The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Climate change in the abandonment of islands: a high-resolution case study from the tropical Pacific. Climate change in the last 1000 years is thought to have had negative environmental and societal consequences in the Pacific, particularly in Palau through the occupation and abandonment of limestone islands. This project uses high-resolution data to establish the palaeoclimate and the cultural mechanisms used to cope with climate events.
Indian Textile Technology as archaeological evidence for population movements in Early Southeast Asia. This project uses archaeological textiles to investigate population movements in the late prehistoric period of Southeast Asia. It involves collaborative links between researchers from the Institute of Archaeology in Vietnam, the Centre for Southeast Asian Prehistory in Ho Chi Minh City, the Fine Arts Department of Thailand and museums and archaeological institutions in South India. It not only ....Indian Textile Technology as archaeological evidence for population movements in Early Southeast Asia. This project uses archaeological textiles to investigate population movements in the late prehistoric period of Southeast Asia. It involves collaborative links between researchers from the Institute of Archaeology in Vietnam, the Centre for Southeast Asian Prehistory in Ho Chi Minh City, the Fine Arts Department of Thailand and museums and archaeological institutions in South India. It not only profiles Australian expertise in Southeast Asia but facilitates high levels of communication and the exchange of ideas. Read moreRead less
Food, drink and sociality in the early Roman Empire and their significance for understanding ancient family and community life. To understand and be secure in the present we must understand the past. The Roman world was multi-cultural and multi-ethnic - a foundation for modern European and Mediterranean cultures. It, therefore, has deep significance for contemporary Australia and its migrant populations. Knowledge of Roman social practices can provide unique insights into issues and dilemmas fac ....Food, drink and sociality in the early Roman Empire and their significance for understanding ancient family and community life. To understand and be secure in the present we must understand the past. The Roman world was multi-cultural and multi-ethnic - a foundation for modern European and Mediterranean cultures. It, therefore, has deep significance for contemporary Australia and its migrant populations. Knowledge of Roman social practices can provide unique insights into issues and dilemmas facing Australian society. Eating behaviours and food practices are of great public interest and understanding the foodways of people in the past is vital to these debates. This project also places Australia at the forefront of archaeological research and guarantees its international prominence in Roman social history.Read moreRead less
The Creation of Southeast Asian Peoples and Cultures, 3500 BC to AD 500. This project will make a significant intellectual contribution to enhancing Australia's awareness of the histories of neighbouring populations in Southeast Asia that in total exceed 350 million people. It will thus contribute to a better understanding of our region and the world. The project will also benefit the indigenous populations and future researchers of neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, through training, resea ....The Creation of Southeast Asian Peoples and Cultures, 3500 BC to AD 500. This project will make a significant intellectual contribution to enhancing Australia's awareness of the histories of neighbouring populations in Southeast Asia that in total exceed 350 million people. It will thus contribute to a better understanding of our region and the world. The project will also benefit the indigenous populations and future researchers of neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, through training, research collaboration and the dissemination of original research results, enhancing Australia's status as a supportive neighbour in the region.Read moreRead less
Development and application of the Uranium-series method for dating ancient rock engravings. Radiocarbon dating has been used to establish the age of relatively recent Australian rock art, but the ages of ancient engravings cannot be measured beyond the limit of this method. Comparative radiocarbon and uranium-series assays will be made on pairs of test samples collected from natural mineral deposits at engraving locations constrained by the ages of lakes, lava flows, sedimentary deposits or ic ....Development and application of the Uranium-series method for dating ancient rock engravings. Radiocarbon dating has been used to establish the age of relatively recent Australian rock art, but the ages of ancient engravings cannot be measured beyond the limit of this method. Comparative radiocarbon and uranium-series assays will be made on pairs of test samples collected from natural mineral deposits at engraving locations constrained by the ages of lakes, lava flows, sedimentary deposits or ice. Using test samples with independent and radiocarbon age controls will give confidence in the uranium dating approach for reliably measuring the ages of similar coatings associated with ancient carvings and exposed rock surfaces throughout the world.Read moreRead less
A reliable absolute chronology for the Aboriginal rock art in the Kimberley, Western Australia. The Aboriginal rock art in the Kimberley region of Western Australia is an internationally significant record of human occupation and cultural evolution. This project will determine the antiquity of human expression in one of the richest (and possibly the oldest) rock art regions in the world using advanced analytical techniques.
The archaeology of northern New Guinea, a cultural corridor between Asia, Island Melanesia and the Pacific. The project seeks to define the chronology, and clarify the dynamics of prehistoric human colonisation, settlement, subsistence and exchange in northern New Guinea. Integrated archaeological and palaeoenvironmental sequences will show settlement, environmental change and development of agriculture across 40,000 years. The significance is in understanding a key area in the settlement of gre ....The archaeology of northern New Guinea, a cultural corridor between Asia, Island Melanesia and the Pacific. The project seeks to define the chronology, and clarify the dynamics of prehistoric human colonisation, settlement, subsistence and exchange in northern New Guinea. Integrated archaeological and palaeoenvironmental sequences will show settlement, environmental change and development of agriculture across 40,000 years. The significance is in understanding a key area in the settlement of greater Australia and the Pacific.Read moreRead less
Persistence and transformation in Ancestral Oceanic Society: the archaeology of the first 1500 years in the Vanuatu archipelago. Supporting research programs with smaller Pacific Island neighbours fosters Australia's relationship with those countries generally. The project will contribute to regional capacity building in the areas of archaeology, heritage studies and management. This research will enhance understanding of the region's deep human past and the way it articulates historically with ....Persistence and transformation in Ancestral Oceanic Society: the archaeology of the first 1500 years in the Vanuatu archipelago. Supporting research programs with smaller Pacific Island neighbours fosters Australia's relationship with those countries generally. The project will contribute to regional capacity building in the areas of archaeology, heritage studies and management. This research will enhance understanding of the region's deep human past and the way it articulates historically with the rest of the world. It will advance Australia's understanding of its nearest neighbours as well as provide those neighbours with information that goes towards strengthening national identity. The proposed research has direct relevance to ongoing debates within Australian and World archaeology and related disciplines, and fosters international collaborative links. Read moreRead less
Stepping-Stones or Barrier: The Movement and Impact of People throughout the Far Eastern Pacific Islands. The vast ocean of the far eastern Pacific divides two great migratory peoples, the Amerindians and Polynesians. Whether or not members of either group overcame this barrier remains one of the greatest uncertainties in Pacific prehistory. We focus on the remote islands of the far eastern Pacific Ocean and combine fine-resolution archaeology, palaeoecology, and dating techniques to determine t ....Stepping-Stones or Barrier: The Movement and Impact of People throughout the Far Eastern Pacific Islands. The vast ocean of the far eastern Pacific divides two great migratory peoples, the Amerindians and Polynesians. Whether or not members of either group overcame this barrier remains one of the greatest uncertainties in Pacific prehistory. We focus on the remote islands of the far eastern Pacific Ocean and combine fine-resolution archaeology, palaeoecology, and dating techniques to determine the antiquity and nature of occupation on these islands. Their role as stepping-stones for human migration and material exchange will be determined and the notion of these islands as pristine and unspoilt at the time of European discovery will be challenged.Read moreRead less
Landscape archaeology at Lake Mungo. The southern tip of the Mungo lunette is an icon of Australia's Indigenous past. Despite its international significance, the archaeological traces have disintegrated as the lunette has eroded over the past 30 years. In this interdisciplinary project, collaboration with Elders from the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area is expected to reconstruct the history of environmental changes and the life-ways of the first humans to settle this region. The focus ....Landscape archaeology at Lake Mungo. The southern tip of the Mungo lunette is an icon of Australia's Indigenous past. Despite its international significance, the archaeological traces have disintegrated as the lunette has eroded over the past 30 years. In this interdisciplinary project, collaboration with Elders from the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area is expected to reconstruct the history of environmental changes and the life-ways of the first humans to settle this region. The focus will be on stitching together the archaeological traces scattered through space and time, and on measuring processes of modern sediment erosion and deposition so as to develop management strategies for the future protection of this unique archive of Australia's past.Read moreRead less