Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100494
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$455,333.00
Summary
A novel electronic nose to locate victims of mass disaster events . The risk of global mass disaster events is increasing due to climate change and acts of terrorism. The most critical action following these events is locating victims. This proposal aims to develop an electronic nose capable of locating living and deceased victims by targeting volatile chemical components emitted from the human body. This project expects to overcome current limitations of current detection methods (e.g. cost, li ....A novel electronic nose to locate victims of mass disaster events . The risk of global mass disaster events is increasing due to climate change and acts of terrorism. The most critical action following these events is locating victims. This proposal aims to develop an electronic nose capable of locating living and deceased victims by targeting volatile chemical components emitted from the human body. This project expects to overcome current limitations of current detection methods (e.g. cost, limited operational time, deployment constraints in hazardous scenarios). The expected project outcomes include the development of innovative techniques that will improve mass disaster recovery on a global scale and provide significant benefit to human welfare. Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100564
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$353,258.00
Summary
On-Site, Reponsive and Less Invasive Drug Testing In Corrective Services. This project aims to develop a new drug screening system using nanomaterials interfaced with advanced mass spectrometry to improve testing speed, cost, and accuracy, and minimise the distress associated with current drug testing programs within corrective services. Currently, testing programs are costly, with confirmation taking multiple weeks, preventing appropriate responses to drug use and support service recommendation ....On-Site, Reponsive and Less Invasive Drug Testing In Corrective Services. This project aims to develop a new drug screening system using nanomaterials interfaced with advanced mass spectrometry to improve testing speed, cost, and accuracy, and minimise the distress associated with current drug testing programs within corrective services. Currently, testing programs are costly, with confirmation taking multiple weeks, preventing appropriate responses to drug use and support service recommendations. Additionally, vulnerable people in custody or on corrective orders find conventional urine testing distressing, especially when previously exposed to sexual violence. New accurate, rapid saliva testing on-site will revolutionise drug monitoring and provide an Australian designed solution for correctional jurisdictions. Read moreRead less
Threshold Decisions in Determining Whether to Prosecute Child Sexual Abuse. The objective of this project is new knowledge about the way police and prosecutors make decisions about the prosecution of child sexual assault that could be used to influence policy and practice. Few cases of child sexual abuse reported to the police ever go to court but recent research in New South Wales for the Royal Commission indicates that the proportion has declined sharply over the last decade or so. This projec ....Threshold Decisions in Determining Whether to Prosecute Child Sexual Abuse. The objective of this project is new knowledge about the way police and prosecutors make decisions about the prosecution of child sexual assault that could be used to influence policy and practice. Few cases of child sexual abuse reported to the police ever go to court but recent research in New South Wales for the Royal Commission indicates that the proportion has declined sharply over the last decade or so. This project aims to examine how police and prosecutors decide which cases proceed and why, and how they confer with each other as well as when and how they consult with complainants and their families. This project plans to also develop and test practice tools and principles for police and prosecutors with expected benefits for both them and the families involved.Read moreRead less
Investigating memory reliability in intoxicated witnesses of crime. Eyewitness testimony is a crucial piece of evidence for solving a crime. Inaccurate testimony leads to miscarriages of justice such as failed prosecutions or false convictions. Many witnesses and victims are affected by alcohol or other drugs during the crime. This project brings together a multidisciplinary team aiming to improve understanding of how intoxication with different substances affects the reliability of victim and w ....Investigating memory reliability in intoxicated witnesses of crime. Eyewitness testimony is a crucial piece of evidence for solving a crime. Inaccurate testimony leads to miscarriages of justice such as failed prosecutions or false convictions. Many witnesses and victims are affected by alcohol or other drugs during the crime. This project brings together a multidisciplinary team aiming to improve understanding of how intoxication with different substances affects the reliability of victim and witness memory accuracy. Crucially, crimes are frequently distressing; therefore the interaction between intoxication and stress urgently requires exploration. This project will significantly advance our understanding of key mechanisms behind drug effects on memory, and support fairer judicial outcomes for all. Read moreRead less
Judges' work, place and psychological health - a national view. This project aims to address the human, juridical and financial costs of judicial officers’ work-related psychological harm. This harm is implicated in early retirement, sick leave and suicide. It threatens appropriate courtroom conduct, procedural fairness and impartial adjudication. The project seeks to generate new knowledge of the stress judicial officers experience and the individual and institutional mechanisms for managing st ....Judges' work, place and psychological health - a national view. This project aims to address the human, juridical and financial costs of judicial officers’ work-related psychological harm. This harm is implicated in early retirement, sick leave and suicide. It threatens appropriate courtroom conduct, procedural fairness and impartial adjudication. The project seeks to generate new knowledge of the stress judicial officers experience and the individual and institutional mechanisms for managing stressors, combining socio-legal and psychological approaches. Expected outcomes include evidence-based understandings to inform recruitment and retention strategies specific to this highly specialized workforce. This should provide significant benefits for judges’ work capacities and courts' delivery of justice.Read moreRead less
