La Trobe University

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Function and evolution of insect odorant receptors. This project aims to shed light on how insect odorant receptors function by using comparative genomic studies between the genetic model insect Drosophila melanogaster and a pest species, the Australian sheep blowfly. This project expects to generate knowledge of how specific chemicals activate specific receptors in order to excite sensory neurons and drive behaviour, which is not well understood. Expected outcomes include increased understanding of olfaction in insects, increased national and international collaboration, and outstanding graduate student training. This research will be of significant future benefit in deriving methods to modify the behaviour of insects of agricultural or medical importance, for example the sheep blowfly. Field of research: 0604 - Genetics Our research will increase the understanding of how insects locate their host plants or animals using chemical signals. It has long term applications in deriving methods to modify the behaviour of insects, and will be applicable to a range of insects of agricultural or medical importance. For example, the knowledge we obtain of key receptors for chemicals relevant to the Australian sheep blowfly’s ecology may enable the design of compounds that shut down the ability of a sheep blowfly to detect sheep odours without interfering with mammalian neural processes. The Australian sheep blowfly is the subject of much investigation due to its impact on the meat and wool industries, and there is strong industry desire to transition to control practices that reduce environmental and animal welfare concerns. In addition, further increasing our understanding of insect odorant receptors will be of benefit to the efforts being made in a number of institutes around the world to utilise them to develop novel olfactory biosensor technologies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

The role of common species in biodiversity turnover and function . This project aims to understand how common species change across regions and how this affects the functions that biodiversity provides across natural and built landscapes. Using a novel, information-rich approach and metric, the project aims to combine simulation experiments, and empirical data using organisms with low (plants) and high mobility (birds). Expected outcomes include new theory and improved biodiversity models, policy and management-relevant insights, new institutional collaborations, and student training. The research aims to provide significant benefits for understanding and monitoring the dynamics of common species, including problem species and common native species in rapid decline. Field of research: 0602 - Ecology This research aims to contribute to Australia's National interest by the knowledge and capacity it will deliver to understand rapidly changing common species populations. Expanding and declining common species have implications for both the environment and society in natural, rural and built areas. The project aims to better understand and predict the consequences of dramatic declines in common species. Such declines are currently happening across Australia from mangroves in the tropics to populations in the sub-Antarctic. By focusing on common species, the research aims to further understand the consequences of expanding populations, including invasions and population outbreaks, such as species that become super-abundant in urban environments. Unexpected gains and losses in common species will feature strongly in Australia's environmental future. We aim to shed light on the consequences of these changes for the services that biodiversity delivers. This information is needed to inform action to sustain quality of life for current and future generations of Australians.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Alcohol, tobacco and gambling expenditure and socioeconomic inequalities. Drinking, smoking and gambling are common lifestyle risk behaviors, which constitute critical social and health challenges for Australia. This project is the first study to examine trends in household expenditure on alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and other goods and services over the past 30 years. More importantly, this project pioneers analysis of the associations between alcohol, tobacco and gambling expenditure and housing and socioeconomic inequalities over time. The research findings will provide key insights into the changing place of these three risk behaviors in Australian society and inform future public policies to reduce problem drinking, smoking and gambling and related harms. Field of research: 1117 - Public Health and Health Services The proposed project will inform future social and public policy to reduce problem drinking, smoking and gambling and related harms. First, the proposed project will increase understanding at how drinking, smoking and gambling behaviors and expenditure have changed in subgroups over the last 30 years. Second, the proposed project will describe how reduced expenditure on alcohol, tobacco or gambling may reduce housing and socioeconomic inequalities. Third, the potential reasons for change trends in alcohol, tobacco and gambling expenditure will be examined in relation to spending on other goods and services. Lastly, the correlations between price and expenditure share for the three risk behaviors will be measured considering the effects of other goods and services. This project provides crucial information to inform future alcohol, tobacco and gambling price/tax policies by detailing how price and demand for each risky product affects demand for the others and for other goods and services in the vulnerable subgroups and in the whole population.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Alternative Oxidase to Optimise Plant Growth and Stress Tolerance. Biomass accumulation in plants is the balance of CO2 fixed into carbohydrates through photosynthesis and carbohydrate burned (respired), ~ 50% of fixed CO2, to fuel growth. Plants possess energy conserving and non-conserving respiratory pathways. The alternative energy non-conserving pathway appears wasteful but is necessary for plant tolerance to adverse growth conditions. Our research has achieved modification of the alternative respiratory pathway that positively impacts plant growth. We will dissect the mechanism(s) of how the alternative respiratory pathway stimulates growth, from a molecular level to whole plant physiology, answering a long-standing question of the role of the alternative respiratory pathway in plant cell biology. Field of research: 0607 - Plant Biology Plant growth and productivity are critical for producing food (grain crops, fruit and vegetables), fibre (e.g. cotton) and fuel (e.g. biodiesel). The Australian agriculture industry generates $60 billion per annum and directly employs 300,000 people with a total of 1.6 M people employed across the entire supply chain. The National Farmers Federation (NFF) has a target to expand Australian agriculture to a $100 Billion industry by 2030. This expansion will require research to drive innovation and generate novel solutions to challenges in plant productivity. This proposal will dissect the mechanistic basis of the improved growth that we have observed in alternative oxidase over-expressing lines to understand how fine-tuning plant respiration can lead to increased plant productivity. The new knowledge can then be applied to a range of crops to breed varieties with increased productivity.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

