MONASH UNIVERSITY

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Probing the role of dynamics in protein modulation of GPCR phenotype . Life relies upon the fundamental ability to convert external stimuli into an appropriate biological response. Such stimuli are transmitted by cell surface proteins (receptors), which convert this stimulus into an intracellular signal. The largest group of cell surface receptors is the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family. Despite advances in GPCR structure determination, many questions regarding the structural basis of GPCR function and signalling remain unanswered. The primary outcome of this project is to provide mechanistic insight into the dynamics of GPCR ligand recognition and activation to advance our understanding of GPCR signal transduction, a fundamental biological process for all living organisms. Field of research: 1115 - Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences This project will provide major advances in our fundamental understanding of how key proteins (receptors) that are used by the body to receive signals that control cell and organ function can be activated by natural peptide ligands. This is critical to understanding the physiological control of numerous important bodily functions including feeding and metabolism, gastrointestinal motility and the communication between the gut and the central nervous system. The project also utilises state-of-the art technologies, including single particle cryo-EM and hydrogen-deuterium exchange-mass spectrometry, and will further advance this science to enable study of protein structure and function. CI Sexton's laboratory is a world leader in application of cryo-EM to understanding membrane proteins and this project will further enhance Australia's position as an international leader in structural cryo-EM leading to new opportunities for commercial investment. In the longer term, the advancement in understanding of receptor biology enabled by the project could improve future design and development of novel therapeutics.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Coastal permeable sediments as a novel source of greenhouse gases. Emissions of the greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane are increasing from unknown sources. High concentrations of these gases have been observed in coastal waters which bear the brunt of nutrient pollution (primarily nitrogen) from cities and agriculture. This project aims to investigate the sources of these gases within these environments and the processes that lead to their formation. This new knowledge is expected to develop new models which aim to enable us to better predict the emissions of greenhouse gases within coastal waters. Expected benefit of this will be strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Field of research: 0605 - Microbiology Greenhouse gas emissions are the key contributors to climate change, which has a negative impact on Australia's agriculture ecology and liveability. Direct emissions of greenhouse gas emissions from human sources such as industry and transport are relatively well quantified. Indirect emissions from the environment and how this is enhanced through human activities such as nutrient release, is however less well quantified. This project will provide new understanding and models to help us quantify the production rates of greenhouse gases in coastal waters and how this can be reduced. This knowledge will provide Australia and other countries with critical information needed to meet its international obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Teaching Main Group Compounds to Activate Catalytically Relevant Bonds. The project aims to generate novel, earth abundant main group compounds, with the ultimate objective of developing these as sustainable replacements for toxic/expensive late transition metal complexes, that are currently central to numerous stoichiometric and catalytic synthetic transformations. The project expects to generate major fundamental and applied advances in chemistry, using innovative synthetic and computational approaches, and a multidisciplinary collaborative team. Expected outcomes include building of academic and, later, industrial research capacity, knowledge, an international research network, and a highly trained workforce. Success should see substantial economic, environmental and societal benefits flowing to Australia. Field of research: 0302 - Inorganic Chemistry This project will develop a new class of chemical compounds, derived from so-called main group metals, to underpin sustainable, low-cost and low-toxicity catalysis in industrial settings. Developing these alternatives to current transition metal catalysts will be of significant economic and commercial benefit to the fine chemical industries, which could face substantially reduced costs in chemical and pharmaceutical production. Environmental benefits will derive from the reduced accumulation of toxic heavy transition metals in the ecosystem and a reduction in the exploitative, polluting mining of such metals. The transfer of knowledge in a rich international and industrial ecosystem will ensure the production and future pursuit of valuable intellectual property.