MONASH UNIVERSITY

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Epigenetic regulation of immune memory. Immune memory cells emerge from the dynamic and transient immune response to deliver two critical abilities: to produce rapid recall responses upon reinfection but also to persist for decades. This project aims to define how the polycomb repressive complexes regulate immune cell fate, by utilising cutting-edge cell and chromatin biology techniques coupled with bioinformatic pipelines. Expected outcomes of the proposed research include key insights into epigenetic programming required for immune cell differentiation and longevity. This should provide significant benefits such as knowledge creation that may lead to development of technology that reprograms cell behaviour, and contribution to Australian research recognition and capacity. Field of research: 1107 - Immunology The ability of the immune system to 'remember' foreign antigens and produce a rapid, effective response is the fundamental basis of immunity. Despite their importance to protection of humans, livestock and pets, we still do not know the critical molecules that induce and maintain immunological memory. This Proposal will advance our fundamental understanding of epigenetic molecules that ensure the endurance and effectiveness of immune memory. This project will also: (i) enhance Australia’s international research standing, (ii) increase novel research capacity by providing high quality career development opportunities to students and early career researchers, (iii) provide research mentorship and environment that will impart cultural benefits to Australia through the fostering of science communication skills and opportunities. In the longer term (beyond the scope of this proposal), the fundamental knowledge of immune cell biology addressed by this proposal have future applications for developing improved practices to protect against new pathogenic strains and to inform research into immunotherapies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Hunger flexibly modifies hypothalamic neural circuits responding to threat. Animal and human behaviour frequently involves a choice between actions or goals with conflicting positive and negative outcomes. However, the appropriate action or goal in conflicting situations often depends on physiological pressures like hunger, stress and mating opportunities. For example, the need for resources within an environment, such as food, drives approach behaviour, whereas threats to survival, such as predator cues, enhance avoidance behaviour. This project will uncover the neural circuitry and endocrine mechanisms through which hunger influences hypothalamic threat-detecting circuits that suppress food intake. These studies provide a new hypothalamic model to understand risk/reward decision in the brain. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology This project examines how the brain balances the conflict between avoiding threats and maintaining appetite, particularly during hunger. The investigation into how fear of danger affects appetite is important for many industries in Australia, including agriculture, animal health and conservation, which rely on achieving optimal growth at minimal cost. Indeed, stress-induced suppression of feeding can significantly impair animal growth rates, health & well-being, and survival, all of which influence economic outcomes for the primary food production industries (agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries). More broadly, the research will make important contributions to our fundamental understanding of how the brain computes risk/reward decisions under different environmental contexts.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Exploiting microbial metabolites to understand fungal biology. The project aims to investigate the principles of hyphal growth in fungi, by studying the mechanisms of action of a bacteria-derived compound that inhibits hyphae. Changing cell shape between yeast and hyphae is a prototype developmental switch enabling fungi to escape stressful environments, while hyphal invasion promotes fungal infections of animals and plants that endanger food security and biodiversity. By using interdisciplinary approaches of microbiology and chemistry, the expected outcomes are to generate deep knowledge of an important microbial process and how it could be modulated, characterise a new bacterial compound and build research capacity at the nexus of biology and chemistry to benefit discoveries in academia and industry. Field of research: 0605 - Microbiology Fungal infections of animals and plants threaten environments, biodiversity, health and food supply. Many such infections rely on invasive fungal hyphae to penetrate and destroy tissues, yet our knowledge of hyphal growth and how it could be stopped is incomplete. This project will combine biology and chemistry to characterise a microbial product that inhibits fungal hyphae. This approach was chosen because chemicals produced by microbes are a rich source of bioactive compounds for applications in agriculture, health and biotechnology. The intended outcomes are to advance knowledge of fungal hyphal growth, characterise a microbial product that inhibits this process and train researchers in frontier technologies of biology and chemistry. This sort of interdisciplinary training is rare, yet critical to solve current and future challenges in biology and biotechnology. These outcomes should lead to benefits for Australia by building knowledge of an important microbial process with economic, societal and environmental implications and by generating a future-ready workforce for biotechnology industries.