New biosensing strategies based on bipolar electrochemiluminescence. Chemical analysis is a vital activity in our society, which is to a large extent confined to scientific laboratories and carried out with complex instrumentation. The breakthrough technology envisioned in this proposal will pave the way for simple, low-cost tests which can be used by non-scientists. The development of small, portable sensors for applications ranging from pollution monitoring to health testing, will enable ordinary people to gain knowledge about the concentrations of molecular compounds in their environments and in themselves. This will stimulate economic and social benefits related to environmental testing and early disease diagnosis and generate new commercial opportunities for the Australian biotechnology industry. Field of research: 0301 - Analytical Chemistry The novel technology developed here contains breakthrough science in the form of new knowledge, new sensing materials and and new technologies that will open up a variety of new possibilities for the field of chemical analysis and bioanalysis. This new science will stimulate economic and social benefits and produce commercial opportunities for the Australian biotechnology industry. Other key outcomes of this proposal will be to further Australia's research capabilities and increase its international profile through publication in prestigious journals, conference presentations and intellectual property and through international collaborations with world leaders in the field. In addition, this collaborative arrangement and the cross disciplinary nature of the project will produce high quality Honours and PhD graduates with excellent multi-disciplinary training and diverse skill sets, well qualified for future employment in chemical and biotechnological industries, universities and research institutions.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Indigenous mobilities to and through Australia: agency and sovereignties. Indigenous peoples have always undertaken extensive travel and movement, but colonisation brought new reasons for travel and new Indigenous peoples from New Zealand and the Pacific to Australia. Historians have not yet fully grappled with these histories. These migrations and journeys always traversed Indigenous geographies. Bringing Indigenous perspectives and ethical methodologies to an analysis of mobilities, we aim to explore hidden histories of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Maori and Pacific Islander travel to and across Australia, and engage with Indigenous communities to understand meanings associated with travel and current implications for sovereignties and identities. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies This research will contribute to Australia's national interest by providing extensive cultural benefit. Stories of Indigenous mobilities to and through Australia - the movement of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Maori and Pacific Islander people - reveal the agency and resilience of those living in new circumstances. It enriches contemporary Australian culture through stories of adaptation. It strengthens Indigenous wellbeing by valorising those who became mobile. Such histories can better inform all Australians by encouraging engagement with the breadth of Australian histories, including the role of Maori and Pacific Islander travel and migration, and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander movement for labour or education, and promote respect for and learning from Indigenous perspectives.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Extracellular vesicles in the pathogenesis of fungal plant disease. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small membrane bound sacs that carry information between cells in essentially all organisms. EVs are also produced by bacterial and fungal pathogens and have a crucial role in infection in mammals . We propose that fungal EVs are key players in the establishment of fungal diseases in plants. We have isolated EVs from the cereal pathogen Fusarium graminearum which decreases yield and quality of grain in major food crops such as wheat, barley and corn. This project will focus on the cargo that EVs transport through the fungal cell wall and into the plant host and will establish the role of this cargo in disease progression. Ultimately, this knowledge will be used to design new strategies for disease control. Field of research: 0703 - Crop and Pasture Production Fungal disease in humans and agriculture is a growing problem that is spiralling out of control due to widespread resistance to the limited number of antifungal treatments available. Crop destroying fungi account for perennial yield losses of 20% worldwide and a further 10% loss post-harvest. The goal of this project is to understand how fungal pathogens transfer molecules required for infection to their host and to use this information to identify new targets for the development of antifungal treatments. We will use the devastating plant pathogen Fusarium graminearum as a system to study the coordinated release of molecules in “virulence bags” called extracellular vesicles. F. graminearum is the causative agent of Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) which affects all major cereals. The Grains Research and Development Corporation has identified FHB as one of the top five threats to Australian wheat production. Discoveries made in F. graminearum will be transferable to other fungal pathogens, providing broad application for this work.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Sexuality, masculinity and technology: men and intimacy in the digital age . Digital technology has been pivotal in shaping and reshaping sexual intimacy and sexual relationships amongst young Australians. It has been a major focus in policy and education development regarding young people’s sexual health. However, young Australian men’s lived experiences of sexual intimacy, technology use and masculinity are absent in these discussions. This project aims to understand young Australian men’s experiences of sexual intimacy and technology use, and how those experiences relate to their masculinity and sexual engagement with women. This project will enhance knowledge on the ways young men engage with women and enhance capacity to build community collaboration in working with men on gender equality. Field of research: 1608 - Sociology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

