Deciphering genome function in animal development. The normal development of an embryo depends on complex and finely tuned gene regulatory mechanisms. In this Fellowship, I will use sophisticated new technologies to discover which of our 30,000 genes is important for embryonic development, reveal the roles of these genes, and identify the control mechanisms that can go awry to cause birth defects. Our research will suggest new ways to diagnose and deal with these conditions, and will be applicab ....Deciphering genome function in animal development. The normal development of an embryo depends on complex and finely tuned gene regulatory mechanisms. In this Fellowship, I will use sophisticated new technologies to discover which of our 30,000 genes is important for embryonic development, reveal the roles of these genes, and identify the control mechanisms that can go awry to cause birth defects. Our research will suggest new ways to diagnose and deal with these conditions, and will be applicable to stem cell technologies, tissue regeneration, cancer biology, conservation, pest management and livestock breeding, thus delivering significant economic and social benefits to Australia. Read moreRead less
Theory for global biodiversity conservation. Australia's biological diversity underpins much of our economic wealth - for example the remarkable diversity of coral reefs fuels a multibillion dollar tourism industry. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity "hotspots" of the world and Australia to deliver environmental sustainability. We will solve the problem of how much of any environmental budget should be spent on mo ....Theory for global biodiversity conservation. Australia's biological diversity underpins much of our economic wealth - for example the remarkable diversity of coral reefs fuels a multibillion dollar tourism industry. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity "hotspots" of the world and Australia to deliver environmental sustainability. We will solve the problem of how much of any environmental budget should be spent on monitoring conservation actions to make better and more cost-effective decisions. We will create new theory and freely available tools for building systems of marine reserves that allow for threats like coral bleaching and hurricanes.Read moreRead less
Self organization in (bio)molecular systems: Simulating the folding and aggregation of peptides, proteins and lipids. Molecular self-assembly is a basic property of living systems. Most proteins fold spontaneously and then further self-organize into functional complexes, effectively biological machines. Understanding how this occurs is a fundamental theoretical challenge with widespread application. Work will focus on developing methodology to simulate, computationally, the folding and aggrega ....Self organization in (bio)molecular systems: Simulating the folding and aggregation of peptides, proteins and lipids. Molecular self-assembly is a basic property of living systems. Most proteins fold spontaneously and then further self-organize into functional complexes, effectively biological machines. Understanding how this occurs is a fundamental theoretical challenge with widespread application. Work will focus on developing methodology to simulate, computationally, the folding and aggregation of peptides, proteins, and lipids. The aim is to accurately predict the structures of small peptides in solution and to refine crude models of larger molecules (complexes). This will facilitate the development of peptide based therapeutics and is essential in exploiting the growing volume of genetic information in biology and medicine.Read moreRead less
Cellular Plasticity in the Brain: discovering molecular mechanisms controlling the production of neurons during brain development, function, ageing and disease. The program aims to understand the mechanisms regulating Brain Plasticity - this recently discovered property of the brain to respond to environmental stimuli, both physiological and pathological, by producing new functional neurons. Specifically, the program will discover how the brain's stem cells are stimulated to produce new neurons. ....Cellular Plasticity in the Brain: discovering molecular mechanisms controlling the production of neurons during brain development, function, ageing and disease. The program aims to understand the mechanisms regulating Brain Plasticity - this recently discovered property of the brain to respond to environmental stimuli, both physiological and pathological, by producing new functional neurons. Specifically, the program will discover how the brain's stem cells are stimulated to produce new neurons. This understanding will significantly expand our knowledge of how the brain develops, and how functions, like memory, are modulated by neuronal replacement. Discoveries will underpin the development of, in association with Australia's biotechnology sector, a new generation of therapeutics, which treat neurological diseases, like Stroke, by stimulating the production of functional neurons.Read moreRead less
Carbohydrates and Carbohydrate-Recognising Proteins as Drug Discovery Targets. The significance and roles of carbohydrates in many biological processes, in particular those processes associated with disease, is now well-recognised. These new directions have captured the attention and imagination of not only academic research groups across the world, but also pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and has restimulated their interest in the pursuit of carbohydrate-based drugs and drugs against ....Carbohydrates and Carbohydrate-Recognising Proteins as Drug Discovery Targets. The significance and roles of carbohydrates in many biological processes, in particular those processes associated with disease, is now well-recognised. These new directions have captured the attention and imagination of not only academic research groups across the world, but also pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and has restimulated their interest in the pursuit of carbohydrate-based drugs and drugs against carbohydrate-recognising proteins critical in disease processes. The current application seeks to use some of this information to faciliate the discovery of novel carbohydrate-based chemical entities as inhibitors of the spread of some cancers and diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms.Read moreRead less
The Uses of Multimedia: Citizen Consumers, Creative Participation and Innovation in Australian Digital Content. The Fellowship will seize the opportunity for Australia to become a world leader of research and applications in user-led innovation for the creative industries. It will show how Australia can uplift the capabilities of the general population in multimedia literacy, to promote wider social participation in creative content production. It also provides practical solutions for national a ....The Uses of Multimedia: Citizen Consumers, Creative Participation and Innovation in Australian Digital Content. The Fellowship will seize the opportunity for Australia to become a world leader of research and applications in user-led innovation for the creative industries. It will show how Australia can uplift the capabilities of the general population in multimedia literacy, to promote wider social participation in creative content production. It also provides practical solutions for national and international dissemination of consumer-led content, thereby effectively adding new national networks of communication for creative content and civic participation. Linking professional production and consumer-led innovation will strengthen both the service economy and the Australian polity.Read moreRead less
Band-Gap Engineered Visible Light Photocatalysts: Enabling Technologies for Sustainable Energy and the Environment. This program will contribute significantly to knowledge advancement in colloid chemistry, nanomaterials and electrochemistry, and is firmly embedded in the National Research Priorities of Frontier Science and an Environmentally Sustainable Australia. In particular, it addresses the goals of water and low emission energy supply. The outcomes of this research will advance a new class ....Band-Gap Engineered Visible Light Photocatalysts: Enabling Technologies for Sustainable Energy and the Environment. This program will contribute significantly to knowledge advancement in colloid chemistry, nanomaterials and electrochemistry, and is firmly embedded in the National Research Priorities of Frontier Science and an Environmentally Sustainable Australia. In particular, it addresses the goals of water and low emission energy supply. The outcomes of this research will advance a new class of visible-light active photocatalysts that underpin the development of hydrogen generation, low cost solar cells and water purification using sunlight. Such technologies will transform the Australian energy and environmental industries and speed up the transition from a fossil fuel economy to a renewable energy economy.Read moreRead less
Chemical Mimics Of Bioactive Protein Surfaces. Frontier chemical technology will be developed and applied to construction of new compounds that mimic unstable fragments of bioactive protein surfaces. New materials can contribute to National Research Priorities by presenting new ways of impacting on infection, diseases of the aged, and preventative medicine (drugs, vaccines, diagnostics). The technology and materials will advance basic science at the chemistry-biology interface; permit new applic ....Chemical Mimics Of Bioactive Protein Surfaces. Frontier chemical technology will be developed and applied to construction of new compounds that mimic unstable fragments of bioactive protein surfaces. New materials can contribute to National Research Priorities by presenting new ways of impacting on infection, diseases of the aged, and preventative medicine (drugs, vaccines, diagnostics). The technology and materials will advance basic science at the chemistry-biology interface; permit new applications in medicine, science and industry; present new economic opportunities for building and strengthening Australian companies; attract and train outstanding young people in interdisciplinary science; and enhance the international reputation of Australian science and technology.Read moreRead less
Television in the post-broadcast era: the role of old and new media in the formation of national communities. This Federation Fellowship program will examine the place of television in a range of national locations during the post-broadcast era, addressing its socio-cultural function for the citizen as well as considering the competing or complementary roles played by new forms of online journalism. The program will provide a unique international comparative overview of contemporary media system ....Television in the post-broadcast era: the role of old and new media in the formation of national communities. This Federation Fellowship program will examine the place of television in a range of national locations during the post-broadcast era, addressing its socio-cultural function for the citizen as well as considering the competing or complementary roles played by new forms of online journalism. The program will provide a unique international comparative overview of contemporary media systems in the midst of dramatic change. The expertise, critical mass and findings developed within the program will equip Australia to better understand and manage the complex role the media plays in socio-cultural change, while providing cutting edge policy advice to government and industry.Read moreRead less
Quantum Information and Entanglement: a new framework for Science and Technology with quantum many-body systems. The expected outcome of the research program is a significant boost in the understanding of quantum many-body systems, which will reinforce Australia's competitiveness and international profile in aspects of breakthrough science and frontier technologies. By developing both the underpinning theory and innovative computational tools, and by applying them to problems of recognised impor ....Quantum Information and Entanglement: a new framework for Science and Technology with quantum many-body systems. The expected outcome of the research program is a significant boost in the understanding of quantum many-body systems, which will reinforce Australia's competitiveness and international profile in aspects of breakthrough science and frontier technologies. By developing both the underpinning theory and innovative computational tools, and by applying them to problems of recognised importance, this program will have direct implications in areas of condensed matter physics, quantum statistical mechanics, particle physics, complex systems, quantum information science and technology, quantum computation, engineered quantum systems and nanotechnology. Read moreRead less