Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100477
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,000.00
Summary
The unintended consequences of foreign military training. This project aims to explore the effects of foreign military training on civil-military relations in recipient states. Developed countries are increasingly training developing countries’ militaries. While training is provided to promote traditional security goals, development, and stability, it may have unintended consequences including increasing the prospect of a coup. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, including case studies o ....The unintended consequences of foreign military training. This project aims to explore the effects of foreign military training on civil-military relations in recipient states. Developed countries are increasingly training developing countries’ militaries. While training is provided to promote traditional security goals, development, and stability, it may have unintended consequences including increasing the prospect of a coup. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, including case studies of the US and Australia, the project aims to explain the effects of these training programs, advance the understanding of civil-military relations and produce policy recommendations to improve outcomes of engagement with foreign militaries.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100614
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$363,612.00
Summary
Evolutionary genomics and origin of the molluscan biomineralisation toolkit. The project aims to use new genomes from understudied lineages of Mollusca to identify the genes involved in shell formation (biomineralisation) and infer their function and evolutionary history. The ability of molluscs to biofabricate intricate and robust skeletal structures from sea water is encoded in their genomes. Understanding the ancestral biomineralisation toolkit is of great interest to materials science, which ....Evolutionary genomics and origin of the molluscan biomineralisation toolkit. The project aims to use new genomes from understudied lineages of Mollusca to identify the genes involved in shell formation (biomineralisation) and infer their function and evolutionary history. The ability of molluscs to biofabricate intricate and robust skeletal structures from sea water is encoded in their genomes. Understanding the ancestral biomineralisation toolkit is of great interest to materials science, which seeks to replicate molluscan biomineralisation in vitro for biomedical and other applications. Understanding the toolkit is an important first step toward synthetic biology techniques to 'print' structures like bones in vitro. Moreover, new genomic resources from molluscs will be of interest to researchers in numerous fields.Read moreRead less
Safe and accessible care for older survivors of psychological trauma. This project aims to improve the safety and accessibility of community aged care services for older survivors of psychological trauma, particularly those from diverse populations. We will co-design and test a practice framework that transforms the conceptual principles of trauma-informed care into actionable care behaviours and processes for implementation. Outcomes will include a world-first roadmap to guide implementation of ....Safe and accessible care for older survivors of psychological trauma. This project aims to improve the safety and accessibility of community aged care services for older survivors of psychological trauma, particularly those from diverse populations. We will co-design and test a practice framework that transforms the conceptual principles of trauma-informed care into actionable care behaviours and processes for implementation. Outcomes will include a world-first roadmap to guide implementation of trauma-informed aged care, as well for policy makers to regulate and monitor its delivery. The project will also increase knowledge about the priorities for change within aged care from the perspective of older trauma survivors, and improve understanding of how best to engage this group in co-design.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100305
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$399,064.00
Summary
Revealing the origin and early evolution of spiralian animal body plans. This project aims to reconstruct the early evolutionary history of the Spiralia, a megadiverse animal group that extends back 540 million years. Their oldest fossils represent some of the earliest known animals and can reveal much about the speed and magnitude of evolution during the Cambrian Explosion, when most animal groups rapidly appeared. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the origin and radiation of so ....Revealing the origin and early evolution of spiralian animal body plans. This project aims to reconstruct the early evolutionary history of the Spiralia, a megadiverse animal group that extends back 540 million years. Their oldest fossils represent some of the earliest known animals and can reveal much about the speed and magnitude of evolution during the Cambrian Explosion, when most animal groups rapidly appeared. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the origin and radiation of some of the first animal body plans to better understand the early history of complex life. Anticipated outcomes and benefits include a new macroevolutionary framework for spiralians, novel approaches to studying invertebrate fossils, and highlighting the scientific importance of Australia’s natural heritage.Read moreRead less
Investigating Wnt signaling during human nephron commitment and patterning. Aims: To use gene edited stem cell lines that display cell location, identity and cell state to map human kidney tissue formation in the laboratory. By monitoring how each cell responds to those around it across time and space, we will for the first time map the formation of kidney tissue in the dish.
Significance: Understanding how stem cells form a tissue will help us to improve and control the process. This is key to ....Investigating Wnt signaling during human nephron commitment and patterning. Aims: To use gene edited stem cell lines that display cell location, identity and cell state to map human kidney tissue formation in the laboratory. By monitoring how each cell responds to those around it across time and space, we will for the first time map the formation of kidney tissue in the dish.
Significance: Understanding how stem cells form a tissue will help us to improve and control the process. This is key to advancing tissue engineering.
Expected outcomes: The proposal will pioneer state-of-the-art imaging, gene editing and machine learning approaches, generating models of human development that are currently unavailable.
Benefits: This understanding will guide the development of novel approaches to tissue engineering.