C-H to C-F using electrochemistry and gold catalysis. Gold offers great potential in chemical catalysis and this project will use a fascinating new class of gold compounds discovered by the CIs, to develop novel catalysts. Using this chemistry a series of gold(III) compounds with fluoride ligands will be prepared. The catalytic properties of these molecules will then be explored, with a particular focus on adding value to arene hydrocarbons. The ultimate goal of the project is development of new catalysts for the formation of carbon-fluorine bonds and the selective fluorination of organic compounds. Fluorinated organic molecules are of critical importance in medicinal chemistry and new catalysts of this type offers the potential for better synthesis of medicines and diagnostic agents. Field of research: 0302 - Inorganic Chemistry The introduction of fluorine atoms to organic molecules is of critical importance for the synthesis of new medicines, diagnostic agents and in the fine chemical industry. Despite the importance of this chemistry, procedures for the formation of C-F bonds are limited. Especially rare is the ability to use the most economical of raw materials to accomplish this; C-H containing compounds and simple fluoride. This project will use new gold-based catalysts to enable gentle and easy formation of C-F bonds directly from C-H bonds and fluoride without the generation of any chemical waste byproducts, by replacing chemical reagents with electrochemical techniques for key steps in the syntheses. These novel techniques will have significant impact in the economical production of new and existing pharmaceutical products and other fluorinated materials.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Digital Mental Health Care and the Law. ‘Digital mental health care’ is advancing rapidly in Australia, outpacing legal regulation. This project aims to provide new understanding of the medico-legal issues and develop a nuanced set of principles to guide legal frameworks for digital mental health technologies. The project will expand Australia’s knowledge of digital modalities in mental health care to optimise support services, protect patient privacy, uphold user safety and minimise risk to individuals and communities. The research is expected to improve mental health care by assisting people with mental health conditions, health practitioners, government agencies, courts and the broader public to use digital mental health technologies safely and effectively. Field of research: 1801 - Law

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Enabling Energy Self-Sufficient and Secure Internet of Things. This project aims to develop novel resource management and transmission techniques to enable an energy self-sufficient and secure Internet of Things by utilising energy harvesting technology and robust physical-layer security approach. This project expects to generate new knowledge to address current challenges around energy self-sufficiency and data confidentiality protection capabilities. Expected outcomes include efficient algorithms and prototypes for long-lasting Internet of Things systems. This should provide significant benefits, including the improved self-sustainability and security critical to realising the Internet of Things’ potential to contribute to enhanced health service delivery and factory automation for Industry 4.0. Field of research: 0803 - Computer Software

