surveillance, intelligent transportation, urban environment monitoring, emergency responses, and other daily-life activities. The fundamental research conducted in this project, together with the technologies developed by highly trained people, will advance Australia’s international standing in advanced database systems, Big Data analytics, computer vision and multimedia technology, to “lift productivity and economic growth for Australia” in all areas related to video production and consumption.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

The right to be forgotten: GDPR modelling in cross-domain social networks . The project aims to develop a theoretical model and practical mechanisms to address the critical challenge – ‘right to be forgotten’ - raised from the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with minimal compromising of the utility of the data. To achieve the aim, we will design a ‘right to be forgotten’ framework and associated erasure mechanisms that are effective even information is derived from multiple related social networks. The framework will be created by identifying heterogeneous information, modelling individual behaviour patterns and designing erasure policies. The outcomes of the project can be used by the government to provide privacy guarantees to Australian cyberspace and by industry to protect their clients’ privacy. Field of research: 0803 - Computer Software The project aims to address a critical challenge in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): the right to be forgotten, which directly impacts customers, companies, citizens and governments. People may not trust data curators because of serious concerns about privacy leakage, yet data curators still have very few technologies to prevent this. Achieving this goal will restore trust between all parties, to the benefit of society as a whole. The project will provide business and government with new tools to enhance their privacy-preserving capabilities. Concerns can be addressed and trust re-built between relevant parties. When user privacy can be safely preserved in all network sources, people will be more willing to participate in projects or services in which they share their data, such as the Australian initiative My Health Record.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Hacking Copyright in the 21st Century: Art, Law, History & Technology. This project aims to leverage historical insights to investigate the tensions underlying the legal treatment of visual works of art. It will generate software and scholarship that trace the relationship between technology and visual copyright from the first statutory protections of visual artworks in the 18th century through to contemporary regulation of the dissemination of digital image data via digital publishing platforms. Its significance lies in its interdisciplinary and innovative investigation of long-standing problems of contemporary copyright law at the intersection of the visual and digtal domains. It will have impact on law reform and policy development, with benefits for visual artists, collecting institutions and the public. Field of research: 1801 - Law Arts and culture are of intrinsic value to Australian society, nourishing our inner lives, and offering measurable impacts on well-being, the economy and education. Creativity and creative skills are essential for innovation and equipping Australians for future jobs. Law-makers around the world seek to encourage the production and dissemination of creative works of visual art through copyright laws. Yet the relationship between legal regulation, technology and creativity remains poorly understood. Creation of, and access to, visual art works in the digital age is of significant commercial and cultural interest. The project will advance knowledge by combining the disciplines of legal history and art history with techniques from computer vision and data science in an innovative, international collaboration. By offering a comprehensive historical overview of the relationship between artists, technology, and visual copyright, this project will contribute to debates over the role and reform of copyright law, as well as informing the development of policies regulating the circulation of image collections online.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

New guardians of the mucosa: Molecular characterisation of M cell biology. We aim to completely define the cellular and molecular biology of gut and lung M cells for the first time. We will elucidate how they develop, are regulated and function at a molecular level, and how M cells maintain normal gut and lung tissues and induce immune responses to protect against microbial challenges. In the future, the new insights will be essential pre-requisites for the development of mucosal-based interventions and vaccines that protect the gut and lung from infectious and inflammatory issues. The harnessing of effective immune responses to control such challenges, are of enormous fundamental and long-standing biological interest, and are amongst the most important areas of current scientific research. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Our proposal will produce significant new knowledge by elucidating the fundamental biology of M cells and their role in mucosal homeostasis and immunity in the gut and lung. This will address the national and global challenge of inducing protective immune responses and controlling microbes and will place Australian researchers at the forefront of investigating these processes. 75,000 Australians have gut disease costing $2.7 billion per year and >$840 million for livestock. In the lung, influenza alone causes 3,000 deaths, costs $115 million and regular culling of poultry and pigs. In the future, we will use the new knowledge to progress research into maintaining mucosal protection, mucosal vaccination and disease prevention and treatment. The new insights into M cell biology are essential pre-requisites that will enable the harnessing of immunity to protect against mucosal infections. The deleterious effects of infections and harnessing of effective immunity to control them, are of enormous long-standing biological interest and are amongst the most important areas of current research.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Governing transboundary small-scale fishing in the Asia-Pacific. This project aims to identify the drivers, character and effects of small-boat illegal fishing occurring internationally across maritime boundaries in Asia-Pacific. There is growing concern that this practice represents an acute security threat to countries in the region. This study will reveal the strategic governing responses of state and regional institutions as well as the motivating circumstances that push fishers to trespass. The research will offer vital new insights into the effectiveness of ongoing control measures, and the shaping of a governance regime that pivots on regional politics and cooperation. This knowledge will help inform research and policy frameworks, strengthening Australia’s capacity to secure its maritime domain. Field of research: 1604 - Human Geography

