MONASH UNIVERSITY

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Polarons in flatland. This project aims to generate new theories of excitons (the solid-state analogue of hydrogen atoms) in charge-doped atomically thin semiconductors. Such theories are urgently needed to describe the response to external probes, such as electric fields, of a range of novel materials that have emerged in recent years. The novelty is to treat the behaviour of semiconductors as a quantum impurity problem, where the excitons become modified by the surrounding electrons to form new types of particles. A greater understanding of the impurity problem in 2D materials would ultimately facilitate their use in emerging technologies that combine electronics with photonics, for use in ultra-low-power devices such as photodectectors, LEDs, and lasers. Field of research: 5108 - Quantum Physics Quantum technologies are expected to shape the global economy and are forecast to form a $2.2 billion dollar industry in Australia by 2030 according to the CSIRO quantum technologies road map. However, to secure its place in this emerging global industry, it is critically important for Australia to sustain and grow its investment in the latest quantum capabilities. This project aims to transform our understanding of a new class of quantum materials: two-dimensional semiconductors that are just one atom thick and which form part of the materials science revolution initiated by the discovery of graphene. This research will generate new theoretical and computational tools for manipulating these quantum materials with light, thus enabling their potential application in emerging technologies such as quantum sensors and quantum simulators. The project takes cutting-edge theoretical expertise unique to Australia and combines it with world-class experiments that can benchmark and test the theoretical predictions. The research outcomes will be promoted beyond academia through outreach activities in order to foster the future quantum workforce.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Unlocking the ion selectivity of lithium superionic conductor membranes. This project aims to address a longstanding challenge in designing advanced membranes to enable sustainable lithium refining by unlocking the ion selectivity of lithium superionic conductors. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of membrane science and emerging nanoionics by using interdisciplinary approaches. Expected outcomes of this project include a novel class of lithium separation membranes and their fabrication techniques. This should provide significant benefits in improving lithium extraction and recycling efficiency, reducing their environmental impact and building the research capacity in advanced membrane manufacturing and critical mineral refining in Australia. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Australia is one of the largest lithium producers and exporters in the world. Current lithium refining and extraction processes from various sources such as hard rocks and brines are of low efficiency, energy intensive and environmentally damaging due to heavy chemical uses. New refining technology is urgently needed to address these longstanding challenges. This project aims to address this technology gap by unlocking the ion selectivity of lithium superionic conductors and develop advanced membranes that can efficiently filter out lithium salts, enabling sustainable lithium refining and extraction. The proposed research represents a paradigm shift in developing a new technology for the lithium industry. In addition, the novel membranes are expected to become a key part of the technological solution to environmentally benign lithium extraction from large volumes of spent lithium batteries. This project expects to generate new intellectual property for commercial development and adoption of advanced membrane technology, contributing to the growth of Australian manufacturing and resources industries and the reduction of carbon emission. It falls squarely within the Australian Government’s current Science and Research Priorities of Advanced Manufacturing, Resources, and Energy. The proposed research will help Australia to become a world leader in lithium refining technology development.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

United on the field? Enhancing equity and inclusion in community sport. The project aims to deepen understanding of how equity and inclusion policies within community sport can be transformed to address inequities in participation. The project expects to generate new knowledge using intersectional policy-based analysis to inform the development of more effective policy responses to systemic, multi-layered inequities in the sports sector. Expected outcomes include increased capacity within the sport sector to address exclusion and widen participation. This will result in significant social benefits, such as providing fair access to community sports for marginalized communities, and economic benefits, by reducing the health costs associated with low physical activity. Field of research: 3504 - Commercial Services Despite several decades of investment aimed at addressing inequities in sports participation in Australia, community sport continues to exclude, discriminate and marginalize diverse populations. Sports policymakers recognize transformative approaches are necessary to progress equity and inclusion in sport, that respond to multiple forms of disadvantage and discrimination. However, there remains uncertainty as to how policies and practices can respond to inequities in meaningful and transformative ways. A failure to progress beyond current approaches to address inequities in community sport participation is problematic in the context of social justice and health promotion agendas. The project will increase our understanding of how equity and inclusion policies in sport can be advanced to address multiple forms of disadvantage and exclusion by providing practical recommendations to better address intersectional marginalization more effectively within the sport sector. The project will provide significant economic and social benefits by assisting sports policymakers to more effectively harness the physical, mental and social health value of sport for a more diverse cross-section of society. The project findings will enhance the capacity of the sport sector to address the profound negative impacts COVID-19 has had on the mental and physical health of Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Early-life climate sensitivity: direct and indirect mechanisms. This project aims to investigate how climate change threatens animal populations by determining the mechanisms causing DNA damage (short telomeres) in nestling birds growing up in hot conditions. Telomeres are biomarkers of individual life expectancy, and short telomeres in young birds predict a decline in future population viability. Our project aims to determine the importance for heat-induced telomere shortening of: (1) nestling heat stress responses; (2) inheritance of heat-shortened sperm telomeres; and (3) parental buffering of heat effects. Expected benefits include enhanced reliability of climate change predictions and improved ability to identify climate change mitigation strategies before population declines are evident. Field of research: 3103 - Ecology As climate warming accelerates, life-long adverse impacts of heat exposure in young animals are of great concern, but ill-understood, because impacts of early-life adversity are often not apparent until much later in life. We recently identified a universal biomarker for early detection of such hidden climate legacies in young birds - telomeres (DNA caps that protect all chromosomes). Here we apply this novel biomarker to investigate the threat of early-life heat exposure on population viability. Our model species is an endangered bird living along waterways in Australia’s tropical savanna. We previously found that young growing up during hot conditions have damaged (short) telomeres, and birds with short telomeres die younger, with fewer descendants, which threatens population persistence. Our study aims to determine the biological mechanisms by which hot temperatures cause damaged telomeres and the environmental features that can mitigate this. Benefits of our project include more accurate predictions of the threat of climate change for wildlife and development of climate mitigation strategies before population declines occur. Because our study species is an indicator species for health of habitat along savanna waterways, our outcomes are particularly relevant for those ecosystems, which are essential climate refuges for wildlife in tropical savannas. We will therefore engage with local and regional conservation practitioners to design conservation strategies.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2023 · 2023-06

The Artificial Heart Frontiers Program Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2023 · 2023-06

The Artificial Heart Frontiers Program Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2023 · 2023-06

Introducing Mitochondrial Donation into Australia: The mitoHOPE (Healthy... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2023 · 2023-06

Introducing Mitochondrial Donation into Australia: The mitoHOPE (Healthy... Category: Medical Research

Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture · FY 2023-2024 · 2023-04

Volet: Bourses postdoctorales; Domaine: Arts, littérature et société; Objet: Enseignement; Objet: Éducation artistique et intervention dans la société; Application: Structures et relations sociales; Application: Éducation; Mots-clés: MUSIC LEARNING, COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED LEARNING, FEEDBACK, TERTIARY MUSIC EDUCATION, EDUCATIONAL DESIGN RESEARCH

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Low-temperature ceramic electrolysis cells for renewable energy technology. This project aims to develop advanced protonic ceramic electrolysis cells for greatly improving the efficiency of hydrogen production and carbon dioxide conversion using renewable energy. This will be achieved by nanoscale integration of proton-conducting two-dimensional materials with solid acids and ceramic proton conductors to lower the manufacturing costs and operating temperature of protonic ceramic electrolysis cells. Expected outcomes of the project include new intellectual property on materials formulation and process parameters for commercial development of this new type of ceramic electrolysis cell, thereby contributing to the growth of Australian manufacturing and renewable energy industries and reduction of carbon emissions. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Renewable fuels and energy sources need to be adopted at scale to reduce carbon dioxide emission and climate change. Hydrogen produced by splitting water is a desirable source of “green” energy and feedstock, particularly if carbon dioxide is used in the process. The process of splitting water is currently too expensive to adopt at large scale. This project aims to improve the efficiency of splitting water to produce hydrogen energy while converting carbon dioxide into renewable fuels. The main Project aim is to reduce the cost of the water splitting process and assembly of the involved device. This will hurry wide spread adoption of the technology and grow the renewable energy industry in Australia by providing a cheap source of clean, safe and renewable hydrogen energy. The project will help Australia act as a major global hydrogen provider. The adoption pathway for this project’s technology will be through the project industry partner, Woodside Energy Ltd, which looks to this project to help it transition its business to sustainable renewable energy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Defining how signalling pathways cooperate to regulate organ size. Control of organ size is essential for organ function and organism viability, and varies greatly across the animal kingdom. This project aims to understand how three important signalling pathways co-ordinately regulate organ size during development and also limit aberrant growth. By applying genomics, genetics and bioinformatics techniques, this project aims to discover a core set of growth genes that are regulated by different signalling pathways and the mechanism by which transcription of these genes is repressed in order to eliminate faulty cells. Intended benefits are creation of jobs, new knowledge on fundamental principles of life and the stimulation of new research into organ size control. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Size is one of the most obvious differences between organisms on Earth. Despite this, it is not clear how size is controlled. This project aims to better understand how organs (e.g., limbs, the liver, kidneys) grow to the right size as animals grow. It also aims to define how organs stay at the correct size and how they identify and remove damaged cells. Investigating key pathways should allow us to uncover a core set of genes involved in growth and to understand how these genes are turned off to eliminate faulty cells. This information could be harnessed by biotechnology companies to turn genes of interest on or off in tissues inside and outside the body. The outcomes of this project could therefore ultimately be applied to improve human health and optimise food production, including through controlling tissue engineering, developing cancer therapeutics and promoting growth in livestock.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Cryo-electron microscopy determination of G protein-coupled receptor states. This project aims to address fundamental knowledge gaps in understanding of the molecular mechanisms of peptide hormone G protein-coupled receptor activation. This will be achieved through cryo-electron microscopy determination of the structure and dynamics of key intermediate states in activation. Novel biochemical approaches will be applied to capture these states, using as exemplar the glucagon receptor that has a broad range of pharmacological tools to facilitate isolation of distinct functional states. The knowledge gained from these studies will advance fundamental understanding of physiologically important receptor activation and efficacy, while the approaches developed will enable similar investigation of other receptor classes. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology A vital function of cells is that they communicate with each other and respond to external factors. One of the key biological molecules that control this is embedded in the outer layer of cells: G-coupled protein receptors. What remains mysterious about these biological messengers is how a single receptor can communicate different types of internal signals. This project aims to address this important question by determining the shape of these molecules, utilizing a cutting-edge electron microscopes. With cellular miscommunication being one of the key causes of human disease, this detailed molecular understanding has the potential to transform how future pharmaceutical drugs are developed. The scientific techniques pioneered in both protein biochemistry and electron microscopy will be broadly applicable to the future Australian pharmaceutical drug development research as G-coupled protein receptors represent 40% of all clinical drug targets.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Exploring the digital divide in the ageing migrant’s personal home. This project aims to investigate the experiences of ageing migrants in accessing and using digital communication technologies in their personal home settings. Taking the case of elderly Filipino-Australians, and deploying multi-sited ethnography and visual methods, this project expects to generate new knowledge on the consequences of digital divide on their personal and social wellbeing. Expected outcomes include culturally appropriate recommendations and resource materials to determine and reduce communication barriers for ageing migrants, migrant communities, policy makers, and relevant stakeholders. This should provide significant benefits in enhancing ageing migrants’ connective capacities to navigate a secure digital landscape. Field of research: 4701 - Communication and Media Studies Australia has a large ageing migrant population embedded within a rapidly evolving digital society. The Australian Government has invested in digital inclusion programs to enhance the digital skills and competencies of this cohort. However, ageing migrants continue to encounter difficulties in navigating digital environments. This project will provide insights to better understand the benefits and challenges experienced and negotiated by ageing migrants in using digital media technologies. Unlike previous research it will centre on ageing migrants' personal homes as a site of investigation. The home is a vital space for shaping everyday personal, familial, and social lives. This project will establish a valuable foundation for ageing migrants, migrant communities, policy makers, and relevant stakeholders. It will produce culturally appropriate measures and resource materials to improve ageing migrants’ connective competencies. In turn, this should enhance their personal and social wellbeing by helping activate an inclusive, secure, and age-friendly digital society.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Inhibiting adenylate-forming enzymes via a new reaction-hijacking mechanism. This project aims to identify and validate the adenylate-forming enzymes that are susceptible to reaction-hijacking inhibition in malaria parasites. This class of enzymes can be induced to synthesise their own nucleoside sulfamate inhibitor conjugates via a novel mechanism. This project expects to provide new knowledge about the molecular basis of this novel inhibition mechanism and susceptible target enzymes in the parasites. Adenylate-forming enzymes play critical roles in a diverse range of biochemical pathways, such as protein translation and fatty acid metabolism. The project seeks to deliver a new paradigm for the design of future antiparasitic agents. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Although malaria is not endemic in Australia, cases are brought into the country by travellers infected elsewhere and the northern parts of Australia are at future risk. This project demonstrates a new strategy in the fight against malaria by turning the parasite’s own cellular processes against itself. This mechanism, called “reaction-hijacking”, is a powerful new tool in chemical biology and will also likely be effective in developing new treatments against closely related pathogens of medical and veterinary importance to Australia, such as parasites that cause leishmaniasis (spread by sandfly bite), toxoplasmosis (spread through undercooked meat) and babesiosis (spread through tick bites). Furthermore, the “reaction-hijacking” mechanism can be applied to inhibit bacterial enzyme targets. Following further research, this work may lead to the downstream development in industry of new antibiotics and anti-infectives, with Australia realising economic benefit from the global antibiotics market. The project outcomes will advance understanding of parasites like malaria, and help to identify new treatment options for infectious diseases.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Molecular insights into lipid-mediated T cell immunity. This project involves the discovery of novel lipids produced by the microbiome that play a significant role in T cell-mediated immunity. Using a combination of cutting-edge technologies such as mass spectrometry, protein crystallography, immunology and biophysics, this project will elucidate the molecular factors that govern the interaction between the identified lipids and T cells. This innovative research will provide fundamental insights into the recognition mechanism of lipids by T cells at a molecular level, thus broadening our knowledge in the field of biological sciences. The expected research outcomes will increase Australia’s international research standing in this burgeoning area of lipid-mediated T cell immunity. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Our human bodies are equipped with an immune system that consists of different components to defend and protect us against various microbes, including viruses, which we encounter daily. This multidisciplinary project focuses on the discovery of novel fat-based molecules produced by microbes that live within our bodies, and understand how they activate key immune cells, called T-cells, to fight infections. The outcomes will increase Australia’s global research standing alongside the generation of novel intellectual property and commercial patents on the novel fat-based molecules discovered. Moreover, the outcomes could ultimately pave the way for designing effective therapeutics that can control immune responses and provide Australians with improved health.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Bridging the accuracy gap: High-precision parton showers for colliders. This project aims at improving the accuracy of parton showers, which are an essential ingredient used in the simulation of high-energy particle collisions. Parton showers generate the large set of particles produced in a collision, in an approximation of the radiation pattern of Quantum Chromodynamics. The low precision of this approximation translates into large uncertainties in critical measurements performed at particle colliders. This project will study novel ways of enhancing the precision of parton showers, and determine accurate estimates of associated uncertainties across all processes under investigation at the Large Hadron Collider. It will be of exceptional importance for the latter's high-precision, high-luminosity program. Field of research: 5107 - Particle and High Energy Physics Large-scale physics experiments use colliders to smash particles together at very high speeds to probe the nature of matter. When these high-energy collisions occur, scientists examine the scatter of the produced fragments to determine the presence of new particles, and put our knowledge of subatomic forces to the test. This project aims to develop new methods to much more accurately measure the scatter of particles in these collision events than is currently possible. This research will enable the discovery of fundamental new physics, cement Australia’s role as a leader in the scientific community across the world, and drive innovation in a field that has direct applications in quantum computing, novel medical imaging technologies and big-data processing. The analysis techniques and computational advances developed in this project will have immediate impact, as they are easily adaptable for use by Australia's private sector, e.g. in finance, consulting and software engineering.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Australia and the World Bank: Financing Development and Decolonisation. This project aims to provide the first detailed history of the relationship between Australia and the World Bank. Engagement with international organisations is a central feature of Australian foreign relations. The project expects to provide new knowledge on the connections between development and decolonisation that dictated post-war global politics. Expected outcomes of this project include an enhanced understanding of the international significance of Australia’s post-war development and the complex process of Papua New Guinea’s decolonisation. This should provide benefits to Australia and the field through a better understanding of how to navigate an increasingly complex international political and economic environment. Field of research: 4303 - Historical Studies Development and nation-building policies are the backbone of Australia’s relations with many smaller countries in our immediate region. But the role of non-state institutions in regional economic development remains understudied. Through examining Australia’s historical relationship with the World Bank as well as between the Bank and former Australian colonies, this project seeks to provide new insights on how corporate partnerships have been harnessed for regional development. The World Bank continues to be the most influential international organisation in the field of global development. As such, a better understanding of the development and lending strategies of the World Bank, and how they may influence Australia’s relations in the region in the future, is of pressing importance. The project has the potential to provide social and economic benefits by improving understanding of the inter-relationships between Australia, the World Bank, and developing nations in our region.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Strategies to minimise the societal impacts of zoonotic pandemics. The continuing pandemic has had unprecedented effects across society. Population mobility restrictions have been effective in slowing transmission, but are only effective while in place and have dramatic adverse effects. Despite Australia’s relative success, we have lacked a clear national strategy to guide the optimal deployment of such restrictions. During this fellowship, I will use robust software development practices to develop a unified software platform that integrates semi-mechanistic, particle filter and agent-based methodologies. I will then use this platform to quantify the effects of mobility restrictions and define the optimal strategic response that should be selected based on the characteristics of a newly emerged pathogen. Field of research: 4202 - Epidemiology As the world’s population and our global connectedness steadily increase, another severe pandemic becomes increasingly likely. The overarching goal of this project is to define the most effective response strategy for an emerging infection with pandemic potential, drawing from studies of the effectiveness of the restrictions used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The new knowledge will be generated through publicly available software that can define the range of policy options available to combat an emerging infection, and identify the optimal choices (e.g. face mask requirements, school closures, density limits and lockdowns). This tool will allow government policy-makers and modellers from diverse backgrounds in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific to build realistic and locally-relevant models of infectious disease spread, including those for COVID-19 variants, influenza, monkeypox and other emerging infectious threats. This will inform the development of science-based response strategies to improve health outcomes at both national and international levels.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Reframing knowledge of preconception lifestyles: A socioecological approach. This project aims to reframe our understanding of women’s preconception lifestyle health using a novel, socioecological approach. This project expects to generate new knowledge on societal views of weight stigma for preconception women and identify policy stakeholders’ views on integrating preconception into healthy lifestyle policies. Expected outcomes of this project include a new theory- and evidence-informed conceptual model for preconception lifestyle health that transcends the current focus on personal responsibility. This should provide significant benefits, such as informing policy to drive systems changes around preconception lifestyle health with concomitant cultural benefits to Australians, leading to improved population health. Field of research: 4206 - Public Health Women at a healthy weight who are seeking to become pregnant have better outcomes during pregnancy and beyond. However, the medical and social focus on body size and weight gain creates weight stigma. Weight stigma can have negative effects before, during and after pregnancy. For example, stigmatising encounters with healthcare professionals exacerbate feelings of blame and discrimination among women planning pregnancy. This project seeks to understand how social, cultural and environmental factors, such as community beliefs around weight stigma, workplace environments, and the media, influence weight stigma in preconception women. The project will develop a new model for preconception lifestyle health that identifies opportunities to reduce weight stigma and blame. Knowledge gained will inform the development of preconception practice guidelines; policies for workplaces, healthcare, and populations; and intervention programs. These new approaches will address social and cultural influences of preconception care, reduce weight stigma, and support preconception women’s lifestyle health.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

A novel bacterial secretion system for applications in nanobiotechnology. This project aims to characterise a new molecular machine, called the S-Pump. Molecular machines drive the complex biology in all cells and are an exciting area of translational research, with broad potential for industrial applications. This project expects to provide fundamental insights into how bacterial S-Pumps contribute to antimicrobial resistance and enhancing food production. Expected outcomes include new tools for molecular machine discovery and identification of ways to adapt molecular machines for biotechnological applications. This work should enhance Australia-UK ties through collaboration, provide benefits toward nanobiotechnology and economic benefits through more efficient food production. Field of research: 3107 - Microbiology Some bacteria cause disease in animals and plants, yet others are beneficial. This is because bacteria can pump out different chemicals: some toxic and some protective. Recently, a new type of pump was found in both harmful and beneficial bacteria. This project aims to increase our understanding of this new pump, including how it works and what chemicals it releases. Doing so will allow us to devise strategies to turn these pumps off in harmful bacteria and speed them up in beneficial bacteria. New knowledge of these bacterial pumps would allow engineers and industry partners to harness their properties, paving the way for many applications. For example, some beneficial bacteria pump out toxins that kill fungi. These fungi devastate the wheat and corn industry, so manipulating these pumps could enable methods to protect our food supply.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

The existence and abundance of small bases of permutation groups. This project aims to study bases for permutation groups, which are the mathematical formalisation of symmetry. Bases are crucial to encoding and computing with groups in diverse areas of science. Small bases are desirable for efficiency, but can be hard to find. This project expects to combine techniques from areas of algebra and probability to determine the existence and abundance of bases. Expected outcomes of this project include new methods to address enduring open problems in the study of bases, as well as novel applications of existing techniques. This should provide significant benefits, such as creating and strengthening international collaborations, and building on Australia’s reputation as a powerhouse of finite group theory. Field of research: 4904 - Pure Mathematics Symmetry is the fundamental organising principle which governs everything from the chemical properties of molecules to the fundamental laws of physics. The mathematical study of symmetry, called group theory, is also key for cutting-edge technological advances in areas such as machine learning, autonomous vehicles and cybersecurity. For all of these applications, it is important to be able to compute with groups. Many of the algorithms for calculating fundamental properties of collections of symmetries, which we call groups, rely on computing an object called a base for each group. Quantifying the computational cost in finding bases lies at the heart of this project. The understanding gained through this research will inform implementation of group theoretic software packages, which will have flow-on effects to other areas of science and technology. This important work will therefore also benefit Australia’s broader scientific community. It will also strengthen key international research links by attracting world-leading experts in theoretical and computational group theory, leading to new collaborations.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Novel Hydroxide Ion Conductive Membranes for Advanced Ammonia Fuel Cell. This project aims to address a longstanding challenge in the development of direct ammonia fuel cells for utilization of ammonia as a green energy carrier. It proposes to develop advanced hydroxide ion conductive membranes based on novel porous framework materials to achieve high hydroxide ion conductivity and lower ammonia crossover simultaneously, thereby substantially enhancing the energy efficiency of direct ammonia fuel cells. The proposed research expects to create new knowledge in the fields of membrane science and energy. The successful development of advanced membranes will improve the efficiency of storage of intermittent and fluctuating renewable resources, thereby contributing to the reduction of carbon footprint in Australia. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Australia is blessed with abundant renewable energy sources, and advanced technologies need to be developed to utilize the renewables efficiently and cheaply. Ammonia has been identified as a promising energy carrier to store renewable solar and wind energy and power electric vehicles as it can be readily produced from renewable energy and easily transported. This project aims to develop a new ammonia fuel cell to generate electricity directly from ammonia much more efficiently than current methods, based on a unique membrane technology. The research expects to create a unique opportunity for Australian energy and advanced manufacturing sectors and place Australia at the forefront of research in advanced membranes, fuel cells and renewable energy. The project focusses on a core technology needed for future use of ammonia for electricity generation and the knowledge gained can therefore add immediate value to Australian businesses which are commercialising complementary technologies in ammonia and hydrogen production.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Fallopian tube on-a-chip for understanding mammalian reproduction. This project aims to reveal the fundamental physics and biology of mammalian reproduction by engineering the first comprehensive 3D culture model of the fallopian tube. The project expects to generate significant new knowledge about the exact role of the fallopian tube anatomy and physiology on the formation and function of epithelial tissue, using innovative approaches to simultaneously measure the full dynamics of epithelial cell activity and sperm motion. The expected outcome of the project is to reveal the cooperative role of sperm, egg and epithelial tissue on fertilisation. This should provide significant benefits, such as important biophysical insights into mammalian reproduction and new research tools to replace animal models. Field of research: 4012 - Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering This research will deliver ground-breaking insights into mammalian reproduction by developing the first 3D culture models of the fallopian tube to directly study the event of fertilisation. The project outcomes create novel cell culture and analysis technologies that will benefit researchers in biomedical engineering and cell biology, by providing new tools to directly study cell behaviour and cell-cell interactions in physiologically relevant environments, leading to commercialisation opportunities. These made-in-Australia technologies, in long-term, have the future potential to improve the prevention and management of human health by revealing unknown causes of infertility. Whilst this later application is well beyond the scope of this project, the potential socioeconomic benefit is significant as infertility affects 186 million individuals worldwide and 1 in 6 couples in Australia, with $220 million in Medicare benefits covered by the Australian Government for assisted reproduction in 2019.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Understanding the birth of new elements by observing dying stars. Almost everything around us is made up of elements that were created inside stars. This project aims to understand the origin of the elements by studying newly created material ejected by Sun-like stars during one of the final stages of their lives. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of stellar evolution by using state-of-the-art telescopes to measure the elements and isotopes produced by these stars and comparing them with theoretical model predictions. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of element creation, the chemical enrichment of galaxies, and the first mass estimates for intermediate-mass stars. This should provide significant benefits by addressing a key outstanding question in astronomy. Field of research: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences Almost every element in the world around us was created by a star. This discovery-based project seeks to better understand this process and the role played by stars like our Sun. By studying the elements created by dying Sun-like stars, this project will help us understand more about how elements are produced and recycled into new stars and planets. This is one of the key priorities of the Decadal Plan for Australian Astronomy 2016–2025. This project will link Australian science with key global questions about the origins and fate of the universe, renew important links to the European Southern Observatory and build international collaborations. The project will also develop new skills and capacity in computation, programming and data analysis that are highly-prized in the new big-data economy and the space industry sector, which will help inspire young Australians to pursue careers in science and technology.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2023 · 2023-01

Accurate Fault Location Methods for Complex Power Networks. This project aims to devise novel algorithms to tackle one of the longstanding and challenging problems in power networks; finding the fault location in power lines. Recent bushfire preventive technologies that have been installed in power networks make the fault location process extremely challenging and time-consuming, leaving communities without power for many hours in extreme heatwave conditions. The intended outcomes of the project are innovative algorithms that are able to pinpoint the fault location more accurately in complex networks, with many fewer measurement devices than conventional methods. This is expected to provide significant benefits for public safety and power supply reliability. Field of research: 4008 - Electrical Engineering Electricity networks in Australia are vulnerable to power outages, which can be triggered by faulty equipment, falling trees, bushfires and storms. These outages can be long-lasting, especially where the source of the fault is hard to find, and cost the Australian economy billions of dollars every year. This project will address the problem of finding the fault location in power lines much faster, and more precisely, than current methods. The knowledge gained and theoretical advances in the project form a crucial step in developing commercial products to pinpoint power faults at scale in real electricity networks, specifically in the Australian context. The outcomes of the project will enable early detection of faults, shorter power outages and more resilient electrical networks.