Creating perceptual experts in Australia's policing and security agencies. This project aims to create the next generation of experts in Australia’s policing and national security agencies, by improving crime scene evidence interpretation. Agencies are under pressure to develop more rigorous training practices that go beyond mere intuition and tradition. This project will use a novel approach that directs learning toward the most diagnostic perceptual cues. Expected outcomes include a solid empi ....Creating perceptual experts in Australia's policing and security agencies. This project aims to create the next generation of experts in Australia’s policing and national security agencies, by improving crime scene evidence interpretation. Agencies are under pressure to develop more rigorous training practices that go beyond mere intuition and tradition. This project will use a novel approach that directs learning toward the most diagnostic perceptual cues. Expected outcomes include a solid empirical basis for national training programs designed to create experts that are accurate, reliable, and continuously improving. Improving the training of experts will ensure the integrity of forensics as evidentiary tools available to police, lead to more reliable courtroom convictions and help safeguard Australia from terrorism and crime.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100357
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$427,320.00
Summary
What determines your face identification accuracy? Accurate face identification underpins normal social functioning and important identity verification procedures in society, government and the justice system. However, there is little understanding of the cognitive processes that give rise to individual differences in face identification. This project aims to develop a new cognitive model that characterises how holistic and part-based processing combine to determine individual differences in fac ....What determines your face identification accuracy? Accurate face identification underpins normal social functioning and important identity verification procedures in society, government and the justice system. However, there is little understanding of the cognitive processes that give rise to individual differences in face identification. This project aims to develop a new cognitive model that characterises how holistic and part-based processing combine to determine individual differences in face identification. Expected benefits include advancing knowledge of human face perception, and evidence-based training and personnel selection tools to improve decision accuracy, help police prevent crime and terrorism, and avoid wrongful conviction of innocent suspects.Read moreRead less
Faces in context: A new ecological paradigm for person identification. Accurate face recognition is critical to normal social functioning of individuals and identity management processes that underpin a secure and fair Australia. Current understanding is based on tests that do not capture the rich context surrounding person identification in daily life. This project aims to introduce new methods for observing person identification in daily life and real-world tasks that are critical to border se ....Faces in context: A new ecological paradigm for person identification. Accurate face recognition is critical to normal social functioning of individuals and identity management processes that underpin a secure and fair Australia. Current understanding is based on tests that do not capture the rich context surrounding person identification in daily life. This project aims to introduce new methods for observing person identification in daily life and real-world tasks that are critical to border security, criminal investigations and the justice system. Expected outcomes include an integrated framework for person identification describing the cognitive mechanisms that link faces to surrounding visual context and the viewer’s background knowledge. Benefits in forensic, security and legal settings are expected.Read moreRead less
Determining principles for successful episode retrieval of repeated events. This project aims to develop the first-ever set of explanatory principles for how people successfully retain and retrieve individual episode memories from repeated experiences (e.g., one occurrence of a routine social encounter or job-related activity). By deepening our understanding of how memory works, this new knowledge is expected to lay the foundation for interview guidance and ongoing research aimed at enhancing th ....Determining principles for successful episode retrieval of repeated events. This project aims to develop the first-ever set of explanatory principles for how people successfully retain and retrieve individual episode memories from repeated experiences (e.g., one occurrence of a routine social encounter or job-related activity). By deepening our understanding of how memory works, this new knowledge is expected to lay the foundation for interview guidance and ongoing research aimed at enhancing the proficiency of investigations into matters that rely on detailed and accurate accounts of specific episodes. This includes workplace or traffic accident investigations, infectious disease contact tracing, as well as prosecution of repeated sexual offences.Read moreRead less
Body Worn Camera Evidence and Assessment of Witness Credibility. The aim of this project is to establish how the use of Body Worn Cameras to record statements in domestic and family violence cases affects assessment of a complainant’s credibility at trial. It will generate new knowledge about the influence of: (i) the physical environment in which recordings are made, (ii) the audio and visual quality of recordings, and (iii) fact-finders’ (judges and jurors) emotional responses to recordings.
....Body Worn Camera Evidence and Assessment of Witness Credibility. The aim of this project is to establish how the use of Body Worn Cameras to record statements in domestic and family violence cases affects assessment of a complainant’s credibility at trial. It will generate new knowledge about the influence of: (i) the physical environment in which recordings are made, (ii) the audio and visual quality of recordings, and (iii) fact-finders’ (judges and jurors) emotional responses to recordings.
Expected outcomes of the project include law reform and policy recommendations to improve the practice of recording victim/witness statements and management of the use of such evidence in criminal proceedings.
Read moreRead less