Art and Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific: The Limits of Tolerance in the Twenty-First Century. The question of human rights is emerging as perhaps the most critical issue of the twenty-first century. This project aims to develop a cross-disciplinary methodology and a set of conceptual frameworks for analysing the interactions between contemporary art and global discourses on human rights in the Asia-Pacific. In the process we address the debate on universality versus cultural specificity in rel ....Art and Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific: The Limits of Tolerance in the Twenty-First Century. The question of human rights is emerging as perhaps the most critical issue of the twenty-first century. This project aims to develop a cross-disciplinary methodology and a set of conceptual frameworks for analysing the interactions between contemporary art and global discourses on human rights in the Asia-Pacific. In the process we address the debate on universality versus cultural specificity in relation to human rights issues, and we seek to place current Australian responses to human rights in the context of the dynamically changing region in which we live.Read moreRead less
Partially Observable MDPs, Monte Carlo Methods, and Sustainable Fisheries. Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) provide a general mathematical framework for sequential decision making under uncertainty. However, solving POMDPs effectively under realistic assumptions remains a challenging problem. This project aims to develop new efficient Monte Carlo algorithms to significantly advance the application of POMDPs to real-world decision problems involving complex action spaces an ....Partially Observable MDPs, Monte Carlo Methods, and Sustainable Fisheries. Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) provide a general mathematical framework for sequential decision making under uncertainty. However, solving POMDPs effectively under realistic assumptions remains a challenging problem. This project aims to develop new efficient Monte Carlo algorithms to significantly advance the application of POMDPs to real-world decision problems involving complex action spaces and system dynamics. Both theoretical and algorithmic approaches will be applied to sustainable fishery management --- an important problem for Australia and an ideal context for POMDPs. The project will advance research in artificial intelligence, dynamical systems, and fishery operations, and benefit the national economy.Read moreRead less
Architectural design to improve Indigenous health outcomes. The project seeks to develop evidence-based knowledge on what Indigenous clients find supportive or stressful in health care settings, to formulate recommendations for architectural design and service delivery. Many Indigenous people fail to present for health care until chronically ill, due to fear or dislike of health services and their settings. This project aims to understand how design in healthcare architecture across different bu ....Architectural design to improve Indigenous health outcomes. The project seeks to develop evidence-based knowledge on what Indigenous clients find supportive or stressful in health care settings, to formulate recommendations for architectural design and service delivery. Many Indigenous people fail to present for health care until chronically ill, due to fear or dislike of health services and their settings. This project aims to understand how design in healthcare architecture across different building scales and services (clinics, hospitals, waiting rooms, wards etc) affects Indigenous people’s use and perceptions of these environments and consequent motivation to access health care services. Developing innovative and adaptable research methods, the project seeks to identify the necessary architectural design changes for health settings to facilitate access for Indigenous people.Read moreRead less