Grants & Opportunities

Ultra-Fast and Secure Terahertz Communications for 6G Wireless Systems. This project aims to develop new theories and signal processing solutions for the cutting-edge technology of terahertz communications to enable the revolutionary sixth-generation wireless systems, by exploring and optimising the inherent benefits of the terahertz band. Anticipated outcomes are new analytical tools and practical guidelines for designing ultra-fast and secure wireless transmission at an unprecedented speed up to terabits per second (Tbps). This enables various emerging applications, such as holographic telepresence, Tbps WiFi and Tbps wireless data centres, to drive transformation in the telecommunications sector, boost industry productivity and support our intelligent information society in the 2030s.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4006 - Communications Engineering. Lead: Prof Nan Yang

Liquid metal composite tactile sensor. Tactile sensing electronic skin is a key enabling technology for smart robotic grippers and neuroprosthetics. However, traditional electronic skin is still underdeveloped in sensing of slip and force direction. Therefore, this project aims to imitate human skin structure to develop a highly sensitive liquid metal-enabled electronic skin that can achieve high-performance multiple tactile sensation capabilities, including normal-tangential force decoupling and slip detection. The expected outcome will enable future manipulator and prosthetics to detect complex forces for precision manipulation, which will provide benefits to advanced manufacturing and bring significant economic and social benefits.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4017 - Mechanical Engineering. Lead: Prof Weihua Li

Co-designing and co-evaluating technology experiences in residential care . This project aims for meaningful experiences and skill development by older adults living in residential care using technologies. Based on the interests, abilities and everyday context it is important to introduce technologies in a way that supports agency and confidence. Through co-design and co-evaluation we develop a process to explore technology choices and learning. We will (i) generate guidelines for introducing technology, (ii) develop methods and success criteria for the co-evaluation of the process, and (iii) gain in-depth understandings of how facilitation and technology uptake are enacted in a range of residential settings. Older adults in residential care will benefit through increased digital equity and technology adoption. . Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4608 - Human-Centred Computing. Lead: Prof Sonja Pedell

Sperm ciliary gating and midpiece formation – a novel player and process. We have identified CCDC112 an essential player in mammalian sperm tail development and male fertility. This project aims to define the role of CCDC112 in 1) the formation of the core to the sperm tail, the axoneme, and 2) the packaging of mitochondria into the midpiece. Within this Discovery Project we will define the mechanism(s) of CCDC112 functions and the consequences of its dysfunction. Insights from this grant will be of significance to fertility across mammals and may ultimately benefit the selection of highly fertile males within the agricultural sector.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3215 - Reproductive Medicine. Lead: Prof Moira O'Bryan

A Biologically Responsive and Anatomically Authentic Human Nasal Model. As respiratory conditions caused by pollutants and viruses become more prevalent, human nasal models to study infection/protection mechanisms and nasal drug/vaccine delivery are increasingly important. This project aims to develop a world-first human nasal model to mimic both anatomical and biological aspects of the nasal cavity and predict the distribution and deposition of fine particles and the resultant biological response from the nasal mucosa. The aim is to overcome a key fabrication challenge - to 3D print an anatomically accurate nasal construct with a porous wall on which to grow and mature functional nasal tissue that lines a nasal cavity wall. The benefit would be enabling faster development of more targeted drugs and vaccines.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4003 - Biomedical Engineering. Lead: Prof Yi-Chin Toh

Every Day Matters: Reducing School Non-Attendance in Autistic Students. Autistic children miss one day a week of school, three times more than their peers. This significantly impacts their learning, wellbeing and later, their vocational outcomes. This project aims to identify the factors that put autistic children at increased risk of missing school and map the supports and interventions used to reduce school non-attendance. Expected outcomes include an autism-specific model of the how and why school non-attendance is elevated for autistic students. It is anticipated that this model make the important step of enabling teachers and professionals to identify which autistic children are most at risk of absenteeism and select the best strategies to support a positive and beneficial return to school.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3904 - Specialist Studies In Education. Lead: Prof Dawn Adams

