University of Technology Sydney

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2017 · 2017-01

Re-engineering internet timekeeping for scalability, accuracy and trust. This project aims to define and solve problems underpinning a secure and extensible system for network timekeeping, and implement and test a prototype under realistic conditions over the Internet. All computers incorporate a software clock, essential to software applications. A network is an inexpensive and convenient way to synchronise these clocks, but the Internet currently depends on an unreliable and insecure approach. The expected outcome will be trusted, accurate and reliable software clocks that support applications like cloud computing, billing systems and secure communications, which could become the timekeeping system for the Internet and the Internet of Things. Field of research: 0805 - Distributed Computing

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2017 · 2017-01

Exact and hybrid algorithms for the Aircraft Landing Problem. This project aims to develop algorithms with superior guaranteed performance. Aircraft Landing Problems (ALP) are an important class of decision problems. Optimal solution of an ALP is applicable in transportation and health care delivery, benefitting systems experiencing long delays. This project aims to address several of the Australian Government's Science and Research Priorities, focusing on food supply chains, effective operation and resource allocation in transport, and better models of health care delivery and services. Field of research: 0102 - Applied Mathematics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2017 · 2017-01

Sodium-ion batteries for renewable energy storage. This project aims to develop sodium-ion batteries for renewable energy storage and conversion. Electrical energy storage is important for integrating renewable energy sources, improving grid reliability, and intelligently managing peak demand. Sodium-ion batteries are promising for large scale energy storage applications because of low cost and natural abundance of sodium. This project will integrate materials architecture design, synthesise cathode materials, model and test electrochemistry, and make prototype batteries. This project is expected to help the Government meet its renewable energy target, improve utilities’ power quality and reliability, create industry opportunities, and maintain Australia’s high standing in energy research. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2017 · 2017-01

Multiplexed bio-imaging mass spectrometry. This project aims to develop technology for simultaneous three-dimensional imaging of trace elements and molecules in biological tissues. This technology is an essential analytical and diagnostic advance to uncover latent mechanistic biology and will reveal subtle metabolic interactions between cells. The project will use laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and lanthanide-conjugated probes to map the zinc metabolic pathway in the ageing mouse brain. It is expected to result in a complete imaging solution for quantitative spatial determination of all important elements, co-factors, metabolites and other functional molecules to investigate metabolic pathways which current technologies find difficult or impossible to track. Ultimately this technology is expected to underpin investigations of diseases where trace metal and chemical species dysfunction is implicated. Field of research: 0301 - Analytical Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2017 · 2017-01

Multi-functional antenna arrays for secure and reliable wireless systems. This project aims to develop and validate the fundamental theory and engineering techniques for fully reconfigurable antenna arrays. Multi-functional antennae deliver highly-secure and reliable wireless communications for Australia’s digital economy. Such an antenna array, a critical component of wireless multi-functional systems, can provide full flexibilities of the frequency, polarisation and radiation pattern to satisfy the systems’ different requirements. This project is expected to advance the scientific knowledge of several frontiers of antenna research and enhance spectrum usage efficiency, highly-secure wireless communications and compact and reliable military wireless platforms, thus benefiting Australian industry, society and national defence. Field of research: 1005 - Communications Technologies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2017 · 2017-01

New tools to decipher, predict and manage pacific oyster mortality episodes. This project aims to unite cutting-edge genomic and molecular biological tools with novel quantitative modelling analyses to identify the mechanisms behind oyster disease events. Oyster farming contributes almost $100 million to the Australian economy each year and is a cornerstone of coastal communities, but has been decimated by diseases that threaten this important primary industry. While some causative pathogens have been identified, the environmental catalysts of oyster disease remain a mystery. The expected outcome of this project is an innovative coupling of tools that provides new capacity to forecast disease events, delivering the Australian oyster industry a powerful platform to predict, manage and prevent costly disease outbreaks. By identifying environmental thresholds and oyster disease danger periods, an expected outcome of this project is the development of new oyster farming strategies aimed at avoiding multi-million dollar losses associated with disease outbreaks. Field of research: 0605 - Microbiology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2017 · 2017-01

Settlement outcomes of Syrian-conflict refugee families in Australia. This project aims to focus on the policy responses to, and settlement outcomes for, Syrian-conflict refugee families in Australia with an emphasis on employment and education. The Syrian conflict has generated an unprecedented flow of refugees across Europe and other countries, including Australia. These countries face new challenges in providing successful settlement outcomes for the refugees. Utilising a longitudinal study of 250 refugee families and fieldwork in key areas of high refugee settlement in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, this project will generate comparative insights to identify policy and program responses that lead to the most successful settlement outcomes. Improved employment, education and settlement outcomes for refugees will have economic, social and cultural benefits for Australian society and improve the quality of life of refugees. Field of research: 1603 - Demography

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2017 · 2017-01

The last outlaw: Making a nation from the crimes of Jimmy Governor. This project aims to produce a legal history of the murderer Jimmy Governor to discover the extent to which law-making was generated by acts of law-breaking. The Australian Federation laid the foundations for the nation’s legal institutions under the rule of law. The Aboriginal serial killer, Jimmy Governor, was outlawed and convicted on the threshold of Federation, in 1900. Through Governor’s legal history, the project will produce an account of the law and its outsiders at an important historical moment. This project expects to provide knowledge about punishment, surveillance and imprisonment in the emerging nation, and a history of the rules of evidence and criminal procedure. Field of research: 1801 - Law

