MONASH UNIVERSITY

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Fluid dynamical processes in the formation of magmatic ore deposits Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Ethical, social and regulatory implications of informal sperm donation Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Metabolic and competitive diversity of an omnipresent bacterium Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Chemosynthesis: a hidden foundation of marine biodiversity and... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Indonesia in the global geography of Islamic knowledge Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Smart Covalent Organic Frameworks for Recovery of Rare Earth Elements. This project aims to develop innovative smart covalent organic frameworks featuring coordination and photo-responsive functionalities for the efficient separation and extraction of rare earth elements, thereby addressing critical challenges in resource sustainability and environmental conservation. The project anticipates generating novel insights and techniques in multifunctional material design and advanced mineral processing. Expected outcomes encompass improved strategies for efficient resource recovery, enhanced capacity and strengthened collaborations, ultimately providing substantial benefits for Australia's efficient mineral resource development and the establishment of a low-carbon, environmentally friendly ecosystem. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Australia has abundant rare earth elements (REEs), essential for renewable energy, electric vehicles, and advanced technologies. However, current extraction and separation methods are low-selective, costly, energy-intensive, and environmentally harmful. This project aims to develop innovative light-responsive covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for efficient, selective, and sustainable REE separation and recovery, reducing reliance on environmentally harmful mining practices and strengthening Australia’s critical minerals industry. This research will provide significant economic, environmental, and social benefits. Economically, it will lower REE production costs, increasing Australia’s critical minerals industry more competitive. Environmentally, it will reduce hazardous chemicals and energy consumption, supporting Australia’s Net-Zero 2050 target. Socially, it will offer an excellent platform for training PhD candidates and undergraduate students, contribute to sustainable industries and secure a long-term supply of critical materials for clean energy and high-tech industries. Beyond academia, findings will be shared with industry, policymakers, and the public, and adoption will be supported through collaborations with mining companies and government agencies, as well as public engagement. By promoting innovation and sustainability, this research will contribute to Australia’s transition to a green, low-carbon economy and global leadership in critical minerals.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Integrated Photothermal Membrane Distillation for Water-Energy Nexus. This project aims to address unsustainable lithium extraction—critical for clean energy—by developing a solar-powered membrane system that integrates photothermal distillation and hydrovoltaic energy generation to recover lithium, purify water, and produce electricity. By advancing nanomaterials and hybrid processes, it expects to bridge membrane science and nanotechnology, tackling the water-energy-resource nexus. Expected outcomes include a high-efficiency membrane system reducing water and energy use, industry partnerships, and new recovery methods. Benefits include reduced water waste, lower emissions, cost-effective lithium supply, and sustainable mining, aligning with Australia’s National Battery Strategy and global climate goals. Field of research: 4004 - Chemical Engineering This research aligns with Australia’s National Battery Strategy, supporting the transition to a sustainable and resilient lithium supply chain by developing innovative membrane technology for lithium recovery from wastewater. With the growing global demand for lithium in battery production, this project will reduce reliance on mining, lower environmental impact, and promote circular economy principles. By improving lithium extraction efficiency and integrating renewable energy, it enhances resource security and energy sustainability. The outcomes will strengthen Australia’s clean energy sector, boost industrial competitiveness, and contribute to national goals in environmental conservation and sustainable resource management.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Designing Dignity: Civic equity through public bathroom architecture . Often sites of discomfort and shame this project reimagines Australian public toilet infrastructure as a multipurpose amenity shaped by diverse socio values and cultural needs. In the context of rapid urban change, this projects deploys a needs-based approach to public toilet design to speculate on a contemporary, inclusive amenity for sanitation (including breastfeeding, menstruation, incontinence) and extended to ensure public toilet infrastructure meets that needs of carers, cleaning (for reasons such as homelessness, faith-based rituals or in-transit needs) and considers that demand of overcrowding in homes or unreliable, unsafe, and sub-standard domestic facilities. Field of research: 3303 - Design The Australian public bathroom provision, once a celebrated public health initiative that promoted civility and mobility, is in disrepair and rapid decline. There is a shift towards a reliance