Determining the links between size and function in phytoplankton. Marine phytoplankton are responsible for around 50% of the carbon fixation on planet. This project will examine how phytoplankton size declines will alter marine food webs and carbon sequestration. Changes in nutrients and temperature will cause phytoplankton to be smaller but the consequences of these changes are uncertain because of a lack of knowledge regarding how changes in cell size affect function within a species. This project will evolve 20 species of algae to be different sizes and estimate the consequences of these size changes for biological functions. The project will then use these data to refine global models of carbon budgets, leading to better predictions about how the global carbon pump will change. . Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3104 - Evolutionary Biology. Lead: Prof Dustin Marshall

Photoelectrode design for solar driven methane to methanol conversion. This project aims to achieve efficient photoelectrocatalytic partial oxidation of greenhouse gas methane for methanol production with high selectivity. The program will design new semiconductor materials through rational defect engineering and co-catalyst selection to revolutionise methane conversion. The expected outcomes include sustainable processes to convert methane into valuable liquid chemicals like methanol, and comprehensive understanding on functional material design for solar driven catalytic reactions. The significant benefits will include revolutionary methane mitigation technologies and sustainable processes for value-added chemical production, alleviating key environmental and energy challenges facing Australia and the world.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Prof Lianzhou Wang

Roads to the Future: Infrastructure and the New Development in Africa. This project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of new road schemes in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean (a region which sits at the intersection of several major global transport and development corridors), in order to understand their economic, socio-political, cultural and public health effects. As global road-building accelerates at an unprecedented rate, especially in the developing world, there is an urgent need for new models for understanding roads' potential economic benefits, as well as their risks, including their environmental risks. This project is benefitting citizens, NGOs, donors and governments, by generating new knowledge about how we have in the past, do at present, and should in the future, engage with roads.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4404 - Development Studies. Lead: Prof Richard Vokes

Gas-enriched slippery surfaces. This project will exploit novel experimental and simulations approaches to investigate gas enrichment at liquid-liquid interfaces, and its effect on interfacial slip. The outcomes of the project will be a deeper understanding of oil-water interfaces capturing the presence of interfacial gas layers, slippery surfaces with superior drag reducing and fouling reducing properties, and control over nanobubble formation under flow. The new surfaces will have potential application in improving the energy efficiency of microfluidic and multiphase flow. Benefits are expected in terms of reduced emissions, fuel cost and pollution related to transport of goods by sea, and extraction of oil from rocks.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3406 - Physical Chemistry. Lead: Prof Chiara Neto

Diamane: A New Frontier in Materials Science. Single-layer diamond (‘diamane’) is a new frontier of material research although its preparation is still in infancy with many structures predicted possible but have not been made experimentally. Built on a new chemical route for 'graphite to diamane' transformation, this project will address a research gap towards synthesising new diamane(-like) nanostructures and developing an in-depth understanding of the chemically induced phase transformation and structure-property correlations, which will have far-reaching impact on scientific fields beyond carbon research. Preliminary data points to both feasibility and impact for discovering new materials and technologies, which will bring foreseeable scholarly, economic, and social benefits.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4018 - Nanotechnology. Lead: Dr Sam Chen

Microspheres from (Sun)Light – A Sustainable Materials Platform. This project will break new ground in light-induced step-growth precipitation polymerisation techniques for polymer particle formation that do not require any initiator, surfactants, additives or heating, thus constituting an environmentally friendly process. The project will establish the underpinning photochemical particle formation processes and establish a broad monomer base for the production of particles with a wide property profile, including particles with tailored surface properties and the ability to degrade upon a defined trigger signal. Scaling the particles' synthesis, including using Australian sunlight, will enable multi-gram production allowing real-world applications.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3403 - Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry. Lead: Prof Christopher Barner-Kowollik

Dispersing myths; Characterising human migration through Asia . The human journey across the globe is one of our greatest achievements, yet the archaeological evidence for the earliest migrations is poorly dated, plagued by uncertainty and often overlooked. This project aims to characterise the nature of early human dispersals across Asia en route to Australasia by going beyond the timing and identification of human evidence to explore their behaviour, health and adaptability. Reconsidering early migrations within their environmental context will allow an assessment of their feasibility and address the disparity between the genetic and physical evidence. By elucidating the story of the greatest human journey we will develop a new understanding and appreciation of our survival and adaption capabilities.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4301 - Archaeology. Lead: A/Prof Kira Westaway

