Developing a wildlife health intelligence and vaccine distribution system. This project aims to establish an industry-linked pipeline for vaccines to be delivered to animals in edible baits and a near real-time monitoring system for assessing the impact of management actions. This project will develop ultrasensitive diagnostic tests and incorporate biomarkers into baits from Australia's leading pest animal control company. Bait uptake and disease status in the field will be monitored using artif ....Developing a wildlife health intelligence and vaccine distribution system. This project aims to establish an industry-linked pipeline for vaccines to be delivered to animals in edible baits and a near real-time monitoring system for assessing the impact of management actions. This project will develop ultrasensitive diagnostic tests and incorporate biomarkers into baits from Australia's leading pest animal control company. Bait uptake and disease status in the field will be monitored using artificial intelligence technology developed in Tasmania. This integrated wildlife health intelligence and scalable vaccine platform can help protect the iconic Tasmanian devil from disease and increase Australia's preparedness for looming threats to the livestock industry such as African swine fever.Read moreRead less
Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non- ....Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non-government agencies across the entire Kimberley region. It will also result in the evaluation of methods for deployment of taste-aversion at a landscape scale. This should provide significant benefits by conserving vulnerable fauna and building a powerful network within a region of high biodiversity in tropical Australia.Read moreRead less
A novel method for controlling microbial concrete corrosion in sewers. This project plans to use a newly discovered, low-cost and environmental benign antimicrobial agent to develop an innovative technology to control the development of corrosion-inducing sewer biofilms. Concrete sewer corrosion is a long-standing and costly problem for the water industry. Microbial hydrogen sulfide oxidation on concrete surfaces plays a critical role. The technology will be designed to prevent corrosion of new ....A novel method for controlling microbial concrete corrosion in sewers. This project plans to use a newly discovered, low-cost and environmental benign antimicrobial agent to develop an innovative technology to control the development of corrosion-inducing sewer biofilms. Concrete sewer corrosion is a long-standing and costly problem for the water industry. Microbial hydrogen sulfide oxidation on concrete surfaces plays a critical role. The technology will be designed to prevent corrosion of new concrete sewers by adding a precursor chemical into the cement, or to slow down the corrosion of existing sewers by infrequently (once every one to few years) spraying the precursor chemical directly onto the concrete surface. Potentially, the project will substantially reduce sewer corrosion.Read moreRead less
Cerebral plasticity or early vulnerability? Identifying critical periods for childhood development and recovery. The primary aim of the study is to identify critical time periods during brain development when an insult will have more deleterious consequences for recovery and outcome. The study will also examine the impact of other potential influences to recovery following early brain disease, and determine whether their impact varies across development. Finally, the study will investigate wh ....Cerebral plasticity or early vulnerability? Identifying critical periods for childhood development and recovery. The primary aim of the study is to identify critical time periods during brain development when an insult will have more deleterious consequences for recovery and outcome. The study will also examine the impact of other potential influences to recovery following early brain disease, and determine whether their impact varies across development. Finally, the study will investigate whether specific cognitive and behavioural domains are differentially effected, depending on their maturity at the time of brain insult. Findings from this study will inform the development of conceptual models of early brain insult and recovery of function, and contribute to clinical practice.Read moreRead less
Developing feasible in situ control of mange disease in wombats. Our goal is the development of feasible in situ control of sarcoptic mange in wombat populations. Globally important, the Sarcoptes scabiei mite infects >100 mammal species and is among the 50 most common human diseases, causing health, welfare and population impacts. This infection is treatable, and we will test a new treatment (fluralaner), develop new models to guide management, and conduct replicated field trials. This will ena ....Developing feasible in situ control of mange disease in wombats. Our goal is the development of feasible in situ control of sarcoptic mange in wombat populations. Globally important, the Sarcoptes scabiei mite infects >100 mammal species and is among the 50 most common human diseases, causing health, welfare and population impacts. This infection is treatable, and we will test a new treatment (fluralaner), develop new models to guide management, and conduct replicated field trials. This will enable science-based guidelines, advancing disease control, local eradication, and regulatory approval for wombats. Our research framework is adaptable to other mange-impacted species, and advance methods and theory for control of treatable disease in wildlife.Read moreRead less