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Lithium-rich cathode materials for high-energy lithium-ion batteries. This project aims to develop lithium-rich cathode materials for a new generation of high-energy lithium-ion batteries. These innovative materials could double the capacity of commercial cathodes, thereby doubling the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. A further increase is anticipated from fundamental insights into anionic redox. Expected outcomes include materials with optimised architecture and chemistry, stabilisation of lithium-rich cathodes, identification of redox mechanism of lithium-rich cathode materials, technologies for producing lithium-rich cathode materials on a large scale and fabrication of new generation high-energy lithium-ion batteries. This project will have benefits especially in the transport and energy sectors. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering Lithium-ion batteries have conquered portable electronics and are enabling the widespread adoption of electric vehicles and the use of renewable energies. This project aims to create new cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries that will enable these batteries to work much longer. The development of high-energy lithium-ion batteries will also help Australian utilities to implement smart electricity grids that can better integrate renewable energy and improve the reliability of electricity supply to Australian consumers and industry. The project’s outcomes will support a secure, reliable low-emission energy future for Australia, and open new industry and job opportunities in battery materials and manufacturing. They will help the Australian government to achieve goals in climate change and energy policy and strengthen investment in renewables. The novel materials and new-generation of lithium-ion batteries have strong prospects for commercialisation, given evident industry demand from automotive and renewable energy sectors.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Adversarial Learning of Hybrid Representation. This project aims to design and implement a foundational deep representation learning framework for early detection, classification and defense of emerging malware by capturing their underlying behaviours via structured and unstructured heterogeneous information through hybrid representation learning, behaviour graph mining, and symbolic adversarial learning to discover and defend unknown malware families, thereby significantly boosting the accuracy and robustness of existing classifiers and detectors. The resulting representation learning framework will enhance the national security to protect user privacy, reducing the multi-million-dollar loss caused by fraudulent transactions, and defending against cyber attacks. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing This project will conduct seminal research for building a foundational framework that supports reliable and robust malware detection and understanding through adversarial learning of hybrid representation for emerging malware. Tackling the challenges in complicated malware representation and discovery of zero-day malware, this project will deliver both theoretical foundations and frontier technical solutions to the machine learning community to further enhance the competitiveness Australia's research in this important area. By supporting research training for PhDs, this project will also provide a fertile environment to attract national and international talents, contributing to Australia's skill base. The success of this project will provide a new infrastructure for detecting and classifying emerging malware, thereby providing a trustworthy mobile environment that benefit a large part of Australia’s ICT industry, where smart devices are the essential parts of almost every software ecosystem, e.g., defence, social network, finance, banking, retail, and communication.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Smart Personalized Privacy Preserved Information Sharing in Social Networks. This project aims to create a novel and effective method for privacy protection at individual level, which is now a great concern of persons, businesses, and government agencies in this big data age. The project expects to build an automatic smart practical personalized privacy preserving system through removing the fundamental obstacles. The project will significantly advance human knowledge of privacy, and push Australia to the front line of the research field, and protect Australia better. Field of research: 0803 - Computer Software The success of the project will benefit all Australians in two aspects: protect our privacy at individual level and prevent or reduce the possible loss due to privacy attacks; at the same time, encourage people and businesses to share sensitive data in a worry-free way, which will enable the governments and businesses to have a better understanding of the different parts of the society, and then serve each sector of the country better.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Information design, cognitive abilities and macro-economic stability. This project aims to improve our understanding of individual decision making in financial markets and its implications for macro-economic stability. Using laboratory and internet experiments, models of adaptive choice behaviour will be developed and validated. The project will help to gain insight into how past information, and the way it is presented, affects investment decisions, which individual characteristics matter for decisions, and how this behaviour translates into the evolution of aggregate macro-economic variables. The expected outcomes of the project will have the potential to improve the design of tools for better individual financial decision making, to stabilize volatile markets and to enhance economic welfare. Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics This project will have a positive impact on Australia in several aspects. First, the investment experiments will help us to determine how the interplay between presentation of relevant information and individual characteristics affects individual well-being. This will enable policy-makers to design better policies including financial education and guidelines on presentation of information (e.g., for the superannuation funds). In light of recent findings of the Royal Commission, there is a need for improving current financial advice to customers. Second, the project will develop a better model of dynamic economic systems with feedback. Performing policy analysis using such a model will deliver better advice for macroeconomic stability. Finally, by collaborating with high profile academics from the Netherlands and the US, combining expertise in nonlinear dynamics, experiments, macroeconomics, and finance, training 2 PhD and 4 Honours students, and producing high quality publications in top international journals, this project will contribute to enhancing research environment of Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

