The Quest for Ultimate Measurement Precision. Precision measurement is the foundation upon which modern technological society is built. The highest quality measurement devices rely on stable clocks for their operation. The group's existing research has been aimed at developing some of the world's most precise measurement tools based on clocks and lasers. In parallel with this, other scientists have developed the means for exquisite control of light on the microscopic scale. By combining these tw ....The Quest for Ultimate Measurement Precision. Precision measurement is the foundation upon which modern technological society is built. The highest quality measurement devices rely on stable clocks for their operation. The group's existing research has been aimed at developing some of the world's most precise measurement tools based on clocks and lasers. In parallel with this, other scientists have developed the means for exquisite control of light on the microscopic scale. By combining these two technologies, both of which lie at the extreme limit of precision, the group will develop a new generation of technology for fundamental science objectives as well as for industrial needs.Read moreRead less
Testing our knowledge on the dawn of animal life: evidence from the fossil record against modern ecological and morphological analogues. The Cambrian 'Explosion', half a billion years ago, is regarded as one of the most important events in the history of the Earth, when most major animal groups first appear in the rock record, and for which South Australia has recently become a significant source of spectacular fossils. However, important questions remain regarding their Ediacaran roots, the spe ....Testing our knowledge on the dawn of animal life: evidence from the fossil record against modern ecological and morphological analogues. The Cambrian 'Explosion', half a billion years ago, is regarded as one of the most important events in the history of the Earth, when most major animal groups first appear in the rock record, and for which South Australia has recently become a significant source of spectacular fossils. However, important questions remain regarding their Ediacaran roots, the speed of evolution at the time, and the environments in which the radiation took place. Studying the fossil evidence in the light of present-day ecological frameworks, and in comparison with modern behavioural and morphological analogues, as well as living relatives, can help us better assess our understanding of this first radiation of animals.Read moreRead less
Adaptive Morphology and Evolution of Invasive Rabbits and Hares. This project aims to uncover the morphological variation that allows rapid adaptive evolution in two invasive species, the rabbit and hare. This project expects to generate new knowledge at the interface between invasion biology and evolutionary biology, using cutting-edge methods to phenotype widespread populations. This project will address key inter-related hypotheses of rapid adaptive evolution at temporal, spatial and phylogen ....Adaptive Morphology and Evolution of Invasive Rabbits and Hares. This project aims to uncover the morphological variation that allows rapid adaptive evolution in two invasive species, the rabbit and hare. This project expects to generate new knowledge at the interface between invasion biology and evolutionary biology, using cutting-edge methods to phenotype widespread populations. This project will address key inter-related hypotheses of rapid adaptive evolution at temporal, spatial and phylogenetic scales, particularly about changing morphologies involved role in locomotion and dispersal ability. Expected outcomes of this project include a comprehensive phenotypic database of these two species and identifying how these invasive species are adapting to the Australian landscape.Read moreRead less
The mechanochemical basis of cell polarity. This project aims to study how epithelial cells initiate polarisation, a major question in biology that conventional biochemical, cell biological and genetic approaches have not answered. This project will investigate the mechanochemical basis of symmetry breaking in the cellular cortex, a thin layer of actomyosin filaments underneath the plasma membrane, and how this forms signalling zones. Understanding polarity is expected to improve epithelia manip ....The mechanochemical basis of cell polarity. This project aims to study how epithelial cells initiate polarisation, a major question in biology that conventional biochemical, cell biological and genetic approaches have not answered. This project will investigate the mechanochemical basis of symmetry breaking in the cellular cortex, a thin layer of actomyosin filaments underneath the plasma membrane, and how this forms signalling zones. Understanding polarity is expected to improve epithelia manipulation in disciplines from tissue engineering to regenerative biology and reveal how epithelial architecture and physiology are generated.Read moreRead less
Defining and controlling seawater intrusion in threatened coastal aquifers. This project aims to improve knowledge of coastal aquifer processes and management practices in order to increase the security of highly vulnerable freshwater. In particular, it aims to address critical barriers to the regional-scale investigation of coastal aquifers, including island lenses – the most vulnerable freshwater resources on earth. Threats to coastal aquifers are intensifying globally, and key knowledge gaps ....Defining and controlling seawater intrusion in threatened coastal aquifers. This project aims to improve knowledge of coastal aquifer processes and management practices in order to increase the security of highly vulnerable freshwater. In particular, it aims to address critical barriers to the regional-scale investigation of coastal aquifers, including island lenses – the most vulnerable freshwater resources on earth. Threats to coastal aquifers are intensifying globally, and key knowledge gaps prevail in our current understanding and representation of transient, regional-scale seawater intrusion. The project plans to use coastal aquifer case studies from Australia and overseas to evaluate seawater intrusion reversibility, intermittent pumping effects, offshore aquifer processes, and management approaches. The project may improve coastal aquifer practices globally by unravelling the driving forces of transient seawater intrusion and developing new seawater intrusion models.Read moreRead less
Light driven degradation of persistent organic pollutants. This project aims to address the accumulation of pollutants in our environment by developing and optimising materials that utilise light energy to breakdown these persistent chemicals. Combining novel techniques and approaches, this project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of materials science and photochemistry. The anticipated outcomes of this project include an advancement of environmental remediation methods and the cap ....Light driven degradation of persistent organic pollutants. This project aims to address the accumulation of pollutants in our environment by developing and optimising materials that utilise light energy to breakdown these persistent chemicals. Combining novel techniques and approaches, this project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of materials science and photochemistry. The anticipated outcomes of this project include an advancement of environmental remediation methods and the capture of pollutants at their source. This should provide significant benefits to both humans and the environment through preventing the adverse impacts of pollutant exposure.Read moreRead less
A comprehensive approach to dark matter searches: the Cherenkov Telescope Array, IceCube and the Large Hadron Collider. Following the recent discovery of the Higgs boson, the greatest outstanding mystery in physics, it is now time to identify the nature of the dark matter that fills much of our Universe. This project aims to invent new data mining techniques to test the viability of a wide class of theoretical dark matter models, using an extensive range of particle physics and astrophysics data ....A comprehensive approach to dark matter searches: the Cherenkov Telescope Array, IceCube and the Large Hadron Collider. Following the recent discovery of the Higgs boson, the greatest outstanding mystery in physics, it is now time to identify the nature of the dark matter that fills much of our Universe. This project aims to invent new data mining techniques to test the viability of a wide class of theoretical dark matter models, using an extensive range of particle physics and astrophysics data. It will use these models to help design the next generation of dark matter searches in gamma ray and neutrino astronomy, using the Large Hadron Collider. This project aims to put Australia at the forefront of international particle astrophysics research and potential new discoveries will change the future direction of international particle research.Read moreRead less
Probing the experimental frontier of particle physics with high-precision and high-energy collisions. Analysis of data from the high-energy collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, and B-physics observables, will provide a new precision by which to interrogate our picture of the Universe. The interplay between these two novel and complementary approaches will unveil the fundamental nature of the particles that make up all known matter. Technological advances in high precision data analysis, and ....Probing the experimental frontier of particle physics with high-precision and high-energy collisions. Analysis of data from the high-energy collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, and B-physics observables, will provide a new precision by which to interrogate our picture of the Universe. The interplay between these two novel and complementary approaches will unveil the fundamental nature of the particles that make up all known matter. Technological advances in high precision data analysis, and experimental data readout, will result in significant advances in the global knowledge of particle detector performance and operation. New techniques in data analysis will arise from this work. In going beyond the Standard Model and discovering extensions to the theory, the ultimate outcome of this project will define new directions for the field.Read moreRead less
The top quark: a portal to new physics in particle colliders. This project aims to address fundamental questions of particle physics by studying the top quark, the most elementary particle known. The project will generate new knowledge about the top quark and the recently discovered Higgs boson, explore dark matter production in particle collisions, and potentially discover and study new phenomena. The project will develop data analysis techniques that could be used in big data contexts beyond f ....The top quark: a portal to new physics in particle colliders. This project aims to address fundamental questions of particle physics by studying the top quark, the most elementary particle known. The project will generate new knowledge about the top quark and the recently discovered Higgs boson, explore dark matter production in particle collisions, and potentially discover and study new phenomena. The project will develop data analysis techniques that could be used in big data contexts beyond fundamental research. The expected outcome of the project is to expand in a substantial way our understanding of the smallest components of matter and potentially, also of the largest structures of the Universe.Read moreRead less
A multi-messenger approach to understanding the high-energy Universe. Some of the most violent objects in the Universe produce extremely energetic radiation in the form of particles, gamma-rays and neutrinos. Innovative observatories like IceCube, a cubic kilometre of instrumented ice at the South Pole, are being used to identify these astrophysical sources and the mechanisms that produce this extreme radiation.