Conservation genomics of a critically endangered insect. This project aims to develop tools genotyping large animal genomes, focusing on the case of the Lord Howe Island stick insect, once thought to be extinct and now critically endangered. This project expects to generate molecular tools to monitor the genetic health the insect which has a large, complex and poorly understood genome. Expected outcomes include the development of a preservation and reintroduction strategy for the insect. This pr ....Conservation genomics of a critically endangered insect. This project aims to develop tools genotyping large animal genomes, focusing on the case of the Lord Howe Island stick insect, once thought to be extinct and now critically endangered. This project expects to generate molecular tools to monitor the genetic health the insect which has a large, complex and poorly understood genome. Expected outcomes include the development of a preservation and reintroduction strategy for the insect. This project will benefit ongoing conservation efforts, and is timely given the ongoing eradication of rats from Lord Howe Island where this species once lived. Read moreRead less
Optical technology for quantum science. This project aims to develop and commercialise optical cavity and frequency stabilisation technology to generate laser light at new and precise wavelengths. Australia plays a leading role internationally in quantum science, a burgeoning area of research where fundamental quantum mechanical principles underpin exciting new technological applications, such as ion-based quantum computing, ultracold atom sensing for geo-exploration and defence, and nanoscale i ....Optical technology for quantum science. This project aims to develop and commercialise optical cavity and frequency stabilisation technology to generate laser light at new and precise wavelengths. Australia plays a leading role internationally in quantum science, a burgeoning area of research where fundamental quantum mechanical principles underpin exciting new technological applications, such as ion-based quantum computing, ultracold atom sensing for geo-exploration and defence, and nanoscale imaging inside living human cells. This project aims to continue and develop this role.Read moreRead less
High-brightness wavelength tuneable lasers for quantum science. This project aims to establish the capability to manufacture application-specific semiconductor lasers. The project will use existing facilities in Australia to enhance our world-leading quantum science research, and establish a viable export-dominated high-tech manufacturing business. Semiconductor lasers are a critical enabling technology for many scientific applications, particularly for quantum science including quantum computin ....High-brightness wavelength tuneable lasers for quantum science. This project aims to establish the capability to manufacture application-specific semiconductor lasers. The project will use existing facilities in Australia to enhance our world-leading quantum science research, and establish a viable export-dominated high-tech manufacturing business. Semiconductor lasers are a critical enabling technology for many scientific applications, particularly for quantum science including quantum computing and quantum sensing. This project is expected to enable the establishment of a high-tech manufacturing capability to support Australia's leading role in quantum science, and expand our scientific instrumentation exports to new and rapidly developing applications such as magnetic sensing and imaging at nanoscale, quantum communication and computation.Read moreRead less
Unlocking the potential of quantitative x-ray micro-tomography. This project aims to build on two new ideas in data acquisition and 3D image reconstruction to bring 3D X-ray microscopy or computed tomography (CT) into advanced research use as well as common industrial applications. In the past 10 years, CT has improved our understanding in areas ranging from the evolution of life and osteoporosis to composite material failure and oil recovery. However, the full potential of CT remains unrealised ....Unlocking the potential of quantitative x-ray micro-tomography. This project aims to build on two new ideas in data acquisition and 3D image reconstruction to bring 3D X-ray microscopy or computed tomography (CT) into advanced research use as well as common industrial applications. In the past 10 years, CT has improved our understanding in areas ranging from the evolution of life and osteoporosis to composite material failure and oil recovery. However, the full potential of CT remains unrealised because crucial features in structure and composition are overlooked by simplistic algorithms. Users cannot directly capture quantities of interest such as key compositional variation or defects, and workflows are poorly adapted for large-scale use in industrial fabrication or phenomics. This project aims to address these shortcomings using advanced mathematics and algorithms.Read moreRead less
Non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in afforested ecosystems in southeastern Australia - fluxes, processes and regional budget. There are no data available about the extent of emissions of the non-CO2 greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane from soils of forest ecosystems in Australia and the current methodolgy to quantify these emissions contains high uncertainties. Using the latest technology available we propose to i) measure emission rates of afforested ecosystems for non-CO2 greenhouse gase ....Non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in afforested ecosystems in southeastern Australia - fluxes, processes and regional budget. There are no data available about the extent of emissions of the non-CO2 greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane from soils of forest ecosystems in Australia and the current methodolgy to quantify these emissions contains high uncertainties. Using the latest technology available we propose to i) measure emission rates of afforested ecosystems for non-CO2 greenhouse gases in relation to previous land-use in southeastern Australia, ii) identify the processes controlling the emissions, iii) use the obtained data to calibrate a biogeochemical model, and iv) use the model to estimate regional inventories for non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in southeastern Australia.Read moreRead less
Testing co-evolutionary processes driving venom diversity in tiger snakes. Testing co-evolutionary processes driving venom diversity in tiger snakes. This project aims to examine the geographic variation amongst tiger snakes in anatomy, ecology, and life history traits, and the relationship of these factors to venom toxins and production; and to evaluate the true pharmacological potential of tiger snake venom. This project will investigate the role of venom adaptation in long-term animal evoluti ....Testing co-evolutionary processes driving venom diversity in tiger snakes. Testing co-evolutionary processes driving venom diversity in tiger snakes. This project aims to examine the geographic variation amongst tiger snakes in anatomy, ecology, and life history traits, and the relationship of these factors to venom toxins and production; and to evaluate the true pharmacological potential of tiger snake venom. This project will investigate the role of venom adaptation in long-term animal evolution, by identifying rare venom transcripts involved in providing evolutionary potential for adaptation to environmental change. This is essential as continuing climatic and human-induced alteration of our environment affects southern Australia where many people live, work and interact with native wildlife. Anticipated outcomes are maximizing venom harvests and enhanced snakebite treatment capacity.Read moreRead less
Building resilient alpine environments with less snow. In this project, we aim to build resilience into alpine National Parks and Alpine Resorts to counter the effects of ongoing declines in snow. Alpine environments depend on snow to regulate water flows, insulate vegetation, control soil erosion and promote proper ecosystem functioning. How these processes will operate in a snow-free future is unknown. We will determine how and where snow characteristics drive soil water availability for plant ....Building resilient alpine environments with less snow. In this project, we aim to build resilience into alpine National Parks and Alpine Resorts to counter the effects of ongoing declines in snow. Alpine environments depend on snow to regulate water flows, insulate vegetation, control soil erosion and promote proper ecosystem functioning. How these processes will operate in a snow-free future is unknown. We will determine how and where snow characteristics drive soil water availability for plants and which plant species have the best adaptation and regeneration potential under extreme conditions such as heat, frost and drought. Benefits of the project include innovative land management and rehabilitation solutions, to safeguard Australia's alpine areas under changing environmental conditions.Read moreRead less
An atom-scale fabrication technique for diamond quantum microprocessors. This project aims to develop an atomically-precise fabrication technique for the production of diamond quantum microprocessors through the pursuit of a novel bottom-up approach. This project expects to create significant new knowledge and capability in precision diamond growth, surface chemistry, electronics and characterisation, establish a long-term strategic partnership between Quantum Brilliance and the participating or ....An atom-scale fabrication technique for diamond quantum microprocessors. This project aims to develop an atomically-precise fabrication technique for the production of diamond quantum microprocessors through the pursuit of a novel bottom-up approach. This project expects to create significant new knowledge and capability in precision diamond growth, surface chemistry, electronics and characterisation, establish a long-term strategic partnership between Quantum Brilliance and the participating organisations, and enable the realisation of high-performance quantum microprocessors. These outcomes will potentially deliver Australia and Quantum Brilliance a profound advantage in quantum computing, thereby securing their positions in the emerging global quantum market and the associated economic and security benefits.Read moreRead less
Integrative assessment of disturbance and land-use change on total greenhouse gas balance and nutrient cycling in savanna ecosystems. Climate change and variability is expected to have an impact on the NT environment and economy. This project will enable NT specific calibrations of climate variability-land use models, such as the National Carbon Accounting System. The NT Government will have access to a high quality database and calibrated models relating to greenhouse gas emissions as a functio ....Integrative assessment of disturbance and land-use change on total greenhouse gas balance and nutrient cycling in savanna ecosystems. Climate change and variability is expected to have an impact on the NT environment and economy. This project will enable NT specific calibrations of climate variability-land use models, such as the National Carbon Accounting System. The NT Government will have access to a high quality database and calibrated models relating to greenhouse gas emissions as a function of land use change. The project will improve estimates and management of GHG and provide a basis for the NT to potentially exploit future carbon-trading initiatives or GHG abatement schemes as fundamental data describing emissions as a function of land use will be available. This is of national significance given the size of the savanna biome in Australia.Read moreRead less
Precipitation in wintertime storms across southeast Australia, Tasmania and the Southern Ocean. The pristine conditions and strong wind-shear over the Southern Ocean affect the formation of precipitation in clouds over the region, which is vital to the water supply of southeastern Australia and Tasmania. This project will evaluate and improve the ability to simulate this precipitation, which will lead to better water resource management.