The failings of financial markets. Financial markets are failing to serve society. The recent Royal Commission into Misconduct in Financial Services has highlighted many examples, as have major litigation cases against Australia’s banks for market manipulation at enormous scale. Markets are becoming increasingly fragile with the automation of trading and are failing in funding companies, with fewer companies listing on stock markets. This project will investigate how and why financial markets are failing, what are the real effects of these failings, and what should be done about them. The project will develop policy solutions to mitigate the failings, thereby enhancing Australia’s economic prosperity, benefitting retirement savings, and improving regulatory efficiency. Field of research: 1502 - Banking, Finance and Investment Financial markets serve a crucial role in our economy, providing capital for investment by companies (e.g., the 2,283 listed Australian companies worth $1.86 trillion), thereby driving economic growth, and providing investment returns on retirement savings (e.g., the 1.1 million Australians with $755 billion in Self-Managed Super Funds). Well-functioning financial markets therefore benefit the economy and society enormously. However, markets cannot function without trust and confidence. Markets are also ineffective when plagued by concerns about fragility and instability. Collectively, the research agenda in this project tackles the issue of how can we restore confidence in financial markets and have them work for the benefit of society. How can we make them more robust and thereby promote economic prosperity. The economic benefits of even modest improvements to the integrity and robustness of Australia’s financial markets are many multiples of the proposed investment in this research project.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

3D Printed Food for People with Swallowing Disability. This project aims to identify ways that 3D food printing (additive manufacturing using real food in a device like a ink-jet printer) could be used to improve the visual appeal of puree meals for people with swallowing difficulty, who make up ~8% of the world's population. This study will be the first to include people with swallowing disability (e.g., related to cerebral palsy, stroke, older age) and their supporters in examining the views and experiences of stakeholders on the impact of 3D food printing on quality of life, enjoyment, participation, and safety. Outcomes include new knowledge on factors affecting the implementation of 3D food printing in disability and aged care services, to inform policy, practice, and future research. Field of research: 1117 - Public Health and Health Services This 3-year project will advance the design and implementation of inclusive 3D food printing technologies in the homes of people with swallowing difficulties, an estimated 8% of the population. The provision of thickened fluids and pureed foods is routine in the management of swallowing difficulties. However, puree foods are often unattractive, by being indistinguishable, and unsafe in residential care, reducing mealtime-related quality of life for people who need these foods to survive. 3D food printing potentially offers a solution to this problem but research on its development and implementation to date has excluded engagement with key target groups: people with swallowing difficulties, their supporters and key stakeholders in food services industry and residential care. The new knowledge created in this inclusive research will bring meaningful social benefits through enhancing the quality, appeal, and safety of 3D printed puree meals provided to people with swallowing disability, and enhancing their participation and autonomy in the food creation process.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Terabit mm-Wave Backbones for Integrated Space and Terrestrial Networks. This project aims to develop the theory and enabling techniques to achieve high-speed millimeter wave (mm-wave) backbones for integrated space and terrestrial networks. New scientific breakthroughs will be in fundamental transmission theory, efficient self-interference cancellation and spatial multiplexing techniques using hybrid antenna arrays. These will enable Terabits per second wireless transmission that is 10 times faster than current technologies. A proof-of-concept prototype will be developed to demonstrate the feasibility and performance of the new system architecture and algorithms, thus paving the way for commercialisation. The developed technology will enhance Australia’s information infrastructure as well as defence capacity. Field of research: 1005 - Communications Technologies Integrated space and terrestrial network (ISTN) will serve as arguably the most important national and global information infrastructure for the 21st century. A critical component of the network is the high-speed aerial backbone that interconnects the spaceborne, airborne and ground based transmission systems to form a seamless global communication network. The project will enhance Australia’s leadership in wireless communication technology. The innovations developed in this project will enable Terabit mm-wave backbones to be used the ISTN which is one of the main targets of the 6th generation mobile systems. Such systems will truly connect everyone and everything at any time and from anywhere, supporting industries such as logistics, fishery, mining, agriculture and defence. The benefits of improved communication capability will impact all aspects of people’s lives and industries, bringing economic and social benefits to Australian society. The project also targets technology transfer and commercialisation and hence will stimulate growth of the local industry and attract overseas investment to Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