on the public sector where toilets are sequestered in shopping centres, cafes, and commercial spaces. This, however, is negatively impacting the lives of vulnerable populations, such as the disabled, elderly, homeless and women, by creating inequity of access, limiting individual mobility, affecting their health and wellbeing, and social cohesion. This project undertakes new research into this overlooked crisis and aims to explore the future needs of Australian cities by reconceptualising the role and function of public bathrooms as an “Infrastructure of Care”. By adopting a place-based and co-designed approach across different cities, suburbs and regions, the project findings will deliver an urgent “National Blueprint for Public Bathrooms as Infrastructures of Care” that will serve as a guide for individuals, communities, practitioners and governments to ensure that public bathrooms are valued civic assets which promote diverse and equitable communities. The National Blueprint and outputs will be promoted through public programs and online resources. This will benefit local, state and national governments; the national urban planning objectives and infrastructure strategies linked to healthy and safe communities; resilient cities, and public transport and mobility.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Revealing Order in Organic Semiconductors with Cryo-Electron Microscopy Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Development of a point-of-care molecular test for genital ulcer disease... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Evolutionary expansion of neocortical computations. The neocortex is the most evolved part of the mammalian brain, exhibiting massive expansion of neuronal number in non-human primates (NHPs) and humans. Are the enhanced cognitive abilities of humans and NHPs formed by a complexification of neocortical neuronal networks, which operate with evolutionary conserved principles? We aim to address this fundamental question by investigating the functional properties of molecularly and anatomically defined neocortical neurons, the computational elements of the neocortex, using high-resolution electrophysiological and optical techniques in acute ex vivo preparations of the living human, NHP and rodent neocortex. The results will herald a new computational understanding of the evolution of neocortex. Field of research: 3209 - Neurosciences The neocortex is the most evolved part of the brain which underlies all of our cognitive abilities. Across evolution the complexity of the mammalian neocortex is elaborated reaching a zenith in humans. Knowledge of how individual neocortical nerve cells and networks of nerve cells work, the building blocks of brain function, is essential for the development of future treatments for diseases of cognition which have major socio-economic impacts on our communities. Existing knowledge of how neocortical nerve cells work is based on experimental investigation of the rodent neocortex, but the failure of translational of therapeutic treatments for cognitive diseases derived from such work questions if neocortical operations are conserved between rodents and humans. To test this, we will directly investigate if the building blocks of cognition are evolutionarily refined in the human neocortex. Direct demonstration of an evolutionary refinement of human neocortical nerve cell and network function will have enduring impacts, informing neuroscience, medicine and the development of engineered intelligence systems. To ensure the accessibility of technologies and findings the programme will form and lead an international human and non-human primate brain consortium to facilitate direct engagement with partners/stakeholders. New knowledge of the operation of human neocortical nerve cells and networks will likely have significant economic and societal benefits for Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Inter-organ communication during exercise and aging. This project aims to examine how organisms exchange biological material between tissues to promote healthy aging. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), lipid bilayer-delimited particles released from cells, facilitate inter-organ communication of molecular cargo. EVs can promote cellular senescence that can increase with aging. Conversely, exercise can enrich EVs with inhibitors of cellular senescence, thereby slowing the aging process. This is dependent upon the molecular cargo, cellular origin and tissue destination of the EVs, processes completely unknown at present. We expect to discover the mechanisms of action of EVs in exercise and aging, thereby generate new information to develop strategies impacting upon Australia’s ageing workforce. Field of research: 3208 - Medical Physiology Aging productively will arrest the economic and social cost of aging. It is now accepted that exercise can prevent or slow unproductive aging, but the precise mechanisms underpinning these observations is unclear. Our work proposes to clarify the field. There are several benefits that will arise from this work. This information will be an invaluable resource to the cell biology community world-wide. Moreover, we expect that our work will ultimately lead to the development of ‘senolytics’, small molecules that slow the aging process. This is of particular importance to the livestock industry. Livestock, raised for their economic benefit to humans and are culled from the population once their production declines. We lack knowledge about the age-related morbidities and causes of death that afflict livestock due to natural aging. By raising awareness of the overall quality of life and ongoing health of individual livestock animals, we can potentially increase production into older life stages, leading to decreased costs to farmers and, importantly, improved welfare for the animals themselves, increasing environmental sustainability. In addition, globally, we face the challenge of ‘living well’ and fostering communities that thrive, with sustainable, inclusive solutions that drive better economic, social and cultural outcomes. Putting a spotlight on the mechanisms of the benefit of exercise in human aging will address the challenge of living well.