The structural biology of trace metal trafficking across membranes. This project aims to investigate how essential trace element nutrients are recognised and specifically acquired and expelled by bacterial cells. Cells are surrounded by biomembranes that separate and protect them from their environments. Embedded within these membranes are proteins that perform essential functions. In bacteria, membrane proteins are responsible for the uptake and elimination of trace elements that are required f ....The structural biology of trace metal trafficking across membranes. This project aims to investigate how essential trace element nutrients are recognised and specifically acquired and expelled by bacterial cells. Cells are surrounded by biomembranes that separate and protect them from their environments. Embedded within these membranes are proteins that perform essential functions. In bacteria, membrane proteins are responsible for the uptake and elimination of trace elements that are required for survival. This project will investigate the features of integral membrane proteins that allow discrimination between cargo, by defining their three dimensional architectures using X-ray crystallography. This will contribute to the field of membrane protein structural biology and fundamental discoveries in the area of cellular trace element homeostasis and toxicity.Read moreRead less
A Bayesian Approach to Distributed Estimation for Multi-Object Systems. This project aims to develop new signal processing techniques that facilitate autonomous technologies for environmental perception, with the ability to efficiently process large data volumes from multiple sensing modalities. Rapid advances in sensors and networks have led to a digital data deluge, from which extracting useful information presents new technological challenges and opportunities. To address this development, th ....A Bayesian Approach to Distributed Estimation for Multi-Object Systems. This project aims to develop new signal processing techniques that facilitate autonomous technologies for environmental perception, with the ability to efficiently process large data volumes from multiple sensing modalities. Rapid advances in sensors and networks have led to a digital data deluge, from which extracting useful information presents new technological challenges and opportunities. To address this development, this project seeks to develop new distributed solutions for statistical estimation, which are specifically designed for dynamic systems with multiple object states, and are inherently scalable and robust. The potential benefits include new technologies for smart cities, autonomous infrastructure, and digital productivity.Read moreRead less
From Snowball Earth to Animals: the Influence of Mantle Dynamics. This project aims to investigate how solid Earth processes contributed to ‘Snowball Earth’ events around 700 million years ago and to the explosion of complex life 540 million years ago, which will shed light on our origin as a species. The approach consists of merging cutting-edge models of the plate-mantle system with the global rock record. The intended outcome is to understand relationships between mantle convection, the behav ....From Snowball Earth to Animals: the Influence of Mantle Dynamics. This project aims to investigate how solid Earth processes contributed to ‘Snowball Earth’ events around 700 million years ago and to the explosion of complex life 540 million years ago, which will shed light on our origin as a species. The approach consists of merging cutting-edge models of the plate-mantle system with the global rock record. The intended outcome is to understand relationships between mantle convection, the behaviour of the magnetic field, global sea levels, continental-scale topography, and the composition of the ocean and atmosphere. Expected significant benefits include building capacity in Earth Sciences and the development of new models that can be used to explore the mineral endowment of the Australian crust.Read moreRead less
Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of dual function transporter/channels. This project aims to understand how a membrane protein that transports chemical messengers in the brain functions and how it is influenced by the membrane in which it is embedded. Cells from all life forms have a lipid membrane that separates them from their external environment. These membranes contain proteins that control the movements of molecules into and out of cells and are vital for a plethora of physiological pr ....Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of dual function transporter/channels. This project aims to understand how a membrane protein that transports chemical messengers in the brain functions and how it is influenced by the membrane in which it is embedded. Cells from all life forms have a lipid membrane that separates them from their external environment. These membranes contain proteins that control the movements of molecules into and out of cells and are vital for a plethora of physiological processes including cell-to-cell communication. The outcomes of this study will include new knowledge of this process and chemical modifiers of this transport protein. This project will benefit structural biology and biophysics training and may lead to the development of novel compounds that can be used to explore function. Read moreRead less
Physics-informed Computational Framework for Optimised Microfluidic Systems. The miniaturisation of chemical and biological processes requires microfluidic tools for the precise manipulation of complex fluids at the microscale. This project aims to integrate new computational methods that enable unprecedented control over the design and optimisation of these tools. The project will deliver a cornerstone framework to elucidate the complex microscopic fluid physics that currently poses a challenge ....Physics-informed Computational Framework for Optimised Microfluidic Systems. The miniaturisation of chemical and biological processes requires microfluidic tools for the precise manipulation of complex fluids at the microscale. This project aims to integrate new computational methods that enable unprecedented control over the design and optimisation of these tools. The project will deliver a cornerstone framework to elucidate the complex microscopic fluid physics that currently poses a challenge for the advancement of microfluidic technologies. The outcomes of this project will establish physical principles to guide the design of microfluidic systems and provide the computational capabilities that can potentially transform the way researchers and engineers design, optimise and use microfluidic technologies.Read moreRead less
