Microcantilevers for multifrequency atomic force microscopy. This project aims to design a microcantilever with high-performing sensors more sensitive and with better noise performance than the typical optical system used in commercial Atomic Force Microscopes (AFMs). The AFM, a nanotechnology instrument, uses a microcantilever (with an extremely shape probe) to interrogate a sample surface. It has made important discoveries in nanotechnology, life sciences, nanomachining, material science and d ....Microcantilevers for multifrequency atomic force microscopy. This project aims to design a microcantilever with high-performing sensors more sensitive and with better noise performance than the typical optical system used in commercial Atomic Force Microscopes (AFMs). The AFM, a nanotechnology instrument, uses a microcantilever (with an extremely shape probe) to interrogate a sample surface. It has made important discoveries in nanotechnology, life sciences, nanomachining, material science and data storage systems. Despite its success, the technique’s spatial resolution and quantitative measurements are limited. This project could lead to breakthrough technologies such as atomic force spectroscopy to study elastic modulus of nanostructures, and establish Australia's prominence in this emerging field.Read moreRead less
A Novel Geometric Approach to Shocks in Reaction-Nonlinear Diffusion Models. Reaction-nonlinear diffusion models play a vital role in the study of cell migration and population dynamics. However, the presence of aggregation, or backward diffusion, leads to the formation of shock waves - distinct, sharp interfaces between different populations of densities of cells - and the breakdown of the model. This project will develop new geometric methods to explain the formation and temporal evolution of ....A Novel Geometric Approach to Shocks in Reaction-Nonlinear Diffusion Models. Reaction-nonlinear diffusion models play a vital role in the study of cell migration and population dynamics. However, the presence of aggregation, or backward diffusion, leads to the formation of shock waves - distinct, sharp interfaces between different populations of densities of cells - and the breakdown of the model. This project will develop new geometric methods to explain the formation and temporal evolution of these shock waves, while simultaneously unifying existing regularisation techniques under a single, geometric banner. It will devise innovative tools in singular perturbation theory and stability analysis that will identify key parameters in the creation of shock waves, as well as their dynamic behaviour.Read moreRead less
Atomic Resolution Sensors for Imaging and Metrological Science. This project aims to create new sensing technologies for detecting motion on the atomic scale with Megahertz (MHz) bandwidth. Advanced signal processing and communication theory will be applied with the aim of developing new classes of capacitive, inductive and optical position sensors. The resolution and bandwidth are predicted to be a one-hundred fold improvement over the current state-of-the-art. Applications are expected to incl ....Atomic Resolution Sensors for Imaging and Metrological Science. This project aims to create new sensing technologies for detecting motion on the atomic scale with Megahertz (MHz) bandwidth. Advanced signal processing and communication theory will be applied with the aim of developing new classes of capacitive, inductive and optical position sensors. The resolution and bandwidth are predicted to be a one-hundred fold improvement over the current state-of-the-art. Applications are expected to include biomedical imaging, high-speed nanofabrication, high-resolution computer numerical control (CNC) machining, high-speed gas and chemical sensors, and ultra-precise seismometers and gyroscopes.Read moreRead less
What predictions can I trust? Stability of chaotic random dynamical systems. This project aims to make significant progress on the intricate question of global stability of non-autonomous chaotic dynamical systems. Using ergodic theory, this project expects to determine when and how errors in dynamical models that are small and frequent, or large and infrequent, can cause dramatic changes in meaningful mathematical model outputs. Expected outcomes include the discovery of mathematical mechanisms ....What predictions can I trust? Stability of chaotic random dynamical systems. This project aims to make significant progress on the intricate question of global stability of non-autonomous chaotic dynamical systems. Using ergodic theory, this project expects to determine when and how errors in dynamical models that are small and frequent, or large and infrequent, can cause dramatic changes in meaningful mathematical model outputs. Expected outcomes include the discovery of mathematical mechanisms underlying large-scale (in)stability for time-dependent dynamical systems, and reliable numerical methods for detecting instabilities. This research is expected to lead to improved characterisations of shocks or collapse in externally driven dynamical systems and assist scientists to gauge which predictions they can trust.Read moreRead less
Extracting macroscopic variables and their dynamics in multiscale systems with metastable states. There are practical barriers to the simulation of complex systems such as molecular systems and the climate system because of the high-dimensionality of the models and the presence of multiscale dynamics. This project will lift these barriers by uncovering the most relevant variables and by creating innovative multiscale simulation algorithms.
Dynamics of atherosclerotic plaque formation, growth and regression. This project aims to provide a mathematical framework to interpret plaque growth. Many biological processes contribute to the growth of atherosclerotic plaques inside arteries. Lipoproteins enter the artery walls and stimulate tissues to signal to cells which duly respond so that fatty streaks form and grow into dangerous plaques that cause heart attacks or stroke. These processes are often nonlinear and operate on widely varyi ....Dynamics of atherosclerotic plaque formation, growth and regression. This project aims to provide a mathematical framework to interpret plaque growth. Many biological processes contribute to the growth of atherosclerotic plaques inside arteries. Lipoproteins enter the artery walls and stimulate tissues to signal to cells which duly respond so that fatty streaks form and grow into dangerous plaques that cause heart attacks or stroke. These processes are often nonlinear and operate on widely varying time scales. The project plans to use systems of ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations with non-standard boundary conditions, and bifurcation theory to find how nonlinear processes shape plaque growth. The expected results may demonstrate the importance of bifurcations, dynamics and nonlinear systems in plaque growth and provide new models to interpret biological data.Read moreRead less
A dynamical systems theory approach to machine learning. Forecasting the future state of a high-dimensional complex multi-scale system is a challenge we face in areas ranging from climate science to epidemiology. Even when basic physical mechanisms have been identified, the actual evolution equations are often unknown. This project will develop a computationally cheap machine learning framework for forecasting. The proposed mathematical framework provides a forecast together with a quantificati ....A dynamical systems theory approach to machine learning. Forecasting the future state of a high-dimensional complex multi-scale system is a challenge we face in areas ranging from climate science to epidemiology. Even when basic physical mechanisms have been identified, the actual evolution equations are often unknown. This project will develop a computationally cheap machine learning framework for forecasting. The proposed mathematical framework provides a forecast together with a quantification of its uncertainty. We will develop sophisticated mathematical theory underpinning the novel methodology, as well as applying it to the perennial problem of subgrid-scale parametrisation of tropical convection, a missing key element in current climate models.Read moreRead less
New mathematics to improve understanding of anomalously diffusing reactions. Standard mathematical models for particles that diffuse and react are based on assumptions that improving technologies have revealed do not always hold. This project aims to create a mathematical framework that generalises existing approaches, taking into account observations of complicated transport behaviour at many scales, and including the impact of this anomalous transport on reactions. The development of the fram ....New mathematics to improve understanding of anomalously diffusing reactions. Standard mathematical models for particles that diffuse and react are based on assumptions that improving technologies have revealed do not always hold. This project aims to create a mathematical framework that generalises existing approaches, taking into account observations of complicated transport behaviour at many scales, and including the impact of this anomalous transport on reactions. The development of the framework will involve innovative approaches utilising mathematical techniques, including dynamical systems, fractional calculus, and stochastic processes. This project aims to deliver new mathematical models that can be adopted in applications across different discipline areas, and especially in biological systems. Read moreRead less
Spectral Theory of Hamiltonian Dynamical Systems. Stability theory of steady states, travelling waves, periodic waves, and other coherent structures in nonlinear Hamiltonian partial differential equations is a cornerstone of modern dynamical systems. In particular it is of utmost importance to reliably compute eigenvalues, which determine the stability or instability of such structures. This project will develop methods to compute the spectrum of Hamiltonian operators in more than one spatial di ....Spectral Theory of Hamiltonian Dynamical Systems. Stability theory of steady states, travelling waves, periodic waves, and other coherent structures in nonlinear Hamiltonian partial differential equations is a cornerstone of modern dynamical systems. In particular it is of utmost importance to reliably compute eigenvalues, which determine the stability or instability of such structures. This project will develop methods to compute the spectrum of Hamiltonian operators in more than one spatial dimension. It will use the powerful geometric tools of the Maslov index and the Evans function. We will use these to simultaneously advance, and bring together the theories of the two dimensional Euler equations and Jacobi operators.Read moreRead less
A geometric theory for travelling waves in advection-reaction-diffusion models. Cell migration patterns often develop distinct sharp interfaces between identifiably different cell populations within a tissue. This research will develop new geometric methods for the mathematical analysis of cell migration models, and will design diagnostic tools to identify key parameters that cause and control these patterns and interfaces.