Unlocking bacterial shapeshifting and its role in antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to combine advanced imaging with innovative microfluidics to identify how microbial shapeshifting can be exploited as a target for new antimicrobials. Infections that are hard to treat due to increasing antimicrobial resistance not only have an enormous, global impact on mammalian health, including livestock and humans, but also carry a growing economic burden. Advanced understanding of microbial life c ....Unlocking bacterial shapeshifting and its role in antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to combine advanced imaging with innovative microfluidics to identify how microbial shapeshifting can be exploited as a target for new antimicrobials. Infections that are hard to treat due to increasing antimicrobial resistance not only have an enormous, global impact on mammalian health, including livestock and humans, but also carry a growing economic burden. Advanced understanding of microbial life can propel urgently needed progress this area. Specifically, the project outcomes are expected to aid the development of next generation antibiotics. The new fundamental knowledge should also benefit translational prevention, identification and management efforts of a rising national and global health threat.Read moreRead less
The role of strong duality in computer vision. This project aims to undertake research in the fields of computer vision and optimization that will have a significant impact on the design of numerical algorithms for solving a wide range of problems in Computer Vision, Virtual Reality and Robotic Navigation. This project will advance understanding of a broad class of problems related to how computers interpret images. An expected outcome is the generation of novel mathematical theory and numerical ....The role of strong duality in computer vision. This project aims to undertake research in the fields of computer vision and optimization that will have a significant impact on the design of numerical algorithms for solving a wide range of problems in Computer Vision, Virtual Reality and Robotic Navigation. This project will advance understanding of a broad class of problems related to how computers interpret images. An expected outcome is the generation of novel mathematical theory and numerical algorithms capable of fundamentally changing the way problems relevant to a wide range of vision-related applications are solved. This should offer Australia a strong competitive advantage as a leader in scientific innovation in the areas of Computer Vision, Virtual Reality and Robotics and Autonomous Systems.Read moreRead less
Swarm construction: ant-inspired processes for teams of building robots. Construction and manufacturing can be dangerous, wasteful industries—prime candidates for automation by teams of mobile robot builders. However, our understanding of how to program robots for teamwork is limited. This project aims to understand how colonies of weaver ants build complex nest structures, using novel 3D-imaging and ant tracking techniques. The anticipated outcomes of the project are i) a framework for how indi ....Swarm construction: ant-inspired processes for teams of building robots. Construction and manufacturing can be dangerous, wasteful industries—prime candidates for automation by teams of mobile robot builders. However, our understanding of how to program robots for teamwork is limited. This project aims to understand how colonies of weaver ants build complex nest structures, using novel 3D-imaging and ant tracking techniques. The anticipated outcomes of the project are i) a framework for how individual-level behaviour drives structure-level outcomes, applicable to many complex systems, and ii) novel software and hardware for robot swarms that can 3D-print structures using ant inspired teamwork strategies. Benefits of the project include new construction technologies that are safer, greener, cheaper and faster.Read moreRead less
Improving the performance of Australian social insurance schemes. Applying methods from computational social science, this project aims to develop a novel, multi-level modeling framework to assist transport injury, workplace injury and disability insurance schemes consistently achieve and maintain standards of high performance as recognised by international benchmarks. By creating a virtual laboratory for policy-makers and scheme managers, it expects to generate a comprehensive understanding of ....Improving the performance of Australian social insurance schemes. Applying methods from computational social science, this project aims to develop a novel, multi-level modeling framework to assist transport injury, workplace injury and disability insurance schemes consistently achieve and maintain standards of high performance as recognised by international benchmarks. By creating a virtual laboratory for policy-makers and scheme managers, it expects to generate a comprehensive understanding of mechanisms driving insurance scheme performance, enabling comparison of anticipated outcomes in response to legislative changes, policy changes and management decisions. The project aims to help schemes avoid human and financial failure, benefitting people with injuries and disabilities while reducing scheme costs.Read moreRead less
Computational Mechanisms of Online Attention Markets. The internet has operated as an major exchange of information and attention for the past few decades, yet surprisingly little is known about how individual choices and collective attention interact, let alone about how different parties can influence or control it. This project aims to uncover the mathematical underpinnings between individual actions and collective trends in online attention market, design computational methods for estimating ....Computational Mechanisms of Online Attention Markets. The internet has operated as an major exchange of information and attention for the past few decades, yet surprisingly little is known about how individual choices and collective attention interact, let alone about how different parties can influence or control it. This project aims to uncover the mathematical underpinnings between individual actions and collective trends in online attention market, design computational methods for estimating and influencing attention allocation, and enable applications where content consumers, producers, hosting platforms and regulatory bodies are each empowered with their share of influence in the attention market.Read moreRead less