Co-design and dynamic mission optimisation of hypersonic flight vehicles. This project aims to deliver fundamental knowledge by integrating the modelling and control with the design of next generation hypersonic platforms. In an era where Australia's national security reliance on geographic isolation and support from allied forces are being challenged, the research outcomes of this project will play an important role in understanding the capabilities of hypersonic systems. The project will also ....Co-design and dynamic mission optimisation of hypersonic flight vehicles. This project aims to deliver fundamental knowledge by integrating the modelling and control with the design of next generation hypersonic platforms. In an era where Australia's national security reliance on geographic isolation and support from allied forces are being challenged, the research outcomes of this project will play an important role in understanding the capabilities of hypersonic systems. The project will also have significant spillover benefits into other complex system domains, where computational tools can be used to aid in design leading to high embedded-IP products for Australian industry. Furthermore, the proposal encompasses a strong research training aspect, with graduates exposed to leading edge industry and academia.Read moreRead less
Real-time phylogenetics for food-borne outbreak surveillance. The project aims to introduce, for the first time, real-time evolutionary analysis of agricultural pathogens so that outbreaks affecting crops and the food supply can be managed precisely and rapidly. An expert team will implement a large-scale data analytics framework in user-friendly software that integrates Australian infectious disease genomics data with global data. Underpinning this work are new theory and algorithms that apply ....Real-time phylogenetics for food-borne outbreak surveillance. The project aims to introduce, for the first time, real-time evolutionary analysis of agricultural pathogens so that outbreaks affecting crops and the food supply can be managed precisely and rapidly. An expert team will implement a large-scale data analytics framework in user-friendly software that integrates Australian infectious disease genomics data with global data. Underpinning this work are new theory and algorithms that apply Sequential Monte Carlo to update phylogenetic analyses continuously as new data arrives. Expected outcomes include new knowledge of statistical algorithms for evolutionary analysis, relevant to biological disciplines beyond infectious disease; and enhanced capacity for infectious disease analysis. Read moreRead less
Chronic pain and functional impairment following traumatic injury: an investigation into the impact of compensation status and experience. This project will enhance understanding of the impact of the psychosocial factors and the compensation process on recovery from traumatic injury. The project will generate new resources (screening and referral guidelines; educational materials) to improve decision making consistency, client experience, and recovery from road trauma.
Natural selection and the Tasmanian devil. This project aims to explain evolution of immune capabilities in response to disease threats in the wild by assessing the immune adaptive capabilities of Tasmanian devils in response to facial tumour disease. It plans to determine how the expression of immune genes differs between wild and captive populations. The project will combine immunology, epidemiology and evolutionary biology, to understand the role of host genetic and phenotypic adaptations to ....Natural selection and the Tasmanian devil. This project aims to explain evolution of immune capabilities in response to disease threats in the wild by assessing the immune adaptive capabilities of Tasmanian devils in response to facial tumour disease. It plans to determine how the expression of immune genes differs between wild and captive populations. The project will combine immunology, epidemiology and evolutionary biology, to understand the role of host genetic and phenotypic adaptations to disease threats. The project will assist in the development of diagnostic tools for managing this and other threatened species and for screening disease resistance markers across wild and captive insurance populations.Read moreRead less
Fork safely: improving safety of ordinary forklifts by automating task-specific operations. Forklift trucks are used for goods handling extensively in all sectors of industry. However, statistics show high figures of forklift accidents, with an average of 250 serious injuries per year in Victoria alone. This project will seek to address the operational safety of forklifts by automating the execution of typical forklift tasks.