Congestion control in complex networks with higher-order interactions. Traffic congestion significantly costs the Australian economy and environment. This project aims to develop ground-breaking network models of urban traffic systems to build a new congestion control framework. The purpose of network modelling is to capture the interdependence between different parts of traffic systems, which facilitates studying congestion cascade within the network. The project expects to generate next genera ....Congestion control in complex networks with higher-order interactions. Traffic congestion significantly costs the Australian economy and environment. This project aims to develop ground-breaking network models of urban traffic systems to build a new congestion control framework. The purpose of network modelling is to capture the interdependence between different parts of traffic systems, which facilitates studying congestion cascade within the network. The project expects to generate next generation of network models for more effective congestion control. Expected outcomes include novel congestion control technologies that adjust traffic signals in real-time to optimally utilise the available road space. This should provide significant economic and environmental benefits to Australians by easing traffic jams.Read moreRead less
Thin Films of Oxide Ceramics. Aluminium oxide films are used extensively in the Australian industries of Protective & Decorative Coatings (examples include door-knobs and cutting-tools). The industry will be offered a remarkably simple process for preparation of high quality films. In the microelectronic industry, the uses of aluminium oxide films as a dielectric alternative to silicon dioxide has just started to emerge world - wide and this new process would make a dramatic impact with commerci ....Thin Films of Oxide Ceramics. Aluminium oxide films are used extensively in the Australian industries of Protective & Decorative Coatings (examples include door-knobs and cutting-tools). The industry will be offered a remarkably simple process for preparation of high quality films. In the microelectronic industry, the uses of aluminium oxide films as a dielectric alternative to silicon dioxide has just started to emerge world - wide and this new process would make a dramatic impact with commercial benefits for Australia. Read moreRead less
A Midas touch for electrophiles in new reaction development. This project aims to address the lack of knowledge about how high-value organic molecules are formed in gold-catalysed reactions by advancing a novel mode of catalysis. This project expects to generate new knowledge about these gold-catalysed reactions using an innovative, interdisciplinary approach incorporating computational and synthetic techniques. Expected outcomes of this project include the optimisation and development of import ....A Midas touch for electrophiles in new reaction development. This project aims to address the lack of knowledge about how high-value organic molecules are formed in gold-catalysed reactions by advancing a novel mode of catalysis. This project expects to generate new knowledge about these gold-catalysed reactions using an innovative, interdisciplinary approach incorporating computational and synthetic techniques. Expected outcomes of this project include the optimisation and development of important organic reactions and enhancing collaboration nationally and internationally between computational and synthetic chemists. This should provide significant benefits in the form of improved chemical reactions for chemists to prepare new pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and materials.Read moreRead less
Ionic lquids for scalable production of monolayer two-dimensional materials. This project aims to produce stable solutions of high quality, two-dimensional materials (2DMs, exemplified by graphene) in ionic liquids by spontaneous exfoliation. The project will develop processes for producing significant quantities of high quality 2DMs for use in a diverse range of technologies, and train graduate students in experimental and computational chemistry techniques.
Rational design of new synthetic antifreeze molecules for cryopreservation. This project aims to synthesise new carbohydrate-based surfactants optimised for use as cryoprotectants, and to accurately measure, model and optimise their performance. The project will use state-of-the-art experimental methods and advanced phase-field modelling techniques to optimise the cryoprotectants so that they reduce osmotic stress in cells and inhibit ice crystal growth during freezing and thawing. The expected ....Rational design of new synthetic antifreeze molecules for cryopreservation. This project aims to synthesise new carbohydrate-based surfactants optimised for use as cryoprotectants, and to accurately measure, model and optimise their performance. The project will use state-of-the-art experimental methods and advanced phase-field modelling techniques to optimise the cryoprotectants so that they reduce osmotic stress in cells and inhibit ice crystal growth during freezing and thawing. The expected outcomes will be novel cryoprotectants that are easy to synthesise, non-toxic and effective, opening up new possibilities for the cryopreservation of cells, organs and possibly even whole organisms. This will have broad impact in critical applications such as long-term blood storage, reproductive technology and stem cell therapy, as well as preservation of endangered species.Read moreRead less
Radiation detectors to better understand ion interactions. This project aims to build a Heavy Ion Therapy Research and Treatment Centre in Australia. Understanding how ions interact with matter and their radiobiological effectiveness (RBE) is important. The project will introduce an Australian detector technology platform to research ion interaction physics and their RBE. It will develop radiation detectors for ion measurement with a wide energy range, including a practical RBE quality assurance ....Radiation detectors to better understand ion interactions. This project aims to build a Heavy Ion Therapy Research and Treatment Centre in Australia. Understanding how ions interact with matter and their radiobiological effectiveness (RBE) is important. The project will introduce an Australian detector technology platform to research ion interaction physics and their RBE. It will develop radiation detectors for ion measurement with a wide energy range, including a practical RBE quality assurance tool with submillimetre spatial resolution. The proposed Australian radiation detection technology is expected to improve understanding of the scientific mechanisms underpinning the radiobiological effectiveness of heavy ion radiation.Read moreRead less
Tuning the electrolytes for high efficiency solar splitting of water. This project will develop a new technology that uses ionic liquids and sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen to be used as a clean fuel. Australia has abundant sunlight, is very close to the growing energy markets of the Asia-Pacific region, and is ideally placed to benefit from this new technology.
The High Time Resolution Radio Universe. The radio sky is blanketed by charged particles in the interstellar medium that smear impulsive emissions. By constructing a new digital electronic device for the giant Parkes radio telescope we will be able to divide the radio sky up into many thousands of radio "channels", which when searched on a supercomputer, will enable us to peer into the heart of our Galaxy in search of short bursts of emission. This will be the first large-scale search of the Uni ....The High Time Resolution Radio Universe. The radio sky is blanketed by charged particles in the interstellar medium that smear impulsive emissions. By constructing a new digital electronic device for the giant Parkes radio telescope we will be able to divide the radio sky up into many thousands of radio "channels", which when searched on a supercomputer, will enable us to peer into the heart of our Galaxy in search of short bursts of emission. This will be the first large-scale search of the Universe for short bursts of radio emission. The project will pioneer real-time processing of data on a remote supercomputer via a dedicated fibre link. Read moreRead less
The Commonwealth Cosmology Initiative: From the First Objects to the Cosmic Web. The Commonwealth Cosmology Initiative (CCI) is an exciting development for Australian astronomy's gifted young High Performance Computational (HPC) Astrophysics community. The CCI links the efforts of Australia's next-generation of HPC and theoretical cosmologists with those of the leading scientists in the world. The CCI will provide unparalleled opportunities to Australia's postgraduate and Early Career Research ....The Commonwealth Cosmology Initiative: From the First Objects to the Cosmic Web. The Commonwealth Cosmology Initiative (CCI) is an exciting development for Australian astronomy's gifted young High Performance Computational (HPC) Astrophysics community. The CCI links the efforts of Australia's next-generation of HPC and theoretical cosmologists with those of the leading scientists in the world. The CCI will provide unparalleled opportunities to Australia's postgraduate and Early Career Researcher community to take part in a program of research designed to answer several of the fundamental mysteries of modern astronomy - the formation of galaxies, their relationship with Cosmic Web in which they are embedded, and the nature of dark matter.Read moreRead less
Galactic Archaeology: A Radial Velocity Experiment to Unveil the History of the Milky Way. The ambitious RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) will measure velocities and chemical properties of 50 million stars in the period 2006-2010 - 2000 times the number measured throughout history. RAVE will use a new-technology Australian fiber spectrometer at the Siding Spring UK Schmidt Telescope. A key demonstrator for RAVE is our proposed pilot survey using existing instruments to measure 100,000 stars - a ....Galactic Archaeology: A Radial Velocity Experiment to Unveil the History of the Milky Way. The ambitious RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) will measure velocities and chemical properties of 50 million stars in the period 2006-2010 - 2000 times the number measured throughout history. RAVE will use a new-technology Australian fiber spectrometer at the Siding Spring UK Schmidt Telescope. A key demonstrator for RAVE is our proposed pilot survey using existing instruments to measure 100,000 stars - already 20 times larger than any previous survey - providing unique chemical and kinematical fingerprints of our Galaxy's formation. This is critical for determining the optimum observing strategy, data management, and software pipeline, before embarking on the full survey in 2006.Read moreRead less