Development of a Risk Assessment and Cost-Effectiveness Model for Optimising Geotechnical Roadway Assets. Roadway performance is strongly a function of the topography and foundation conditions through which the roadway passes, dictating the need for cuttings and fills, and approaches to handle problematic foundation conditions. The project aims to develop a risk management model to minimise the geotechnical risks and costs involved in roadway construction and maintenance, and maximise design li ....Development of a Risk Assessment and Cost-Effectiveness Model for Optimising Geotechnical Roadway Assets. Roadway performance is strongly a function of the topography and foundation conditions through which the roadway passes, dictating the need for cuttings and fills, and approaches to handle problematic foundation conditions. The project aims to develop a risk management model to minimise the geotechnical risks and costs involved in roadway construction and maintenance, and maximise design life. In Queensland, the value of roadway geotechnical assets is about $ 7.5 billion, with $ 0.5 billion spent annually adding to and maintaining these assets. The expected outcome of the project is maximising the life of geotechnical roadway assets for the funds available.Read moreRead less
Risk and Reliability in Stochastic Optimisation and Equilibrium. This project seeks to develop theory and methodology in optimisation which take advantage of recent progress in understanding and treating risk in decision making. Problems of optimisation in the face of uncertainty must confront the risk inherent in having to make reliable decisions before knowing the outcomes of crucial random variables on which costs and constraints may depend. Recent theoretical developments, featuring ‘measure ....Risk and Reliability in Stochastic Optimisation and Equilibrium. This project seeks to develop theory and methodology in optimisation which take advantage of recent progress in understanding and treating risk in decision making. Problems of optimisation in the face of uncertainty must confront the risk inherent in having to make reliable decisions before knowing the outcomes of crucial random variables on which costs and constraints may depend. Recent theoretical developments, featuring ‘measures of risk’ beyond just-expected values and quantiles offer hope of major new advances. This project aims to achieve such advances not only in optimisation but also in models of equilibrium that likewise have to deal with uncertainty. Extending current theory and methodology to such multi-stage stochastic models is a challenge. Besides taking up this challenge for its own sake, a major goal of this research will be to use the results in solution algorithms.Read moreRead less
Evaluating the long-term costs and benefits of community-based initiatives. The ultimate benefit from the research is a more efficient allocation of public funds to provide public services, i.e. an increase in the gain derived from the government budget. The relative advantages of alternative methods of delivering government services are subject to significant uncertainty, which means that policy decisions are often poorly informed. Improvements in the accuracy of predicting the costs and benefi ....Evaluating the long-term costs and benefits of community-based initiatives. The ultimate benefit from the research is a more efficient allocation of public funds to provide public services, i.e. an increase in the gain derived from the government budget. The relative advantages of alternative methods of delivering government services are subject to significant uncertainty, which means that policy decisions are often poorly informed. Improvements in the accuracy of predicting the costs and benefits of complex community-based initiatives will help policymakers identify the set of initiatives that provide the best outcomes for the community they serve, as well as informing the optimal specification of the individual initiatives.Read moreRead less
Markov invariants and phylogenetic tree reconstruction. The project will assist Australia to progress as an innovator in the production phylogenetic tree reconstruction techniques.
Identifying species is a difficult task with environmental, social and economic benefits to Australia. DNA evidence and phylogenetic methods clearly achieve this task. Conservation of rare species depends upon identification and hence robust phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetically identifying fish species has econom ....Markov invariants and phylogenetic tree reconstruction. The project will assist Australia to progress as an innovator in the production phylogenetic tree reconstruction techniques.
Identifying species is a difficult task with environmental, social and economic benefits to Australia. DNA evidence and phylogenetic methods clearly achieve this task. Conservation of rare species depends upon identification and hence robust phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetically identifying fish species has economic importance as different fish species are all managed separately, having different catch limits, catch areas and market values. Using effective phylogenetic methods, epidemiologists can track the spread of a disease through a population. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101098
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$374,200.00
Summary
New mathematical theory for fluid motion on surfaces with holes. This project aims to develop new explicit mathematical results to enhance the understanding of potential theory – a fundamental area of mathematics - on surfaces with complicating geometrical properties. There are very few such fundamental results on complicated curved surfaces, such as those with holes. This project should provide a toolbox for solving many different mathematical problems on curved surfaces. The new results should ....New mathematical theory for fluid motion on surfaces with holes. This project aims to develop new explicit mathematical results to enhance the understanding of potential theory – a fundamental area of mathematics - on surfaces with complicating geometrical properties. There are very few such fundamental results on complicated curved surfaces, such as those with holes. This project should provide a toolbox for solving many different mathematical problems on curved surfaces. The new results should also have application to the analysis of fluid flows over porous media and practical engineering structures.Read moreRead less
Optimal electromaterial structures for energy applications. This project aims to develop new mathematical and modelling approaches to determine optimal configurations and parameters for material structures created from three-dimensional printing of combined metals and electromaterials. Electromaterials are needed for sustainable energy, but solving coupled-systems of highly nonlinear governing equations is needed for optimal control of spatial arrangement and composition in nano and micro-struct ....Optimal electromaterial structures for energy applications. This project aims to develop new mathematical and modelling approaches to determine optimal configurations and parameters for material structures created from three-dimensional printing of combined metals and electromaterials. Electromaterials are needed for sustainable energy, but solving coupled-systems of highly nonlinear governing equations is needed for optimal control of spatial arrangement and composition in nano and micro-structural domains. Dealing with this mathematical complexity is critical to developing high efficiency energy generation and gas storage systems. This is expected to enhance transport mechanisms within electrochemical devices and create opportunities for industry to use electrofunctional materials.Read moreRead less
Saving energy on trains - demonstration, evaluation, integration. Reducing energy use from rail transport will significantly contribute to cutting carbon dioxide emissions. This project will develop a toolkit to facilitate the introduction of in-cab technologies that help train drivers save energy and stay on time. The toolkit will make it easier to demonstrate, evaluate and integrate the system in a range of railways.
Understanding spatial trends in HIV/AIDS infections in South Africa and Australia. This project will develop quantitative methods that will be used to inform public health officials in understanding past and current HIV/AIDS epidemics as well as planning for the future of these epidemics. It will understand not only the behavioural and demographic characteristics of importance as risk factors for HIV infection in South Africa, the epicentre of the global HIV pandemic, but also the geographical s ....Understanding spatial trends in HIV/AIDS infections in South Africa and Australia. This project will develop quantitative methods that will be used to inform public health officials in understanding past and current HIV/AIDS epidemics as well as planning for the future of these epidemics. It will understand not only the behavioural and demographic characteristics of importance as risk factors for HIV infection in South Africa, the epicentre of the global HIV pandemic, but also the geographical spatial locations in which HIV cases are likely to emerge in the future. This project will also forecast the future geographical trends in Australia's changing HIV epidemic in order to plan for intervention strategies and prepare clinical practice appropriately.Read moreRead less
A new asymptotic toolbox for nonlinear discrete systems and particle chains. This project aims to pioneer a mathematical toolbox of new asymptotic techniques for discrete systems driven by vanishingly small influences. The purpose of these techniques is to permit the asymptotic study of discrete problems in which significant effects originate due to subtle causes that are invisible to existing asymptotic methods. Discrete systems play a significant role in modern applied mathematics, and it is v ....A new asymptotic toolbox for nonlinear discrete systems and particle chains. This project aims to pioneer a mathematical toolbox of new asymptotic techniques for discrete systems driven by vanishingly small influences. The purpose of these techniques is to permit the asymptotic study of discrete problems in which significant effects originate due to subtle causes that are invisible to existing asymptotic methods. Discrete systems play a significant role in modern applied mathematics, and it is vital that mathematical tools be designed in order to explore their behaviour. The aim of this project is to open new pathways for resolving open scientific problems, providing benefits such as understanding the energy dissipation of particle chains and granular lattices contained in small-scale technological components.Read moreRead less