A thermodynamic pathway to intracellular delivery. Cells transmit information through molecules. By delivering foreign molecules into cells, such as DNA and proteins, it is possible to engineer and reprogram cells just like a computer. This proposal aims to develop a novel microfluidic device for intracellular delivery. The device will work by exposing cells to rapid thermal shock to generate transient disruptions in cell membranes and thereby enable influx of foreign molecules into cells. To understand how the method can be optimized, the thermodynamic pathway of membrane disruption will be investigated at a single cell level. The methods and insights arising from this project could eventually lead to novel, patentable and lower-cost health technologies. Field of research: 0606 - Physiology The proposed approach for performing intracellular delivery via thermal shock on mammalian cells is innovative and not published previously. New intellectual property arising from this work could provide a foundation for a local start-up company, such benefiting the Australian Biotech scene. Moreover, one of the Australian Government’s research priority areas is ‘Advanced Manufacturing’. This project could provide a new means for ‘Biomanufacture’, which is the production of biomaterials and biomolecules by the harnessing of biological systems. This project may provide breakthrough methods for transfecting and reprogramming cells to produce biomaterials and biomolecules for various industries with higher yield and scalability than competing techniques. In future, it could become a platform technology in medical applications. For example, to conduct gene therapy on blood cells to cure genetic diseases or reprogram immune cells for cancer immunotherapy. This proposal aims to decode the basic mechanisms underpinning thermal shock-driven intracellular delivery technologies for the long-term benefit of humankind.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

