La Trobe University

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

How does mitochondrial biogenesis regulate seed germination in plants? This project aims to develop a better understanding of seed germination to enable the generation of cereal seeds with optimised rates of germination for agricultural production. Seed germination is a fundamental phase of the plant life cycle. Every year, alterations in the rate of germination cause significant crop loss in rice and other cereals. Mitochondria are emerging as essential signalling hubs in the regulation of seed germination. The project aims to combine the latest technologies and molecular approaches with genetics to understand how mitochondria regulate seed germination and the rate of germination progression in rice. The project also plans to investigate and confirm the interplay between oxygen signalling, phytohormones and mitochondrial biogenesis. Field of research: 0607 - Plant Biology

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Protecting non-citizens: An Australian legal and political history, 1945-89. This project seeks to investigate Australia’s contribution to international law relating to the protection of non-citizens, and the impact such law has on government policy and administrative practice. The protection needs of millions of people who are de jure or de facto stateless have presented a seemingly intractable global challenge for close to a century. This project aims to analyse Australia’s response to that challenge. Using legal and historical methodology, this project plans to investigate Australia's contribution to international discussions about the right and/or duty of states to provide surrogate protection to non-citizens. It also plans to analyse the impact of emerging international legal norms on Australian asylum seeker policy and practice, and the conflicting interests within government that informed policy decisions. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Breaking Down Tradition: Women in male-dominated work, 1840-2000. Using historical analysis, this project aims to illuminate the endurance of sex-segregated work over more than 150 years. It plans to focus on particular occupations in Britain and Australia to identify the processes and agents of change and document the experiences of women. The project aims to trace the origins of workplace cultures which excluded women, and the circulation of ideas about occupations subsequently designated as ‘non-traditional’ for them. Expected outcomes are new insights into the history of women's experience of work and the factors that shape contemporary pay inequities, which may recast current understandings of gender in the workplace. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Dissolved organic carbon quality influences metal toxicity in freshwaters. This project aims to characterise the types of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) found within Australian freshwaters and investigate how these influence metal toxicity to organisms. DOC has the ability to decrease the toxicity of metals to organisms in natural waters, and the intensity of the decrease is related to the type of DOC. Information regarding the types of DOC commonly found within Australian waters is lacking, and their impact on metal toxicity to Australian biota is unknown. This project aims to characterise DOC from different Australian ecoregions and investigate the influence of different DOCs on metal toxicity. The expected outcomes are better predictive toxicity models and better assessment of risks associated with metal contamination. Field of research: 0402 - Geochemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Advanced methods in combinatorial geometry. This project aims to harness new techniques to solve some challenging open problems related to visibility among sets of points. Combinatorial geometry is the mathematical study of the structure of arrangements of points, lines and other geometric objects in space. Many modern technologies require computation with such geometric data, from computer graphics to robotics and computer vision. Advances in the computational techniques that these technologies use are underpinned by mathematical theory. The last five years has seen major breakthroughs in combinatorial geometry, along with the development of ground-breaking new techniques. Solutions to current problems using these techniques are likely to lead to further theoretical advances and insights. Field of research: 0101 - Pure Mathematics

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Discovering new organic chemistry using an inorganic touch. This project aims to discover new organic chemistry by treating carbon like a metal atom. Advances in fundamental organic chemistry have been important in developing products, including medicines, plastics and television display technology. Much research activity relies on applying existing organic chemistry, but inventing genuinely new organic chemistry is more difficult. By viewing carbon as a metal, this project will try to solve important problems in organic chemistry that have been unresolved for decades, and synthesise valuable chemicals normally generated using expensive precious metal catalysts. Field of research: 0305 - Organic Chemistry

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2016 · 2016-01

Rediscovering religious diversity 1852 – today. Rediscovering religious diversity 1852 – today. This project aims to re-discover, interpret and share knowledge about the role and value of faith during the gold rush, and on the goldfields until today. Encouraging Australians to respect faith adherence has never been more urgent, and recent events in Bendigo illustrate the social cost of religious intolerance. Researching Bendigo’s faith history, part of gold-mining’s cultural ‘melting pot’ experience, could help communities to understand diversity and difference. A new multi-faith interpretive centre will communicate results to contemporary audiences in relevant ways. Connecting people to their own history is expected to optimise Bendigo’s heritage assets, benefit tourism and promote cohesion in Australia’s increasingly diverse communities. Field of research: 2103 - Historical Studies