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Cerebellar control of classical conditioning. This project proposes to use zebrafish, in combination with optogenetics, to identify and test patterns of neural activity that are responsible for classical conditioning. It will do this by describing the connections between the cerebellum and other brain regions, and by observing patterns of neural activity as learning takes place. Next, the project will block or recreate these patterns of activity to see whether they are necessary or sufficient fo ....Cerebellar control of classical conditioning. This project proposes to use zebrafish, in combination with optogenetics, to identify and test patterns of neural activity that are responsible for classical conditioning. It will do this by describing the connections between the cerebellum and other brain regions, and by observing patterns of neural activity as learning takes place. Next, the project will block or recreate these patterns of activity to see whether they are necessary or sufficient for learning. The goal is to describe, in concrete terms, how patterns of neural activity in this part of the brain result in learning. In so doing, the project also aims to develop and test new technologies and approaches for studying the functioning brain.Read moreRead less
Cerebellar control of motor coordination and learning. The cerebellum is the part of the brain responsible for smooth body movements, but many details of how it works are still unclear. This project is aimed at learning how the cerebellum communicates with the rest of the brain, and what parts of this communication are necessary for coordinated movement.
Neural mechanisms of motor learning. The cerebellum is the part of the brain responsible for smooth body movements, but many details of how it works are still unclear. This project is aimed at learning how the cerebellum communicates with the rest of the brain, and what parts of this communication are necessary for coordinated movement.
Evolution of intelligence in small brains: how to navigate the messy natural outdoors smartly. This project unravels how small-brained desert ants navigate expertly using simple and coarse-grade visual cues, focusing on 1) how they use skylines, where the tops of terrestrial objects meet the sky, and 2) how they search efficiently for goals. The outcomes will be invaluable for designing robots that can navigate in the messy natural outdoors.
Molecular control of postnatal heart development. This project aims to improve our understanding of how the heart develops after birth and the molecules that control this process. Recent advances in tissue engineering have opened up opportunities for the generation of synthetic tissues but these studies have also highlighted a fundamental knowledge gap in our understanding of how complex tissues mature to prepare for life as an adult. Much is known about the molecules that control early embryoni ....Molecular control of postnatal heart development. This project aims to improve our understanding of how the heart develops after birth and the molecules that control this process. Recent advances in tissue engineering have opened up opportunities for the generation of synthetic tissues but these studies have also highlighted a fundamental knowledge gap in our understanding of how complex tissues mature to prepare for life as an adult. Much is known about the molecules that control early embryonic development but little is known about the molecules that control maturation after birth. This project aims to build new knowledge that is expected to improve our ability to generate mature heart muscle cells for stem cell applications, tissue repair and regeneration.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101660
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The secret of bee navigation: magnetic field sensitive cells in the honeybee Apis mellifera. Honeybees are known to use the Earth's geomagnetic field to orient themselves and carry out their vital role as crop pollinators and honey producers. Locating and characterising the cells responsible for this magnetic sense is of great significance to neuroscience and will provide important new insights into animal behaviour and ecology.
Neural mechanisms of vestibular perception in zebrafish. This project aims to understand vestibular processing by removing physical movement. The vestibular system allows us to perceive gravity and movement, but it is not understood how the brain processes information from vestibular sensors in the inner ear. This project will exert forces on the zebrafish’s inner ear with a laser, stimulating the vestibular sense. This means that the animal will experience vestibular stimuli while stationary, a ....Neural mechanisms of vestibular perception in zebrafish. This project aims to understand vestibular processing by removing physical movement. The vestibular system allows us to perceive gravity and movement, but it is not understood how the brain processes information from vestibular sensors in the inner ear. This project will exert forces on the zebrafish’s inner ear with a laser, stimulating the vestibular sense. This means that the animal will experience vestibular stimuli while stationary, allowing calcium imaging of neurons that respond to vestibular cues and optogenetics to stimulate or silence these neurons. This is expected to reveal which cells and circuits mediate vestibular perception, processing and behaviour.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100019
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Miniaturisation: sensory limitations and navigational competence. Body size in most animals correlates with behavioural competence, brain capacity and sensory receptors. But since the navigational challenges faced by animals both big and small are similar, this project aims to identify the sensory and behavioural costs of miniaturisation and the strategies animals have evolved to cope with it.
Information processing at its limits: from the dimmest habitats to the smallest sizes. Ensuring optimal information processing at the limits of size and ambient light is a challenge for technical systems, but has been elegantly solved by animals. The challenge of navigation is similar for animals of all sizes and in both day and night. This project aims to conduct a comparative analysis to identify the consequence of size and light on the information processing capacities for visual navigation. ....Information processing at its limits: from the dimmest habitats to the smallest sizes. Ensuring optimal information processing at the limits of size and ambient light is a challenge for technical systems, but has been elegantly solved by animals. The challenge of navigation is similar for animals of all sizes and in both day and night. This project aims to conduct a comparative analysis to identify the consequence of size and light on the information processing capacities for visual navigation. Outcomes of this project will reveal the behavioural and physiological adaptations needed and the costs associated with navigating in the dimmest of habitats and at the smallest of sizes. Identifying such optimal biological solutions for robust navigation will be relevant for image processing, computer vision and robotics.Read moreRead less
Predicting the movement speeds of animals. The project seeks to reveal how marsupials modify their movement patterns and speeds as they navigate risky environments, and show how movement contributes to vulnerability and resilience. Movement is central to animal behaviour and the survival of species, because it underlies feeding, mating and the ability to escape from predators. However, we lack a framework for predicting how fast animals should move through their habitats given their needs to con ....Predicting the movement speeds of animals. The project seeks to reveal how marsupials modify their movement patterns and speeds as they navigate risky environments, and show how movement contributes to vulnerability and resilience. Movement is central to animal behaviour and the survival of species, because it underlies feeding, mating and the ability to escape from predators. However, we lack a framework for predicting how fast animals should move through their habitats given their needs to conserve energy, avoid detection by predators and minimise risks of injury or death. This project aims to develop mathematical models to predict how fast animals should move and then test these predictions using native species of conservation concern. This is expected to extend the field of performance ecology as well as inform management strategies for vulnerable marsupials.Read moreRead less