Computational Intelligence for Complex Structured Data. This project aims to use computational intelligence techniques to reliably learn adaptive natural human pointing and gestures to control an interface on a pseudo-3D display. Highly complex data with interconnections between elements is hard to visualise on screens. Most current tools are operated using point/click/drag on 2D screens. The physical technology to capture appropriate human behaviours exists already, but not the adaptive learnin ....Computational Intelligence for Complex Structured Data. This project aims to use computational intelligence techniques to reliably learn adaptive natural human pointing and gestures to control an interface on a pseudo-3D display. Highly complex data with interconnections between elements is hard to visualise on screens. Most current tools are operated using point/click/drag on 2D screens. The physical technology to capture appropriate human behaviours exists already, but not the adaptive learning of the syntax and semantics of individual gestures and actions, nor the multi-gesture information fusion required for understanding, which could significantly enhance efficiency, for example, in sorting through named entities in an investigation. All of this is done naturally by most human beings, using biological neural networks.Read moreRead less
Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occu ....Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occur naturally via various microbial means and from insects, like Galleria mellonella larvae. The overall aim of this research project is to understand plastic biodegradation and translate nature’s solutions into flexible and efficient synthetic enzyme technologies that can sustainably recycle commonly used PU foams. Read moreRead less
Using genetics to recover Australia's lost history. This project aims to use historic hair samples collected by anthropological expeditions in the early 20th Century to generate the first genetic map of Aboriginal Australia – in order to reconstruct Australia’s pre-European genetic and cultural past. The map and the detailed contextual and genealogical information from museum archives will assist Aboriginal communities and individuals to reconstruct their personal and family history and trace an ....Using genetics to recover Australia's lost history. This project aims to use historic hair samples collected by anthropological expeditions in the early 20th Century to generate the first genetic map of Aboriginal Australia – in order to reconstruct Australia’s pre-European genetic and cultural past. The map and the detailed contextual and genealogical information from museum archives will assist Aboriginal communities and individuals to reconstruct their personal and family history and trace ancestry and augment oral or written records. The combination of cutting-edge science, detailed archival research, and a comprehensive family outreach and reporting program will be a step change in assisting Australia’s reconciliation process, the Stolen Generation, and repatriation of Indigenous remains.Read moreRead less
Collaborative science for monitoring of Northern Territory marine megafauna. The project’s aim is to map population connectivity and critical habitat for coastal marine megafauna in remote northern Australian waters, providing a more informed scientific base for biodiversity monitoring and management. The project will employ cutting edge methods in genetics and movement ecology and unite Indigenous rangers with marine national park managers and scientists. Expected outcomes include enhanced capa ....Collaborative science for monitoring of Northern Territory marine megafauna. The project’s aim is to map population connectivity and critical habitat for coastal marine megafauna in remote northern Australian waters, providing a more informed scientific base for biodiversity monitoring and management. The project will employ cutting edge methods in genetics and movement ecology and unite Indigenous rangers with marine national park managers and scientists. Expected outcomes include enhanced capacity for monitoring and conservation planning and new partnerships that will improve research capacity in remote environments. Benefits include environmental management led by Indigenous Traditional Owners, sea rangers and marine park managers, and conservation benefits to coastal dolphin and sea turtle species.Read moreRead less
Genomes on islands: Improving management of Australia's threatened mammals. This project aims to improve the management of endangered mammals by combining data on genomic and morphological variation with results from conservation translocations. Using new genomics methods, the project will measure the effects of small population size on genetic diversity and mutation load, in extinct as well as remnant and translocated populations. The project will monitor seven intensively managed marsupial spe ....Genomes on islands: Improving management of Australia's threatened mammals. This project aims to improve the management of endangered mammals by combining data on genomic and morphological variation with results from conservation translocations. Using new genomics methods, the project will measure the effects of small population size on genetic diversity and mutation load, in extinct as well as remnant and translocated populations. The project will monitor seven intensively managed marsupial species to better understand how to mix populations for fauna restoration projects. This project should improve methods to promote species recovery in Australia and globally.Read moreRead less
What role does wildlife play in emergency disease? The case of the feral pig. Wildlife populations have been responsible for many disease emergencies with economic and human health impacts, but our current understanding limits their management. This project focuses on the feral pig, an introduced wildlife species. It will develop an understanding of disease spread in feral pigs and from feral pigs to cattle. Using feral pig disease genetics, climate and environmental data, disease spread models ....What role does wildlife play in emergency disease? The case of the feral pig. Wildlife populations have been responsible for many disease emergencies with economic and human health impacts, but our current understanding limits their management. This project focuses on the feral pig, an introduced wildlife species. It will develop an understanding of disease spread in feral pigs and from feral pigs to cattle. Using feral pig disease genetics, climate and environmental data, disease spread models will be developed. These models will be used to better manage emergency disease outbreaks in feral pigs and other wildlife species. This project will deliver practical outcomes, such as the best method of discovering disease and the most effective methods to control emergency animal diseases in wildlife and domestic animals.Read moreRead less
E. coli as an indicator of faecal contamination in the Australian context. The goal of this research is to improve our ability to use Escherichia coli as an indicator of water quality by determining the extent to which non-faecal sources of E. coli contribute to coliform counts and to develop a method to differentiate non-faecal E. coli from those that are faecal derived.
