Identification of Biological pathways regulated by circular RNAs. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a, recently discovered molecule. circRNAs are highly abundant and expressed in a tissue and disease specific manner. Yet, currently the understanding of how circRNAs regulate biological processes is very poor. This project aims to use pooled shRNA libraries to screen a large panel of cell lines and systematically identify cellular activities that are regulated by circRNAs. The expected outcome of this ....Identification of Biological pathways regulated by circular RNAs. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a, recently discovered molecule. circRNAs are highly abundant and expressed in a tissue and disease specific manner. Yet, currently the understanding of how circRNAs regulate biological processes is very poor. This project aims to use pooled shRNA libraries to screen a large panel of cell lines and systematically identify cellular activities that are regulated by circRNAs. The expected outcome of this study will be a catalogue of functionally active circRNAs. Over the past decades, the wealth of knowledge on the function of linear mRNAs has had a significant impact on medicine and agriculture. Similarly understanding how circRNAs regulate cellular activities may have an analogous impact on humans.Read moreRead less
Personalised Learning for Per-pixel Prediction Tasks in Image Analysis. AI-assisted image segmentation & synthesis are very challenging and usually require pixel-level labelling (per-pixel prediction) that is costly to obtain. The small amount of labels makes it difficult to train an “optimal” unified model for varied data as conventional methods did. This project aims to develop a new paradigm “personalised learning” to tackle this problem, where each image could be dealt with a model tailored ....Personalised Learning for Per-pixel Prediction Tasks in Image Analysis. AI-assisted image segmentation & synthesis are very challenging and usually require pixel-level labelling (per-pixel prediction) that is costly to obtain. The small amount of labels makes it difficult to train an “optimal” unified model for varied data as conventional methods did. This project aims to develop a new paradigm “personalised learning” to tackle this problem, where each image could be dealt with a model tailored to individual characteristics. The success of this project could significantly advance the fundamental research in image analysis. Expected outcomes include new knowledge and algorithms for image analysis, which could benefit fields like biology and archaeology, where labeled images are hard to attain and scarce.Read moreRead less
Investigating a new way in which diet impacts animal biology. This project aims to investigate the importance of a new way in which diet can alter animal biology. High fat or high sugar diets increase the binding of products of metabolism to chromosomes, which can completely alter the way that DNA is packaged and read. This project will use cell culture, rodent and fly models to identify the regions of the genome that are most affected by the new process. The project will also determine whether ....Investigating a new way in which diet impacts animal biology. This project aims to investigate the importance of a new way in which diet can alter animal biology. High fat or high sugar diets increase the binding of products of metabolism to chromosomes, which can completely alter the way that DNA is packaged and read. This project will use cell culture, rodent and fly models to identify the regions of the genome that are most affected by the new process. The project will also determine whether the cell is harmed, or in fact harnesses the process to control development or metabolism. This project has implications for our understanding of the ways in which genes interact with the environment especially in times of change.Read moreRead less
Nuclear transport in stress. This project aims to provide key new insights into cell resistance to stress centred on subcellular transport in stress. Environmental stress in its various forms results in the breakdown of cellular functions such as conventional transport into and out of the host cell nucleus. This project will examine a nuclear transporter that has the ability to remain active in stress. Results will establish a platform for stress biology research by the evaluation of nuclear tra ....Nuclear transport in stress. This project aims to provide key new insights into cell resistance to stress centred on subcellular transport in stress. Environmental stress in its various forms results in the breakdown of cellular functions such as conventional transport into and out of the host cell nucleus. This project will examine a nuclear transporter that has the ability to remain active in stress. Results will establish a platform for stress biology research by the evaluation of nuclear transport in stress in cellular and in-vivo models, and its impact on cell fate. These outcomes will have broad-reaching benefits for enacting climate change responses as well as enhancing Australia’s international collaborative network and providing research training opportunities.Read moreRead less
Early career teacher induction: Supporting precarious teachers. This project aims to investigate the ways in which Australian induction policies support precariously employed early career teachers to effectively manage student classroom behaviour. This project expects to generate new knowledge of workforce development and induction experiences of early career teachers employed on casual and short-term contracts. Expected outcomes of this project include alternative policy and practice recommenda ....Early career teacher induction: Supporting precarious teachers. This project aims to investigate the ways in which Australian induction policies support precariously employed early career teachers to effectively manage student classroom behaviour. This project expects to generate new knowledge of workforce development and induction experiences of early career teachers employed on casual and short-term contracts. Expected outcomes of this project include alternative policy and practice recommendations to support the transition of insecure replacement teachers within the profession. The benefits of this research include, improving teachers’ classroom management practices; the retention of new teachers; improving teacher workforce development; and building a healthier education system. Read moreRead less
Quality teaching work and reducing educational inequalities. This project aims to investigate school-based teaching policies and practices using innovative design-based research, to collaboratively develop quality teaching that meets complex, contextual student needs in high poverty communities. Teachers' work in primary schools in high poverty areas is increasingly driven by standards and testing demands. High levels of teacher anxiety and fatigue are apparent in such schools. This project will ....Quality teaching work and reducing educational inequalities. This project aims to investigate school-based teaching policies and practices using innovative design-based research, to collaboratively develop quality teaching that meets complex, contextual student needs in high poverty communities. Teachers' work in primary schools in high poverty areas is increasingly driven by standards and testing demands. High levels of teacher anxiety and fatigue are apparent in such schools. This project will study teaching work in six educationally disadvantaged contexts and identify the different pedagogic approaches that produce sustained increases in student learning. The project intends to develop a collaborative knowledge model that will enhance teacher professionalism and student learning attainment, with highly valuable benefits for the Australian community and economy.Read moreRead less
Single-session Introduction of Mutations in Parallel Lines (SIMPL). This project aims to develop a novel method for markedly accelerating production of genetically modified mice, which are a key 'tool' for studying biological processes and diseases. The work plans to take CRISPR, the latest gene-editing technique, to the next level by developing a novel CRISPR-based method to generate different mouse strains with distinct variations of the same gene sequences, at a fraction of the present cost a ....Single-session Introduction of Mutations in Parallel Lines (SIMPL). This project aims to develop a novel method for markedly accelerating production of genetically modified mice, which are a key 'tool' for studying biological processes and diseases. The work plans to take CRISPR, the latest gene-editing technique, to the next level by developing a novel CRISPR-based method to generate different mouse strains with distinct variations of the same gene sequences, at a fraction of the present cost and time. This project should overcome a major barrier to studying gene function with unprecedented detail, thereby opening new avenues for future research into biological processes. Thus, the outcomes from this project should impact on the entire field of biomedical research, and advance Australia's biotech industry.Read moreRead less
Beyond global discourses of data: Storying learning in marginalised schools. Globally, Australian school education is seen as under-performing. Consequently, attention to data, particularly numeric and standardised test data, in schools have become pervasive. This project aims to understand how teachers and educators in schools and school systems actually engage with a broader conception of data for enhanced learning, on a truly global scale, particularly in schools serving struggling communiti ....Beyond global discourses of data: Storying learning in marginalised schools. Globally, Australian school education is seen as under-performing. Consequently, attention to data, particularly numeric and standardised test data, in schools have become pervasive. This project aims to understand how teachers and educators in schools and school systems actually engage with a broader conception of data for enhanced learning, on a truly global scale, particularly in schools serving struggling communities. This project will reveal the myriad ways educators in diverse settings - England, Australia, Singapore and Bangladesh - engage with data. The project will re-conceptualise how data are understood globally, and will provide significant benefits including informing education policy-making and improving teaching practices.Read moreRead less
Investigating the efficacy, complexity and sustainability of teacher change. This project aims to investigate the path from professional development to changes in teaching practices and student achievement. As a randomised controlled trial, this study integrates sophisticated quantitative and qualitative methods, driving innovation in educational research. Expected outcomes include significant insights into how professional development can impact measurably in ways that benefit the ongoing renew ....Investigating the efficacy, complexity and sustainability of teacher change. This project aims to investigate the path from professional development to changes in teaching practices and student achievement. As a randomised controlled trial, this study integrates sophisticated quantitative and qualitative methods, driving innovation in educational research. Expected outcomes include significant insights into how professional development can impact measurably in ways that benefit the ongoing renewal of Australia's teachers to enhance student outcomes. This project will provide evidence to inform teacher development policy and practice in order to enhance student outcomes.Read moreRead less
Roads to the Future: Infrastructure and the New Development in Africa. This project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of new road schemes in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean (a region which sits at the intersection of several major global transport and development corridors), in order to understand their economic, socio-political, cultural and public health effects. As global road-building accelerates at an unprecedented rate, especially in the developing world, there is an urgent n ....Roads to the Future: Infrastructure and the New Development in Africa. This project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of new road schemes in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean (a region which sits at the intersection of several major global transport and development corridors), in order to understand their economic, socio-political, cultural and public health effects. As global road-building accelerates at an unprecedented rate, especially in the developing world, there is an urgent need for new models for understanding roads' potential economic benefits, as well as their risks, including their environmental risks. This project is benefitting citizens, NGOs, donors and governments, by generating new knowledge about how we have in the past, do at present, and should in the future, engage with roads.Read moreRead less