University of Technology Sydney

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Bio-Inspired Novel Vibration Isolators Incorporating Triple-Functionality. This project aims to develop bio-inspired novel vibration isolators by innovative integration of quasi-zero stiffness structures with magnetorheological elastomer driven by vibration energy. The project creates a new concept of transforming harmful vibration energy to mitigate vibration itself and expects to generate new design methodologies in vibration isolation. Expected outcomes include new vibration isolation knowledge, and a three-function based framework leveraging bio-inspired mechanisms for self-adaptive and self-powering abilities. Success of the project provides significant benefits to many systems in aerospace, defence and manufacturing engineering, where vibration protections are essential for safety, operation and economy. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering Low-frequency vibrations, such as those occurring in flexible structures and tall buildings, military vehicles, naval ships and mobile mining machinery, can cause a range of problems if not properly mitigated. Prolonged exposure to vibrations can lead to fatigue and degradation in these structures, cause lower back pain or even disability in vehicle drivers and machinery operators, and cause inaccuracies and malfunctions of sensitive equipment. Inspired by skeletal and neuromuscular systems from nature, we propose a new approach to minimise vibration-caused adverse impacts on structures, equipment and people, by converting harmful vibration energy to counteract the vibration itself, leading to bio-inspired novel isolators with triple functionality. These isolators will have broad applications for naval, defence, aerospace, civil and mining industries, where vibration protections are essential for safety, operation and the economy. For example, the implementation of the isolators into mobile mining machinery could greatly reduce vibration-induced musculoskeletal injuries, benefiting one-third of the machinery operators in the Australian mining industry. This project is expected to expand the knowledge base of bio-inspired vibration isolation technology and enhance research capability in this area through researcher training. Our established industry networks will facilitate the promotion and translation of our research outcomes within the mining and manufacturing sectors.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Next-generation genomic disease surveillance in urban wastewater systems. This project aims to develop an innovative surveillance system capable of quantifying various pathogens and predicting case numbers and healthcare burdens of diverse infectious diseases via wastewater based epidemiology. Current epidemiology approach is retrospective, hindering timely intervention and threatening public health and the economy. This project expects to create a novel surveillance system through wastewater based epidemiology to enable timely intervention and resource allocation. Expected outcomes include a broad-spectrum quantitative metagenomic tool for quantifying pathogens, and models for predicting case numbers and healthcare burdens using pathogen concentrations. This should provide benefits for water and health sectors. Field of research: 4011 - Environmental Engineering Human pathogens threaten public health, causing various infectious disease outbreaks and costing the Australian economy billions of dollars annually. Currently, there is an urgent need for proactive identification of diverse human pathogens circulating in the community and predicting their associated infection case numbers and healthcare system burdens. This project aims to develop an innovative wastewater-based surveillance system capable of simultaneously detecting various human pathogens and accurately predicting their associated case numbers, hospital admissions, and intensive care unit admissions, weeks in advance. This will provide insights to assist public health authorities in policymaking and resource planning for outbreaks. Ultimately, the proposed system will reduce pathogen infections and alleviate taxpayers' financial burden by reducing the cost of hospital/medical treatments and loss of productivity due to human pathogen infections, bringing tangible health, social and economic benefits for the entire Australian population. The outcomes are adaptable to different regions and countries. This initiative positions Australia as a global leader in wastewater-based early warning systems for outbreak management and opens a global market for commercialization. The project team’s networks with water industry and health department will ensure that the research results reach water and health authorities for implementation, and outcomes achieved beyond academia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Molecular engineering of boron nanomaterials for future technologies. Boron based nanomaterials have novel properties, but it has been challenging to develop controllable fabrication. This project aims to fabricate boron nanomaterials with the desired following features, in single or multiple aspects: thickness, composition, lateral sizes, porosity, surface area and functionality. The project will advance our fundamental knowledge in materials chemistry, chemical engineering, materials engineering and physics. It is expected to take us closer to unlocking the potential of boron nanomaterials for real-world applications in, for example, water treatment, electronics and catalysis. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Boron nanomaterials are emerging versatile functional materials with potential applications ranging from energy generation to environmental sensing and catalysis. Their unique physical and chemical properties make them a more effective and low-cost alternative to materials currently used in these applications. However, their use is hindered by the lack of reliable synthesis processes. Therefore, this project aims to develop new efficient and cost-effective fabrication methods for boron nanomaterials to support next-generation technologies. The effectiveness of these materials will then be tested in real world scenarios – energy, water and environmental sensing – which are relevant to Australia. Adoption of the new materials will be facilitated through collaboration with our existing and emerging industry partners in Australia. The research outcomes have potential to open up new opportunities for: chemical manufacturing in Australia; the harvesting of sustainable osmotic energy; and the production of gas sensors that could be used for food spoilage detection and tracking of air pollution. Boron nanomaterials will also have potential applications in the manufacture of solar-driven water evaporation systems that could benefit Australians during droughts. Integrated into this project are training opportunities for researchers to build knowledge and capability in materials sciences.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Foundation of Refinement Techniques for Quantum Programming. This project aims to build a theoretical foundation for refinement techniques in quantum programming, addressing challenges of lacking compelling applications and applicable software for quantum computing. With advancements like IBM's 1000+ qubit Condor, quantum hardware is moving from prototypes to practical use. The project establishes a systematic framework for quantum programming using proven methods of program refinement, ensuring correctness and safety. Anticipated outcomes include formal semantics, a refinement calculus, and practical tools for quantum machine learning applications. The project's success strengthens Australia's leadership in quantum computing, contributing to the nation's global standing. Field of research: 4613 - Theory of Computation Quantum computers have the potential to solve complex problems in fields such as cryptography, optimisation, drug discovery and material science much faster than classical computers. The past decade has witnessed rapid expansion in quantum computing hardware capabilities but to unlock their full potential, we also need to develop quantum software in a comprehensive and systematic way. Because human intuition is better suited for classical computing than quantum computing, quantum programming is more error-prone, making it difficult to ensure the correctness of quantum programs. This project tackles this challenge by establishing the theoretical groundwork for refinement techniques in quantum programming. As Australia houses key players like Silicon Quantum Computing, successful outcomes from this project will fortify the country's leadership in quantum computing. The anticipated software development tools and methodologies can seamlessly integrate with Australia's quantum hardware, enhancing its value and contributing to the National Science and Research Priority of "advanced manufacturing". To promote our research beyond academia, we intend to release key software components as open-source projects, conduct workshops and training sessions for professionals and policymakers at industry events like Quantum Australia, and partner with leading Australian quantum technology companies such as Q-CTRL to integrate our quantum software tools into practical applications.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

4D Printing and Origami Shape-Morphing Antennas for CubeSat Applications. The project aims to discover a new research direction of antenna propagation by developing a new class of time-space 4D (three dimensions in space plus one dimension in time) antennas using emerging printable shape-memory materials for antenna beam-steering and propagation. This research fills a research gap in shape-transformable antenna designs. The project will critically impact CubeSat antennas in the microwave band (S/C/X/K/Ka-band) for motor-free, self-deployable CubeSat applications. The project outcome will benefit Australian industries of advanced manufacturing, satellite communications and defence, taking advantage of proposed 4D printing antenna technologies, aligning with the national strategy of “affordable access to space”. Field of research: 4006 - Communications Engineering CubeSats, modular standardised small satellites, have gained significant popularity in the past decade. CubeSat antennas, essential for maintaining reliable communication between space and Earth, occupy a substantial portion of the satellite system. Reducing their weight and size is critical to easing payload pressure for easier launches. Current CubeSat antenna technologies are constrained by traditional three-dimensional (3D) design and manufacturing limitations. 4D printing CubeSat antennas with motor-free self-deployment mechanisms remain unexplored. The proposed project aims to create 4D (3D in space plus 1D in time) passive beam-steering antennas with motor-free self-deploying and self-folding mechanisms using shape-transformable 4D printing materials. This project will also support the in-space fabrication of additively manufactured CubeSat antenna arrays, focusing on Earth Observation and Communications Technologies. Successfully delivering this project will place Australia at the forefront of reliable satellite communications research, enhancing the execution and longevity of CubeSat missions. Leveraging advanced 3D printing facilities, the project will provide a "Made in Australia" solution using locally hosted resources. Students involved will receive world-class training in advanced manufacturing facilities and CubeSat antenna design, equipping them with practical skills beyond academia and maximising the use and adoption of the research in their future careers.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Advancing Millimeter-Wave Base Station Antennas for 5G and 6G Deployment. The crucial mm-wave spectrum of 5G, pivotal for unlocking the full potential of next-generation networks, remains largely untapped. This project aims to pioneer the design and development of an innovative mm-wave base station with significantly reduced financial costs and energy consumption, paving the way for mm-wave network deployment. Central to this endeavor is the elimination of the amplitude modulation module required in current designs for beamforming. This introduces two scientific challenges, which can be addressed by the development of two groundbreaking antenna techniques: 'polarization-mixing enabled beamforming' and 'near-field beam focusing lenses'. Field of research: 4006 - Communications Engineering 5G mobile networks are crucial drivers for the next wave of industrial innovation and economic growth, boasting a service market value of USD 28.9 billion in 2023, and are expected to reach USD 250 billion by 2032. However, the deployment of 5G networks—particularly in the higher millimetre-wave frequency bands—has been slow, largely due to the high manufacturing costs and energy consumption of '5G-ready' base stations. This project aims to develop new antenna technologies that can significantly reduce these associated costs. This project will facilitate the large-scale deployment of cost-effective and energy-efficient wireless networks in the future. The advancement in wireless networks will benefit Australians with enhanced quality in telecommunication services and enable transformative technologies such as smart cities, smart agriculture, and advanced robotics, thereby driving economic growth across multiple sectors. The antenna array to be developed in this project also holds significant commercial potential. Leveraging on our existing industrial collaborations, we will actively promote our research outcomes at industrial workshops. For future research translation, we plan to collaborate with Australian manufacturers to boost Australia’s advanced manufacturing capabilities and work with telecommunications operators to facilitate the integration of new base station antennas across Australian neighbourhoods.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Improving Retirement Decisions: Theory, Evidence, and Policy Solutions. Many Australian retirees are not maximising their benefits by failing to convert their superannuation wealth from the accumulation phase to the pension phase. This is a significant missed opportunity given the tax advantages of this conversion. This project aims to address this issue through surveys, product choice experiments, and randomised controlled trials, supported by access to administrative data from two major superannuation funds. The goal is to obtain empirical evidence on how well retirees manage their superannuation, identify behavioural biases, and design and test policies that may improve decumulation strategies. This would enhance government and industry processes and secure a better economic future for Australian retirees. Field of research: 3801 - Applied Economics Established in 1992, the Australian superannuation system is crucial for retirement planning. However, many retirees are not maximising its benefits by failing to convert their superannuation wealth from the accumulation phase to the pension phase. This conversion offers significant tax advantages and is essential for effectively drawing down savings during retirement. The 2020 Retirement Income Review and 2023 Treasury discussion paper highlight a research gap in supporting optimal decumulation in retirement. This project will address this gap through surveys, product choice experiments, and randomised controlled trials to develop behavioural theory and targeted policy actions. Specifically, the project will examine why some retirees do not transition to the pension phase and identify those whose failure to switch is contrary to their best interests. Based on these insights, it will evaluate ways to improve consumer knowledge and decision making, empowering Australians to better manage their retirement wealth. New insights and policy recommendations will be communicated to stakeholders through various channels, including regular meetings with policymakers facilitated by partner superannuation funds, presentations at academic and industry conferences and workshops, and academic publications. These efforts will ensure that the research findings have a broad impact beyond academia, aligning academic approaches with practical, evidence-based solutions and government frameworks.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Use of recycled materials to reduce track degradation due to impact loads. During the passage of trains, the load-bearing rock particles (ballast) on the track surface break due to high impact forces generated from rail and wheel imperfections. This project aims to study the benefits of an energy-absorbing layer of ballast mixed with recycled rubber granules together with sleepers made from recycled plastic and glass fibres. The enhanced track performance with reduced ballast breakage and vibration will be quantified based on large-scale laboratory testing and field trials, and simulated by innovative computer/digital modelling. The tangible outcomes will ensure more sustainable track design with improved safety, stability, and longevity, as well as significant reduction in the cost of maintenance and repairs. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering Since the 1970s the Australian rail network has increased its volume of freight by more than tenfold, and will continue to expand its heavy-haul capacity to meet the demands of the agricultural and mining sectors. Escalating freight loads interact with wheel and/or rail imperfections to generate higher impact forces and vibrations, which can inevitably lead to severe degradation of load-bearing track components including the ballast layer (rock particles on the track surface), resulting in more costly and frequent maintenance. To mitigate damage from such high-impact dynamic loads, this project introduces a hybrid track system with a Rubber Intermixed Ballast Stratum (RIBS) and composite sleepers made from recycled plastic and glass fibres.This system will enhance track longevity, reduce waste materials and embrace the commitment for a circular economy, while conserving natural resources (quarried rock) by reducing ballast degradation. This sustainable approach will also lower the cost of maintenance and improve the performance of railways with less vibration. Enhancing the capacity to operate faster and heavier trains aligns with the government’s science and research priority for transport. This project will be an excellent training ground for a new generation of engineers passionate about frontier technologies. The resulting seminars and workshops will discuss new design tools & guidelines, and share the outcomes of field studies with practitioners across Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Large Language Model-based Client Agents for Psychotherapy Simulation . This project aims to leverage large language models (LLMs) to develop an intelligent system for simulating client behaviour in psychotherapy. While most research focuses on using LLMs to simulate mental health supporters, there has been limited exploration of client simulation, which is crucial for both practice and research. Innovative AI methods will be developed to address the challenges of automatically simulating client personas that reflect real-world populations and ensuring their consistency across multiple therapy sessions. The expected outcomes will advance LLM-based user simulation, train researchers in AI and psychotherapy, and strengthen Australia’s leadership in AI for mental health care. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science This project focuses on developing advanced AI systems, similar to chatbots like ChatGPT, to simulate clients in mental health therapy sessions. These virtual clients offer therapists a safe, controlled environment to practice and enhance their skills in interacting with real-world clients. The research addresses a critical gap in Australia, where there are limited tools that use AI to create realistic training scenarios for therapists. By providing a more interactive and lifelike experience, the project aims to significantly improve the training and preparation of mental health professionals, ultimately benefiting real-world patients. The research holds significant potential benefits for Australia. Economically, it can reduce the cost of therapist training by leveraging AI to deliver more efficient and scalable programs, allowing for the rapid expansion of the mental health workforce at a lower cost. Socially, by improving the quality of therapist training, it will lead to enhanced mental health care services, better support for individuals, and healthier communities. To ensure the research reaches beyond academia and drives real-world change, we will engage the healthcare sector through strategic partnerships, industry workshops, and the broad dissemination of findings via open-access platforms. These efforts will help bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice, promoting widespread adoption and maximising the impact on mental health care delivery in Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Social and Architectural Histories of Aboriginal Housing in regional NSW . This project aims to generate new knowledge on the social significance and architectural history of Aboriginal housing on former reserves in regional New South Wales from the 1950s to 2000. Place-based collections of archival photographs from disparate sources will be shared in community-hosted forums to elicit narratives and commentaries on housing, re-coding the images with knowledge at risk of loss. The project will implement and evaluate Indigenous data governance principles ensuring Aboriginal-led stewardship of data shared between communities and partner organisations. The novel research methods will build community resources for truth-telling and activate the use of critical housing histories in future policy and co-design processes. Field of research: 3301 - Architecture This project researches archival photographs of housing in former New South Wales Aboriginal reserves to repatriate and assemble community-based collections for use in forums designed to elicit historical narratives and commentaries about homes and settlements. These photographs are dispersed across public and private collections, diminished by their dislocation from communities with unrecorded metadata at risk of loss. The collections of images, narratives, social housing design and policy data support community-led truth-telling processes and reconciliation efforts through a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of Indigenous peoples' lived experiences and history. Tangible cultural benefits include the evaluation of the Powerhouse collection data sovereignty protocols to inform physical and digital repositories for safekeeping images and objects linked to communities. Comparing Indigenous housing policy and design with the social histories of homes over five decades provides evidence for co-design processes that aim to drive social, environmental and economic benefits through housing suited to Indigenous cultural preferences and livelihoods. Outcomes will be promoted through Aboriginal community engagement, partner organisations networks and outreach operations. The novel research methods offer an Australia-wide approach to community-led discussions with government agencies and architects about improving social housing policy and design on Indigenous lands.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Upcycling cathode materials from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. The upcycling of cathode materials from end-of-life batteries is crucial for conserving resources, reducing costs, saving energy, and controlling pollution in Australia. This project aims to explore advanced technologies to cost-effectively upcycle cathode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries. This research addresses the National Research Priority 'Energy' with the Practical Research Challenge of 'New clean energy sources and storage technologies that are efficient, cost-effective, and reliable.' The research outcome of cathode upcycling will lead to the development of novel technologies for efficient material recovery, positioning Australia at the forefront of the scientific research field in line with Australian research priorities. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering The global market for rechargeable lithium batteries is valued at AU$90 billion per annum, which demands a huge volume of natural resources for battery production. Improving the recycling processes for upcycling cathode materials, which currently have very low energy efficiency, is vital to improving the environmental sustainability of battery technology. The fundamental principles of cathode material recovery from spent lithium-ion batteries are not clear, yet this is critical to understanding the relationship between processing parameters and the performance of materials. This project will address this knowledge gap to enable the recovery of high-quality cathode materials from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. Once our proof-of-concept has been successfully demonstrated it will enable patentable technologies and provide further opportunities for global partnerships. The project outcomes will have direct economic and environmental benefits for Australia. It will demonstrate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of future Australian renewable energy applications and initiatives, such as electric vehicles and energy storage facilities. This project will also support Australia’s global positioning in lithium battery technologies, reduce carbon emissions and enable pathways to a circular economy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Next-generation geotechnologies for high-speed and heavy-haul rail. This project aims to develop next-generation geotechnologies for designing cost-effective, high-speed and heavy haul rail infrastructure. The project expects to develop innovative new computational methods for predicting serviceability, hazards, and risk of foundation solutions to large geo-structures under fast moving loads, contributing to cost savings and reliable cost estimations for such infrastructure. The expected outcomes are new, advanced analysis tools and enhanced technical capacity. This will address current cost barriers to the development of high-speed and heavy haul rail, unlock economic growth and social benefits to regional areas, and create globally recognised and connected geotechnical expertise in Australia. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering Australia has experienced decades of economic growth and prosperity. Yet our big cities are now struggling to accommodate more population, whilst regional cities outside metropolitan areas are being challenged to grow and attract more residents and business. Easy access of regional populations to major metropolitan facilities and infrastructure, such as hospitals and international airports, is a major obstacle for further growth. High-speed rail offers the ideal solution for the fast movement of people and goods up and down the east coast, but there is a lack of rigorous tools to analyse the key geotechnical properties and uncertainties unique to the Australian climate and ground conditions, affecting construction and maintenance costs and feasibility. The innovative computational methods developed in this project will enable more accurate cost estimation associated with different design scenarios to unlock the significant economic potential of the rollout of high-speed rail in Australia. While this project will mainly focus on high-speed rail, the computational tools mentioned above are equally applicable to adoption by vital Australian export industries relying on heavy-haul railways, such as mining and agriculture. The project outcomes will include capacity building of world-class geotechnical engineering workforce, outreach to industry sectors through targeted industry workshops, and international collaboration to solve real-life Australian engineering problems in rail.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Transforming mmWave 5G and Beyond Networks by Joint Communications Sensing. This project addresses key deployment challenges in millimetre-wave 5G and beyond mobile networks by developing new knowledge in the emerging field of joint communications and sensing (JCAS), positioning Australia as a global leader in JCAS and potentially shaping future mobile standards. Partnering with TPG Telecom, the project will deliver cost- and energy-efficient, robust JCAS solutions tailored to industry needs and constraints. Expected outcomes include precise environmental mapping, real-time situational awareness, and optimised beam management. These innovations promise substantial benefits for Australia by enhancing connectivity, reducing environmental impact, and supporting economic growth through advanced digital infrastructure. Field of research: 4006 - Communications Engineering Millimetre-wave (mmWave) 5G networks could add over $60 billion to Australia’s GDP by 2030, but their deployment faces critical challenges, including high infrastructure costs, energy inefficiency, and network instability. In collaboration with TPG Telecom, this project aims to overcome these barriers by advancing joint communications and sensing (JCAS) technology, a critical enabler for future networks. It will develop new JCAS knowledge to improve the cost-efficiency, sustainability, intelligence, and resilience of Australia’s mmWave 5G networks. The project promises significant benefits for Australians. Economically, it will reduce infrastructure costs while supporting healthcare, finance, and manufacturing sectors by strengthening digital infrastructure for services, such as telemedicine and industry automation. Environmentally, more efficient 5G networks will reduce energy demands, contributing to a greener, more sustainable telecommunications sector. Socially, improved connectivity will bridge digital divides among diverse communities, expanding equitable access to services, such as education and emergency response. The project is co-developed with TPG Telecom to maximise impact and ensure practical industry relevance. Research outcomes will be shared through industry workshops, public forums, and international conferences, accelerating the adoption of advanced mmWave 5G and JCAS technologies and positioning Australia as a global leader in telecommunications.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Foundation of Refinement Techniques for Quantum Programming Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Strengthening the Resilience of Power Grids with Networked Microgrids. This project aims to address the challenge of electricity grid resilience during high-impact, low-probability events through innovative digital twins and quantum-inspired optimisations of microgrid clusters. This project will generate new knowledge in energy resilience using a pioneering model of interconnected systems to address the growing threats to power grids (and coupled utilities, such as communication and electrified transport) from extreme weather events. Expected outcomes include improved grid adaptability and enhanced cross-sector coordination in extreme events. Project success will boost the grid's ability to protect vulnerable communities and mitigate failures through dynamic coordination and reconfigurable control techniques. Field of research: 4008 - Electrical Engineering Extreme weather events and the growing integration of intermittent renewable energy sources continue to challenge the resilience of our power supply, underscoring the country's vulnerability to these events and the need for robust and adaptable operation of critical interconnected infrastructures. Ensuring a resilient power grid is crucial for regional communities and greatly increases the capacity of existing distribution networks to integrate renewable-rich microgrids (MGs). This project aims to develop new methods to strengthen Australia’s defence against electricity grid vulnerability challenges—exploring how innovative networked MG technology can enhance the resilience and cost-effectiveness of the power supply. The benefits of this research span multiple dimensions: enhancing power supply adaptability and minimising associated risks and costs; ensuring access to essential electrified services; and improving commercial viability via developing novel grid resilience technologies. Beyond the support of regional communities, outcomes can be adopted by industrial and residential customers of renewable energy from wider regions in Australia and globally. The project will provide an opportunity for Australian innovation to lead in MG technology and attract industry investment. Through national and international collaboration, and widespread industry and public dissemination, this project will promote its knowledge advancements in energy resilience to a broad audience base.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Labour market expectations, job search and migration of young graduates. Graduate unemployment is widespread in low-income countries and a policy priority for African and Asian governments. This project aims to ascertain why high school and university graduates face high unemployment rates in Cote d’Ivoire. It expects to generate new knowledge on graduates’ labour market expectations and their job search, by creating the region’s first comprehensive dataset on graduate jobseekers as well as two novel theoretical frameworks for evaluating root causes of unemployment. Expected outcomes include policy advice that will reduce unemployment, providing significant benefits for young Ivoirians and the economy, while also stemming the jobs-related migration that is causing a brain drain at home and problems in Europe. Field of research: 3801 - Applied Economics Educational attainment has risen in Sub-Saharan Africa over recent decades, but remains the world’s lowest. Development assistance for education is often motivated by improving labour market opportunities and earnings for youth. Australia provides over $80m annually in official development assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa, of which about 40% is invested in education. However, this well-intentioned support contrasts sharply with the phenomenon of high graduate unemployment observed in the region, where graduates take months, or even years, to find stable work. This project, focused on Côte d’Ivoire, will contribute to ensuring that Australia’s development assistance spending is sustainable, economically viable and relevant, by addressing a gap in knowledge as to why educational qualifications do not necessarily translate into jobs. This investigation into the root causes of graduate unemployment and its consequences for international migration will directly shape policy advice to assist governments in the region and international institutions seeking to address graduate unemployment. The project outcomes will be disseminated to stakeholders such as DFAT, African Development Bank, World Bank, International Labor Organisation, and others. It can help Australia re-evaluate its allocation of development assistance and will also contribute to Australia’s efforts towards UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality education, and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Using cognitive and behavioural science to understand food rewards. This project aims to investigate how cues associated with food rewards (such as the McDonald's M) affect learning, cognition and motivated behaviour in humans. Using well-validated and reliable methods from studies of reward processing in behavioural neuroscience, this project will shed light on how cues that signal reward bias decision making across different contexts - when individuals are hungry, full, stressed, or currently seeking to moderate food intake. The expected project outcome is novel mechanistic insights into the behavioural determinants of food choice. This project will contribute to an evidence base that can inform future policy and potential regulation of food advertising in Australia. Field of research: 5204 - Cognitive and Computational Psychology Food brands and logos, like the McDonalds 'golden arches', are everywhere, even in our homes through advertisements. These food cues are believed to make people eat more than they need to, in excessive and unnecessary amounts, but we don't fully understand how seeing these food rewards all the time is affecting our thinking, choices, and eating habits. This project uses tasks from behavioural and cognitive science to understand how anticipating food rewards influences learning, thinking, and motivated behaviour. We will look at the conflict between automatic responses to food rewards and our 'good intentions' and see how these cues affect our choices in different situations, like when hungry, full, stressed, or trying to eat less. Our research will provide evidence that can help shape future policies and regulations on food advertising in Australia. This new knowledge will inform better policies that reduce healthcare costs related to obesity and improve public health. It will also promote healthier eating habits and encourage sustainable food practices. We will share our findings with policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the public through policy briefs, public seminars, social media and collaborations with health organisations and policy advocacy groups around junk food advertising.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Reducing PFAS in Sewage Sludge for a Circular Economy. This project aims to acquire new knowledge to support the development of a globally relevant technology for reducing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in stabilised sewage sludge. Sludge contains toxic PFAS, which are difficult to reduce. In Australia, 80% of stabilised sludge is used in agriculture, causing harmful PFAS contamination in soil and water. This project expects to generate knowledge of a novel technology that leverages a waste by-product of sewage treatment to reduce PFAS in stabilised sludge. Expected outcomes include enhanced industry capacity to safeguard environmental and human health from PFAS contamination. This should provide environmental, economic and health benefits for water industry and communities. Field of research: 4011 - Environmental Engineering Australia generates about 372,000 dry tonnes of stabilised sewage sludge annually, with 80% used in agriculture to recycle its nutrients. However, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—toxic and persistent compounds used widely in households and industry—tend to accumulate in the sewage sludge of sewage treatment plants and are difficult to reduce during sludge stabilisation. Applying this PFAS-containing stabilised sludge to agriculture could result in PFAS contamination in soil and water. This project aims to acquire new knowledge to support the development of a technology that utilises a waste by-product of sewage treatment to reduce PFAS in stabilised sewage sludge. The project will enable the water industry to safely apply stabilised sludge to agriculture. The outcomes will protect environmental and human health from PFAS contamination and support the transition of the water industry to a circular economy. The outcomes could also tap into a multi-trillion-dollar global market, positioning Australia as a leader in PFAS control, and bring environmental, health and economic benefits to Australian and international communities. The five Australian industry partners are end-users and peak bodies representing broad water industry. This will ensure the project outcomes can be adopted by water industry across Australia. Training workshops for the water professionals will facilitate knowledge transfer and commercialisation and ensure that the outcomes extend beyond academia.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Uncovering the colonisation of newly-recognised 'trojan horses' of... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

3D-Printed Antennas in Package for Millimetre-Wave Semiconductor Packaging. This project seeks to address key research challenges in millimetre-wave antenna-in-package technology for electronic packaging by combining additively manufactured electronics with semiconductor chips. It targets an industry-wide knowledge gap in antenna-in-package beamforming, beam-steering, and thermal management. The proposed antenna-in-package approach provides a cost-effective, on-demand, and waste-reducing solution, enabling complex designs for compact electronic devices that traditional methods cannot support. The findings will offer valuable insights for antenna array packaging within the 5G frequency band. Additionally, the project aims to bolster Australia’s semiconductor industry by developing a local manufacturing ecosystem. Field of research: 4006 - Communications Engineering In the era of 5G and beyond, compact and portable electronic devices will be widely used in various mobile applications, including personal healthcare, device-to-device communications, radar sensing for unmanned vehicles, and intelligent transportation. The growing demand across industries is expected to expand the market significantly. This project will help meet future demand by advancing technologies that connect to 5G, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, positioning our nation to capitalise early on millimetre-wave technology for next-generation communications. Successful completion will solidify Australia’s leadership in the wireless semiconductor industry, utilising print-on-demand, waste-reducing, and environmentally friendly practices. Additionally, this project aligns with the national interest by supporting the “capacity-building initiative to create a homegrown semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem,” as highlighted by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Personalised Machine Learning to Support Women’s Quality of Life. This IL will spearhead an advanced personalised machine learning (PML) framework, methodology and platform for genetic-profile-based states prediction and precision analyses of women’s health characteristics: to empower healthy living and ageing across the individual life courses of Australian women. Of note, genetics-informed findings have key potential, with only ~1% of genome data so far harnessed, and precision women’s quality of life (QoL) analytics not yet achieved. Project breakthroughs will overcome challenges in data uncertainty, multi-sources and multi-modals to deliver translatable PML outcomes. This will position Australian industry as global leaders in genomics for women’s QoL and train PML leaders for a burgeoning industry. Field of research: 4609 - Information Systems This IL will pioneer new computational technologies to achieve world-leading, personalised machine learning (PML) supporting women’s lifetime health journeys. The project’s advanced and human-centred AI approaches will drive unprecedented genomic association analysis and early states prediction for fertility, pregnancy and post-menopausal issues. This will enable Australian industry to deliver more effective and precise genetic factor analyses, paving the way for health-smart strategies for women that are genetics-informed and individually personalised. The project will educate a new generation of emerging scientific leaders and engineers in transformative PML methodologies that tackle varied and highly complex data sources for personalised services, and translate the technology nationally and globally for potentially higher impact and lower-cost women’s healthcare service in the future. This research will enable both economic and societal benefits – creating new capabilities for discovery and commercialisation; significant innovations in Machine Learning; and key opportunities for gene-related Australian industries to lead in ‘AI for Women’s Quality of Life’. Industry showcases and workshops, and public outreach as part of the project’s ambassadorial activities, will ensure wide dissemination of this ground-breaking transdisciplinary research. Potential commercialisation success will be enhanced by strong University and industry partners positioning and capabilities.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Auditing the auditors: Assessing capacity for gender-responsive... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

ARC Research Hub in Responsible AI for a Sustainable Grain Industry. This hub aims to revolutionise Australia’s grain industry by developing innovative responsible AI (RAI) technologies that drive sustainable growth. Through RAI, sustainable grain practices, biophotonics, and digital carbon management, the hub will address current challenges while generating new knowledge and opportunities. Key outcomes include cutting-edge RAI technologies tailored for grain applications, leading to reduced fertiliser and diesel use, lower carbon emissions, enhanced carbon sequestration, and better climate adaptation. These innovations will transform the grain industry into a thriving, sustainable sector that support international carbon mitigation commitments and positions Australia as a global leader in grain production. Field of research: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science This hub is co-designed with industry partners to be targeted at solving a key problem faced by Australian farmers – how to achieve sustainable transformation through AI. The estimated global market for AI in the grain industry is expected to reach USD 5–10 billion by 2032, but the benefits of the technology are not reaching our farmers. The reason is that the trustworthiness of existing AI is compromised by issues such as its black-box nature, privacy concerns, and unreliable results. The hub’s outcomes will propel Australia into a world-leading position in responsible AI (RAI)-empowered sustainable grain. The research, transformation, and engagement activities of this hub will enhance the global competitiveness of the Australian grain industry, support our obligations to meet net-zero emissions by 2050, and facilitate the growth and acceleration of Australia’s AI capabilities. This will lead to tangible economic and societal impacts, creating new innovations, new opportunities for commercialisation, and significant opportunities for our industry partners and the agriculture sector. This hub will deeply involve industry partners covering many key aspects of the sustainable grain industry, including genomic breeding, planting, farming systems, robotics and AI, supply chain, and carbon-credit trading, through co-design, co-development and co-supervision. Novel technical frameworks spanning the entire grain supply chain will also be well developed.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2024 · 2024-12

MetaSteering Antenna Systems for Covert Intelligence Collection and... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2024 · 2024-11

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Seventh Assessment Category: Climate Change