Testing climatic, physiological and hydrological assumptions underpinning water yield from montane forests. Water collected in dams and reservoirs remains the mainstay water resource for Australian cities, towns and industry. Overwhelmingly, that water is collected from forested catchments where the water balance of forest stands is dominated by the amount of water used by trees. Characterising tree water use, its response to changing climatic and nocturnal conditions, and other aspects of sta ....Testing climatic, physiological and hydrological assumptions underpinning water yield from montane forests. Water collected in dams and reservoirs remains the mainstay water resource for Australian cities, towns and industry. Overwhelmingly, that water is collected from forested catchments where the water balance of forest stands is dominated by the amount of water used by trees. Characterising tree water use, its response to changing climatic and nocturnal conditions, and other aspects of stand hydrology, are crucial to our ability to predict and model future water yields. Working in the Cotter catchment near Canberra and the upper Kiewa catchment in north-east Victoria, we aim to help the agencies responsible for water and catchment management to improve the security of their forecasts of water yield and their on-ground management. Read moreRead less
Optimising plant populations for ecological restoration and resilience. When choosing individual plants for restoration populations, there is potentially a trade-off between maximising genetic diversity (‘adaptability’) and selection for desirable properties (‘adaptation’). This project aims to develop pioneering methods to quantify this trade-off, and facilitate the design of optimised populations, with a focus on two Australian rainforest trees that are being impacted by myrtle rust infection: ....Optimising plant populations for ecological restoration and resilience. When choosing individual plants for restoration populations, there is potentially a trade-off between maximising genetic diversity (‘adaptability’) and selection for desirable properties (‘adaptation’). This project aims to develop pioneering methods to quantify this trade-off, and facilitate the design of optimised populations, with a focus on two Australian rainforest trees that are being impacted by myrtle rust infection: Rhodamnia argentea and Rhodamnia rubescens. By studying the genetic variation in each species, and how this relates to myrtle rust resistance and climate, this project aims to design populations that are genetically diverse, maximally resistant to myrtle rust, and adapted to future climate.Read moreRead less
Living on the edge: how do Australian plants cope with extreme temperature? Of all the climatic factors determining species distributions, temperature is arguably the most important. It is extremes – rather than averages – that drive species evolution. So it is concerning that although extreme temperature events are increasing in frequency and intensity little is known about the breadth of thermal tolerance of plants from extreme environments. This information is crucial to understand species di ....Living on the edge: how do Australian plants cope with extreme temperature? Of all the climatic factors determining species distributions, temperature is arguably the most important. It is extremes – rather than averages – that drive species evolution. So it is concerning that although extreme temperature events are increasing in frequency and intensity little is known about the breadth of thermal tolerance of plants from extreme environments. This information is crucial to understand species distribution and survival under future climate regimes. This project will ascertain the thermal breadth of Australian species growing in situ and under controlled environments. The project will contribute to development of effective conservation, restoration and rehabilitation plans for Australian native plant communities. Read moreRead less