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Evolutionary rewiring and controlled remodelling of bacterial cell surfaces. This project aims to investigate the fine-tuning mechanisms that modulate control over which molecules are displayed on the outermost surface of bacterial cells. The project expects to generate new knowledge on how the environment stimulates production of the bacterial surface features, and how rapidly bacteria can respond to the environment by remodelling their surface features. Expected outcomes from this project include knowledge gain as well as methods and technology development. This project should provide significant benefits in research training excellence as well as the means to better predict the behaviours of bacteria and better use bacteria in biotechnological applications. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology This project addresses the means by which many bacteria can reprogram the properties and terrain of their outer surfaces, a process we refer to as outer membrane remodelling. There is as yet no literature addressing how bacterial outer membranes are remodelled, and Australia is at the forefront of studies addressing this newly recognized process in bacterial cell biology. Training of new students and staff in this arena provides a means for career development in the pursuit of knowledge using a wide array of technologies drawn from disciplines ranging from genomics to microbiology to RNA biology to biochemistry and membrane biology, and the research could provide benefits in biotechnology, food security and other commercially important sectors. For these studies we isolate bacteria from Australian environments, in partnership with the Traditional Custodians of the land and water that we survey. The outcomes of this research will be publicised through social media channels, scientific conferences and seminars, local newspapers and magazines and open-access scientific publications to maximise the understanding, use and adoption of the research in future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Addressing long-term climate displacement in Australia. This project aims to investigate the long-term impacts of internal climate displacement in Australia and identify effective policies to support community resilience. It will generate insights into how climate disaster displacement impacts people’s social and economic stability over time. It will analyse the Australian policy landscape and global best practices to identify opportunities to improve resilience. This is significant given the lack of understanding of climate displacement in advanced economies. Expected outcomes include co-designed, evidence-based policy recommendations and interactive story mapping. This should benefit Australia by fostering an engaged policy network that can strategically address climate displacement. Field of research: 4101 - Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Currently it is estimated that 22,000 Australians are displaced by climate-related disasters every year, and this is expected to increase significantly as climate change intensifies. We know from international research that displacement can have long-term impacts on the social and economic stability of communities, with risks of homelessness, trauma and social division which can disrupt community stability and functions. Focussing on internal displacement in Australia, this project will discover the geographic movement, duration, impacts, and effectiveness of policy in supporting those displaced so that long-term risks can be minimised. This project will benefit Australians’ social and economic well-being by providing evidence to strategically strengthen our management of climate displacement. It will do so by analysing the patterns and impacts of climate-induced displacement, evaluating the effectiveness of existing policies, and identifying opportunities for improved approaches and coordination guided by international best practices. The research outcome will be shared with displaced persons, policy makers and stakeholders through a series of workshops and meetings, allowing them to collaborate, co-design and co-produce evidence-based policy recommendations, as well as an interactive Story Map illustrating displacement impacts.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Therapeutic targeting of interleukin-33 for severe paediatric urinary... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Corrugation Control in Unsealed Roads: Mechanisms and Sustainable... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Resetting plasma cells in autoimmunity for sustained remission Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Addressing barriers to refugee doctors obtaining medical registration. This project aims to enhance understanding of barriers refugee doctors face, and enablers that could assist them, in meeting legal preconditions to medical practice in Australia. It expects to generate new knowledge about stakeholders’ impressions of refugee doctors’ challenges, and effective means of addressing them through inter-agency collaboration. Expected outcomes include the design, delivery and evaluation of a novel program of support for refugee doctors in Australia, and the development of sustainable strategies to support refugee doctors and other international medical graduates across Australia to progress towards medical registration, resulting in reduced medical workforce shortages and greater utilisation of migrants’ skills. Field of research: 3505 - Human Resources and Industrial Relations Shortages of doctors in generalist medicine and particular geographical areas in Australia compromise patient healthcare. Refugee doctors can help reduce these deficiencies, but previous research suggests they face barriers to obtaining legal entitlement (registration) to practise medicine. This project will deepen understanding of those challenges and explore how they could be overcome. The project will interview refugee doctors and stakeholders and draw on the findings to design and deliver a multifaceted program of support for refugee doctors in Victoria to facilitate their progress towards attaining medical registration and employment. The project will evaluate the program’s efficacy and investigate potential inter-agency collaboration to develop strategies to implement it across Australia on a sustainable basis to streamline pathways to registration and employment for refugee doctors. Research outcomes will be shared with stakeholders, including healthcare providers and assessors of international medical graduates, to assist them in providing greater support to refugee doctors and other international medical graduates to obtain registration. Increasing the number of registered international medical graduates will promote their integration, reduce shortages and correct imbalances in the distribution of medical practitioners, improve access to and outcomes of healthcare, especially for migrant communities, and generate economic benefits by increasing national productivity.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Democracy's Knowledge Problem: from Polarization to Collective Wisdom Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Towards Efficient Open-World Video Anomaly Detection. This project aims to develop an efficient open-world video anomaly detection system that addresses key challenges when detecting anomaly actions in an open-world environment, i.e., identifying unseen anomalies, learning from limited labelled data, and ensuring computational efficiency for real-world use. Expected outcomes include new knowledge in the area of video anomaly detection, and the development of a fast, accurate anomaly detection system that are able to detect both seen and unseen anomalies in real-world videos. This should provide significant benefits across multiple domains including enhanced public safety with smarter surveillance and better healthcare through timely detection of unusual patient behaviours or emergencies. Field of research: 4611 - Machine Learning This project aims to develop an efficient open-world video anomaly detection system to address critical challenges when identifying anomaly actions in a dynamic, real-world environments. Existing systems often struggle with anomalies which are not present in the training data, a limitation particularly relevant for the continual motoring of public safety and critical sectors. Our system tackles this by enabling the identification of unseen anomalies. In addition, our system ensures the computational efficiency needed for practical deployment. This research has strong potential for significant economic and social benefits for Australians. Economically, it will enhance security and automation in domains like surveillance and smart cities, leading to reduced operational costs and improved responsiveness. Furthermore, the system offers significant benefits to the healthcare sector, particularly in monitoring patient behaviours for unusual events in assisted living facilities. Socially, it will contribute to safer public spaces and better emergency response systems. To ensure our research has impact beyond academia, we will work with the industry partner to test the system in real-world settings through pilot deployments. We will also target government agencies with public communication strategies, such as visual demonstrations and clear summary reports. These efforts will help turn our research into practical solutions and delivering meaningful benefits to the community.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Pathogen-Mediated Manipulation of the Human Lysosome: A Target for... Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

A structural investigation into Lymphocyte activation gene-3. T cells play a key role in the adaptive immune system. Central to the function of T cells is a host of co-stimulatory molecules, co-receptors and inhibitory receptors. This proposal aims to gain a basic understanding of how a key inhibitory receptor found on T cells across mammalian species, termed the Lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3), interacts with a range of ligands to mediate its effects. The proposal utilises a combination of cellular immunology, comparative immunology, single molecule imaging and structural biology to gain insight into LAG-3 interactions across diverse species. Ultimately this fundamental knowledge can be used by the biotechnology and veterinary industries. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology T cells are a critical part of the adaptive immune system that defend and protect against disease and are present in all vertebrates. T cells require strict regulation by immune “checkpoint” molecules to prevent hyperactivation, which causes the immune system to indiscriminately attack healthy cells. However, it’s not well understood how these checkpoint molecules interact with other components of the immune system, and how these interactions mediate their effects. This project will study these interactions to answer key questions about how the immune system is kept in check to avoid hyperactivation, advancing our knowledge in the fundamental biology of the immune system in vertebrates. The intellectual property generated in this research can be used by the biotechnology industry, including our industry partner, Immutep Ltd, to develop novel immunotherapies. Ultimately, this work will have significant economic and societal benefit.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Electric vehicle charging tariff paradigms for the clean energy... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Polymer Systems for Controlled Release of Biological Agents. The project aims to develop polymer systems for the sustained release of biologicals that can be administered as a liquid and be cross-linked in situ. Unnatural amino acids will be incorporated into model biologicals via stop-codon reassignment, and then used to convert the biologicals into polymerizable macromonomers. The macromonomers will be capable of undergoing quantitative, in situ crosslinking via innovative cycloaddition chemistry to form a functionalized gel with controlled rate of release of the biological agent and residue-free biodegradation. Novel polymers and compositions are anticipated from the program, providing a new patented platform technology with applications in the pharmaceutical and veterinary sectors. Field of research: 3403 - Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry This project will combine molecular biology, synthetic and polymer chemistry and formulation techniques to discover new compositions for sustained delivery of biological agents. Currently, there are limited sustained release delivery technologies for biological agents, with existing technologies (e.g. admixtures or conjugates) largely directed to small organic molecules. This project is expected to deliver an effective delivery system with broad applicability across a range of biological agents, including proteins and peptides. In addition, the new technologies will have broad utility across the pharmaceutical and veterinary sectors. The technology will require specialised manufacturing, presenting opportunities to create a new high value industry. Presently, the chemical sector is one of the largest manufacturing sectors in Australia, contributing $38 billion annually towards Australia’s GDP and employing over 60,000 people. Throughout this project we intend to work closely with this sector to ensure that the new manufacturing strategies can be adopted by local industry, delivering global competitive advantage that further enhances Australia’s prosperity. In alignment with recent efforts to consolidate Australia's sovereign manufacturing capacity, the new sustained release technology will also drive the invention of novel polymers and compositions, delivering broad social and economic benefits across Australia's pharmaceutical, veterinary and biomaterial sectors.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Hitting the Limits: Intersectional sexisms in Australian universities. This project responds to the limits of Australian university culture by examining the conditions that limit social cohesion in relation to gender. The project generates new theoretical, cultural and practical knowledge about how experiences of intersectionality, gender, power and complexity shape universities. Innovation comes with multi-method design and pathway to impact via a suite of creative responses focused on raising awareness of the gender problem in universities and providing possible solutions. This project provides significant national benefits as the gender problem that shapes universities shapes Australian society, and will enables universities to lead the way in ameliorating gender-based inequalities. Field of research: 3904 - Specialist Studies In Education The Australian Government identifies Higher Education as a key site for improving social cohesion, but gender equity remains a significant and unresolved problem within Australian Higher Education. Since 2018, there has been a 53% rise in the number of university employees who experience sexual harassment, sexism and gender bias. While universities in Australia have Gender Action Plans, processes and policies, and are part of award schemes that reward gender-equitable participation, the benefit of these is not always felt by women academics with diverse characteristics. This project investigates how universities can improve support for marginalised women and gender diverse academics and to understand how men academics perceive university policy and practice in relation to gender equity. This research will be translated into a series of resources for universities, individual academics and the broader public. These include data-driven filmed performance works, and associated activities housed on a project website. Improving gender equity in higher education will enable this important economic sector to foster resilient workplaces with vibrant, engaged and productive employees who contribute to research excellence and the reputation of Australian research internationally. Further, universities will better be able to train the next generation to participate in the Australian workforce in equitable and cohesive ways, promoting future gender equity across other industries.