Soft materials containing hierarchy via 3D sacrificial micro-moulding. The project seeks to develop sophisticated new polymeric materials and devices not possible using current manufacturing techniques. Biomaterials based on hydrogels are ideal substrates for synthetic extra-cellular matrices due to their high water content. However, one of the challenges hindering the use of hydrogels is reproducing the transport properties found in natural tissue with hierarchical features such as vascularisat ....Soft materials containing hierarchy via 3D sacrificial micro-moulding. The project seeks to develop sophisticated new polymeric materials and devices not possible using current manufacturing techniques. Biomaterials based on hydrogels are ideal substrates for synthetic extra-cellular matrices due to their high water content. However, one of the challenges hindering the use of hydrogels is reproducing the transport properties found in natural tissue with hierarchical features such as vascularisation. To address this, the project plans to develop a 3D moulding process for generating soft materials containing precise channels decorated with defined molecules. Intended outcomes include a fundamental understanding of the 3D moulding process, and new polymers and advanced tools for bioengineers for future applications such as tissue transplants, cell guides for treating spinal cord injuries, soft robotics and microfluidic devices to study cancer metastasis. Read moreRead less
The place of history in science: reassessing the Darwinian revolution. This project aims to examine how historical representations of Darwin and his revolutionary theory have influenced the shape and direction of modern evolutionary science itself. The project expects to show how certain historical assumptions about Darwin and natural selection have constrained evolutionary thinking in particular ways. Conversely, it will demonstrate how contemporary developments in evolutionary science have cha ....The place of history in science: reassessing the Darwinian revolution. This project aims to examine how historical representations of Darwin and his revolutionary theory have influenced the shape and direction of modern evolutionary science itself. The project expects to show how certain historical assumptions about Darwin and natural selection have constrained evolutionary thinking in particular ways. Conversely, it will demonstrate how contemporary developments in evolutionary science have changed historians’ understanding of the history of evolution. The expected outcomes include a new understanding of the mutual interactions between history and science, capacity building in the field of the history of science, and interdisciplinary collaborations across the biological sciences and humanities.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL140100053
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,629,658.00
Summary
Science and secularisation. Science and secularisation. This project will explore the growth of science in the West and how it relates to a decline in the influence of religion. Specifically, it will investigate whether science has been a major cause of secularisation, and whether the pattern of scientific advance and corresponding religious decline observed in most Western countries is a universal one. This project aims to address a major unresolved issue concerning the relations between reli ....Science and secularisation. Science and secularisation. This project will explore the growth of science in the West and how it relates to a decline in the influence of religion. Specifically, it will investigate whether science has been a major cause of secularisation, and whether the pattern of scientific advance and corresponding religious decline observed in most Western countries is a universal one. This project aims to address a major unresolved issue concerning the relations between religion, science and modernisation. It also aims to shed light on a crucial issue for global security, namely, whether modernisation leads inexorably to secular, liberal democratic states, or whether new forms of technologically advanced, yet intrinsically religious states are possible.Read moreRead less
Transnational seafood commodity chains and the coastal poor in the maritime frontiers of the Asia-Pacific. This research aims to understand the social mechanisms by which access to the benefits of transnational seafood commodity chains in the Asia-Pacific are gained, maintained and controlled. This project will use a conceptual framework that focuses on key social relations of gender, class and ethnicity, and the key societal changes of land-use change, migration and conservation. This project o ....Transnational seafood commodity chains and the coastal poor in the maritime frontiers of the Asia-Pacific. This research aims to understand the social mechanisms by which access to the benefits of transnational seafood commodity chains in the Asia-Pacific are gained, maintained and controlled. This project will use a conceptual framework that focuses on key social relations of gender, class and ethnicity, and the key societal changes of land-use change, migration and conservation. This project offers a novel research framework for a pressing cluster of economic, environmental and social challenges in the Asia-Pacific, and will inform research and policy for poverty reduction, economic development, environmental management and food security. Read moreRead less
From alchemist's den to science city: architecture and the expression of experimental science. This project will discover the precise and nuanced ways in which architecture configures, influences and expresses the ideas and ideals of contemporary experimental science. Digital drawings, animations and critical textual analysis will expose the ways in which architecture shapes the public perception and practice of experimental science.
Learning catalysts: improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children. This project will identify what works to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged young people. In so doing, this project will contribute to Australia's prosperity and social well-being, and help address problems such as unemployment and homelessness, that arise when a large proportion of young Australians is denied an effective education.
Smart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents: from early detection to assessment of drug delivery mechanisms. 'Smart' contrast agents will be developed for enhancing the performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of diseases such as cancer by designing them to be triggered by biochemical markers for disease. This has the potential to aid in early detection which can lead to lower mortality rates and consequently a lower burden on the health system.
Traceable theranostics: tools for visualising drug delivery and therapeutic benefit in vivo. Forty-three thousand people died from cancer in Australia in 2010. The aim of this project is to advance the concept of 'personalised-therapy' through the development of novel imaging devices based on polymers that can 'switch-on' and deliver drugs in specific tissues, allowing more sensitive and earlier detection and monitoring of diseases and therapies.
Contingent development in regional India: ethnographies of neoliberal globalisation in Gujarat and West Bengal. This project aims to understand the regional impacts of globalisation in India by comparing and contrasting two regional towns and their hinterlands (Anand, Gujarat and Darjeeling, West Bengal). Develop a more comprehensive, localised and regionalised account of the neoliberal globalisation process in India.
Non-equilibrium material phases. This project aims to synthesise and characterise exotic materials produced in the laboratory under conditions that replicate those inside planets and stars. Highly non-equilibrium processing methods are needed to find entirely new material forms of elements and compounds created under extreme pressure and temperature. The project will use its laser-based synthesis method to explore and understand the non-equilibrium pathways and develop new materials. Understandi ....Non-equilibrium material phases. This project aims to synthesise and characterise exotic materials produced in the laboratory under conditions that replicate those inside planets and stars. Highly non-equilibrium processing methods are needed to find entirely new material forms of elements and compounds created under extreme pressure and temperature. The project will use its laser-based synthesis method to explore and understand the non-equilibrium pathways and develop new materials. Understanding how these materials form could lead to the next materials revolution. This research will lead to materials that industry sectors can exploit for commercial benefits.Read moreRead less