Southern Ocean aerosols: sources, sinks and impact on cloud properties. This project aims to provide fundamental process-level understanding of atmospheric aerosol processes over the Southern Ocean, a region that has a profound influence on the Australian and global climate and where climate models perform poorly. Comprehensive observations during 3 Southern Ocean voyages and land-based measurements will enhance our knowledge of aerosols and cloud formation in that region and provide much-needed ....Southern Ocean aerosols: sources, sinks and impact on cloud properties. This project aims to provide fundamental process-level understanding of atmospheric aerosol processes over the Southern Ocean, a region that has a profound influence on the Australian and global climate and where climate models perform poorly. Comprehensive observations during 3 Southern Ocean voyages and land-based measurements will enhance our knowledge of aerosols and cloud formation in that region and provide much-needed data for improving global climate models. Expected outcomes include more accurate seasonal and latitudinal representations of Southern Ocean aerosol populations, properties and sources. The main benefit includes improvements in weather forecasting and future climate projection for Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.Read moreRead less
Novel techniques for interpreting atmospheric variability and its drivers. This project aims to improve the understanding of the causes of variability in atmospheric greenhouse gases, leading to better knowledge of how such processes will evolve in a changing climate. The project expects to use new measurement techniques to gain information about the spatial and temporal variability of atmospheric greenhouse gases. With the use of regional and global scale models, the measurements will be used t ....Novel techniques for interpreting atmospheric variability and its drivers. This project aims to improve the understanding of the causes of variability in atmospheric greenhouse gases, leading to better knowledge of how such processes will evolve in a changing climate. The project expects to use new measurement techniques to gain information about the spatial and temporal variability of atmospheric greenhouse gases. With the use of regional and global scale models, the measurements will be used to understand greenhouse gas fluxes and provide independent verification of current estimates. Expected outcomes include improved methods for verifying greenhouse gas emissions, which will contribute to improved emissions inventories and accounting promised under international agreements.Read moreRead less
Reactivity and photochemistry of halide anions: atmospheric implications. Bromine and iodine are suspected to be responsible for most of the halogen-induced ozone loss in the stratosphere but are not currently included in atmospheric models due to a paucity of knowledge of the gas-phase chemistry and photochemistry of their anions and radicals. This project will develop and deploy advanced mass spectrometry and laser spectroscopy techniques to enable precision measurements of the reactions and p ....Reactivity and photochemistry of halide anions: atmospheric implications. Bromine and iodine are suspected to be responsible for most of the halogen-induced ozone loss in the stratosphere but are not currently included in atmospheric models due to a paucity of knowledge of the gas-phase chemistry and photochemistry of their anions and radicals. This project will develop and deploy advanced mass spectrometry and laser spectroscopy techniques to enable precision measurements of the reactions and photo-reactions of gas-phase iodide and bromide anions and their oxides. These state-of-the-art measurements of reaction kinetics and products will enable accurate chemical models that predict the impact of bromine and iodine chemistry on ozone levels and will inform future models for global climate.Read moreRead less
Nanoparticles with structures that mimic enzymes for electrocatalysis. This project aims to create a new class of electrocatalysts with architectures inspired by enzymes. Electrocatalysts are the backbone of the modern energy economy. In the new electrocatalysts developed by the project, the intention is the active sites will be spatially separated from the bulk solution by nanopores, as enzymes do. This architecture allows the reaction environment to be altered from the bulk solution, active tr ....Nanoparticles with structures that mimic enzymes for electrocatalysis. This project aims to create a new class of electrocatalysts with architectures inspired by enzymes. Electrocatalysts are the backbone of the modern energy economy. In the new electrocatalysts developed by the project, the intention is the active sites will be spatially separated from the bulk solution by nanopores, as enzymes do. This architecture allows the reaction environment to be altered from the bulk solution, active transport of species to the active site and cascade reactions to be performed. This should give advantages in activity, selectivity and the ability to perform multistep reactions. The intended outcomes are better performing hydrogen fuel cells and more effective conversion of carbon dioxide into useful organic compounds.Read moreRead less
A balancing act: Resolving coastal wetland water, carbon and solute fluxes. Coastal wetlands offer an impressive capacity to regulate the Earth’s climate by altering the way carbon dioxide is extracted from the atmosphere and stored while simultaneously influencing the water cycle, thus providing ecosystem services such as carbon storage, abating flood waters, improving water quality and protecting the coastline from sea level rise. This project aims to address the current gaps in understanding .... A balancing act: Resolving coastal wetland water, carbon and solute fluxes. Coastal wetlands offer an impressive capacity to regulate the Earth’s climate by altering the way carbon dioxide is extracted from the atmosphere and stored while simultaneously influencing the water cycle, thus providing ecosystem services such as carbon storage, abating flood waters, improving water quality and protecting the coastline from sea level rise. This project aims to address the current gaps in understanding the critical exchanges of water and greenhouse gases (GHGs) combining field methodologies and hydrological models, under different climatic conditions. The intended outcomes will benefit management of GHG emissions, coastal flooding and vulnerable groundwater dependent habitats.Read moreRead less
Engineering cyanobacteria for high-value flavours and fragrances production. Engineering the metabolism of cyanobacteria for industrial production of flavours and fragrances has great commercial potential. Cyanobacteria capture more than 25% of the planet’s carbon. Due to their native metabolism and capacity to express complex plant proteins, they represent an attractive Synthetic Biology platform for the biosynthesis of flavours and fragrances. Combining physiological strain characterisation an ....Engineering cyanobacteria for high-value flavours and fragrances production. Engineering the metabolism of cyanobacteria for industrial production of flavours and fragrances has great commercial potential. Cyanobacteria capture more than 25% of the planet’s carbon. Due to their native metabolism and capacity to express complex plant proteins, they represent an attractive Synthetic Biology platform for the biosynthesis of flavours and fragrances. Combining physiological strain characterisation and ‘omics studies, new Synthetic Biology strategies and models will be developed. The project aims at engineering a suite of modified freshwater and marine cyanobacteria for flavours and fragrances biosynthesis. The project aims at enabling solar biomanufacturing to underpin the emergence of an advanced Australian bioeconomy.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100693
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,350.00
Summary
Emergence: Examining gender equity in music via a new contemporary opera. This DECRA will investigate one of Australia’s significant art-forms: opera. Led by an established Australian composer, it aims to develop new technologies and methods for composition and collaboration. The expected outcomes include new analysis of contemporary, international operatic practice and an original Australian opera that focuses on gender equity in music as its subject, translating data on this topic into creativ ....Emergence: Examining gender equity in music via a new contemporary opera. This DECRA will investigate one of Australia’s significant art-forms: opera. Led by an established Australian composer, it aims to develop new technologies and methods for composition and collaboration. The expected outcomes include new analysis of contemporary, international operatic practice and an original Australian opera that focuses on gender equity in music as its subject, translating data on this topic into creative-practice. The DECRA's significance is to create new, more inclusive frameworks for opera that centre women and gender-diverse music creators and can extend to other musical genres. Benefits include the investigation of urgent issues arising now in Australian workplaces and amplification of the voices of the marginalised.Read moreRead less
Understanding extreme wind gusts and associated risks in NSW. Wind gusts are rare bursts of high wind, often associated with thunderstorm outflows. They can do significant structural damage, and their rarity and small scale make prediction and risk assessment difficult. This proposal seeks to better understand and predict wind gusts and their impacts to aid in planning. The project aims to use past observations, modelling, and basic theory to show what conditions lead to wind gusts and how like ....Understanding extreme wind gusts and associated risks in NSW. Wind gusts are rare bursts of high wind, often associated with thunderstorm outflows. They can do significant structural damage, and their rarity and small scale make prediction and risk assessment difficult. This proposal seeks to better understand and predict wind gusts and their impacts to aid in planning. The project aims to use past observations, modelling, and basic theory to show what conditions lead to wind gusts and how likely they are to exceed key thresholds. It targets important scientific and practical issues such as the joint occurrence of gusts and high rainfall, role of gusts in contributing to dust and other airborne pollutants, impacts of gusts on subsequent storm activity, and gusts in a warming climate.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes. This Centre aims to transform understanding of past and present climate extremes and revolutionise Australia’s capability to predict them into the future. Climate extremes cost Australia up to $4 billion a year and will intensify over coming decades. This Centre’s blue-sky research will discover processes that explain the behaviour of present and future climate extremes. It will use its researchers, data, modelling, collaboration, graduate programme ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes. This Centre aims to transform understanding of past and present climate extremes and revolutionise Australia’s capability to predict them into the future. Climate extremes cost Australia up to $4 billion a year and will intensify over coming decades. This Centre’s blue-sky research will discover processes that explain the behaviour of present and future climate extremes. It will use its researchers, data, modelling, collaboration, graduate programme and early career researcher mentoring to transform Australia’s capacity to predict climate extremes. This research is expected to make Australia more resilient to climate extremes and minimise risks from climate extremes to the Australian environment, society and economy.Read moreRead less