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Understanding peptide bond formation in non-ribosomal peptide biosynthesis. This project aims to uncover the origins of selectivity exhibited by the biosynthetic machinery that produces non-ribosomal peptides through advancing our understanding of how the central peptide synthesis domain functions. This project intends to generate new knowledge about peptide biosynthesis using a highly interdisciplinary approach and essential tools that have been developed. The anticipated outcomes of this project will be an enhanced understanding of the structural basis for substrate selection exhibited during peptide synthesis, revealing the specificity code of these key domains. This knowledge is vital for future efforts to reengineer such biosynthetic peptide assembly lines to produce new bioactive peptides. Field of research: 0304 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry Nature provides an abundance of complex short chains of amino acids (peptides) which are routinely screened for important applications in agriculture and health (among other areas). However, the natural cellular process to make many complex peptides is distinct from the well-known process of synthesising proteins within the ribosome. As a result, our ability to synthesise important complex peptide analogues commercially is hindered. This project will provide essential insights into the enzymes responsible for synthesising these so-called non-ribosomal peptides. The research will therefore unlock new efficiency and capability within the multimillion dollar Australian biotechnology industry and will underpin efforts to reengineer peptide assembly lines to produce new bioactive compounds and alter existing ones at commercial scale.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Identification of Biological pathways regulated by circular RNAs. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a, recently discovered molecule. circRNAs are highly abundant and expressed in a tissue and disease specific manner. Yet, currently the understanding of how circRNAs regulate biological processes is very poor. This project aims to use pooled shRNA libraries to screen a large panel of cell lines and systematically identify cellular activities that are regulated by circRNAs. The expected outcome of this study will be a catalogue of functionally active circRNAs. Over the past decades, the wealth of knowledge on the function of linear mRNAs has had a significant impact on medicine and agriculture. Similarly understanding how circRNAs regulate cellular activities may have an analogous impact on humans. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a newly discovered, abundant class of molecule found within living cells which are likely to have critical biological functions. These molecules are found in a tissue and disease specific manner, suggesting they could also be key biomarkers of cellular function and disease for future diagnostics. However, currently our understanding of circRNA function is limited to a very small number of circRNAs. This project will define a blueprint of functional circRNAs and will target a handful of promising candidates for further downstream study. The project will deliver a knowledge base of circRNAs with defined cellular functions and developmental pathways. These findings may provide springboards for new therapeutic approaches in a range of diseases, with associated valuable intellectual property.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Crystal engineering of membranes for chiral separation . This project addresses the urgent challenge of chiral separation in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals by creating a new class of membranes produced by engineering functionalised porous framework crystals. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding how membrane chemistry and architecture can be used to achieve highly selective, fast chiral molecule transport. The expected outcomes of the project include new membrane compositions, design principles, fabrication techniques, and proof-of-concept production of scalable, high-performance composite membranes. This project should produce significant economic and environmental benefits in the development of advanced membranes, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering Chiral separation is required for manufacturing pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, but it is a challenging task because of the same sizes and equal physical properties of chiral molecules. Australian agriculture heavily relies on the use of crop protection products (agrochemicals), which contributed around $20.6 billion annually to Australian agricultural output. For agrochemicals that are active in just one chiral form, inefficient or absent separation technologies leave up to 50% of inactive, toxic and polluting forms in the product, leading to unnecessary environmental pollution. A new membrane technology will be developed in this project to achieve high separation efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs, making chiral agrochemicals (such as herbicides and pesticides) more affordable and less environmentally damaging. Furthermore, the new membranes will provide an advanced remediation solution for removing chiral pharmaceuticals from wastewater, addressing an increasing concern of the adverse effects of these pollutants on human health and environment.