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Measure theoretic frameworks for limsup sets. This project aims to develop new powerful measure theoretic techniques in mathematics that will be used in establishing some indispensable results in analytical number theory (Diophantine approximation) and dynamical systems. The plan is to construct new techniques and to use them in situations where existing techniques are not applicable. As a consequence of the proposed frameworks, not only we aim to resolve a few long-standing problems such as the Generalised Baker-Schmidt Problem (1970) but also envisage that the proposed frameworks will have far-reaching applications beyond the confines of Diophantine approximation and dynamical systems, for example, geometric measure theory, geometric probability and stochastic geometry etc. Field of research: 0101 - Pure Mathematics This project aims to conduct fundamental research in number theory and dynamical systems that will add to the long history of significant contributions made by Australian researchers in these fields. The project investigators have an established research partnership and it will be further strengthened through pursuing the aims of this project. The proposal will help in supporting a research assistant and train several students on cutting-edge research. Progress on the proposed problems will solidify Australia's position as a world-leader in an important field of Diophantine approximation and in providing the high-level perspective needed to make advances in more applied areas, such as mathematical physics, dynamical systems and engineering.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Parched: cultures of drought in regional Victoria. Drought is a recurrent feature of Australian climate and a formative influence on Australian history, culture and identity. The project aims to generate new knowledge about the cultures of drought: the changing ways Victorians have lived with, imagined, understood and represented drought. Using an innovative environmental humanities approach, it will link cultural and media practices with climate histories to establish a new interdisciplinary model of drought cultures. Expected outcomes include a deeper understanding of the cultural legacies of drought and their impacts on current environmental practice and policy. Benefits should include identifying new resources for cultural and social resilience for future periods of water scarcity. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies Australia’s history is punctuated by the devastating impacts of drought. Big dries affect individuals, families, communities, economies, landscapes and ecosystems. They stretch the physical and mental resources and resilience of farms and regional centres. The meanings and experiences of Australian drought have changed over time and responses to it have always been contingent on local, social and cultural contexts. This multidisciplinary project aims to expand our knowledge of how we can better adapt to the environments on which we depend. With a focus on specific bioregions, it explores the historic, artistic, media, cultural and scientific aspects of past and present droughts. The first of its kind in Australia, this project will contribute to resources for responding and adapting to the impacts of environmental change on rural and regional centres, and involve the wider community through a public program of collaboration with regional galleries, media, and community organisations.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Fire, Flood and Food: People and Landscape Change in Northern Victoria. The project aims to explore how access to water and the use of fire have shaped land use from ancient times to the recent past using the case study of the Loddon River basin, Victoria. By linking Aboriginal and historical archaeology and Aboriginal Studies the project seeks to develop an innovative integrated data set that spans the entirety of human history in Australia. Anticipated outcomes include new knowledge about how people have responded to environmental and social change and increased capacity for Aboriginal people to achieve their educational and land management goals. This should provide significant benefits that inform contemporary responses to climate change, water security, fire management, and sustainable food production. Field of research: 2101 - Archaeology The project aims to develop new knowledge about the long human history of south-eastern Australia. In partnership with Traditional Owners, it plans to integrate approaches from Aboriginal and historical archaeology and Aboriginal Studies to develop a regional archaeological record that encompasses ancient and more recent Aboriginal sites as well as sites associated with non-Aboriginal settlers. It thus seeks to fill a gap in the understanding of the ancient use of the southern Murray Darling Basin and the transition into settler-colonial farming/pastoral regimes. Outcomes should benefit Australians by enriching understandings of how people have adapted to changing climates and social circumstances in the past. This should provide new perspectives for addressing modern challenges concerning climate change, water scarcity, sustainable food production and increasing fire intensity. The outcomes of the project should also benefit Aboriginal people in Victoria by building greater capacity to manage country, to have the heritage they value recognised, and to share their perspectives on the Australian past.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Indigenous Australia: A History of Documents 1770-2000. This project aims to address the ways Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are mostly known to others through the eyes of non-Indigenous observers rather than actual human interactions. This project applies new methodologies to written historical sources that are based on reflexive approaches, and the privileging of Aboriginal well being and Indigenous perspectives. By using these innovative decolonising methods to produce a four-volume documentary history of Indigenous Australia, this project aims to change the way documentary collections have shaped our past, thereby creating innovative insights into Australia’s history and new understandings of Indigenous peoples shaped partly by themselves. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies This research will contribute to Australia's national interest by creating a multi-volume collection of primary sources published by Routledge. It will provide extensive and timely cultural benefit by documenting the story of Indigenous peoples from 1770-2020. It will reveal the richness and complexity of contact and cultural interchange that has occurred between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians since the 18th century. The development of a documentary history curated through interdisciplinary collaboration between historians and indigenous studies scholars will make the history of intercultural exchange in Australia more easily accessible to the general community; including community-based researchers who are Indigenous. Such research will provide a timely and much overdue intervention in the ongoing debate and controversies about the role archival documents play in shaping national understandings of Australia's past.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