Sustainable wastewater management. This project aims to extract high-value liquid products (medium-chain fatty acids) from wastewater with minimised greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, in addition to clean water. Traditional wastewater treatment removes organic carbon and nutrients by using vast amounts of energy and releasing greenhouse gas. However, wastewater is a substantial but largely untapped renewable resource. The intended outcome is to transform wastewater from a troubleso ....Sustainable wastewater management. This project aims to extract high-value liquid products (medium-chain fatty acids) from wastewater with minimised greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, in addition to clean water. Traditional wastewater treatment removes organic carbon and nutrients by using vast amounts of energy and releasing greenhouse gas. However, wastewater is a substantial but largely untapped renewable resource. The intended outcome is to transform wastewater from a troublesome pollutant to a valuable resource and reduce carbon footprints.Read moreRead less
Advanced materials for space propulsion: satellites and cubesats. Poorly controlled interactions between plasmas and surfaces often mean loss of process efficiency and surface degradation over time. For Hall thrusters, a type of engine used to move satellites in space, this means increased fuel consumption and shorter useful life. Through modelling and experiment, this project will show how intelligent selection of advanced materials and plasma parameters can minimise surface wear, enable in sit ....Advanced materials for space propulsion: satellites and cubesats. Poorly controlled interactions between plasmas and surfaces often mean loss of process efficiency and surface degradation over time. For Hall thrusters, a type of engine used to move satellites in space, this means increased fuel consumption and shorter useful life. Through modelling and experiment, this project will show how intelligent selection of advanced materials and plasma parameters can minimise surface wear, enable in situ material repair to extend device lifetime, and modulate plasma properties to increase thruster efficiency for a given task. These benefits enable reliable propulsion platforms for massive communication and observation satellite networks and deep space exploration.Read moreRead less
Modelling human perceptual-motor interaction for human-machine applications. This project aims to develop a new modelling framework for identifying the perceptual-motor processes that underlie cooperative and competitive human interaction. The project will also determine whether this modelling framework can be combined with modern machine-learning methods to develop artificial agents capable of human level performance. Expected outcomes will include a practical methodology for rapidly generating ....Modelling human perceptual-motor interaction for human-machine applications. This project aims to develop a new modelling framework for identifying the perceptual-motor processes that underlie cooperative and competitive human interaction. The project will also determine whether this modelling framework can be combined with modern machine-learning methods to develop artificial agents capable of human level performance. Expected outcomes will include a practical methodology for rapidly generating models of effective human interaction that can be easily implemented in human-machine systems. This will provide a richer understanding of the fundamental perceptual-motor processes that support robust human interaction and enhanced the effectiveness of human-machine collaboration and training technologies.Read moreRead less
Molecular basis of nucleotide signalling by TIR domain containing proteins. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) dependent signalling pathways play important roles in neurodegenerative diseases and bacterial defence systems, and are therefore potential targets for the development of new therapeutics and biotechnology tools. This project aims to increase our understanding of the biology of a novel class of enzymes involved in NAD+ signalling across the domains of life. The project is expected ....Molecular basis of nucleotide signalling by TIR domain containing proteins. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) dependent signalling pathways play important roles in neurodegenerative diseases and bacterial defence systems, and are therefore potential targets for the development of new therapeutics and biotechnology tools. This project aims to increase our understanding of the biology of a novel class of enzymes involved in NAD+ signalling across the domains of life. The project is expected to unravel general principles of nucleotide-based signalling, and the expected outcomes will include new molecular mechanisms relevant to cell-death and pathogen defence in mammalian and bacterial systems, which should provide significant benefit for a range of applications in human biology and biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Solving the solvent problem in chemical modelling. This project aims to produce highly accurate, user-friendly chemical solvent models using interdisciplinary theoretical chemistry techniques. The benefits of these novel models are extremely broad since chemical modelling is more impactful than traditional laboratory based techniques in solving multi-faceted modern chemical problems. The proposed outcomes of the project are significant, as they will transform how applied research solves difficul ....Solving the solvent problem in chemical modelling. This project aims to produce highly accurate, user-friendly chemical solvent models using interdisciplinary theoretical chemistry techniques. The benefits of these novel models are extremely broad since chemical modelling is more impactful than traditional laboratory based techniques in solving multi-faceted modern chemical problems. The proposed outcomes of the project are significant, as they will transform how applied research solves difficult and expensive real world chemical problems by allowing researchers to reliably include solvents in their models. It will have economic benefits for the chemical, mining and materials sectors in Australia, which represent billion-dollar industries.Read moreRead less