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Big data: implications for competition, privacy and regulation. This project aims to provide economic analyses of the costs and benefits of business strategies driven by consumer data, while considering consumers’ privacy concerns. This is highly relevant and timely given the vast amount of consumer data collected, shared and used in the digital era. Expected outcomes include better understanding of how data may lead to market power and how to safeguard against abuse of market power and privacy breach. This project should make significant contributions to the nascent academic research and policy discussions in this area. This should also place Australia at the forefront of international scientific community and policy circle on the regulation of data-driven business strategies and privacy regulation. Field of research: 1402 - Applied Economics Dominant large tech companies are leading sociocultural evolution in the digital era built upon vast amount of consumer data. This project will make significant contributions to understanding various business strategies primarily driven by consumer data, hence providing a safeguard against abuse of market power and privacy breach. It will also place Australia at the forefront of international scientific community and policy circle on the development of a regulatory paradigm in the digital era. This project is also related to cybersecurity, one of the Australian Government’s National Science and Research Priorities: it will provide analysis of how consumer data can be acquired, retained, and used by firms; it will also provide a framework to think about consumer privacy and the regulation on how to safeguard sensitive data against possible breach while not harming innovation. This will help policymakers in balancing economic benefits from digitalisation against the potential harm to social fabric that may be caused by digitalisation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Biophysics-informed deep learning framework for magnetic resonance imaging. This project aims to bring about a paradigm shift from the conventional non-quantitative magnetic resonance imaging to ultra-fast, quantitative, and artefact free imaging. This project integrates biophysics and artificial intelligence, and it is expected to bring new knowledge in both fields. The expected outcomes of this project include next generation magnetic resonance imaging methods with a fundamental shift in the approach to image artefacts and image quantification. This project is expected to advance both single subject and population level biomedical imaging with greater accuracy and cost-effectiveness. This project also promotes explainable and generalisable artificial intelligence in medical imaging. Field of research: 1004 - Medical Biotechnology Each year more than 9 million Australians access 24 million radiology services. The motion introduced image artefacts alone cost $115,000 per magnetic resonance imaging scanner per hospital annually according to Radiology Society of North America. The expected outcomes in this project include advanced biomedical imaging technologies which will help to reduce the healthcare cost in Australia. These technological advances will further strengthen Australian industry and innovation to compete on the world stage in a field dominated by a handful of international industry giants, therefore maximising Australia’s competitive advantage in the critical sector of biomedical imaging and advanced biomedical engineering. New knowledge from the biophysics informed artificial intelligence is expected from this project, which promotes the integration of physical and computational sciences in accordance with Australian strategic research programs.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Macroecology of reptiles and frogs over latitudinal and temporal gradients. This project aims to address major macroecological concepts in reptile and frog communities through time, focusing on environmental and climatic gradients in species diversity and body-size variation. This project expects to generate a unique macroecological dataset by integrating data from Quaternary fossil sites spanning a 3000km latitudinal gradient with current ecological data. Expected outcomes include the first comprehensive ecological assessment of Australian reptile and frog communities through Pleistocene climate oscillations, with predictions into the future. This research will benefit Australian society by providing evidence-based knowledge of faunal community composition through time in association with changing climates. Field of research: 0602 - Ecology The forests of eastern Australia are a major biodiversity hotpot. The reptile and frog species of this biome are unique, with far higher levels of endemism than other vertebrates. We bring together a team of leading evolutionary ecologists, geneticists and palaeontologists to investigate the ecological origins of this globally important fauna. We will provide the first comprehensive assessment of how the frog and reptile communities of eastern Australia have changed over the last 500,000 years. We will answer many central ecological questions, providing important insights regarding how communities respond to climate changes - past, present and future. This research will benefit Australian society by highlighting the rich ecological history of our uniquely diverse reptile and frog fauna. Our findings will provide a significant advance in conservation management and future-proofing this unique faunal assemblage.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Sustainable mobility: city-wide exposure modelling to advance bicycling. This project aims to develop a world-leading platform for city-wide modelling of cycling exposure. This project will provide unparalleled insights into cycling exposure by combining multiple cycling data sources through the use of advanced spatial statistical and machine learning techniques. The expected outcomes of this project are a novel inventory of cycling infrastructure, a cycling route choice modelling system and robust predictions of cycling volumes on individual streets. This project will deliver a step change in cycling that will lead to increased cycling participation, enhanced safety, and improved infrastructure planning, thereby resulting in substantial gains in population and environmental health. Field of research: 1205 - Urban and Regional Planning Cycling has numerous health, environmental and social benefits, through factors such as reduced traffic congestion and air pollution, and by promoting an active lifestyle which in turn improves population health. How safe someone feels when riding a bicycle is the major barrier to increased cycling participation. Therefore, providing protected cycling infrastructure (such as bicycle lanes that are physically separated from traffic) has the power to increase the number of people who ride bikes. However, there is a complete absence of detailed data related to where and when people cycle. In this project, we propose to develop a platform that will enable us to model the number of cyclists on each road in a city. This will enable us to address significant knowledge gaps in cycling safety, identify areas in which we need enhanced cycling infrastructure and enable us to evaluate the effectiveness of existing infrastructure. Overall, we anticipate the use of these data will result in improved safety for cyclists, lower injury rates, increased cycling participation and reduced inequities.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Multi-Country Study on Health Effects of Bushfire Air Pollution. Catastrophic bushfires are a major natural disaster, causing serious air pollution. However, aligning bushfire air pollution and public health policies becomes a significant challenge, because limited studies are available on relationships between bushfire air pollution and human health, particularly for the prolonged exposure. We will characterize the nature of the relationships between bushfire air pollution and mortality/morbidity by developing a multi-country study; and estimate the burden of diseases attributed to bushfire air pollution. This project will provide essential scientific evidence to policy-makers and stakeholders in the development, prioritization and implementation of health protection strategies and policies. Field of research: 1117 - Public Health and Health Services This research project is directly in line with two national strategic research priorities: “Environmental Change” and “Health”. Specifically, they include: 1) As climate change will increase the frequency, intensity and duration of bushfires, this project is important to increase fundamental knowledge and practical skills on the integrated and interdisciplinary assessment and management of health risks of bushfires; 2) The results of the project will inform public health policy to strengthen intervention strategies, which can protect vulnerable populations and workers from negative impacts from bushfires; and 3) The project encourages stronger collaborations between researchers, health, social and emergency services leaders, and governments. Accurate and meaningful health information from this study is essential important to improve public health policy.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

How the brain generates robust behaviour in noisy sensory environments. This project aims to investigate the origins of variability in the control of movements. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of sensory and motor neuroscience by determining how variability in the activity of sensory and motor neurons accounts for variability in the initiation and control of eye movements. Expected outcomes of this project include international collaboration, development of new methods for imaging neural activity in vivo, and refinement of theories concerning the cause and implications of noise in the brain. This should provide significant benefits such as a better understanding of why our movements are variable, and whether it is desirable or possible to minimise this variability. Field of research: 1109 - Neurosciences This project will yield social benefits by revealing the neuronal mechanisms that underlie the control of movement and the generation of precise movements. Even elite sportspeople demonstrate variability in their well-practiced movements, but it remains unclear if this variability is detrimental and should be minimised, or if it is somehow desirable, or if the best sportspeople are those who can take into account their own variability. This project may yield commercial outcomes in the longer term, by defining energy-efficient, biologically-inspired algorithms for implementing the types of visually-guided motor control required by self-driving cars and object-tracking “follow-me” drones. In the longer term, understanding the mechanisms that account for variability of neural activity in the visual system of healthy brains, as studied here, will help develop prosthetic devices to aid people who are blind.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Evolution and role of neo-sex chromosomes in mitonuclear co-evolution. This project aims to characterize the evolution of novel, extended sex chromosomes in an Australian bird, then elucidate their role in climate-associated adaptive evolution. The species falls into two lineages bearing distinct mitochondrial genomes and nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes carried on sex chromosomes. The project aims to test whether this extraordinary genome arrangement is splitting the species into two forms: one adapted to hotter, drier environments, one to milder ones. This would be tackled using an innovative combination of genomics, cytogenetics, and metabolic data. Understanding the mechanisms at play would represent a major advance in ecology and evolution, with potential implications for conservation management. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology Australia is home to an exceptional diversity of birds, beloved by Australians and beacons for visitors. But Australia’s bird populations are collapsing through the combination of warming and drying conditions, and loss and fragmentation of habitat. The options for birds to respond include shifting their ranges, and adapting evolutionarily to new conditions. To understand how and where these might happen requires knowledge of the abilities of birds to thrive in different conditions, and how those capacities might evolve. Genome science presents previously unimaginable capabilities to understand how evolution happens. This project proposes using world-class genome and chromosome science, innovatively combined with detailed information on individual birds, to understand how the sex chromosomes of a group of Australian birds have helped them adapt their body systems to different climates. This information will equip decision-makers with the information needed to consider how species are likely to respond evolutionarily to changing environments, with implications for managing and conserving viable populations.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Epigenetic regulation of genomic stability and inheritance. Sperm mediate inheritance by transmitting DNA and associated chemical (epigenetic) modifications to offspring. We hypothesise that epigenetic modifications protect DNA from mutations during sperm formation. Using innovative models, our interdisciplinary team will determine whether loss of specific epigenetic modifications permits mutations in sperm and whether these mutations are transmitted to offspring. Our work will contribute to understanding how new mutations arise in sperm and potentially affect offspring phenotype, adaptation and evolution. As chemicals, drugs and diet can affect epigenetic function, our studies will also contribute to determining how epigenetic inheritance affects environmental, agricultural and healthcare outcomes. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics Sperm and eggs transmit the parent's DNA and non-genetic information to offspring in mammals and other species. Both the DNA and non-genetic information are critical for normal offspring development, for animal health and for the evolution and adaptation of species. This discovery project will provide substantial advances in understanding how epigenetic modifications protect DNA against genetic mutations in sperm. Understanding this is essential for fully understanding inheritance, which is relevant to all sexually reproducing species. Moreover, as epigenetic modifiers are affected by environmental agents, the outcomes of this project will be relevant to understanding how chemicals, pollution or other environmental factors might disrupt the normal epigenetic program in sperm, and thereby indirectly cause mutations. The findings will provide information essential for understanding inheritance, which is applicable in the agricultural, veterinary, environmental, conservation and health industries, and potentially for determining how rapidly changing environments might influence species adaptation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Social Infrastructure in a Society of Captives. This project aims to understand how innovations in the prison environment can promote positive human connections between prisoner and staff groups, which has the potential to reduce the dehumanisation and related harms associated with imprisonment in Australia. Using state of the art research methods and innovative theoretical tools, the project will explore how the concept of social infrastructure can be applied in prisons. Outcomes include new knowledge focused on the interaction between people and spaces in correctional settings when the purpose is positive human development. The anticipated benefits include the release of more prisoners who can be functioning citizens, contributing to community safety and productivity in the long term. Field of research: 1602 - Criminology Incarceration rates continue to increase across Australia, with all States and Territories engaging in expensive prison building programs. However, there is no evidence that this approach leads to a reduction in recidivism or make communities safer. One factor that contributes to the high level of recidivism is a lack of attention to the daily life in Australian prisons as it concerns both staff and prisoners. This project will address this significant challenge, by addressing the way staff and prisoners interact, and how innovations in the prison environment can support positive and respectful human connections. Outcomes will inform policy on how to do approach prison design and management with the aim of producing the best possible environment that can support a reduction in reoffending and long-term community safety.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

The other democracy: Medes in the Iron Age. This project aims to use evidence from archaeology and historical texts to develop a new understanding of the consensus-based political system of the Medes of the Zagros Mountains in the first millennium BCE. In spite of the enduring presence of the Medes in the historical texts of Ancient Greece and the Near East, this research project would be the first major piece of scholarship to address the nature of Median communities. This research seeks to create a new model for how these agro-pastoral groups may have responded to imperial incursions by the Assyrian Empire. Its goal is to benefit scholarship by developing a better understanding of how democratic systems can develop as a flexible response to external pressures. Field of research: 2101 - Archaeology This project aims to broaden our understanding of democracy by investigating the development of consensus-based political decision-making in the ancient world, exploring the multiple avenues towards formation of these systems in the Middle East. Reconceptualising the history of democracy in this way will contribute to increased cross-cultural understanding and increased social cohesion in Australian society. A new appreciation of the shared genesis of these political and intellectual structures in Western and Middle Eastern traditions will help to reconcile different cultural groups. Identifying and describing the historical roots of democracy in the Middle East will also inform Australia's strategic efforts to promote stability in the region and elsewhere by giving a broader sense of ownership of democratic systems beyond the Western tradition.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Intelligent Technologies for Smart Cryptography. This project aims to improve cybersecurity by automating the process of generating cryptographic software for smart devices. The expected outcomes are tools that automatically produce efficient cryptographic software that resists attacks. The main benefit of this project is to reduce the amount of expert labour required when developing secure software. Field of research: 0803 - Computer Software Smart devices are a key enabler of the smart society we live in. They are the building block which constructs smart homes, smart cars, smart grids, smart cities, and even smart governments. Due to their key roles in the society, security is of paramount importance for smart devices. Cryptography underlies the security of smart devices. It is the basic tool that ensures that data is only accessible by the legitimate parties to the communication, preventing attackers such as hackers, commercial competitors, and adversarial foreign government agencies from intercepting or modifying the information as it transits. Our proposal, "Intelligent Technologies for Smart Cryptography" will provide tools to develop secure and efficient cryptography for smart devices that will help maintain Australia's lead as an enabler and a consumer of online services, and will help us lead our modern, free, and prosperous society towards a smart future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Encapsulation beyond microplastics. This proposal seeks to provide a roadmap for the development and application of a new generation of microcapsules, based around sustainable, plastic-free technology. Renewable resources such as cellulose particles will be combined with innocuous inorganic binders in order to encapsulate valuable cargoes for delivery with potential applications in agrochemical delivery and consumer care products. The mechanical properties of the capsules will be measured and modelled, indicating how they behave in processing and use, and enabling their tailoring to release their contents at the right time. Surface modification of the capsules will be used to maximise their binding to materials of interest, such as clothes fibres in laundry products. Field of research: 0306 - Physical Chemistry (Incl. Structural) This project aims to develop microcapsules to protect and deliver valuable chemical agents such as pesticides, but without using any plastics in their production. The capsule shells will be made from natural cellulose materials and silica, and will offer opportunities to tailor the release of materials contained inside. The capsules will be targeted for use in high value add areas to overcome the limitations of conventional (bulk) delivery methods. The project thereby offers the opportunity to not only add value in important industrial sectors such as agriculture and formulated consumer goods, but also to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and improve environmental outcomes by using carefully delivered doses of concentrated reagents that are highly targeted to their site of action.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Search for physics beyond the Standard Model in penguin decays. In the decays of subatomic particles, there is an increasing number of discrepancies between the theoretical expectations and the measurements. This project aims to confirm or refute the interpretation of these results as arising from phenomena not described by the Standard Model of Particle Physics. The project expects to generate new knowledge to clarify this question by making an innovative set of measurements that are designed to minimise existing theoretical uncertainty. The expected outcomes are a deeper understanding of how the Universe works and an enhanced capability to collaborate internationally in Particle Physics. Significant benefits will be provided in terms of training in advanced computational methods. Field of research: 0202 - Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics The project will provide an enhancement of knowledge about how the Universe functions at the most fundamental level. It may lead to evidence of new forces of nature or new fundamental particles. This has a strong cultural benefit in the ever ongoing quest to understand the world we live in. The methodology developed in Particle Physics has a large impact on the R&D sector. Examples are the development of the world wide web, the application and understanding of machine learning in situations with complex data and the development of real time data processing. The project will lead to an increased collaboration with CERN, the world leading Particle Physics laboratory in the world, and increase the international connections of the research community. It will provide the capacity for Australia to take part in large international science projects in the future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Engineering alloy design reimagined as a driven system. This project investigates a new approach to engineering alloy design that explicitly takes into account, and exploits, the energy delivered into an alloy during deformation processing. The work intends to resolve fundamental questions concerning the effect of deformation processing of the evolution of the material structure and the effect this structure has on the resulting mechanical and corrosion properties. The new structures resulting from this approach are remarkably fine and uniform suggesting they will be both strong and corrosion resistant. The proposed work intends to uncover the origins of both these structures and new properties, and exploit them for the design of new engineering alloys with greatly improved properties. Field of research: 0912 - Materials Engineering Engineering alloys, such as steel, aluminium and copper, are critical building blocks of modern society. They allow us to construct the buildings we work in, the cars and trains we ride to work, the planes we take on holiday, the infrastructure to generate and distribute electricity, and many more elements of modern society that we take for granted. This project is focussed on new approaches for making engineering alloys with greatly improved mechanical and corrosion properties for uses in transport, construction, manufacturing, electricity generation and transmission, ect. These are required to make our vehicles lighter and more fuel efficient, out structures more resistant to damage and failure, our manufacturing sector more competitive, our electricity generation and transmission more efficient and many more improvements that arise from having stronger, lighter, tougher, recyclable, and more easily processed engineering alloys.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Uncovering New Mechanisms of Metabolite-Sensing and Signaling. This project aims to understand how cells sense changes in metabolic activity, to ensure energy demands are matched with nutrient supply. Our proposal will fill critical gaps in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic sensing. This will generate new knowledge with far reaching potential for Australian industries that rely on the propagation and utilization of living organisms, including agriculture, biotechnology and brewing, as well as knowledge relevant to sporting performance and the metabolic dimensions of ageing. This project will support advanced training of early career researchers and PhD students, which will expand Australian research capabilities and contribute to a producing a highly skilled workforce. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology The survival and function of all organisms depends on their capacity to sense and regulate metabolic activity, to ensure energy demands are matched with nutrient availability. Our research has exposed critical gaps concerning the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic-sensing, and we now propose a conceptually innovative project to advance our understanding of how cells sense and respond to a continually changing nutritional landscape. By further advancing our understanding of these fundamental mechanisms, our research outcomes have the potential to underpin future innovations in Australian industries reliant on the propagation and utilization of organisms including agriculture, biotechnology, viniculture and brewing. The project will also generate high impact publications in top ranking journals that will reinforce Australia’s position as a global leader in metabolism research, incentivising collaboration and maintaining the current position enjoyed by Australian higher education sector as destination centers of research for both domestic and international students.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Comparative biosecurity informatics to anticipate invasive species threats. Invasive species cause billions in economic damages to Australia, but we do not have effective means to identify dangerous species before they arrive and cause harm. This project aims to overcome this challenge using the latest techniques in machine learning combined with genetic, ecological, and functional datasets for thousands of species. This project expects to generate a novel framework that allows us to identify and rank dangerous invasive species in an unbiased way, helping to safeguard Australia's unique biological community. Expected outcomes include improved methods for detecting ecologically and functionally similar species, providing substantial economic efficiency benefits to Australian biosecurity. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology This project will assess invasion risk for all of the world's 16,000 freshwater fish species through the use of new machine learning methods combined with large-scale datasets of species relationships, ecology, and functional traits. These new techniques are capable of processing much larger datasets than past analyses, resulting in substantial improvements over old methods that require detailed evaluations of only one species at a time. We focus on freshwater fishes, as recent invasive freshwater fish species such as common carp have caused billions in economic damages worldwide and extensive damage in Australian waterways. Our research contributes to Australia's national interest by preventing economic damages through the identification of dangerous species before they invade and cause harm.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Individualised predictions of circadian timing, sleep, and performance. The body's 24-hour clock regulates when we feel sleepy or alert. In shift workers, disrupted sleep and rhythms leads to fatigue and costly, often deadly, workplace accidents. Existing methods for measuring body clock timing are costly, impractical for operational settings, and do not work in real time. Using a shift-worker population, this project will develop models that accurately predict body timing, sleep/wake patterns, and performance for an individual, requiring only a simple activity/light sensor and an assessment of the body clock's sensitivity to light. The new model would revolutionise fatigue management and make safer work environments for millions of shift workers. Field of research: 1701 - Psychology Fatigue in the workplace costs Australia >4% of GDP and leads to workplace accidents that cause immeasurable human suffering. The best predictors of fatigue are an individual's body clock time (circadian rhythm) and recent sleep/wake patterns. Currently, no methods exist for measuring circadian rhythms in real-time, nor for accurately predicting how an individual will sleep and perform on a given work schedule. This project will develop predictive models that are accurate at the individual level, which will transform existing approaches to fatigue management, enhancing safety and productivity in Australian workplaces. Disruption of the circadian clock (e.g., in shift workers) is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes, cancer, and depression, but we currently have no cost-effective way of tracking and reducing this threat. This project will generate the basic science to easily and cost-effectively determine an individual's circadian timing. This would put Australia at the forefront of a new paradigm in which body clock time can be routinely measured to improve health, productivity, and safety.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Unravelling the role of heteroplasmy in mitochondrial adaptation. This project aims to unravel the evolutionary implications of heteroplasmy – a scenario in which multiple mitochondrial DNA genotypes exist in one individual. Recent studies indicate heteroplasmy is widespread, and can be caused by paternal transmission of mtDNA. But the effects of heteroplasmy on evolutionary processes remain unknown. Leveraging state-of-the-art methods, this project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of evolutionary ecology and mitochondrial genetics. Expected outcomes include discoveries that advance understanding of fundamental biological processes, and student training. Expected benefits include strengthening of Australia’s research capacity, by setting the research agenda in this rapidly developing field. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology Mitochondria are the powerhouses within all our cells, passed down from generation to generation, but their role is even broader than that. This project will explore the evolutionary significance of genetic variation within mitochondria in adapting to environmental stress. By uncovering how this variation may underpin environmental adaptation, the project will generate significant benefit in understanding the evolution of organisms in the face of environmental change and also in understanding the processes that lead to mitochondrial disease. Specifically, the research may shed light on why some people develop mitochondrial diseases and other genetic carriers do not. Such discoveries may therefore ultimately assist in species conservation and in developing tools and therapies in biomedical science.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2021 · 2021-01

Australia's native sorghums: a model for testing plant adaptation theories. This proposal tests an emerging theory that allocation of resources by plants to growth or defence are interrelated, not alternatives as currently assumed. Like many crops, sorghum produces toxic cyanide, especially during droughts but its wild relatives make much less. This project aims to discover why cyanide is so common in domesticated plants and why levels increase with stress. This has important implications for developing crops that are high yielding and also climate resilient. Expected outcomes include full genome sequences for all of Australia’s unique native sorghums, confirmation of new theories on the interrelationships between defence and growth and identification of new traits vital for developing the crops of the future. Field of research: 0607 - Plant Biology The project will create economic and environmental benefits and contribute to the Australian Government’s Science & Research Priority “Food: Enhanced food production - genetic composition of food sources appropriate for present and emerging Australian conditions”. Sorghum is widely grown in Australia, particularly in the north. Most of its 19 wild relatives are only found in Australia. These crop wild relatives are an untapped and understudied source of traits that may be used to improve yields and resilience. Sorghum accumulates compounds that can cause cyanide poisoning in cattle, particular during droughts but the wild relatives are much less toxic. Why and how sorghum makes these toxins is not clear. The project capitalises on a unique opportunity to work with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute to genetically sequence every one of these species. This project ensures that Australia will continue to lead the research into the genomes of its own plants and a vital step in drawing on our unique biodiversity to develop new climate-ready crops adapted to Australia’s north.