The 'long arm of the job': Improving parents' jobs and child development. This project aims to identify the priority job stressors that impact working families' wellbeing and child development, and to generate innovative job-based strategies to reduce work-family conflicts for working parents. Conflicts between work and family are common in Australia, reported by one in three parents. These affect productivity, family relationships and ultimately, child development. Evidence reveals that employers have struggled to implement family-friendly practices despite recent national policy initiatives. Using national cohort data and industry partnerships, this project investigates solutions to this urgent national dilemma to benefit those most affected by parents' job stressors – working parents and their children. Field of research: 1603 - Demography Australian research shows that one in three Australian parents report conflicts between their work and family demands. These conflicts are linked to lower productivity, poorer parent mental health, and may be an under-recognised factor in children’s development. Policy and workplace solutions have not yet been widely effective. This Fellowship will provide urgent new evidence on work-care conflicts in the Australian policy and workplace context. It will also identify how parents’ work-family stresses have flow on costs to children. Solutions, co-developed with industry, will be among the first nationally, harnessing momentum from business, industry and policy-makers. Through integrated problem-solving, the investigation will (i) maximise Australia’s leadership in the work-family field; (ii) identify options for solving urgent problems faced by working parents and their families; and (iii) develop evidence-based strategies for Australian employees and employers, enhancing productivity and economic benefits to families and industry.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Interacting with change: inter-specific competition and climate change . The project aims to understand how species will adapt to climate change by examining a largely overlooked process: how competition shapes evolutionary responses. Rising temperatures will fundamentally alter where species live, re-shuffling communities. Yet, how changes in community composition will affect the way current assessments of species vulnerability to climate change is generally unknown. Expected outcomes include improved species models for predicting responses to climate change through the integration of competitive effects with environmental data. The benefit will be an increased accuracy in predictions of species at risk to climate change which will guide policy and management decisions to protect vulnerable environments better. Field of research: 0603 - Evolutionary Biology Insects represent one of the most biodiverse groups on the planet and play a critical role in ecosystem health and function. To limit the impact of climate change on this important group of species requires developing better predictions of species vulnerability under climate change. But there is a gap in our understanding; we do not know how competition with other species will change species vulnerability to climate change. This research will develop distributional models and risk maps that explicitly consider the role of competition. The outcome will be better assessments of how climate change will impact species vulnerability and extinction risk. Through identifying species most vulnerable to climate change, this project will deliver vital information about community-wide impacts of climate change to landowners, policy-makers, and stakeholders. The intended outcome will be the better management of vulnerable species, pests and diseases and will train researchers in an area of national research priority.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Improving Spiritual Health Care for LGBT Australians. Research has demonstrated that attempts to change the sexual and gender orientation of LGBT people do not work, but little is known about their impacts or the extent of their practice in Australia. This project aims to investigate the history, scale and nature of LGBT conversion therapy in Australia. Robust data on Australian conversion practices will be collected through a national survey, life history interviews and focus groups with spiritual and mental health care providers. These data will be used to establish the impacts of conversion practices and develop resources to support improved spiritual care of LGBT people. The findings will benefit society, supporting social cohesion in the fraught area of religious and LGBT rights. Field of research: 1608 - Sociology Conflicts between religion, sexuality and gender identity have dominated Australian headlines since the passage of federal marriage equality legislation in 2017. This project addresses the issue of LGBT conversion therapy, which has been a key focus within the debate about the appropriate balancing of religious freedoms with protection of vulnerable people from institutional harms. Working in respectful partnership with religious and LGBT community groups, this research will produce a reliable evidence base regarding the scope, nature and impact of LGBT conversion therapy in Australia to better inform this debate, as well as policy and service responses to this issue. Research findings will support the production of resources to improve spiritual and mental health care for LGBT people and identify strategies for religious communities to work collaboratively with LGBT communities to progress mutual human rights objectives, resulting in significant social and cultural benefits to the Australian community.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Alcohol’s harm to others: patterns, costs, disparities and precipitants. This project aims to generate understanding of the magnitude, character, economic burden, disparities and precipitants of occurrence of alcohol’s harm to others across Australia, using a national survey, crime, community services and health data and qualitative interviews. The project outcome will be a robust current evidence base for our partners, government and Australian society to underpin advocacy, policy and planning, aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm and suffering. Field of research: 1605 - Policy and Administration The social cost of alcohol to Australian society was estimated at around $14.4 billion in 2017. But this estimate primarily measures costs to governments and drinkers, not interpersonal costs. Given that research conducted in 2008 found 8.1 million adults were directly negatively affected by others’ drinking in Australia, the burden of alcohol’s harm to others’ is a significant social problem for Australian society. This project will benefit the Australian community by informing decision-makers, policy-makers and service and program planners of the burden, costs, distribution and precipitants of alcohol’s harm to others. Comprehensive understanding of the situations in which harm occurs in Australian society and of who is most affected is essential for effective development and evaluation of alcohol and other social and health response systems and policies. This research contributes to Australia’s national interest through its potential to estimate, understand, evaluate and reduce the economic and social burden of alcohol use, not just to drinkers themselves, but to those harmed by someone else’s drinking.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