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Mapping and defining inter-organ cross talk during exercise. This project aims to examine precisely how organs communicate and interact. These interactions are particularly important during exercise, when continued movement demands intricate organ communication, and have major ramifications for the whole organism as it ages. Precisely how this communication takes place is unclear, but we now know that the movement of cargo with extracellular vesicles (EVs) plays an integral role in organ to organ communication. This project expects to build upon unprecedented recent developments we have made in the biology of inter-organ communication via EVs. The expected outcomes will have broad impact across life science and biotechnology. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Humans have survived on this planet for thousands of years because of our ability to physiologically adapt to the environment and much of this adaptation is due to movement. This application will establish the precise mechanism by which exercise allows for vital organs to communicate with each other. It will build on the already established research program, where we have identified many so called "myokines" which has led to commercial outcomes such as the foundation of new biotechnology companies. This project will attract world-class researchers to collaborate within Australia and it will provide an excellent training and mentoring environment for young researchers. It will grow international collaboration and enhance Australia's Life Science knowledge base and international research reputation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

An investigation into T cell immunity towards metabolites. This project aims to investigate how the immune system responds to small molecule metabolites, an emerging area in the life sciences about which little is known. The project aims to combine innovative mass spectrometry, structural and biochemical approaches to learn how metabolites are presented to specific T lymphocytes by an antigen presenting molecule called MR1. Outcomes are expected to transform the current understanding of the molecular basis underpinning metabolite-mediated immunity. Significant benefits are anticipated to include fundamental new knowledge about immunity that may ultimately be used by the biotechnology industry. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Metabolite-mediated T cell immunity is emerging as a key area in the life sciences, being implicated in protective and aberrant T cell reactivity. This proposal will explore the use of novel biochemical tools, combined with structural and mass spectrometry approaches to study how T cells of the immune system responds to small molecule metabolites presented by an antigen presenting molecule, termed MR1. The national interest of this proposal lies in a) an advancement of fundamental knowledge in the functioning of the immune system and b) the multi-disciplinary nature of the research proposal will increase Australia’s research capacity within this area via the training of a new generation of scientists with these skills. Further, this project will have direct implications for the biotechnology industry, where immunotherapies have the potential to treat many conditions relating to the function of the immune system.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Predicting adaptation and range expansion under climate change. This project investigates the repeatability and thereby the predictability of adaptation to climate change by leveraging 1000 genomes sampled over 150 years and multiple climatic gradients in the rapidly adapting, globally invasive, and highly allergenic ragweed. We expect to deepen our understanding of the genetic basis of adaptation and decipher the circumstances under which adaptive genetic change is repeatable, by integrating a novel evolutionary model with genomic data. We will develop the capacity to predict species’ distributions and trait evolution under climate change using a powerful empirical dataset. This will provide us with the capacity to anticipate and manage the effects of climate change on noxious and threatened species. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics Ragweed is the single most allergenic weed, causing skin irritation in 34% of Australians tested. Its pollen is responsible for rhinitis and seasonal asthma in Queensland and New South Wales where it is naturalised and it is increasingly found in Western and South Australia. It is also an agricultural weed causing heavy yield losses in soybean across America. With climate change, there is a substantial risk that ragweed would expand its range in Australia and become extremely noxious. Our research will make an impact within the Science and Research Priority Environmental Change by providing enhanced models that incorporate adaptive potential using genomic information. Current models of invasion underestimate the adaptive potential of weeds by not considering the genetic variation present within each species or their ability to evolve. Our research will fill this gap using ragweed as a model and provide a framework generally applicable to weeds with environmental, agricultural, or health impacts.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

An investigation into CD1a, a versatile antigen-presenting molecule. This project aims to investigate how T lymphocytes are activated by lipids presented by the skin-associated antigen-presenting molecule, CD1a. Using X-ray crystallography and cellular immunology, we will provide fundamental insight into this poorly understood immunological axis. We will determine the molecular basis for how CD1a presents diverse self and foreign lipids, and how such CD1a-lipid complexes are recognised by the responding T cells. This basic science discovery project will provide substantial new knowledge in the burgeoning field of lipid-mediated immunity, which should ultimately lead to new therapies targeting the CD1a lipid display molecule to either prevent immune mediated damage or promote protective immunity as required. Field of research: 1107 - Immunology This proposal will investigate how T lymphocytes of the cellular immune system specifically responds to lipids and how this can play important roles in homeostasis as well as microbial immunity. The proposal uses a broad range of methodologies, including X-ray crystallography, protein chemistry and cellular immunology techniques to understand how the cellular immune system senses danger signals originating from lipids. The national interest of this proposal is: a) discovery science in an emerging area of immunological research into lipids; b) enhancing Australia’s research standing and capacity in the life sciences field. This project will ultimately be of interest to the biotechnology industry as lipids are emerging as key mediators in inflammatory skin-based diseases and immunomodulatory agents.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

All-on-chip twisted light modulator for ultrahigh-capacity data processing. The project aims to develop a conceptually new all-on-chip twisted light modulator via photonic integration of a customised twisted-light metasurface with on-chip optical waveguides. The goal is to replace current bulky, slow, and costly spatial light modulators by a compact nanophotonic chip for the generation and detection of multiple twisted-light modes. Project outcomes include new knowledge in photonic integration and 3D meta-optics, and novel nanophotonic devices for twisted light, which will expand applications of twisted light for all-on-chip fibre-optic communications and holographic displays. The ultra-compact, high-capacity, efficient twisted-light modulators are expected to have a practical impact on many photonic applications. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology A new way to boost the data capacity of optical information systems is by using twisted light, where the light beam can encode information based on the tightness and direction of its helix. Different twisted light modes can carry information in different channels. However, this idea is currently hindered by the bulky, slow, and expensive modulators required to create the twisted light modes. This project will create the world’s first integrated twisted light modulator combining a customised nano-scale light interface and light guide. The resulting compact optical chip will enable fast, efficient generation and detection of multiple twisted light modes, enabling ultrahigh-capacity data processing. This project will support new optical fibre applications for the telecommunications, security and healthcare sectors, and will boost Australia’s competitive advantage in advanced manufacturing, nanofabrication and quantum communications. This project offers early economic benefits to Australia by translating a new optical chip manufacturing platform to local photonics companies, with potential for global markets.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

The Zarankiewicz problem through linear hypergraphs and designs. The Zarankiewicz problem is a famous open problem with deep connections to many different areas of mathematics. Despite continued attention from some of the world's most celebrated mathematicians, it has remained unsolved for over 70 years. This project aims to make major progress on the Zarankiewicz problem by utilising a novel approach based in the field of combinatorial design theory. This approach will leverage recent major breakthroughs in design theory concerning edge decompositions of dense hypergraphs. Field of research: 0101 - Pure Mathematics This project aims to make breakthroughs on the Zarankiewicz problem: a famous unsolved mathematical question that has deep connections to many important areas of mathematics. The results obtained and techniques developed will have a wide impact in the mathematical community and will add to Australia's already strong reputation for research excellence in pure mathematics. The Zarankiewicz problem has connections to many vital real-world applications, including to data transmission and compression, the efficient design of experiments, and traffic control in optical fibre networks. Through the training of two young researchers, the project will also contribute to creating a highly skilled workforce and nurturing Australia's future research leaders.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Large-scale and long-term storage of Hydrogen in underground reservoirs. This project aims to test effective strategies to re-use Australia’s depleted gas fields for large-scale, long-term, renewable energy storage. With Australia’s energy system undergoing a radical hydrogen-based energy transformation, a critical challenge in the years ahead will be to effectively store massive volumes of hydrogen for long periods (months and years). The overall expected outcome of this research is to fully understand the performance and the geological and environmental implications of long-term storage of hydrogen in empty gas fields. Benefit: this foundational scientific knowledge is crucial if Australia is to effectively bring about this new, sustainable, affordable, long-term, hydrogen-storage solution. Field of research: 0914 - Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy To tackle the challenges of increasing energy demand, committed decarbonisation goals, and climate change, Australia must transform its energy system in a novel direction. Green hydrogen has become very well-positioned for this future energy transition, since Australia will soon generate hydrogen at the commercial scale using surplus energy from renewable sources. The proposed project addresses a critical yet overlooked element of that energy transformation: large-scale, long-term energy storage and management. As the very first study into using Australia’s depleted gas fields to store hydrogen, this research will provide new geological insights for selecting suitable sites, as well as strategies to ensure the safe and secure operation of storage facilities in the long-run. This would significantly benefit the Australian economy by enabling a new, low-emission, domestic energy supply; opportunities for future export revenue; and new industries and jobs. It would also reuse Australia’s empty gas fields, improving sustainability. Last, but certainly not least, it would contribute to climate change mitigation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Measuring the Commercial Real Estate Sector in Australia. This project aims to address a significant gap in our understanding of the Australian commercial real estate sector. It will use detailed data to develop sophisticated models of the prices of commercial buildings. Expected outcomes include a suite of commercial real estate price indexes for Australia, by region and property type, and a comprehensive and transparent examination of the methods used to construct them. This will shed light on a hitherto poorly measured sector and provide significant benefits by better informing market participants, guiding statistical agencies in developing such measures and better-enabling policymakers, banks, superfunds and macroprudential authorities to understand the risk profile of the sector. Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics Commercial real estate in Australia is worth at least $1 trillion, is an integral part of the production process economy-wide, secures around $239 billion in lending, and holds around $151 billion in superannuation savings. Yet there is no reliable information on the price dynamics of the sector. Using administrative and industry data, we will carefully develop, document, and deliver a suite of price indexes for the country, by region and property type. The indexes will have wide-ranging and enduring benefits: they will assist policymakers, banks and macroprudential authorities in better understanding risks to financial stability; assist government in developing appropriate land use policy; provide insight to superannuation funds about the risk-return characteristics of this asset class; better inform the many industry stakeholders from investors, renters, owners, and developers, to building managers and brokers; and help us understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector. Our approach will also provide a template for statistical agencies, and others, to construct such measures into the future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

The fluid dynamics of intrusions. This project aims to investigate intrusions, the primarily horizontal flows of well-mixed fluid into density-stratified surroundings. Such flows are fundamental in the atmosphere and oceans, but they are little understood because they are controlled by strong feedback between the intrusion and internal waves generated in the stratified ambient. Existing studies rely on computationally intensive simulations, analogue experiments or ad-hoc models of limited applicability. This project expects to develop and validate a new, broadly applicable and rigorous mathematical model for such flows. Expected benefits include improved volcanic ash dispersal modelling and improved understanding of climate-critical oceanic and atmospheric flows. Field of research: 0404 - Geophysics Intrusive flows are fundamental flows in the atmosphere and oceans and as such they have widespread societal relevance. Volcanic ash from explosive eruptions is initially dispersed via an intrusion. They regularly causes disruption to air traffic, periodically grounding aircraft in Australia and have the potential of causing more prolonged and extensive disruption as occurred in Europe after the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. Improved understanding of such flows would contribute to more reliable forecasts. Intrusions directly contribute to the overturning circulation in the oceans and play an important role in storm feedbacks and hence moisture distribution in the atmosphere. Improved understanding and modelling of such flows would contribute to more detailed and accurate forecasting of climate change and thus enable more refined mitigation approaches.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

An Empirical Study of Agenda Setting in the High Court of Australia. This project aims to undertake the first comprehensive study of institutional and individual factors that facilitate and constrain access to judicial power via the High Court’s agenda setting process, special leave. Using quantitative methods, the project expects to generate new and advanced knowledge about the High Court’s role as the gatekeeper of judicial power. Expected outcomes include foundational knowledge on the nature and scope of access to judicial power in Australia via policy reports, scholarly articles and datasets. This should provide significant benefits such as important insights on the impact and influence of justices, litigants, lawyers, and governments on High Court’s decisions to grant or deny special leave to appeal. Field of research: 1606 - Political Science The High Court of Australia is a key policymaker in national and subnational politics in Australia. Yet we know very little about what drives decision making in the discretionary process (‘special leave’) by which the High Court selects the subset of cases it will decide from the multitude of applications it receives. This project provides a comprehensive study of the High Court’s agenda setting process by mounting the first large-scale empirical study of all applications for special leave between 1986 and 2020. The project will identify the impact of justices, litigants, and lawyers on the Court’s decision to grant or deny special leave, in order to address key barriers to accessing judicial power in Australia and direct effective measures and strategies to overcome entrenched inequalities in the Australian judicial system. The project will benefit policymakers, litigants, and the Australian community by highlighting systemic barriers to accessing judicial power in Australia, while providing clear guidelines for strategic decision-making to maximise equality of access to the High Court for all Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Scalable & Accountable Privacy-Preserving Blockchain with Enhanced Security. This project aims to address the scalability and accountability of privacy-preserving blockchain by advancing cryptographic techniques. This project expects to develop scalable protocols for privacy-preserving blockchain while also adding accountability for authority to trace cyber crime activities, which is a missing piece in any state-of-the-art public blockchain system. Expected outcomes of this project include not only practical solutions for protecting sensitive data recorded in blockchain but also crucial techniques to make the blockchain accountable for practical applications with enhanced security. This project provides significant benefits, such as building a trusted environment for sensitive transactions in the digital economy. Field of research: 0803 - Computer Software The proposed project aims to remove the barrier for applications to adopt blockchain technologies, by providing highly scalable privacy preserving blockchains. This would help businesses, both nationally and globally, to get a share of the expected US$176 billion to be generated by industry by 2025. For example, recent reports show that blockchain technology could help the banking industry to reduce its central finance reporting costs by 70%, and cut the banks’ infrastructure costs by AU$15–20 billion annually by 2022, via savings on cross-border payments, securities trading and regulatory compliance. Making available scalable and accountable privacy-preserving blockchains, with enhanced quantum-safe security, presents an enormous opportunity to create jobs and support the growth of Australian businesses, as evidenced by recent reports from CSIRO’s Data61, the Australian Computer Society and the Australian National Blockchain Roadmap from the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Explainable Artificial Creativity. This project aims to develop explainable models for creative AI systems which enable more productive and satisfying interactions between them and their human co-creators. This will boost both human and machine creativity through sustained, ongoing exchanges, leading to high-quality creative outcomes via automated ideation and more advanced human-machine collaborations. The proposed techniques will be validated with creative professionals, ensuring practical industry relevance. We expect the outcomes to include new methods that automatically generate persuasive explanations, new forms of communication including dialogues between creative AI systems and users, and new understanding of general aspects of explainability for creative AI systems. Field of research: 0801 - Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing The use of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are rapidly gaining momentum across all areas of the creative industries. These technology innovations are set to radically transform how creative industries operate in the coming decades. Prior to the pandemic, the creative industries contributed over $90 billion to Australia’s economy annually in turnover, so leveraging AI technologies for creative purposes is paramount. To get the most out of creative AI systems, both users and developers will need to understand what, why and how they have done something: without this, creative practitioners risk missing opportunities, working with low efficiency and producing substandard results. This research project aims to develop new ways for people to effectively collaborate with creative AI technologies, by enabling generative AI systems to elucidate the reasoning behind their decisions, the workings of their processes and the value of their outputs. This will hugely benefit creative professionals and general users alike, by generating trust and leading to high-quality creative outcomes.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Accessible Data Exploration and Analysis for Blind People. This project aims to develop new assistive technologies that will enable blind people to explore and analyse data more readily. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the fields of assistive technology, multimodal interfaces, dialogue systems and natural language understanding and generation. The expected outcome of the project is an innovative conversational agent that uses a mix of speech and tactile graphics to communicate with a blind user and proactively assists with data analysis tasks. This should provide significant benefits, as it will overcome barriers to data analysis and exploration by blind people that currently restrict access to government, health and personal data, and limit employment opportunities. Field of research: 0806 - Information Systems The last two decades have witnessed a sharp rise in the amount of data available to business, government and science. As a consequence data exploration and analysis skills have become essential knowledge for everyone, not just data scientists. However, many current exploration and analysis tools utilise data visualisation, effectively disenfranchising people who are blind. We aim to develop an Artificial Intelligent agent that makes data analysis accessible for blind people, thereby alleviating this inequity. The agent will allow blind people to tactually and verbally explore data, including personal, government and workplace-related data; and it will enable blind people to interact with data analysis tools. Endowing blind people with these capabilities will increase participation in society and employment opportunities, not only benefitting blind people, but the entire society.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Data analytics-based tools and methods to enhance self-regulated learning. This project aims to develop student self-regulated learning skills by harnessing the potential of Big Data analytics. The project expects to generate new knowledge at the intersection of learning analytics, educational technology, learning sciences and teaching practice resulting from novel data collection and analysis tools and methods. The outputs are expected to include insights into metacognitive, motivational, and technical issues facing analytics-based personalised feedback. The outcomes are intended to offer benefits for developing pedagogical and the design of educational technology. The outcomes can result in improved student learning outcomes in higher education to ensure graduates are prepared for the digital economy. Field of research: 1303 - Specialist Studies In Education The project produced results will contribute to the national priorities in Australia on economic, commercial, and social levels. Economically, the project will maximise graduate employability opportunities and scaffold career transitions required for the future workforce in an era of increased digitalisation and automation of jobs. This will be achieved by unlocking the potential of ‘big data’ to provide personalised support for fostering self-regulated learning skills in higher education and beyond. 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 technology industry will benefit from the design principles, models, and blueprints to develop technologies that optimise development of self-regulated learning and other higher order employability skills. Socially, the project will also offer validated approaches that can inform policies and practices in higher education for promoting personalised learning and develop self-regulated learning skills at scale.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Add mountains and shake: plate boundary fault and earthquake patterns. This project aims to determine the fundamental physical processes that link topography, seismic shaking and volcanism to the evolution of seismogenic fault networks in obliquely convergent (transpressional) plate boundary settings. We will combine detailed field and remote sensing-based structural analyses in transpressional mountain belts with advanced laboratory analogue and numerical experiments to evaluate: 1) how bursts of strong seismic shaking perturb fault zone evolution through time; 2) the contribution of topography and gravitation loading to fault interactions and earthquake generation; and 3) feedbacks between fault network development, the spatial distribution of volcanic centres, seismic shaking and ore deposits. Field of research: 0403 - Geology The dissemination of the findings of our research through peer reviewed publications, conference presentations, web sites and social media will strengthen Australia's international standing in the fields of structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics. The project will contribute to Australia's international role in the prediction and mitigation of natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic activity. The proposed research will develop a predictive framework for patterns of deformation, fluid flow and mineralisation in plate boundary settings that will be used extensively by Australia mineral exploration companies in their global search for the resources of the future. The research project will contribute to the training of highly qualified Earth scientists (postdoctoral, PhD and Honours BSc), who will become leaders in the Australian mineral resources sector and/or in academic research. The project will strengthen research ties and collaborations between Australia, Germany and New Zealand.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Weight stigma in the preconception, pregnancy and postpartum periods. The overall aim of this project is to develop guidance for the translation of weight stigma evidence into preconception, pregnancy and postpartum obesity-related policy. It focuses on the socio-ecological factors that perpetuate weight stigma in women across the reproductive life phase, that is, in women planning a pregnancy, in women who are pregnant and in mothers who have given birth within a 24-month period. Field of research: 1117 - Public Health and Health Services This project aims to investigate aspects of the issue of weight stigma during women’s reproductive life. This knowledge essential will fuel development of guidance for evidence-based obesity-related policy in, especially in women’s health. Specifically, this project will provide empirical evidence explaining the drivers of weight stigma for women across the preconception, pregnancy and postpartum periods, to inform maternal obesity prevention interventions. Working with key stakeholders to address the dearth of research on how to implement such policy, this project has the potential to drive significant health and population benefits through changes in policy agendas that assist women to optimise preconception and pregnancy weight gain and thus improve maternal and child health outcomes.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

In for the count: Maximising trust and reliability in Australian elections. This project aims to develop innovative approaches to identifying, measuring, and evaluating errors and purposeful intervention in the uniquely complex elections at the basis of Australian democracy. Such methods can underpin a world-class election auditing system, which contends with the risks that are emerging at the intersection of election digitisation, cybersecurity and foreign interference. The project’s expected outcomes are new auditing methods, tested on real Australian election data, with their benefits quantified against global best practice. The research outputs should help reinforce the community’s trust in Australian elections, which are a foundation for our security, social cohesion, and political resilience. Field of research: 0104 - Statistics Election outcomes must be accompanied by evidence that they accurately reflect the will of the voters. Post-election audits provide this evidence. This project develops methods to verify reported Australian election outcomes, detecting those that are incorrect as a result of software errors or purposeful manipulation. This adds a substantial layer of security to our electoral processes. Our methods involve inspecting cast ballots and applying innovative, rigorous statistical methodologies to ensure confidence in the outcome. Such ‘risk-limiting’ audit methods have been developed for simple elections, but none exist for highly complex election processes such as the single transferable vote used for our Senate. The project is well aligned with the Science and Research Priority of Cybersecurity, providing techniques to discover, understand, and respond to the vulnerabilities in our electoral processes. It will enhance trust in, and the reliability of, reported election outcomes and help in countering misinformation and external interference in fundamental democratic processes.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

A new numerical analysis for partial differential equations with noise. This project aims to design novel numerical methods, grounded in rigorous mathematical foundations, for partial differential equations with stochastic source terms, such as for instance those modelling fluid flows with random perturbations. To ensure the accuracy of numerical simulations, preserving certain quantities of importance (mass, flux) is critical. The project's goal is to develop finite volume and high-order numerical methods that are applicable in real-world settings, designed to achieve this preservation of essential quantities, and mathematically proven to be robust. The expected benefits are cost-efficient and reliable numerical tools for the scientific simulation of phenomena subjected to uncontrolled influence. Field of research: 0103 - Numerical and Computational Mathematics This project seeks to develop and analyse mathematical algorithms for computing solutions to complex real-world problems. Many physical or biological phenomena, including turbulent flows or population dynamics, are subjected to random effects (due to ill-controlled environments, etc.). These phenomena are modelled by non-linear equations that are much too complex to be exactly solved. Where this occurs, numerical algorithms are built to predict the solutions of these equations. The project’s goal is to design new and reliable numerical algorithms that preserve critical physical properties of the models, and so are applicable to real-world solutions. Our expected achievements include the mathematical foundations for these algorithms, and testing them in practical situations. The developed computational methods and code will benefit Australian science and engineering communities by helping them understand and predict, for example, highly complex models of fluid flows with an enhanced efficiency.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Cosmological vacuum stability as a window on fundamental physics. Vacuum is not just the absence of matter: it is the lowest-energy state of our Universe. This project aims to investigate the existence of new particles via their impacts upon the vacuum of the Universe. It expects to develop methods required to extract information on the existence of new particles from the vacuum, using transitions between different vacua, resulting gravitational waves, and results from a broad range of other complementary experiments. Expected outcomes include comprehensive tests of four of the most compelling theoretical frameworks for new particles. Significant expected benefits include advanced training for Australian students in numerical methods, software development, statistical analysis and research computing. Field of research: 0202 - Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics This project aims to advance our fundamental knowledge of the world we live in by improving methods for identifying, tracing and predicting the lifetime of vacuum states. This will drive the technology of the future, by increasing Australian scientists' ability to discover new fundamental particles. New particles may provide the basis for novel materials, new energy sources and new modes of transport. The project will generate new techniques in high-performance computing, computer programming, advanced statistics, constrained optimisation and machine learning, providing new capabilities to the Australian information technology and manufacturing sectors. The project will provide Australian students and recent PhD graduates with advanced training in numerical and quantitative methods, leading to a higher-quality workforce who will produce a range of economic and social benefits to Australia in scientific, medical and industrial applications. The project will also generate cultural and educational benefits in the areas of space, physics and computing, through extensive outreach activities.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

In the Driver's seat: role of trace elements in enabling crustal fluid flow. This proposal aims to systematically investigate the role of trace elements in controlling the kinetics, product composition, and feed-back between fluid flow and the reaction interface, in fluid-driven mineral reactions. This project expects to provide a framework for the integration of activator trace elements in models of crustal fluid flow and their application in the recovery of base, precious, and critical metals, using interdisciplinary approaches across geochemistry, mineral engineering and material sciences. Expected outcomes include improved prediction of the transport of metals and fluids in geo-systems. This should provide significant benefits towards integrating the mineral value chain from exploration to mining and metallurgy. Field of research: 0402 - Geochemistry The resources industry is Australia’s largest export earner (40-50%), contributing ~8% of total GDP. Increasing future assimilation of green technologies such as electric vehicles and renewable energy increases the demand for both established metals (e.g., copper, gold) and emerging, so-called critical metals (e.g., rare earth elements, cobalt, tungsten, ...). Australia is richly endowed in metals, but needs to overcome significant challenges to benefit from these new opportunities: (i) sustainable and ethical sourcing are key requirements of new global players; (ii) demand for a particular critical metal may fluctuate rapidly due to evolving technologies; (iii) poor understanding of the geological processes that concentrate critical metals hinder mineral exploration; and (iv) the complex nature of the ores impedes economic recovery. This project will facilitate innovation and agility in the resource sector by providing fundamental knowledge and tools about the processes that dissolve or scavenge metals in geo- and processing systems, thus leveraging synergies between geosciences and mineral engineering.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

Computer-aided proofs for non-hyperbolic dynamics and blenders . This project aims to develop methods to rigorously detect certain geometric structures in systems that are known to imply chaos and are robust under perturbation. Such structures include blenders and robust heterodimensional cycles and homoclinic tangencies. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of non hyperbolic dynamics utilising a novel combination of recent developments in Dynamical Systems and techniques from rigorous numerics. Expected outcomes of this project include an efficient computation platform aimed at detecting and verifying chaos-inducing objects in complex dynamical systems. This should provide significant benefits, such as an increased understanding of non-hyperbolic dynamical systems. Field of research: 0101 - Pure Mathematics We expect the following benefits to Australia's national interest through this project. This project will make many of the recent advances in the abstract study Dynamical Systems theory more broadly applicable to the systems that arise in applications. In particular, the project will develop algorithms and software to identify and understand chaotic behaviour arising in real-world applications. This work will help us better understand the chaotic behaviour underlying chemical reactions, planetary dynamics, industrial mixing processes, fusion reactors, iterative computer algorithms, and many other processes. This project will have intensive collaboration both within Australia and internationally. It will build stronger links between the Dynamics, Topology, and Numerical Methods communities here in Australia and will also build and strengthen collaborations between Australian researchers and those overseas. It will raise the profile of Australia in the world-wide Dynamical Systems community, and will train promising researchers in this area.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2022 · 2022-01

The Ancient Today: Living Traditions of Classical Language Education. This project aims to compare, for the first time, ancient language education across world cultures with ‘classical’ literatures. It expects to illumine the purpose and value of classical language education in Chinese, Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit historically and within global education systems today by comparing pedagogic ideals and practices across times and cultures. It aims to test the potential of inclusive classical language learning to boost educational outcomes for disadvantaged students. Other expected outcomes include two books, scholarly articles, education policy reports, and PhD student training. This should strengthen intercultural understanding and benefit school students, educators, policy makers and the wider public. Field of research: 2003 - Language Studies This project aims to build Australian knowledge and capacity in literacy and foreign language education. In particular, it seeks to document contemporary student experiences and societal attitudes to education in ‘classical’ (ancient) languages in Europe, the UK, Australia and Asia. Classical language education — both Western and Eastern — is growing exponentially in China. Understanding the historical and cultural reasons for this phenomenon will be of great value for our social, economic, and political relationships. The state of classical language education in Australia will be benchmarked against that in the United Kingdom. Recent initiatives have helped to widen access to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and to introduce classical languages into primary school classrooms to bolster literacy, including for students with special needs. This project aims to build on and extend that success. Finally, this project seeks to attract, train and retain excellent research students in an area of strategic importance to our nation’s prosperity: language competence and cultural literacy.