Resonant tender X-ray scattering of organic semiconductors. This project aims to establish resonant tender X-ray scattering as a mature technique for unravelling the complex microstructure of organic semiconductor layers. By understanding and exploiting the resonant interaction between organic semiconductors and X-rays tuned to appropriate absorption edges, new information about the molecular packing of these materials will be obtained. The expected outcomes are new experimental methodologies and analysis tools for determining the complex structure of technologically relevant materials. Benefits include understanding of the properties of solution-processed semiconductors enabling the design of high performance materials with applications in energy, electronics, lighting and health.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5110 - Synchrotrons and Accelerators. Lead: Prof Christopher McNeill

Carbon in a Bubble: Cavitation in Ionic Liquids. This project aims to investigate the potential of pressure-driven phase change as an energy-efficient mechanism for removing dissolved gases from low melting point salts, by advancing understanding of the cavitation behaviour of ionic liquids. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of fluid mechanics through an innovative combination of advanced computational simulations and synchrotron X-ray measurement techniques developed by the investigators. Expected outcomes of this project include expanded understanding of the physics of ionic liquids, and the ability to engineer more efficient gas separation systems. The project aims to benefit the chemical and energy sectors through improved energy efficiency.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4012 - Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering. Lead: Dr Daniel Duke

Mitigating bias in statistical analyses of data collected over time. This project aims to develop innovative nonparametric distribution and regression curve estimation techniques from data collected over time. These curves are key statistical tools for describing populations, but often, their estimators are inefficient when the data are massive, growing and change over time, or too restrictive when the data exhibit measurement errors and a fraction of them are equal to zero. The project expects to develop novel, less restrictive and more realistic nonparametric curve estimation methods in these complex settings. Outcomes include new practical statistical methods and software to benefit experts in diverse fields from nutrition and epidemiology, to environmental science and digital platforms, amongst others.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4905 - Statistics. Lead: Prof Aurore Delaigle

Teacher attraction and retention in hard-to-staff schools. Australia is facing a teacher shortage crisis. Many schools have become ‘hard-to-staff’ – evident through either a lack of teachers or a high teacher turnover. The aim of this project is to provide the foundations for strategies that can be implemented by schools and systems to address this problem. Due to the schools’ locations, these shortages can have severe consequences for already educationally vulnerable young people. This has been a significant concern of governments nationally and internationally. An important outcome from the project will be how best to attract and retain teachers in hard-to-staff schools. This will have benefits for the teaching profession, young people who attend hard-to-staff schools and the broader community. . Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3902 - Education Policy, Sociology and Philosophy. Lead: Prof Martin Mills

New mathematical approaches to learn the equations of life from noisy data. New mathematical models and mathematical modelling methods must be continually developed to interpret emerging biotechnology experiments. Contemporary research in tissue engineering involves growing tissues on 3d-printed scaffolds to mimic constrained in vivo geometries. Previous mathematical models of tissue growth focus on computationally expensive discrete mathematical models that are poorly suited for parameter inference and experimental design. This project will deliver and deploy high-fidelity, computationally efficient moving boundary continuum mathematical models that will: (i) predict/interpret new experiments, (ii) provide quantitative insight into biological mechanisms, and (iii) enable reproducible experimental design.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4901 - Applied Mathematics. Lead: Prof Matthew Simpson

Populism’s Heartlands: Place, Identity, and Localism in Populist Politics. This project aims to investigate how populism intersects with localism through systematic, comparative, and in-depth empirical study of three populist parties inextricably associated with ‘heartlands’ in Australia, Germany and Spain. This project expects to generate new knowledge about how populists utilise the language of localism and how people’s attachment to place shapes their support for populists. Expected outcomes of the project include a new understanding of how populism and localism affect one another; and identification of how right and left populist support are differently affected by community engagement and participation. Benefits include the identification of local interventions to lessen the appeal of exclusionary populisms.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4408 - Political Science. Lead: Dr Benjamin Moffitt

Hybrid additive manufacturing of critical metallic components. This project aims to combine world-class expertise and facilities to deliver on-demand and advanced alloy components produced by revolutionary hybrid additive manufacturing technology, along with applicable processing parameters and post-process schemes for fabricating high-performance metal products for space and aerospace applications. The intended outcomes of this project include the delivery of a knowledge platform for fabricating alloy parts that have unprecedented high-temperature mechanical properties and environmental performance and providing significant benefits for the industry partner to establish its international portfolio of high-profit products.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 4014 - Manufacturing Engineering. Lead: Prof Aijun Huang

Nanoengineered, Encapsulated Catalysts from Fly Ash Waste. This project aims to deliver advanced catalysts and novel catalyst synthesis methods from the use of iron-rich fly ash, an otherwise abundant valueless waste with projected steady growth across Australia and globally. The as-synthesised catalysts are expected to be applicable to and exhibit excellent activity in the production of green hydrogen and renewable bio-fuels from lignocellulosic waste. These efforts are significant and beneficial in restoring the manufacturing capability of Australian industry, driving Australian industry towards the development of a circular economy for the appropriate management of solid waste, as well as for a seamless introduction of renewable and clean energy sources to address the pressing climate change.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 4004 - Chemical Engineering. Lead: Prof Lian Zhang

Outcomes of specialist disability housing for people with disability. This project aims to systematically investigate the experience, outcomes and economic impact of people with disability moving into specialist disability accommodation housing. Health, wellbeing, community participation, support outcomes and lived experience of people with disability will be measured before moving and over 2 years after they move. The project provides the opportunity to identify the personal, disability, housing and support factors that shape outcomes for people with disability. The intended outcome is comprehensive knowledge that can inform policy, build evidence across housing, technology, support and disability sectors and ultimately benefit people with disability by generating innovative practice in housing and support.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 4203 - Health Services and Systems. Lead: Em/Prof Jacinta Douglas

A real-time traffic signal system for safe and efficient intersections . Road traffic crashes result in 1,200 fatalities and another 36,500 injuries on Australian roads each year. Signalised intersections represent a high-risk node in a transportation network, but the current signal designs only consider efficiency but not safety. This project aims to unleash the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and integrate with the advanced extreme value models for proactive and efficient detection of crash risk in real-time. Its innovations lie on developing a novel traffic signal control system balancing safety and efficiency of signalised intersections. The proposed real-time traffic signal system will fundamentally transform the intersection operation and lead to reductions of road fatalities, injuries and emissions.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 3509 - Transportation, Logistics and Supply Chains. Lead: Prof Shimul (Md Mazharul) Haque

Sustainable polymer construction materials from agricultural waste. Agricultural waste is the world's most abundant petroleum alternative for transformation into environmentally friendly bio-based materials for the construction sectors. Bringing together complimentary research expertise between academia and industry, this project aims to address this opportunity and develop technologies that economically convert agricultural wastes to crude-oils to produce bio-based resins, adhesives and polyurethane. This project expects to produce ready-to-use, total replacements for petroleum-based construction materials. This should provide significant benefits including supporting Australian manufacturing by delivering technologies for sustainable and rapid adoption in the construction, resin and coating industries. . Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 3403 - Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry. Lead: Dr Laleh Vash Moghaddam

Enhancing phosphorus use efficiency in macadamia for sustainable production. Macadamia nuts are an iconic native Australian product worth $287 million annually at the farm gate. Phosphorus fertiliser management currently threatens price premiums for sustainable production in high value European Union export markets, and ‘social license’ to farm in their densely populated coastal production areas. The project aims to exploit adaptive root and shoot traits for phosphorus efficiency found in Australian native plants to optimise phosphorus fertiliser management and set the platform for breeding macadamia root stocks/varieties that require less phosphorus fertiliser. The outcome will be a macadamia industry that is able to maintain current market price premiums and maintain social license to farm in coastal Australia.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 3004 - Crop and Pasture Production. Lead: Prof Terry Rose