Electrical properties of human dendrites. This project aims to determine the electrical properties of dendrites in human neurons. Dendrites are the primary site of synaptic input to neurons and their electrical properties play a key role in information processing in the brain. While we know much about the electrical properties of dendrites in other species, primarily rodents, little is known about the electrical properties of human dendrites. This project aims to address this gap in knowledge fo ....Electrical properties of human dendrites. This project aims to determine the electrical properties of dendrites in human neurons. Dendrites are the primary site of synaptic input to neurons and their electrical properties play a key role in information processing in the brain. While we know much about the electrical properties of dendrites in other species, primarily rodents, little is known about the electrical properties of human dendrites. This project aims to address this gap in knowledge for the first time. The results obtained will shed light on the mechanisms the brain uses to process information, and therefore will bring us a step closer to truly understanding ourselves.Read moreRead less
Role of the superior colliculus in sensory processing. The ability of an organism to attend to, and orient towards, stimuli in the environment is critical for survival. In the mammalian brain, the principal brain region performing this function is the superior colliculus. Despite its importance, little is known about the role the superior colliculus plays in sensory perception. This project addresses this issue by leveraging revolutionary new recording techniques to determine how the superior co ....Role of the superior colliculus in sensory processing. The ability of an organism to attend to, and orient towards, stimuli in the environment is critical for survival. In the mammalian brain, the principal brain region performing this function is the superior colliculus. Despite its importance, little is known about the role the superior colliculus plays in sensory perception. This project addresses this issue by leveraging revolutionary new recording techniques to determine how the superior colliculus codes sensory information and ultimately drives behaviour. The outcomes will be of immediate benefit to scientists studying sensory processing and perceptual decision making, and will help keep Australia at the forefront of brain-inspired engineering and the neuroscience-based knowledge economy.Read moreRead less
Coding of olfactory information in the piriform cortex. This project aims to understand how electrical activity in the primary olfactory (piriform) cortex enables mice to recognise and remember odours. By using optical recording techniques together with genetic tools, the project expects to generate new knowledge about how the mammalian brain builds internal representations of the external world. Specific outcomes of the project include new insights into the functional architecture of the pirifo ....Coding of olfactory information in the piriform cortex. This project aims to understand how electrical activity in the primary olfactory (piriform) cortex enables mice to recognise and remember odours. By using optical recording techniques together with genetic tools, the project expects to generate new knowledge about how the mammalian brain builds internal representations of the external world. Specific outcomes of the project include new insights into the functional architecture of the piriform cortex and fresh understanding of how olfactory information is encoded and stored in neural circuits. More broadly, the project aims to advance our understanding of how the brain works, with benefits for future improvements in artificial intelligence and brain-machine interfaces.Read moreRead less
Reading facial expressions from real and virtual humans. This project aims to advance understanding of human emotional communication and improve human rapport with the virtual humans and avatars that are rapidly infiltrating our social world. Using two unique stimulus sets - naturalistic human expressions and highly realistic virtual faces - together with powerful genetic, experimental, and individual differences designs, the project expects to answer previously intractable questions in emotion ....Reading facial expressions from real and virtual humans. This project aims to advance understanding of human emotional communication and improve human rapport with the virtual humans and avatars that are rapidly infiltrating our social world. Using two unique stimulus sets - naturalistic human expressions and highly realistic virtual faces - together with powerful genetic, experimental, and individual differences designs, the project expects to answer previously intractable questions in emotion science, as well as deliver tangible outcomes, such as new psychological tests to better understand human social connection. This should provide significant benefits, by improving emotion communication and offering a new perspective on how artificial intelligence can best serve human social needs.
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Improving the specificity of affective computing via multimodal analysis. This project aims to develop multimodal affective sensing techniques that can sense very subtle expressions in human moods and emotions. Much research in affective computing has investigated ways to improve the sensitivity of affect sensing approaches, resulting in more accurate estimates of affective states such as emotions or mood. What remains unsolved so far is the issue of specificity. This project will address this i ....Improving the specificity of affective computing via multimodal analysis. This project aims to develop multimodal affective sensing techniques that can sense very subtle expressions in human moods and emotions. Much research in affective computing has investigated ways to improve the sensitivity of affect sensing approaches, resulting in more accurate estimates of affective states such as emotions or mood. What remains unsolved so far is the issue of specificity. This project will address this issue through novel analyses of very subtle cues in facial and vocal expressions of affect embedded in a multimodal deep learning framework. Current approaches can successfully assist in binary classification tasks. This project will tackle the much more difficult problem of developing advanced affective sensing technology to simultaneously handle homogeneous and heterogeneous affect classes as well as continuous range estimates of affect intensity.Read moreRead less
RNA-binding proteins rewire transcriptomes in immune cell differentiation. This project aims to combine advanced computational and experimental techniques to investigate a new layer of gene regulation by novel RNA binding proteins (RBP) which control messenger RNA length in immune cells. This project expects to demonstrate that these RBPs have a profound effect on immune cell differentiation and response to infection. Expected outcomes include the discovery of new RBPs regulating immunity, with ....RNA-binding proteins rewire transcriptomes in immune cell differentiation. This project aims to combine advanced computational and experimental techniques to investigate a new layer of gene regulation by novel RNA binding proteins (RBP) which control messenger RNA length in immune cells. This project expects to demonstrate that these RBPs have a profound effect on immune cell differentiation and response to infection. Expected outcomes include the discovery of new RBPs regulating immunity, with mechanism and function determined by novel CRISPR editing of a transgenic mouse model. The significant benefit will be a more complete understanding of RNA mechanisms of immune response, which will be critical in informing future advances in the rapidly developing areas of RNA-based biotechnologies and synthetic immunology.Read moreRead less
Adaptive modelling of human responses in complex interaction. This project aims to combine strengths of human cognition and evolutionary computing to efficiently solve problems which neither can do alone. The project will develop techniques combining advanced non-intrusive sensor measures of behaviour and emotional reaction in interaction tasks to enable high level computer support for human goal seeking, in complex data and design environments. This project will allow non-expert users to use to ....Adaptive modelling of human responses in complex interaction. This project aims to combine strengths of human cognition and evolutionary computing to efficiently solve problems which neither can do alone. The project will develop techniques combining advanced non-intrusive sensor measures of behaviour and emotional reaction in interaction tasks to enable high level computer support for human goal seeking, in complex data and design environments. This project will allow non-expert users to use tools normally requiring extensive training in settings where the user can 'see' when they get something they like but do not know how to instruct a computer system to show or do it. Applications of the project will include visualisation for bespoke manufacturing or for high dimensional data, generating abstract art, or improving teleconferencing systems.Read moreRead less
Parametric VR: An Interactive Virtual Reality System for Parametric Design. This project aims to create a new and intuitive set of user interactions for Virtual Reality (VR) to support parametric designers in architecture and design. Parametric tools are an emerging design technology dominating contemporary practices, yet their interfaces are on traditional desktop computers while VR is only employed to visualise the geometric models produced by the end design. This project will generate Paramet ....Parametric VR: An Interactive Virtual Reality System for Parametric Design. This project aims to create a new and intuitive set of user interactions for Virtual Reality (VR) to support parametric designers in architecture and design. Parametric tools are an emerging design technology dominating contemporary practices, yet their interfaces are on traditional desktop computers while VR is only employed to visualise the geometric models produced by the end design. This project will generate Parametric VR, a system of VR tools to support parametric design. Key outcomes include software tools and demonstrators to support parametric algorithms and processes in VR. This will have significant benefits for design industries, allowing designers to directly edit parametric design entirely in VR across the project lifecycle.Read moreRead less
Engineered plant receptors as orthogonal neuronal switches. This project aims to develop synthetic biology methods to study brain function by utilising engineered plant receptors. This project will expand our ability to manipulate nerve cell function with high specificity and without side effects in freely behaving animals. Plant receptors will be developed into molecular tools in an iterative process that improves key properties using rational protein design. Expected outcomes include innovativ ....Engineered plant receptors as orthogonal neuronal switches. This project aims to develop synthetic biology methods to study brain function by utilising engineered plant receptors. This project will expand our ability to manipulate nerve cell function with high specificity and without side effects in freely behaving animals. Plant receptors will be developed into molecular tools in an iterative process that improves key properties using rational protein design. Expected outcomes include innovative and broadly-applicable neuroscience methods and an understanding of receptors involved in plant growth and defense. Benefits of this project include an enhanced capacity to generate knowledge, multidisciplinary training opportunities and patentable synthetic biology technologies.Read moreRead less
Novel cell wall genes ripe for the picking. This project aims to investigate the role of recently discovered plant cellulose synthase-like CslM genes and to define the polysaccharide product associated with them. Successful identification of the polysaccharide is highly likely to increase our fundamental understanding of how cell walls are made, how cells stick together or fall apart as well as facilitating the training of the next generation of cell wall biologists in challenging molecular and ....Novel cell wall genes ripe for the picking. This project aims to investigate the role of recently discovered plant cellulose synthase-like CslM genes and to define the polysaccharide product associated with them. Successful identification of the polysaccharide is highly likely to increase our fundamental understanding of how cell walls are made, how cells stick together or fall apart as well as facilitating the training of the next generation of cell wall biologists in challenging molecular and biochemical techniques. This new knowledge could increase our understanding of fruit ripening, and how it might be manipulated. This could have significant downstream commercial benefits if applied to breeding programs of economically important fruit such as grapes, tomatoes and strawberries.Read moreRead less