A platform consortium for integrated 'systems-omics' research. The proposal aims to establish a multi-institutional integrated ‘systems-omics’ platform across two of Victoria’s leading research universities, and associated research institutes. The platform will consist of two cutting edge ultra-high resolution mass spectrometers (i) a Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Fusion LUMOS for rapid and comprehensive metabolomic profiling and detailed structural characterization, located at La Trobe University, and (ii) a Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Q Exactive HFX for high-throughput, deep and reproducible quantitative proteome analysis, located at the University of Melbourne.This platform will address applications across the agri-biosciences, medicinal agriculture and fundamental biomedical sciences sectors. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Mass spectrometry is an indispensable technology for characterising molecules in both the chemical and biological sciences, and rapid improvements in instrumentation continue to expand the range of molecules studied, and the quality and quantity of information gained. Of specific relevance to this application is the development of new instrumentation capable of facilitating ‘systems-omics’ which, integrated with workflows for sample preparation and computational systems biology for data analysis, can provide critical insights into biological systems providing Australian researchers and industry with a competitive edge in a broad range of basic and strategic research disciplines including in the agri-biosciences (e.g. enhanced nutritional quality of grains), medicinal agriculture (e.g. medicinal cannabis export industry) and biomedicine (e.g. biomarker identifications (e.g. in cachexia syndrome, cancer, neurodegeneration), antibiotics drug resistance).

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

X-Ray Nanolithography Facility: Towards the ultimate resolution. This Project aims to address the need for precise and scalable nanoscale fabrication by establishing a synchrotron-based X-Ray Nanolithography Facility. This Project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of advanced manufacturing and nanotechnology using an innovative approach that combines coherent lithography and coherent imaging metrology. Expected outcomes of this project include an internationally unique, nationally accessible capability for manufacturing at the nanoscale and for industry-driven collaborative research. This should provide significant benefits across fields that aim to harness the unique properties of engineered nanomaterials to greatly enhance the technologies required to solve global challenges. Field of research: 1007 - Nanotechnology Lithography with short wavelength radiation in the range of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to to soft X-rays (SX) is the leading technology candidate for addressing the needs of advanced and high-volume manufacturing of technology with features below the 10 nm length scale during the next decade. Increasing demand for more efficient and cost-effective electronic components is driving massive investment in efforts to overcome the technological challenges that currently limit economical production capability and lithography performance. We will establish a new X-ray Nanolithography Facility for academic and industry research to enable progress toward the ultimate lithography performance that can transform industries and enable new scientific discoveries. The facility will use coherent X-ray radiation from an undulator light source at the Australian Synchrotron to create the smallest structures ever produced with light, enabling breakthroughs in the fields of nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, nanomagnetism, and bio-nanomaterials.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Lived experiences of treatment for hepatitis C in Australia. This project aims to support uptake of new hepatitis C treatments. With the introduction of new treatments in 2016, the Australian Government adopted the WHO’s goal of eliminating the disease by 2030. While early treatment rates were high, they have since plateaued, with stigma and poor information considered key obstacles. This project will generate new knowledge on treatment decisions and experiences, using a proven qualitative methodology. In doing so, it will produce a website covering personal experiences of treatment, issues in treatment decision-making, and advice on enhancing life on treatment and after. It will tackle hepatitis C-related stigma, and inform and benefit potential treatment users, families and relevant professionals. Field of research: 1608 - Sociology In 2016, new, more effective treatments for hepatitis C were introduced in Australia. Following this change, the Federal Government adopted the WHO’s goal of eliminating the disease by 2030. Early uptake of treatment was high but has since plateaued, with stigma and poor information considered key obstacles. Cures have slowed while new infections continue to occur, and as of the end of 2017 182,144 Australians continue to live with hepatitis C. As a result, Australia’s ability to meet its elimination goal is now being questioned. This project will explore personal experiences of new treatments, identifying the issues those who have completed treatment considered in their decision-making, and any advice they have for enhancing life on treatment and after. The findings will be used to create a website aiming to inform potential treatment users, families, health workers and other professionals about the new treatments. In doing so, the project aims to support treatment uptake, tackle hepatitis C-related stigma, improve the health of Australians and reduce the burden of hepatitis C on the public health system.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