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2017 · 2017-01

Real economy and financial networks. This project aims to analyse the Australian economy from the network perspective. The network approach’s emphasis on the structure of interactions between firms, banks and consumers is important for understanding the economy. The project intends to develop a model of a production network using the input-output links between sectors, including imports and exports, and focusing on credit-lending relations that may cause economic distortions. It also aims to advance a theory and estimation methodology for the network formation models useful for prediction and policy analysis. Anticipated benefits include mitigation of economic risks and improved policies. Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Efficient and Scalable Subgraph Search from Big Graphs in Cloud. This project seeks to develop knowledge that will form the foundation for next-generation graph search engines of structural knowledge. Subgraph search is in high demand for many applications that deal with big graphs, such as social network marketing, crime detection and sales pattern discovery. However, there are many challenges when the search needs to be conducted in cloud environments. This project aims to develop efficient and scalable query processing algorithms to search subgraphs from a big graph stored in a cluster of machines in the cloud. The expected outcomes may lay the theoretical foundations for subgraph search in the cloud, and establish a unified graph search engine that integrates various query semantics for use in many applications. Field of research: 0806 - Information Systems

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

In pursuit of high performance lithium-oxygen batteries. This project aims to achieve high-energy lithium-oxygen batteries for electric vehicles. Electrification of road transport will minimise consumption of fossil fuels, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and increase energy security. Lithium-oxygen batteries have the highest energy density among all rechargeable battery systems, which is more than 10 times the density of current lithium-ion batteries. Through exploration of new catalysts, redox mediators, and porous material architectures, this project intends to significantly improve the performance of lithium-oxygen batteries, including specific capacity, cycle life and round-trip efficiency. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Reconfigurable Conformal Antenna Arrays for Broadband in the Sky Networks. The project aims to develop the theory and technology for a novel type of antennas, namely, reconfigurable conformal antenna arrays, for future broadband in the sky networks (BISNets). BISNets are essential to providing digital services to users on the move and in remote areas. The antenna would be conformal to the surface of the mounting platform, and its elements would be reconfigured in situ to generate the optimum radiation characteristics to suit the radio environment. It is expected that the project would advance the scientific knowledge of space-borne wireless communications and sensing in general, and antennas in particular, and significantly enhance the performance and reduce the cost of BISNets. Field of research: 1005 - Communications Technologies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Harnessing chain-forming diatoms for improved lipid biofuel production. The aim of this project is to unlock the molecular secrets of highly productive chain-forming diatom microalgae that allow them to produce high levels of biofuel lipids. The formation of multicellular chains appears key to the success of some of the most widespread and productive diatom species. Through a combination of systems biology, bioinformatics, and genetics experiments, this project aims to investigate the relationship between chain formation and biofuel lipid productivity in Chaetoceros diatoms, and to discover genes and molecules that encode and influence these traits. The knowledge and technology generated as a result may improve biofuel yields, increase the robustness of species growing in open pond systems, and reduce processing costs such as de-watering. Field of research: 0605 - Microbiology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

The role of marine microbes in the global carbon cycle. This project aims to unravel microbiological processes in the ocean to help quantify the ecosystem services carried out by microbes that support our economy and environment. By recycling vital nutrients, microbes form the basis of the marine food web. In Australia, their contributions support fisheries worth $4.2 billion. Their role in carbon cycling also controls our climate. Yet, their direct productivity remains unquantified. Technical limitations have restricted our ability to identify the key microbes most responsible for ocean carbon cycling, and to measure their impact. This project plans to combine new approaches in microfluidics, chemistry and oceanography to quantify carbon uptake by individual microbes and provide new understanding of microbe-mediated chemical cycling processes. Field of research: 0605 - Microbiology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Electronics of the future: self-powering wireless circuit design. The aim of this project is to build a foundation for ultra-low-power wireless circuit design using technologies other than silicon. Scaling of transistors in silicon has been pushed to its limit and is of marginal benefit for low-power wireless circuit design. This project aims to address these limits by developing energy-efficient technology for wireless applications. The intended outcome of this project will be a self-powered, high data rate receiver that will be critical in 5th-generation wireless systems. This could be used for a range of innovative wireless applications, for example in health care and environmental monitoring. Field of research: 0906 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Sustainable wastewater management. This project aims to extract high-value liquid products (medium-chain fatty acids) from wastewater with minimised greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, in addition to clean water. Traditional wastewater treatment removes organic carbon and nutrients by using vast amounts of energy and releasing greenhouse gas. However, wastewater is a substantial but largely untapped renewable resource. The intended outcome is to transform wastewater from a troublesome pollutant to a valuable resource and reduce carbon footprints. Field of research: 0907 - Environmental Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Illicit drug profiling in forensic intelligence. Illicit drug profiling in forensic intelligence. This project aims to develop an optimised methodology that uses illicit drug profiling for operational intelligence. The fight against the illicit drug trade suffers from a relatively ineffective use of forensic science, predominantly applied as a reactive tool for court purposes after the commission of a crime, and a general under-utilisation of available information by Australian forensic drug laboratories whose scientific results contribute minimally to active operations. This project’s methodology, which uses forensic science proactively for intelligence rather than reactively for courts, is expected to make the fight against organised crime more effective and support the three pillars of the Australian National Drug Strategy (supply, demand and harm reduction). Field of research: 0399 - Other Chemical Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Removing a Key Barrier for Autotrophic Nitrogen Removal from Wastewater. This project aims to develop new technology to enable stable autotrophic nitrogen removal from domestic wastewater. The technology selectively suppresses the growth of nitrite-oxidising bacteria using a by-product of wastewater treatment – free nitrous acid. Maximising energy recovery from wastewater and providing greenhouse gas neutral water services have been the targets of water utilities in Australia and worldwide. The project will potentially change wastewater management and bring economic, environmental and social benefits to water utilities. Field of research: 0907 - Environmental Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Development of ultra-high performance concrete columns against blasts. This project aims to develop cost-effective formulae for ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) material with superior strength, ductility and durability to replace conventional concrete in critical infrastructures. In recent years, increasing threat from terrorism activities highlights the need to develop advanced building materials to protect against disastrous blasts; UHPFRC is an ideal option in structural protective design. This project plans to develop a mixed design approach for cost-effective UHPFRC material. It also plans to conduct blast tests and numerical investigations study blast resistance of UHPFRC columns and to develop analytical approaches and design methods for the application of such columns in critical infrastructure. Field of research: 0905 - Civil Engineering

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Next-generation latent fingermark detection using functional nanomaterials. Next-generation latent fingermark detection using functional nanomaterials. This project aims to develop a nanotechnology-based fingermark detection technique applicable in standard police laboratories and crime scenes. Current methods only detect half the fingermarks on an object, so many criminals are not identified. This project will use silicon oxide nanoparticles with a luminescent dye to target fingermark secretion components and address interference from substrate chemistries and background luminescence. Moving away from traditional detection methods is expected to improve law enforcement outcomes, as fingermarks that current technologies cannot detect will be visualised for the first time. Field of research: 0399 - Other Chemical Sciences

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Enhancing Communication using Small Quantum Devices. This project aims to determine whether applications of small quantum devices for communication are commercially feasible with today's or tomorrow's technology. One of the main challenges when engineering future quantum information processors is that complex quantum states are hard to prepare and control and there will be severe limitations on the size of quantum computers for the foreseeable future. Most proposals for applications of quantum information processing require very large quantum computers. The goal of this project is to investigate applications in communication where it is expected that a small quantum device will lead to an advantage over classical systems. Field of research: 0206 - Quantum Physics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Analysis of sport, education, health & wellbeing in Indigenous communities. This project aims to explore the significance of participation in sport and its links to education attainment and health and wellbeing outcomes. Recent research suggests that that there is a significant positive relationship between physical activity and cognitive functioning in children, and also a positive relationship between self-reported participation in sport and general health and wellbeing. However, there has been no research to date that examines sport, education, health and wellbeing in Indigenous communities. This study aims to address this lack. Project outcomes may inform polices and community programs targeting sport, educational attainment, and health and wellbeing outcomes among Indigenous youth in Australia. They may also contribute to frameworks for evaluating future programs. Field of research: 1303 - Specialist Studies In Education

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Society and climate change: A social analysis of new technology. The project aims to explore the likely unintended social consequences and disruption of technological responses to climate change. Responses to climate change often involve imagined technological innovation, including geo-engineering (or the modification of the global environment), newer forms of energy such as solar, wind or biofuels, and social technologies such as carbon trading. Both technological innovations and fantasies about technologies can disrupt social and economic life, and are themselves disrupted by the social processes involved in deployment. This investigation could make informed, acceptable, and possible technological adaptation more possible. Field of research: 1601 - Anthropology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Cell division in archaea. This project aims to reveal how archaeal FtsZ proteins and their spatial regulators control cell division, and develop an archaeal paradigm for cell biology. Archaea, a major group of microorganisms, are one of the three major domains of life on earth. They are diverse and show potential for innovation, but, owing to their relatively recent identification, are poorly understood compared to bacteria and eukaryotes. Expected outcomes are insights into the function of FtsZ-based cell division in archaea; better understanding of cell structure, function and diversity; and a wide range of cell and molecular biology studies. Field of research: 0605 - Microbiology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Secure quantum computing in a distributed world. This project aims to design protocols for secure cloud quantum computing, where clients can license the use of a host’s computer, while keeping their data secure from both eavesdroppers and the host. Quantum computers will transform the computational landscape of the 21st century, but will be affordable by few. Finding models for sharing quantum computing resources in a distributed environment is essential. Data security is important to clients – typical applications for quantum computing will involve commercially or strategically sensitive data. Developing these security protocols is expected to enable the commercialisation of quantum computing, enhancing their adoption and accessibility. Field of research: 0206 - Quantum Physics