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Theoretical Foundations of Ethical Machine Learning. The project aims to develop a systematic theory of ethical machine learning. Machine learning is a powerful and pervasive technology that is already having a huge impact on Australia. When applied to data about people there are a range of ethical harms that can arise (fairness, and privacy are two of them). The project aims to develop a rigorously grounded foundation for managing such ethical harms. For example it will allow the quantification ....Theoretical Foundations of Ethical Machine Learning. The project aims to develop a systematic theory of ethical machine learning. Machine learning is a powerful and pervasive technology that is already having a huge impact on Australia. When applied to data about people there are a range of ethical harms that can arise (fairness, and privacy are two of them). The project aims to develop a rigorously grounded foundation for managing such ethical harms. For example it will allow the quantification of the inevitable trade-offs between fairness and utility. The benefits of the project should include better ways of managing these trade-offs, a competitive advantage for Australian firms developing the technology, and will ensure that the country retains a social license to use the technology.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL200100176
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,128,080.00
Summary
Theoretical Foundations of Ethical Machine Learning. The project will develop a systematic theory of ethical machine learning. Machine learning is a powerful and pervasive technology that is already having a huge impact on Australia. When applied to data about people there are a range of ethical harms that can arise (fairness, and privacy are two of them). The project will develop a rigorously grounded foundation for managing such ethical harms. For example it will allow the quantification of t ....Theoretical Foundations of Ethical Machine Learning. The project will develop a systematic theory of ethical machine learning. Machine learning is a powerful and pervasive technology that is already having a huge impact on Australia. When applied to data about people there are a range of ethical harms that can arise (fairness, and privacy are two of them). The project will develop a rigorously grounded foundation for managing such ethical harms. For example it will allow the quantification of the inevitable trade-offs between fairness and utility. The benefits of the project will include the best possible ways of managing these trade-offs, competitive advantage for Australian firms developing the technology, and will ensure that the country retains a social license to use the technology.Read moreRead less
Improving predictions of species distribution dynamics. This project aims to mainstream methods for improved prediction of species distributions under the impacts of environmental change. This is important because these predictions are commonly used to guide environmental decisions, but the standard modelling methods used to produce them have critical limitations. This project intends to (i) make key statistical developments to methods for modelling dynamics of species distributions and (ii) tra ....Improving predictions of species distribution dynamics. This project aims to mainstream methods for improved prediction of species distributions under the impacts of environmental change. This is important because these predictions are commonly used to guide environmental decisions, but the standard modelling methods used to produce them have critical limitations. This project intends to (i) make key statistical developments to methods for modelling dynamics of species distributions and (ii) translate the methods into practice, through guidelines, tools and training, engagement with users and case studies addressing species of current concern. This should provide significant benefits because it will enable better decisions and more effective and cost-efficient management actions.Read moreRead less
Synthetic genes as reference standards for biology and biomanufacture. Reference standards are needed to improve the measurement of biology and the reliability of biomanufacturing processes. This project aims to engineer synthetic genes capable of acting as reference standards for DNA, RNA and protein. The synthetic genes can be transcribed into mRNA standards, and translated into protein standards, and be further integrated into living cells to measure internal cellular processes.
The outcomes ....Synthetic genes as reference standards for biology and biomanufacture. Reference standards are needed to improve the measurement of biology and the reliability of biomanufacturing processes. This project aims to engineer synthetic genes capable of acting as reference standards for DNA, RNA and protein. The synthetic genes can be transcribed into mRNA standards, and translated into protein standards, and be further integrated into living cells to measure internal cellular processes.
The outcomes include a unified understanding of gene expression and more accurate next-generation sequencing and mass-spectrophotometry technologies. The synthetic genes also allow standardisation and optimisation of biomanufacturing processes that will produce mRNA and biologics products at a higher purity and lower cost.Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100578
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$355,208.00
Summary
Next generation soil carbon satellite-based measurement for carbon markets. Soil carbon sequestration is a federal government priority to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Efforts to advance this opportunity are hindered by the high technical costs of soil carbon quantification. This project will develop an innovative and potentially commercialisable technology that integrates ground data, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), satellites, Eddy covariance CO2 flux towers, soil carbon (C) models, and ar ....Next generation soil carbon satellite-based measurement for carbon markets. Soil carbon sequestration is a federal government priority to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Efforts to advance this opportunity are hindered by the high technical costs of soil carbon quantification. This project will develop an innovative and potentially commercialisable technology that integrates ground data, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), satellites, Eddy covariance CO2 flux towers, soil carbon (C) models, and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the accuracy of satellite-based soil C modelling. The project will provide an accurate and cost-effective solution to quantification of soil C changes to unlock a large potential of carbon offsets in rangelands in Australia and worldwide.Read moreRead less