Early African woodworking and tool use at the transition to modern humans. Our archaeological excavations and preliminary dating of Amanzi Springs (South Africa) to between 515,000 and 163,000 years ago shows that the site covers a critical time period that led to the origins of our species, Homo sapiens. Amanzi documents, in never before seen resolution, the technological leaps that our ancestors made during this transition. At ~400,000 years ago this includes the oldest evidence for woodworking and tool use and >163,000 years ago the oldest heat treatment of rock to make stone tools. The organic preservation at the site means that we can reconstruct changing environment, linked to sea level changes and spring activity, for this period in the evolution of our ancestors at a level of detail not previously possible Field of research: 2101 - Archaeology The discovery and dating of the world's oldest worked wood and tools (~400,000 years old) in direct association with stone tools is a find of massive international significance. Amanzi Springs in South Africa records the highest resolution sequence ever discovered for a critical time period (>515,000 to ~163,000 years) in human evolution and documents the technological transition that accompanies the evolution of the earliest representatives of our species. Moreover, our ability to reconstruct the changing environment through this transition at the site, as well as understanding changing spring activity due to sea level change, enables us to understand how our ancestors responded to climate and landscape change, allowing us to more effectively respond to the greatest threat of the modern age. The work is relevant to every human on the planet and is critical for helping us understand and highlight the shared ancestry of all Australians, no matter their more recent origins. This work will significantly highlight and promote Australia on the intentional stage through its collaborations and media coverage

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

High risk drinking, context, drink choice and price: an international study. This study will investigate how price influences beverage choice in high-risk drinkers. With already collected data from countries with similar policy environments, but differing tax structures, we compare amounts and patterns of use of different beverage types that are the cheapest alcohol in each country, and how these interplay with the distribution of high risk drinking occasions on and off licensed premises. These cross-national analyses will then inform analysis of price, high risk drinking and harms in Australia. The project will provide key points of evidence to policy makers aiming to most effectively target high risk drinking in Australia. Field of research: 1605 - Policy and Administration Heavy drinking is a major cause of a lot of harm in Australia – increases in alcohol consumption result in corresponding increases in assaults, fatal traffic crashes and homicides in the short run, and in cancer and other chronic disease in the longer run. There is a need for policy interventions that reduce consumption among heavy drinkers. This cost-effective study, using already collected data from Australia, New Zealand, England and Scotland, will identify the drinking and purchasing patterns specific to both heavy drinkers and those drinkers whose drinking results in the most harm, pointing to how policy interventions such as taxes, minimum price requirements and limits on times and places of beverage availability can best be structured to reduce harms from alcohol. This work is particularly timely in light of recent policy moves such as the introduction of a minimum unit price (a floor price per standard drink that alcohol must be sold at) in the Northern Territory, and restrictions on opening hours in New South Wales and Queensland.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2020 · 2020-01

DNA Replication Stress: Characterizing ground zero for genomic instability. The overarching goal of this research is to gain insights into key underlying molecular causes of, and responses to, DNA replication stress - one of the most fundamental biological processes enabling life as we know it. I will use advanced interdisciplinary imaging techniques to directly visualize DNA replication stress structures within cells in order to better understand how cells stop this stress from progressing into DNA damage. Insights into these processes will have the potential to improve preventative and therapeutic approaches to diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration. Field of research: 0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology