Multiscale modelling of multiphase interactions in shale gas reservoirs. As conventional oil and gas become depleted in most of the producing basins, extraction of unconventional gas trapped in shale formations needs to become more viable. Since Australian shales have different characteristics from North American ones, the existing knowledge cannot be directly applied. We aim to develop a novel multiscale framework for deep understanding of the complex multiphase interactions in shale gas reserv ....Multiscale modelling of multiphase interactions in shale gas reservoirs. As conventional oil and gas become depleted in most of the producing basins, extraction of unconventional gas trapped in shale formations needs to become more viable. Since Australian shales have different characteristics from North American ones, the existing knowledge cannot be directly applied. We aim to develop a novel multiscale framework for deep understanding of the complex multiphase interactions in shale gas reservoirs. The outcomes will not only enable us to effectively assess the viability of gas extraction from Australian shale reservoirs with accurate long-term production forecasting, but help to develop strategies to effectively extract this relatively low carbon-emitting fossil fuel in the transition to a renewable economy.Read moreRead less
Towards autonomous structural safety prognostics: integrating in-situ imaging and predictive modelling. This project aims to advance a scientific basis for autonomous safety prognostics by developing predictive models and in-situ damage imaging principles. Development of this new health prognostic approach will overcome the significant challenge of safety assurance of composite structures in the presence of in-service damage, which is largely hidden.
Towards High-quality Hetero-epitaxial III-V Semiconductor Nanowires. The use of semiconductor nanowires has uncovered many scientific curiosities and extended their potential applications in many fields. In general, nanowire growth is governed by metallic catalysts, involving nanowire nucleation and growth. So far, the role of catalysts during nanowire nucleation is not clear and needs urgent attention. This project aims to investigate the behaviour of catalysts before and during the nucleation ....Towards High-quality Hetero-epitaxial III-V Semiconductor Nanowires. The use of semiconductor nanowires has uncovered many scientific curiosities and extended their potential applications in many fields. In general, nanowire growth is governed by metallic catalysts, involving nanowire nucleation and growth. So far, the role of catalysts during nanowire nucleation is not clear and needs urgent attention. This project aims to investigate the behaviour of catalysts before and during the nucleation of III-V nanowires by means of nano-characterisation to ultimately integrate high-quality III-V nanowires on silicon substrates. The new knowledge developed from this project is expected to provide critical insights for developing high-quality III-V nanowires integrated on silicon substrates.Read moreRead less
Chemically re-engineering bioactive natural products using fragment based drug design. Current drug and agrichemical discovery technologies are under immense pressure to meet the future pharmaceutical and agriculture demand created by population growth. This project will develop a novel technology concept that re-engineers the chemical features of bioactive natural products optimising medicine and agrichemical discovery.
Baseline-free Methods for Early Damage Diagnosis using Nonlinear Ultrasound. To address the significant limitation of existing non-destructive evaluation techniques in detecting and characterising early damage, this project aims to discover the physical nature of self-generated nonlinear waves by structural damage and to explore its potential for an entirely new class of non-destructive evaluation and structural health monitoring techniques. Major applications are expected to include a baseline- ....Baseline-free Methods for Early Damage Diagnosis using Nonlinear Ultrasound. To address the significant limitation of existing non-destructive evaluation techniques in detecting and characterising early damage, this project aims to discover the physical nature of self-generated nonlinear waves by structural damage and to explore its potential for an entirely new class of non-destructive evaluation and structural health monitoring techniques. Major applications are expected to include a baseline-free structural health monitoring technique capable of detecting and quantifying barely-visible impact damage in advanced composite materials, non-destructive evaluation of structures made by additive manufacturing, and detection of hard-to-inspect locations in unitised structures.Read moreRead less
Development of potent and specific modulators of the human sodium channel Nav1.7. There are few effective drugs available for the treatment of chronic pain. This team recently discovered that spider venoms are a rich source of inhibitors of Nav1.7, a new target for anti-pain drugs. The goal of this project is to develop potent blockers of Nav1.7 that can be used to critically assess the role of this ion channel in mediating pain.
Protein Structure and Dynamics by Electron/Nuclear Paramagnetic Resonance. This interdisciplinary project aims to establish new magnetic resonance methods for the analysis of protein structure and motion at low concentrations and in physiological conditions that are otherwise difficult or impossible to study. It brings together four different research groups with expertise in advanced biochemistry, modern magnetic spectroscopy and high-performance computing. The project expects to develop tools ....Protein Structure and Dynamics by Electron/Nuclear Paramagnetic Resonance. This interdisciplinary project aims to establish new magnetic resonance methods for the analysis of protein structure and motion at low concentrations and in physiological conditions that are otherwise difficult or impossible to study. It brings together four different research groups with expertise in advanced biochemistry, modern magnetic spectroscopy and high-performance computing. The project expects to develop tools to study protein structure, protein-protein association and protein-ligand interactions of established drug-targets. Expected outcomes include new techniques that quickly inform how drugs work, providing significant benefits to many researchers studying biomolecules, and supporting Australia’s growing biotechnology sector. Read moreRead less
Understanding the role of catalysts in the epitaxial growth of multinary III-V semiconductor nanowires and nanowire heterostructures. This project will address a bottle-neck problem in the nanowire community. The outcomes of this project will provide new knowledge in nanoscience and guidelines for the development of nanowire-based nanodevices and nanosystems. This is strategically important to place Australia at the forefront of developments on nanoscience and nanotechnology.
Selectively targeting cancer and infectious disease with fragment-based drug discovery. Finding better compounds as starting points is one of the major challenges for drug discovery research. Fragments are small, weak binding molecules that can be upsized into drug leads with better properties when compared to starting with larger molecules. This project addresses two weaknesses of current fragment based drug discovery (FBDD) methods: first, the limitations associated with screening fragments; a ....Selectively targeting cancer and infectious disease with fragment-based drug discovery. Finding better compounds as starting points is one of the major challenges for drug discovery research. Fragments are small, weak binding molecules that can be upsized into drug leads with better properties when compared to starting with larger molecules. This project addresses two weaknesses of current fragment based drug discovery (FBDD) methods: first, the limitations associated with screening fragments; and second, the quality of commercial fragment libraries. This project anticipates that the findings will establish a commanding role for both mass spectrometry and three-dimensional fragments in advancing FBDD approaches. It also expects to identify fragments with favourable development prospects towards the next generation of therapeutics.Read moreRead less