Multiblock copolymer synthesis for nano-engineered materials. This project aims to develop methodology for environmentally friendly and industrially applicable synthesis of new types of advanced polymeric materials comprising multiblock copolymers. Polymeric materials play an important role in society with applications from bulk plastics to advanced technological applications. This would enable the creation of advanced materials with specific engineering targets and applications ranging from nan ....Multiblock copolymer synthesis for nano-engineered materials. This project aims to develop methodology for environmentally friendly and industrially applicable synthesis of new types of advanced polymeric materials comprising multiblock copolymers. Polymeric materials play an important role in society with applications from bulk plastics to advanced technological applications. This would enable the creation of advanced materials with specific engineering targets and applications ranging from nanomedicine to materials science.Read moreRead less
Flow process and visible-light driven reactions for polymer manufacturing. This project aims to develop rapid, scalable light-driven continuous flow processing techniques that allow the production of value-added synthetic polymers that cannot be achieved by existing technologies. The project will take advantage of the spatio-temporal control of the light mediated polymerisation with flow process to achieve control over the primary structure, the sequential arrangement of monomer units in a polym ....Flow process and visible-light driven reactions for polymer manufacturing. This project aims to develop rapid, scalable light-driven continuous flow processing techniques that allow the production of value-added synthetic polymers that cannot be achieved by existing technologies. The project will take advantage of the spatio-temporal control of the light mediated polymerisation with flow process to achieve control over the primary structure, the sequential arrangement of monomer units in a polymer chain and the molecular weight distribution. The project will result in the preparation of functional polymers containing a specific arrangement of monomers in the polymer chain and a precise distribution of polymer chains. The development of such process will result in the development of advanced materials.Read moreRead less
Fatigue in Lead-free Piezoceramics. This project aims are to achieve a fundamental understanding of the fatigue behaviour of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics which achieve high strain through phase transformations and then ascertain the effects of this behaviour on material degradation rates. The expected outcomes will facilitate replacement of toxic lead in commodity electronics. The focus will be on new lead-free bismuth-alkali-based piezoelectric ceramic systems which demonstrate exciting pot ....Fatigue in Lead-free Piezoceramics. This project aims are to achieve a fundamental understanding of the fatigue behaviour of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics which achieve high strain through phase transformations and then ascertain the effects of this behaviour on material degradation rates. The expected outcomes will facilitate replacement of toxic lead in commodity electronics. The focus will be on new lead-free bismuth-alkali-based piezoelectric ceramic systems which demonstrate exciting potential as alternate materials to lead zirconate titanate (PZT) materials. Successful optimisation of the materials' design and knowledge of their degradation rates are expected to facilitate their commercialisation through a profound reduction in the environmental challenges associated with manufacture and disposal of devices.Read moreRead less
Secure and Efficient Cryptographic Hashing. This project will enhance information security, which is absolutely crucial for rapidly growing e-commerce, e-government services and for national security (Priority 4 -Safeguarding Australia - Protection against Terrorism and Crime). The project will strengthen international collaboration by reciprocal exchange of researchers and postgraduate students leading to more attractive and productive research environment. At the same time, the project will he ....Secure and Efficient Cryptographic Hashing. This project will enhance information security, which is absolutely crucial for rapidly growing e-commerce, e-government services and for national security (Priority 4 -Safeguarding Australia - Protection against Terrorism and Crime). The project will strengthen international collaboration by reciprocal exchange of researchers and postgraduate students leading to more attractive and productive research environment. At the same time, the project will help to maintain high research profile of Australian researchers, to increase the capacity for consultancy and contract work, and provide a cutting-edge information technology for the Australian telecommunications industry, business and government (Priority 3 - Frontier Technologies). Read moreRead less
Algebraic Models of Stream Ciphers. The project investigates communication security in the mobile environment where both confidentiality and authenticity are of a prime concern. Stream ciphers are a natural choice in mobile environments as they provide an efficient cryptographic protection using a limited computing resources. We treat stream ciphers as algebraic objects whose properties fully determine their cryptographic strength. We first analyse existing stream ciphers showing their algebraic ....Algebraic Models of Stream Ciphers. The project investigates communication security in the mobile environment where both confidentiality and authenticity are of a prime concern. Stream ciphers are a natural choice in mobile environments as they provide an efficient cryptographic protection using a limited computing resources. We treat stream ciphers as algebraic objects whose properties fully determine their cryptographic strength. We first analyse existing stream ciphers showing their algebraic properties and later we derive a design methodology for provably secure stream ciphers. The project leads to new secure and efficient designs for stream ciphers that are the preferred cryptographic tools used in Australian industry.Read moreRead less
When fire and water mix: do carbon dioxide-related water savings drive woody plant thickening and fire dynamics in a grassy woodland? Australia's woodland landscapes have experienced widespread shrub expansion in the last century due to changes in fire, grazing and atmospheric carbon dioxide. This project will endevour to fill critical gaps in the nexus between carbon dioxide-induced effects on vegetation and fire disturbance to help explain this phenomenon and help manage Australian woodlands i ....When fire and water mix: do carbon dioxide-related water savings drive woody plant thickening and fire dynamics in a grassy woodland? Australia's woodland landscapes have experienced widespread shrub expansion in the last century due to changes in fire, grazing and atmospheric carbon dioxide. This project will endevour to fill critical gaps in the nexus between carbon dioxide-induced effects on vegetation and fire disturbance to help explain this phenomenon and help manage Australian woodlands into the future.Read moreRead less
Algebraic Properties of Cryptographic Components and their Cryptanalysis. The outcomes will enhance information and communication security, which is absolutely crucial for the rapidly growing e-commerce and e-government services in Australia. International collaboration will be strengthened by reciprocal exchange of researchers and postgraduate students leading to more attractive and productive research environment. Our project will help to maintain a high profile of Australian researchers, to i ....Algebraic Properties of Cryptographic Components and their Cryptanalysis. The outcomes will enhance information and communication security, which is absolutely crucial for the rapidly growing e-commerce and e-government services in Australia. International collaboration will be strengthened by reciprocal exchange of researchers and postgraduate students leading to more attractive and productive research environment. Our project will help to maintain a high profile of Australian researchers, to increase the capacity for consultancy and contract work, and provide a cutting-edge information technology for the Australian telecommunications industry, business and government.Read moreRead less
Algebraic Analysis of Cryptosystems. This project studies an (new) algebraic approach to cryptanalysis of modern block ciphers. The approach works for all cryptosystems that use either small S-boxes, or their algebraic structure can be described by a system of overdefined quadratic equations. The cryptosystems that are potentially breakable using this approach are Rijndael and Serpent - the two top finalists of the Advanced Encryption Standard contest. The project also explores how this approach ....Algebraic Analysis of Cryptosystems. This project studies an (new) algebraic approach to cryptanalysis of modern block ciphers. The approach works for all cryptosystems that use either small S-boxes, or their algebraic structure can be described by a system of overdefined quadratic equations. The cryptosystems that are potentially breakable using this approach are Rijndael and Serpent - the two top finalists of the Advanced Encryption Standard contest. The project also explores how this approach can be applied to design new and more powerful factoring algorithms. The project has an explosive potential to redefine the theory and practice of modern cryptography.Read moreRead less
Efficient Design for Generalized Linear Models. In industrial, commercial and social research, we collect data in order to predict the outcome of a process based on the inputs to that process. We want to maximize the information that is gained from the data. Good planning is crucially important to achieve this. This project will determine how best to select the inputs to the process for many situations that occur in research. A computer package to answer these questions will be written. The nati ....Efficient Design for Generalized Linear Models. In industrial, commercial and social research, we collect data in order to predict the outcome of a process based on the inputs to that process. We want to maximize the information that is gained from the data. Good planning is crucially important to achieve this. This project will determine how best to select the inputs to the process for many situations that occur in research. A computer package to answer these questions will be written. The nation will benefit from a fundamental increase in efficiency of research and, therefore, in efficient use of research dollars.Read moreRead less
Finite Strain with large rotations: A new hybrid numerical/experimental approach. Deformation up to large strains and rotations is important in rocks, metals, polymers, and biomaterials. Computational mechanics is a standard tool for modelling such deformations. However, in earth sciences, mechanical theories use small-strain formulations or large-strain approaches with classical stress rates. Classical stress rates can lead to incorrect stored energies. This project proposes to test a new large ....Finite Strain with large rotations: A new hybrid numerical/experimental approach. Deformation up to large strains and rotations is important in rocks, metals, polymers, and biomaterials. Computational mechanics is a standard tool for modelling such deformations. However, in earth sciences, mechanical theories use small-strain formulations or large-strain approaches with classical stress rates. Classical stress rates can lead to incorrect stored energies. This project proposes to test a new large-strain theory tailored to rocks experimentally, and to apply it to a pivotal geological problem: shear zone formation. The project will advance our fundamental understanding of the mechanics and energetics of rock deformation and provide a novel tool for the modelling of large deformations.Read moreRead less