A novel technology for enhancing resource recovery from wastewater. This DECRA project aims to improve the performance and economics of wastewater management, by developing an innovative technology and the underpinning science that will enhance renewable energy production and nutrient recovery from sludge. This technology is based on the enhancement of resource recovery from anaerobic digestion using waste iron scraps that can be acquired from the waste of metal industry. The intended outcome of the project will substantially increase the profit and reduce the environmental burden of waste treatment, supporting Australia in the transition to a low carbon economy and a secure resource future. This project will produce significant economic, environmental and social benefits to water utilities. Field of research: 0904 - Chemical Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Hippocampal regulation of goal-directed decision-making. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that is central to learning and memory yet little is known about its role in decision-making. It is the aim of this application to provide the first detailed, causal evidence of hippocampal regulation of decision-making. This is significant because many mental health disorders and dementias that involve decision-making deficits are characterised by hippocampal dysfunction, but any direct link between these factors is unknown. The outcomes of the current grant will provide the first evidence of that link, thus providing deeper understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms of these disorders, which could eventuate in the creation of more beneficial treatments. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology Decision-making impairments are broadly observed across most mental health disorders as well as many different types of dementia. However, the neural causes of these impairments are unclear. One finding that is relatively common to most of these disorders is of massive dysfunction in the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is central to learning and memory. Further, in almost all of these disorders, neuroinflammation in the hippocampus (and elsewhere) is particularly known to cause dysfunction. It is surprising, therefore, that so little is known about hippocampal regulation of decision-making at a basic level. The current proposal aims to address this question. This information will be helpful for professionals treating disorders and dementia, as well as the individuals with these diseases (e.g. drug addicts or individuals with binge eating disorder), who are trying to understand the inflexibility of their actions or the reasons underlying their poor decisions. Increasing knowledge in this way might eventually bring about economic benefit, reducing the enormous costs associated with such diseases.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Dimension-reduced Reinforcement Learning for Large-scale Fleet Management. This project aims to address the problems in large-scale fleet management to ensure the efficiency of tomorrow’s transportation models, such as on-demand ride-hailing and mobility-as-a-service. The expected outcomes of this project include improved techniques for optimising the utility of large fleets of vehicles, and particularly robust dimension-reduced reinforcement learning algorithms that are capable of handling the complex dynamics of supply and demand in transportation. The results should advance both research and technology in academia and the transportation industry and will also provide significant benefits to Australia and the international community by enhancing the energy-efficiency of and access to the mobility of the future. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Empowering 5G Infrastructure with Collocated 3G/4G/5G Base Station Antennas. The Australian government has decided to support the timely rollout of fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems due to their potential for producing far-reaching economic and social benefits. This infrastructure rollout requires a quick, efficient deployment of the associated 5G base stations. The integration of 5G antenna arrays into existing 3G/4G base stations would alleviate the substantial cost increases and negative environmental impacts tied to acquiring new sites for them. This project aims to develop the theory and engineering methodologies necessary to successfully address the significant scientific challenges posed by the detrimental interference effects associated with the compact integration of 3G/4G/5G arrays. Field of research: 1005 - Communications Technologies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Volumetric imaging facility: observing the cell in its native environment. This project aims to establish a National volumetric imaging platform for functional imaging of multi-cellular networks. The facility will integrate new super-resolution imaging modalities, a library of near infrared molecular probes, and microfluidics technologies to enable real-time observation of 3D engineered organoids. This new optical imaging platform will allow users to watch the inner workings of cells through deep tissue with high speed, ultra-sensitivity, and in four dimensions, rather than today's typical two dimensions. Focus areas include the emerging development and study of mini versions of organs and hard-to-culture microbial matter. This facility is expected to provide benefits across the fields of physics, optics, chemical and material sciences, photonics, biotechnology and engineering. Field of research: 0299 - Other Physical Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Privacy preservation for personalised smart devices. The goal of this project is to build a privacy preservation framework for personalised smart devices with both immediate and long-term applications in a range of industries. The novel theoretical contributions include a privacy-preservation mechanism that guards against attacks by intelligent tools, a model and metrics that distinguish between object detection and object recognition, and allowing users to specify their desired level of privacy guarantee. Practically, these solutions have clear economic and public-safety benefits. The solutions will accelerate AI device development, advance smart technologies based on individual behaviours, and guarantee personal data privacy against both human attackers and adversarial algorithms. Field of research: 0803 - Computer Software

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Enhancing privacy preserving in dynamic cyberspace. This project aims to develop a novel infrastructure operational monitoring and management strategy to reduce the redundant maintenance actions and achieve a cost-effective approach for civil infrastructure asset management. The project will use multiple social networks as a platform for the project, with the potential for the results to be extended to any dynamic cyberspace. Project outcomes will include a set of new analysis theories and tools to facilitate government, companies, individuals, and organisations to enhance their information gathering and privacy-preserving capabilities. This is expected to enhance the credibility of the government and organisations and save the possible financial loss of companies and individuals. Field of research: 0806 - Information Systems

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2019 · 2019-01

Super-resolution imaging techniques based on van der Waals materials. This project aims to address the most pressing challenges in the field of super-resolution fluorescence nanoscopies, which underpin a vast range of biomedical imaging and sensing applications. The project will develop fluorescent probes and new imaging schemes that are simultaneously ultra-bright, photostable, biocompatible and do not require the use of high-power lasers that damage samples during image acquisition. This will be achieved by exploiting unique properties of recently-discovered quantum emitters in van der Waals nanomaterials. The project outcomes will yield a new approach to super-resolution imaging, advance understanding of quantum emitters, and develop new techniques for the processing of van der Waals materials. This is expected to have applications in a diverse range of sectors, and enable new markets in nanotechnology and manufacturing of high-performance Australian-made products. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology