MONASH UNIVERSITY

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Assessments for writing with generative artificial intelligence . This project aims to develop a novel assessment framework for writing with generative artificial intelligence—a new technology capable of producing text with humanlike fluency. This project endeavours to produce new knowledge at the intersection of learning analytics, the learning sciences, and educational technology using innovative methods for data capture and analysis. Expected outcomes of this project include the first valid, feasible, and reliable framework for assessing writing composed with the help of artificial intelligence. This should provide significant benefits to (a) writing assessment in higher education, (b) student learning, and (c) our understanding of collaborations between humans and artificial intelligence. Field of research: 3904 - Specialist Studies In Education Our project addresses the pressing gap in knowledge regarding the valid and feasible assessment of writing with generative artificial intelligence—a technology that is poised to become ubiquitous in education and the workplace. Economically, the project will improve graduate employability by supporting educators to teach with—and students to learn with—generative artificial intelligence. We will achieve this by developing a novel assessment framework and deployable assessment system that teachers can use to evaluate and improve student writing practices. Commercially, this project will enable the development of the next generation of artificial intelligence and data science-driven products to advance the education technology industry. The industry will benefit from our design principles, models, and blueprints to develop technologies that optimise the assessment of products and processes augmented by artificial intelligence. Socially, the project will offer validated approaches that can inform policies and practices in higher education related to assessment in this new age of artificial intelligence. We will promote our project beyond academia via webpages, podcasts, news media, and educational trade shows and conferences.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Synergies between physical exercise, brain stimulation, and neuroplasticity. The brain is a highly dynamic organ. This capacity, known as neuroplasticity, governs our ability to learn new skills, acquire new knowledge, and fine-tune cognition. This project aims to investigate synergies between exercise, brain stimulation, and neuroplasticity, via application of a highly innovative interdisciplinary approach combining exercise physiology and cognitive neuroscience techniques. This project will pioneer novel, non-invasive methods of harnessing neuroplasticity to improve brain function, and generate fundamental insights into the mechanisms mediating learning and memory. Field of research: 5202 - Biological Psychology The brain is a highly adaptable organ. This capacity to change, known as neuroplasticity, is fundamental to our ability to learn and adapt to changes in our environment. However, we currently have a very limited understanding of the brain processes underlying neuroplasticity, and how they enable learning and memory. Aerobic exercise and non-invasive brain stimulation are two proven ways to improve neuroplasticity. This project will investigate the benefits of combining these methods, and pioneer new ways of harnessing neuroplasticity in structures deep within the brain. This project will generate important new insights into how the brain learns and retains information. This knowledge stands to benefit Australians by generating novel approaches to improve brain health, which may have implications for optimising learning outcomes in education, health, and workplace settings. The knowledge generated may be applied in the future to treat brain dysfunction. Research findings will be shared with the public through news media, social media, and engagement with high school students.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Partnering with local knowledge systems to impact river management. The project aims to connect Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) to other actors and processes involved in river transformation. Working in partnership with holders of Local and Indigenous knowledge, and using Indonesian river catchments as case studies, the project expects to generate new knowledge in development and planning studies. Expected outcomes include the development and dissemination of recommendations and strategies for how LINKS can inform river management. Anticipated benefits include significant new knowledge on how river management actors can partner with local communities to innovate to meet the compounding challenges of climate change and deliver greater impact and efficiency of investment. Field of research: 3301 - Architecture Climate change notably challenges vulnerable communities, and Australia has invested $billions to support neighbouring countries. However, such investments don’t always result in lasting improvements. Engaging Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) helps to represent the people affected by programs/policies in their development. Supporting locally accepted programs leads to sustained uptake. This project partners with communities living in Indonesian river basins to identify how their knowledge can inform local river management. The project will explore challenges and models for improved practices, integrating LINKS into river management, in the context of climate change. Anticipated benefits include improved geopolitical stability in our region through economic growth, water pollution control and developing climate change resilience. This project is connected to large, well-funded development projects already underway in Indonesia, supporting uptake directly into communities. The project will be broadly applicable in showing how including local communities can promote long-term river management.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

New methods to capture protein dynamics of the TSC-mTOR signalling axis. Protein flexibility, the way proteins move, has a major role in how they function. However, we still do not have the tools to analyse this flexibility. Our cells have evolved many complex and flexible systems to sense and respond to their environment. For example, the TSC-mTOR system is found across life, from baker’s yeast to humans, however it remains poorly understood. This proposal will study TSC as an exemplar to develop novel machine-learning approaches to capture protein flexibility and shape. This proposal will advance fundamental understanding of the TSC-mTOR pathway and build transformative methodologies to study flexible proteins more broadly. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology The building blocks of our bodies, or cells, multiply in a very controlled way, but we don't fully understand how this control happens. This project develops highly specialised and sensitive methodologies involving artificial intelligence and microscopy. These methodologies will be used to investigate the series of fundamental events that control cell multiplication at the molecular level of a wide range of living things running the gamut from yeast, to plants, to humans. The advanced algorithms and software developed by this project will be provided to the research community to assist them to expand the basic knowledge of how cells function at a molecular level. Ultimately this knowledge may assist many things from improving how plants survive in adverse conditions or development of medical treatments. Findings from this research will support future academic-industry partnerships benefiting Australia’s biotech and pharmaceutical sectors.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Identifying hypothalamic circuits that integrate stress and metabolism. This project aims to investigate how the brain integrates threat during hunger. Using cutting-edge technology to manipulate and record neural activity this project will elucidate the brain circuits that integrate threat and appetite to minimize stress exposure during foraging. This will expand our knowledge on how the brain perceives and responds to hunger and may provide relevant information for a large number of basic biological processes controlling the brain. Expected outcomes of this project will contribute to a better understanding of the circuitry controlling more complex decisions from food selection through to social interactions. This should provide significant benefits for Australia’s competitiveness within neuroscience research. Field of research: 5202 - Biological Psychology Animals maximise survival by balancing food intake and feeding behaviour against threats such as predation. This project examines how the brain balances the conflict between avoiding threats and maintaining food intake, especially during stress. Stress suppressed feeding negatively impacts animal growth rates, breeding, health, and survival. Therefore, the knowledge gained may be economically valuable for the meat and egg industries in Australia that rely on optimal production at minimal cost, while also prioritising animal welfare, an issue of increasing concern to consumers. The impacts of stress, including reduced feeding, can markedly impact survival of wildlife. The project outcomes may lead to improved conservation strategies, such as innovation in wildlife corridors, and in guiding programs that oversee captive wild animals. The research will contribute to vital understanding of how brains compute risk/reward decisions and affect decision-making under different environmental contexts, particularly stress. Results will be disseminated via avenues targeting meat/egg industries and conservation managers.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Molecular insights into the allosteric regulation of opioid receptors. Allosteric regulation is the biological process by which molecules bind to proteins someplace other than their active site, regulating their activity. Proteins on the cell surface called membrane receptors can be allosterically regulated to fine-tune the response of cells to the environment. This project aims to investigate how small molecules regulate receptor activity at a molecular level, using opioid receptors as an exemplar system. I will use an interdisciplinary approach that combines structural biology, medicinal chemistry, analytical pharmacology, and cell biology. The knowledge gained from these studies will advance fundamental understanding of receptor function and can lay the foundation for future drug discovery efforts. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Cells rely on receptor proteins on their surface to detect and respond to signals from the environment. These receptors are essential for maintaining life and well-being. It remains unknown how different molecules precisely regulate receptor activity to produce various effects in our cells, which limits our ability to develop effective medicines. This project will develop new methods to uncover the complex mechanisms that regulate opioid receptors, which are involved in pain sensation. The knowledge gained will provide an essential first step towards the development of safer and more effective pain medications, and will be readily transferrable to study other important cell receptors involved in a wide range of conditions. The outcomes will ultimately provide economic benefit for Australia via innovations of interest to pharmaceuticals industries, with expected downstream benefits for the health of Australians. The valuable intellectual property in the new methods to be developed, plus existing links with pharmaceutical industries, will ensure translation of the outcomes to benefit Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Molecular characterisation of pore-forming proteins as pest control agents. This project aims to utilise protein engineering, structural biology, and biochemistry to characterise the function of key members of the aerolysin/epsilon toxin/Toxin_10 pore-forming protein superfamily. Pore formation is a ubiquitous mechanism deployed by all kingdoms as defences against invading organisms. The expected outcomes of this project include the development of novel techniques aimed, broadly, at studying pore-forming proteins during the assembly pathway. This project should be of benefit to the wider research community by improving our understanding of pore-forming proteins as potential pest control agents. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology In Australia, many of the foods we eat are grown on farms. Insects can sometimes eat these crops, which puts a lot of strain on our agriculture system and results in enormous food waste. But there are natural proteins that can kill insects and act as a protective shield for the crops. This multidisciplinary project will study how these proteins, called "pore-forming proteins," work. These pore-forming proteins act like a pin to a balloon and can pop insects from the inside as they ingest the proteins. This project aims to gain a better understanding of how these proteins target certain insects and how they change shape to do their job. The outcomes will increase Australia's global standing in research with the commercial development of intellectual property for crop protection. The knowledge gained from this project will offer tools that will be used by biotechnology companies to design new ways to control insects on farms and maximise the protection to our agriculture.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Unlocking Rare Earth Elements from the Earth Crust. This project will explore the mechanisms controlling the mobility of Rare Earth Elements (REE) in natural and engineered hydrothermal systems. The project will generate essential geochemical and thermodynamic data of important REE host minerals, and thereby significantly improve our capacity to quantify the behaviour of REE during complex ore-forming and hydrometallurgical processes. The anticipated outcomes include: facilitate discovery of new REE deposits by improving understanding of their formation; and facilitate optimisation and development of innovative techniques for REE ore processing. This knowledge and expertise will help Australia to become a world leader in supplying REE for the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. Field of research: 3703 - Geochemistry Australia has among the world’s largest recoverable reserves of the critical minerals used in advanced technologies (e.g., renewable energy, aerospace, defence, electric mobility, agri-tech). The Australian Government is investing heavily to help realise this momentous opportunity, particularly helping companies who hold Rare Earth Elements (REE) reserves to ramp up production and build on-shore infrastructure for processing. Mineral criticality is associated with risks due to geological, environmental, social, economic and geopolitical factors. This project will help minimising these risks by generating essential data for accurate prediction of REE behaviour in various geological and engineered systems. This new knowledge will promote a predictive approach to the discovery of large-scale REE resources. By allowing realistic predictions of REE behaviour in complex hydrometallurgical processes, the project will help facilitate the optimisation and design of metallurgical extraction, resulting in significant cost-savings, and helping to minimise the energy and environmental costs of REE mining and extraction.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Landscape-climate disequilibrium in dune fields. This project aims to predict how wind-blown landscapes respond to changes in climate. This project expects to use novel experiments and theoretical advances to meet this aim, then apply the prediction to the dune fields which cover a third of Australia's surface to generate new knowledge on what climate shaped them in the past, and how they will respond to anthropogenic climate change. Expected outcomes of this project will strengthen collaboration with discipline-leading international researchers and develop a globally-unique laboratory experimental capability in Australia. This should provide significant benefits to understanding environmental change in Australia by vastly improving predictions of dune-field response to future climate. Field of research: 3709 - Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience Sand dunes cover over a third of the Australian continent and are the most common landform in Australia. They are dynamic forms which migrate and deform depending on wind climate. Currently there is no way to predict how they will respond to future climate change, which includes changes in wind patterns, since all current theories only describe dune behaviour when climate is constant. This project will develop new understanding of dune field response to climate change and apply it to Australia's vast linear dune fields. The application to Australia's dune fields will greatly improve our understanding of past climates and Australia’s environmental history. This project will lead to improved predictions of future change to landscapes which host significant road, rail, livestock, and natural resource assets. Project outcomes will inform how environmental managers and policy makers plan for the future, and will build our capability in predicting landscape change. Findings will be communicated to industry and government via professional organisations, and to the public via journalism and media outlets.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Workplace mental health: Aligning employer incentives with societal benefit. The workplace is an underutilised platform to improve mental health. This is a particularly urgent problem for the healthcare workforce. This project aims to investigate ways to encourage employers to create mentally healthy workplaces. By pioneering use of economic methods, this project expects to generate much-needed knowledge on conflicting incentives that are hindering employer action. Expected outcomes include evidence on how potential policy reforms would affect employers' behaviour, and how they see value for money of workplace mental health initiatives. By informing successful policy change, the project should improve employee wellbeing and increase productivity, which will benefit employers, employees, and society. Field of research: 3801 - Applied Economics Mental health is one of the biggest challenges of our time and workplaces are under-utilised sites for improving mental health. Yet most organisations lack effective action, contrary to assumptions that employers have sufficient incentives to improve workplace mental health. This project aims to fill critical gaps in our knowledge of employer incentives, with a focus on the high-priority healthcare workforce. It will investigate how factors, that may be overlooked in policy, influence employer decision-making, such as the timing of costs versus outcomes, impact on reputation, and personal effort. It will examine the impact of proposed policies (e.g. ranking organisations on workplace mental health) before widespread implementation. It will also provide a missing piece of the puzzle: what do workers want their employers to do? Insights will be developed with and disseminated among employers, employees, and government. By informing strategies that motivate employers to make real changes, the project will contribute to economic and wellbeing benefits for workers, employers, and society.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Theory use in social care practice: improving implementation and outcomes . This project aims to harness the power of theorising to advance implementation science. The project expects to generate new knowledge on how frontline workers can use and move beyond their tacit knowledge to strengthen the implementation and effectiveness of programs designed to address pervasive disadvantage and promote positive child and family outcomes. The expected outcome is a tested theoretical model that will inform how frontline workers' critical thinking supports the consolidation of tacit and new knowledge and the use of implementation science. Strengthening understanding of effective program implementation through theory driven inquiry is viable and may generate urgently needed population level change in the social care sector. Field of research: 4203 - Health Services and Systems Addressing disadvantage in childhood is a national priority and could save $15.2 billion/yr, yet the social care programs delivered to achieve this aim presently do not work for everyone. Theorising, when social care workers use knowledge and data for decision-making, may be the key to these programs being delivered more effectively. This project will generate new knowledge about how theorising, workplace supports, and researchers in practice settings, together can strengthen program delivery to achieve reliable outcomes and sustainable change for children and families. Best-practice tools and training needed to support social care workers’ theorising will also be developed. Well established industry partnerships will ensure knowledge is shared system-wide, and that the supports are adopted for more effective and consistent program delivery. This project contributes economic and social benefit by building sector capacity, in both the workers and the workplace, to provide programs that enable children and families living with disadvantage to achieve consistent, positive outcomes.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Sustainable Business Models for Marine Conservation. Marine conservation remains severely underfunded, with the private sector increasingly promoted as a solution. This project investigates under which circumstances sustainable business models can be developed to generate profit alongside positive marine conservation outcomes. By collecting data from coastal stakeholders in Fiji and the Philippines, the project will conduct the first in depth examination of relationships between the institutional, financial, and business aspects of marine conservation. Expected outcomes include enhanced cooperation and decision-making among entrepreneurs, investors, and environmental managers – to implement solutions to effectively and equitably safeguard ocean resources, ecosystems, and coastal communities. Field of research: 4406 - Human Geography With the health of our oceans under severe threat, Australia has pledged to help protect 30% of ocean area by 2030. Protected & Conserved Areas (PCAs) help conserve and rebuild marine life but are chronically underfunded and rely on infrequent philanthropic funding. Better financing approaches are needed. This project investigates how Sustainable Business Models – related to e.g., ecotourism and sustainable aquaculture – can be developed to finance marine PCAs through their profits. Entrepreneurs, investors, local communities, and policy makers will be interviewed to identify viable business models and supporting policies. The project will benefit Australia economically and socially by identifying ways for investors to fund business models that can deliver sustained financing for PCA management. It also offers to help protect marine environments, species, food sources, and tourism areas for all Australians. Results will be shared with business investors, entrepreneurs, communities, and policy makers through a series of workshops, meetings, and site re-visits, allowing them to collaborate on implementation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Hybrid optimisation for coordinating autonomous trucks and drones. This project aims to build analytics for controlling a fleet of autonomous trucks and drones working in tandem to deliver retail goods and disaster relief. This project expects to develop new mathematical and artificial intelligence algorithms for routing and scheduling the vehicles and for directing the multi-modal transfer of goods between vehicles in real-time as traffic conditions change. Expected outcomes of this project include new theories and technologies that enable a central computer to remotely control the autonomous fleet for maximum efficiency. Benefits in transport and logistics include improved freight productivity through reducing costs and delivery times. Field of research: 4903 - Numerical and Computational Mathematics Australia's freight transport productivity has been stagnant for nearly three decades. The "last-mile" cost to deliver pasta sauce from your local supermarket to your home is now about the same as from Italy to Sydney. The Australian Government determined that a 1% improvement in freight efficiency will save $8-20 billion over 20 years and is encouraging drones and autonomous vehicles to both restart productivity growth and meet increasing demand. This project will investigate a new system of cooperative truck-and-drone last-mile transport and develop analytics technologies to maximise efficiency by rerouting and transferring goods between ground and air vehicles as traffic and weather conditions change. Australians will benefit from less road congestion, lower costs, faster delivery times and higher reliability in everyday retail and in emergency response, where prompt delivery of aid can save lives. This project will be implemented in partnership with innovative transport and logistics businesses, and could contribute to growing the nation's economic prosperity.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Modelling the youngest planets. Over 5000 exoplanets have been discovered, demonstrating that planet formation is a robust and widespread process. But we do not know how these planets, including those in our solar system, formed. Our group at Monash pioneered a new technique for detecting "baby" planets --- observed still embedded in the disc of gas and dust from which they are born. The project aims to characterise the youngest detected exoplanets with the world's largest telescopes, including time already awarded on the James Webb Space Telescope. We will image these planets, and model their birth in 3D. The project will develop state of the art computer algorithms for simulating fluid flow and data analysis technics that can be applied to problems here on Earth. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Australia is a world leader in Astronomy, based on our history of hosting world-class observatories on home soil. Our project leverages Australia's next phase as an Astronomy powerhouse --- as an international partner in the European Southern Observatory which manages the ALMA telescope and the Very Large Telescope in Chile, which our project utilises. The computer simulation techniques we employ are "home grown", having been invented at Monash in the 1970s and developed there ever since, and now widely applied to industrial and engineering problems around the world. This project will keep our place as a world leader in this area. The project will involve new and novel data analysis, imaging and simulation techniques, training two PhD students and four honours students in skills readily transferable to the business world of "big data". Data-fluent graduates are in short supply and high demand. Astronomy is instrumental to public and student interest in physics and mathematics. The project will be supported by public Astronomy talks and school visits.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Learning to Reason in Reinforcement Learning. Deep Reinforcement Learning (RL) uses deep neural networks to represent and learn optimal decision-making policies for intelligent agents in complex environments. However, most RL approaches require millions of episodes to converge to good policies, making it difficult for RL to be applied in real-world scenarios taking significant resources. This project aims to equip RL with capabilities such as counterfactual reasoning and outcome anticipation to significantly reduce the number of interactions required, improve generalisation, and provide the agent with the capability to consider the cause-effects. These improvements would narrow the gap between AI and human capabilities and broaden the adoption of RL in real-world applications. Field of research: 4611 - Machine Learning Machine Learning aims to produce intelligent machines that can learn from observations. One powerful approach is Reinforcement Learning (RL) which interacts with its environment and observes the outcomes to learn. OpenAI’s ChatGPT and DeepMind’s AlphaGo are currently utilising RL to advance the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and develop groundbreaking technologies. However, due to the significant computational requirements of this technology, its use has been primarily limited to large organisations. Even then, there are ethical and social concerns since these models learned only the association of patterns. This project aims to develop RL with new reasoning abilities, where machines learn to reason about the cause of decisions and alternative scenarios. This doesn't require interactions, leading to cheaper, more accessible and reliable approaches. It bridges the gap between AI and human intelligence. Outcomes will have enormous potential in various fields, including robotics, material and drug discovery, autonomous driving, and enhanced chat agents. This project boosts Australian capabilities in AI, supporting innovation and developing Australia’s expertise. Building capability in emerging technologies within the digital economy drives Australian productivity and prosperity, creates jobs and enables solving today’s problems and growing tomorrow’s businesses and sectors. Outcomes will be communicated to the broader public through social media and demonstrations.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

(Re)Designing Digital Justice. This project aims to address the challenge of (re)designing novel online court systems by introducing a human-centred design process to the legal process. This project will generate fundamental new knowledge in respect of how to effectively design an inclusive justice system, bridging the gap between the legal system and human-computer interaction. Expected outcomes include how to use technology to implement a more just, efficient, and fair legal system, which is accessible to all Australians. This should provide significant benefits for both Australian society and the legal system. Field of research: 4608 - Human-Centred Computing Through innovations in human-centered design and collaborative video systems the project aims to provide fundamental advances in the design and implementation of online tribunal systems that aims to address many of the basic inequities that arise as a result of the geographical characteristics of Australia (i.e. spatial distribution of the population), lack of innovation on the technologies used to realize online tribunals (i.e. adoption of off-the-shelf video conferencing technologies) and particular difficulties that certain marginalized populations (i.e. people with disabilities) have participatory in the legal processes.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Binary stars and Planets. Aims: This project aims to study stellar and planetary systems in which the objects' spins are tilted with respect to their orbits, e.g., responsible for the seasons on earth. Significance: Observations show that many exoplanets and binary star systems are usually tilted, affecting their evolution. Expected outcomes include understanding the final spin states of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes, and misaligned hot Jupiter systems. Benefits: This project should bring together expertise in stellar modelling, the theory of tidal interactions, and binary dynamics to make first inroads on this problem by allowing for both differential rotation and varying spin direction inside the star, advancing our knowledge on stars and planets. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Rotation plays a most critical role in the evolution of stars, how they make the elements necessary to life, about whether they end up as neutron stars or black holes, and is the driving force behind events such as solar flares. This project aims to understand this rotation and how it develops in typical exoplanet systems and in stars that are born in multiples. The project will set a new standard for understanding the crucial role of rotation in the interior of stars, from the birth of the star to its demise, and supersede the current crude assumption of all rotation pointing in the same direction as the orbits. The project will help to leverage Australia's large investment in stellar astronomy by providing theoretical foundation. The project will include training to students in modelling in general, and in orbital dynamics, which is also useful to understand motion of satellites. Training in scientific modelling and critical analysis are well sought-after skills in both Australian industry and business. The majority of our students now leverage their training to pursue productive non-academic careers.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

How lipid binding proteins shape the activity of nuclear hormone receptors. This project aims to explore how a family of lipid binding proteins control organ specific activation of nuclear receptors – receptors that play a key role in generating energy and are critical for life. The project will employ chemical, molecular, cell biology approaches to generate new knowledge about lipid binding protein-receptor interactions and how these complexes dictate receptor activation. The outcomes could provide a roadmap to design drugs that interact with the right protein in the right tissue and in doing so dramatically enhance drug specificity. This will benefit the success of drug treatments which require stimulation of a therapeutic response at a target site, and avoidance of potentially toxic activity at other locations. Field of research: 3214 - Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences The process of metabolism is essential for life. This process is important in agriculture, biomedical science, biotech, and veterinary science. There are a range of metabolic processes each converting chemical energy into biologically useful energy. A group of receptors called “nuclear hormone receptors” play a vital role in telling the cell what type of metabolic processes to undertake. Natural lipids and hormones activate nuclear hormone receptors in a way that varies between different organs in the body. These variations are not well understood and as a result, many medicines targeting nuclear hormone receptors are general in their application. This results in unwanted side effects that limit their use. The current project seeks to understand the processes that give rise to the variation in different organs. The findings from this project will provide a roadmap for designing future medicines that have fewer side effects. These improved medicines could have broad applications, ranging from biomedical and veterinary science (e.g. to treat auto-immune diseases, thyroid disorders or cancer) to agriculture (e.g. improved pesticides and herbicides). Translation of our findings will be pursued through productive academic-industry collaborations. Findings from this research will therefore support future productive academic-industry partnerships that benefit Australia’s biotech and pharmaceutical sectors.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Charge-Controlled Materials for Separations of Important Resources. This project aims to develop new porous materials that are capable of greater molecular discrimination than current technologies. This project expects to advance understanding of fundamental structure-activity relationships in these materials, and synthetic targets will be geared towards materials for industrially or environmentally important chemical separations associated with metal extraction. Expected outcomes of this project include new insights on the underlying chemistry for tailoring crystalline microporous materials towards select applications. This should provide significant benefits, such as future low-energy and efficient technologies for industrially important separation processes with reduced financial and environmental costs. Field of research: 3402 - Inorganic Chemistry New classes of porous materials are needed to provide efficient separations for industrially and commercially important chemicals. This project will develop new classes of sieving materials which can be tailored in terms of their internal chemical environment, particularly their charge, to provide better separations for those that are currently costly or inefficient. Charge control is important as some of the most difficult separations are those involving metal ions, or compounds containing these species, such as in mining extractions or e-waste processing. The research has the potential to be transformative in the way that precious metals are extracted, adding to the Australian economy. E-waste is currently exported for processing in harsh, environmentally damaging treatments; clean and economical recovery would add to Australia's economy. The project addresses the early to middle stages of materials development, and does not seek to industrialise or commercialise within the project's lifetime. This proposal will, however, further the work to the point at which industry input can be sought.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Role of the superior colliculus in sensory processing. The ability of an organism to attend to, and orient towards, stimuli in the environment is critical for survival. In the mammalian brain, the principal brain region performing this function is the superior colliculus. Despite its importance, little is known about the role the superior colliculus plays in sensory perception. This project addresses this issue by leveraging revolutionary new recording techniques to determine how the superior colliculus codes sensory information and ultimately drives behaviour. The outcomes will be of immediate benefit to scientists studying sensory processing and perceptual decision making, and will help keep Australia at the forefront of brain-inspired engineering and the neuroscience-based knowledge economy. Field of research: 3209 - Neurosciences Advances in fundamental neuroscience are poised to bring major benefits in the areas of health, innovation and quality of life. This has been recently recognised by governments around the globe with billion dollar investments in neuroscience in the US, Europe and Asia. The research program outlined here will leverage these international initiatives to advance our understanding of how the superior colliculus, a brain region traditionally thought to be involved in attention, contributes to sensory perception and behaviour. Publication of the research findings will contribute significantly to Australia’s international standing in sensory, cellular and behavioural neuroscience. Furthermore, the innovative approaches to be employed will offer a new perspective on the neural mechanisms underlying sensory processing and decision-making in the brain. This research will increase our understanding of the mechanisms our brains use to create a reliable and efficient representation of the world around us. It will be of immediate benefit to Australian and international scientists studying how the brain processes sensory information. Furthermore, the results will help to keep Australia at the forefront of brain-inspired engineering and the new neuroscience-based knowledge economy. For example, the findings will aid the development of brain-based artificial intelligence and/or devices for the detection and processing of sensory information.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Impact of roughness on adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers. This project aims to develop a novel technique for measuring time-resolved fluid velocity vector fields in high-speed flows to investigate rough wall turbulence in adverse pressure gradient environments in unprecedented detail. By using this innovative instrument to study these widespread but poorly understood turbulent flows in power generation and transport, the project seeks to generate new knowledge. Expected outcomes include the development of a new instrument and fundamental knowledge leading to improved designs with higher efficiencies in power generation and transport, resulting in significant benefits such as increased energy security, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and improved quality of life for individuals and society. Field of research: 4012 - Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering The transport of goods and resources via marine vessels and aircraft, and low-carbon energy generation, are critical to Australia's economy. However, high fuel consumption resulting from drag and loss of lift in power generation and propulsion equipment incurs significant environmental and economic costs, which are passed onto every manufactured and imported/exported item. To address this, we need new designs for low-friction, high-lift marine, and aerodynamic surfaces in power generation and transport that can operate in adverse pressure gradient environments. However, there's a lack of high-quality measurements, leading to flawed engineering designs. Our project aims to provide this knowledge to develop low-friction, high-lift surfaces that reduce operational energy consumption, low-emission power generation and conversion and low environmental impact. This benefits Australian businesses and individuals who rely on transportation and renewable energy. We aim to reduce carbon emissions, and reliance on non-renewable sources, and contribute to Australia's sustainable future. This project is in the national interest and will have broad benefits for the environment, businesses, and individuals relying on marine and air transportation and energy generation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Fitness and evolutionary consequences of developmental plasticity. This project aims to develop a framework for accurately predicting species responses to global change. Phenotypic plasticity will act as a rapid-response mechanism, enabling organisms to survive climatic shifts in the first instance. Understanding how and when plasticity underpins species’ persistence under climate change is lacking. This project aims to integrate developmental responses to environmental change with evolutionary adaptation and population persistence in a spatially explicit context. The intended outcome is a powerful and general tool for predicting the impact of environmental change on the distribution and abundance of organisms. Benefits include improved conservation outcomes and better control of pest/disease vectors. Field of research: 3104 - Evolutionary Biology The proposed research aims to fill a critical knowledge gap in our understanding of the consequences of developmental responses to environmental change, particularly climate change, on species’ persistence and adaptation. This understanding is essential for informing policy decisions related to biodiversity conservation, disease and pest management, and food security, which are key areas of concern for Australia's future. By providing quality training to young Australians, this research has the potential to equip a new generation of scientists with the skills and knowledge necessary to address the critical challenges posed by environmental change. Through this research, young scientists can contribute to developing innovative solutions and making informed decisions that will help secure Australia's future. The outcomes of this research will be broadly disseminated through existing collaborations with government agencies and not-for-profit organisations, maximising the translation of the science into policy outcomes. Overall, this research is a crucial step towards building resilience in the face of climate change and ensuring the sustainability of Australia's biodiversity, food production, and public health.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Mud pumping under rail tracks: from Micromechanics to Predictions. Mud pumping under rail tracks is identified as the most frequent issue causing the degradation of rail tracks and increasing their ongoing maintenance cost across Australia and worldwide. This project aims to further the understanding of mud pumping mechanisms across different scales. A novel combined experiment-computational approach will be developed to observe, analyse and link different material properties and external conditions governing the mud pumping process. It will lead to better criteria for mud pumping and numerical tools for field scale failure analysis and risk assessments. The expected outcomes include the enhanced capability to assess the integrity and stability of rail tracks and better design criteria against mud pumping. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering The construction and maintenance of Australian railways rose to a record of $12.9 billion in 2021-2023 and is forecast to increase to $129 billion over the coming decade. Rail maintenance activity is expected to increase each year over the forecast period due to the need to maintain a growing rail network and increasing frequency of events influenced by climate change (e.g., heavy rainfalls, floods, coastal erosion). Mud pumping under rail tracks is a phenomenon in which fluidised fines from the soft subgrade migrate to the overlying coarse granular (i.e., ballast) supporting rail tracks. Its presence reduces the operational efficiency and significantly increases ongoing maintenance of rail tracks, particularly heavy-haul tracks. It is one of the most common and significant issues causing the degradation of rail tracks in Australia and worldwide. However, the mechanisms of mud pumping are still under debate, and predicting and quantifying it reliably remains a challenge. This project will shed insights into mud pumping mechanisms and adverse effects on the performance of rail tracks. It will transform the obtained findings into computational tools and models capable of predicting the whole process of mud pumping and their consequences on the performance of rail tracks. The expected outcomes of this project are to help reduce maintenance costs for railway companies and contribute to making rail travel safer for the wider community.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

The Dreamscape Project: Phenomenology and neurophysiology of dreams. The Dreamscape Project aims to discover the neural basis of dreaming. Building on the world’s largest database of sleep electroencephalograms (EEG) and associated dream reports, the project applies cutting-edge analyses of neural activity to resolve why each night, healthy adults alternate between unconscious sleep and vivid dreams. The results promise to shed light on the mystery of dreaming and help locate consciousness in the physical world. Expected outcomes include best-practice guidelines for dream research and a model of open data-sharing for consciousness science. Anticipated benefits include deeper understanding of how and why everyone dreams, the role of dreams in waking life, and their impact on sleep quality and well-being. Field of research: 5003 - Philosophy Dreaming contributes to memory consolidation, learning, creativity, and our emotional well-being. Despite spending a third of our lives asleep and a large part of sleep dreaming, we have a poor understanding of the neural basis of dreaming. Popular sleep trackers and apps promise insights, but dreaming cannot be understood without identifying the underlying processes. In seeking to better establish how and why we dream, the project will use computational tools and the world's largest database of sleep recordings and dream reports (which we have built and is set to be expanded in this project). By identifying the processes underpinning dreams, the project seeks to benefit members of the public and scientists who are focused on improving emotional well-being, memory, and learning. The project also aims to provide new standards and resources by making dream data freely accessible to researchers and citizens, and it will share the results with the public and scientists through a series of popular media communications.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Some like it hot: the genetics of rapid adaptation to climate change. This project investigates the genetics of rapid evolutionary adaptation by utilising genomes sampled over unparalleled temporal and spatial scales in a highly invasive and agriculturally significant weed. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the genetic mechanisms that facilitate adaptation to climate change by developing new theory and genomic predictions, and then testing them under realistic field conditions. Expected outcomes include a deeper understanding of the genetic basis of adaptation, and a powerful framework to predict the evolutionary consequences of climate change. This should provide significant benefits, including improved capacity to anticipate the effects of climate change on noxious and threatened species. Field of research: 3104 - Evolutionary Biology Species invasions and climate change are among the most pressing environmental issues in Australia and globally. Understanding the evolutionary processes promoting the establishment and expansion of initially small populations in novel environments is vital for designing effective strategies to hinder the spread of invaders and to combat declines in native species. This project will address important yet unresolved questions in evolution and invasion biology using a combination of mathematical modelling, field experiments, and genomics of capeweed: a globally invasive plant that is prevalent in Australia and a powerful system for identifying drivers of invasion and population persistence when confronted with climate change. This project will deliver critical knowledge about the prevalence and genetic basis of rapid adaptation to climate, and advance Australia’s research capacity in evolution and invasion biology. Insights from this project are also applicable to conservation of endangered species, in which principles of population growth and persistence are equally relevant. Our genomic resources, novel theory and findings will be widely disseminated through public repositories, journals, workshops and conferences to maximise impact and facilitate translational outcomes for this highly invasive weed.