Accelerated Finite-time Learning and Control in Cyber-Physical Systems. Efficient learning and control in cyber-physical systems such as smart grids and robotic systems are very important for achieving economic and social benefits. This project aims to establish a breakthrough accelerated finite-time dynamics theory and technology to assist in delivering efficient learning and control. Expected outcomes include new distributed accelerated finite-time dynamics based learning and control algorithm ....Accelerated Finite-time Learning and Control in Cyber-Physical Systems. Efficient learning and control in cyber-physical systems such as smart grids and robotic systems are very important for achieving economic and social benefits. This project aims to establish a breakthrough accelerated finite-time dynamics theory and technology to assist in delivering efficient learning and control. Expected outcomes include new distributed accelerated finite-time dynamics based learning and control algorithms and tools for optimal operations in cyber-physical systems. This should provide significant benefits including a practical technology for industry applications in smart grids and robotic systems, and training of the next generation engineers in this technology for Australia.Read moreRead less
Protecting Occupants in Vehicle Rollover Crashes. This project addresses a public health issue involving rollover crashes. It will help prevent 340 deaths, 6000 injuries and save $3.6 billion annually in Australia and many fold this number internationally. A dynamic rollover crashworthiness test protocol, that ensures efficient and economical vehicle rollover protection systems are designed and manufactured, will be provided to consumer and regulatory bodies to consider and implement. In additio ....Protecting Occupants in Vehicle Rollover Crashes. This project addresses a public health issue involving rollover crashes. It will help prevent 340 deaths, 6000 injuries and save $3.6 billion annually in Australia and many fold this number internationally. A dynamic rollover crashworthiness test protocol, that ensures efficient and economical vehicle rollover protection systems are designed and manufactured, will be provided to consumer and regulatory bodies to consider and implement. In addition, much needed Occupational Health & Safety information regarding vehicle rollover crashworthiness, which provide a safe work place environment for professional drivers and employees using vehicles, will be supplied to industry fleet managers, defence and emergency services.Read moreRead less
Non-contact Integrity Assessment of Façade Panels of High-rise Buildings. Disintegration of the external façade (with tiles, plates, etc.) of high-rise buildings presents a great challenge and a threat to community. This project develops fundamental knowledge and algorithms that underpin the deployment of a new technique for fast and automated quantitative integrity assessment of façade units of high-rise buildings, integrating mechanisms of directional acoustic waves, vibro-acoustics of façade ....Non-contact Integrity Assessment of Façade Panels of High-rise Buildings. Disintegration of the external façade (with tiles, plates, etc.) of high-rise buildings presents a great challenge and a threat to community. This project develops fundamental knowledge and algorithms that underpin the deployment of a new technique for fast and automated quantitative integrity assessment of façade units of high-rise buildings, integrating mechanisms of directional acoustic waves, vibro-acoustics of façade tiles or panels, laser sensing technology, deep learning algorithms and drone technology. Outcomes of this project are critical for implementing the new technology for enhanced safety to community and the development of new procedures for driving down maintenance costs of the external façade of high-rise buildings.Read moreRead less
The evolution of phenotypic plasticity during a biological invasion. The project seeks to unravel the mechanisms by which a species responds to challenges such as pollution, invasive species and climate change. Organisms can deal with challenges by changing their phenotypes in response to environmental cues (plasticity) and/or by longer-term changes in gene frequencies within a population (adaptation). Plasticity itself can be adaptive; so how does it evolve? Invasive species offer a unique oppo ....The evolution of phenotypic plasticity during a biological invasion. The project seeks to unravel the mechanisms by which a species responds to challenges such as pollution, invasive species and climate change. Organisms can deal with challenges by changing their phenotypes in response to environmental cues (plasticity) and/or by longer-term changes in gene frequencies within a population (adaptation). Plasticity itself can be adaptive; so how does it evolve? Invasive species offer a unique opportunity to answer that question, because a founding population (with modest genetic variation) must deal with myriad challenges in its new home. Using Australia’s cane toad invasion as the model system, the project aims to tease apart the roles of epigenetic and genetic modifications, and the interplay between them, as drivers for the toads’ success and rapid evolution in Australia.Read moreRead less
The roles of stress and immunocompetence in biological invasions. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity worldwide; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Building on recent studies that reveal weakened immune systems in invasion-front toads, this project will provide a comprehensive understanding of immune responses in cane toads and native frogs, with the aim of exploiting the toads' immunocompromised state to develop new and more ....The roles of stress and immunocompetence in biological invasions. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity worldwide; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Building on recent studies that reveal weakened immune systems in invasion-front toads, this project will provide a comprehensive understanding of immune responses in cane toads and native frogs, with the aim of exploiting the toads' immunocompromised state to develop new and more effective control measures. The project will develop a new paradigm about the roles of stress and immunity in biological invasion, applicable to the control of other invasive species and to understanding processes at work when environmental changes force species to shift their ranges.Read moreRead less
Frayed at the edges? Integrating evolutionary genetics into the study of species distributional limits. Restricted species, like those in rainforests, represent the vast majority of biodiversity, but they face high risks of extinction due to climate change unless they can adapt. Using butterflies as a model, this project will examine whether rainforest restricted species are able to adapt to future climate change and provide insight into their extinction risk.
Context-aware verification and validation framework for autonomous driving. This project aims to enhance the reliability and safety of emerging self-driving vehicles, through a framework that supports the validation and verification of autonomous driving systems. This project expects to generate new knowledge in areas of software engineering, intelligent transport, and machine learning, using a multi-disciplinary research combining expertise from various fields. Expected outcomes of this project ....Context-aware verification and validation framework for autonomous driving. This project aims to enhance the reliability and safety of emerging self-driving vehicles, through a framework that supports the validation and verification of autonomous driving systems. This project expects to generate new knowledge in areas of software engineering, intelligent transport, and machine learning, using a multi-disciplinary research combining expertise from various fields. Expected outcomes of this project are a family of new context-aware techniques to verify and validate complex behaviours in autonomous driving. This should provide significant benefits, such as safe autonomous driving systems and the improved journey experience and security for road users.Read moreRead less
Convex optimisation for control, signal processing and communication systems. Renewable control of complex systems, signal processing, telecommunication and in general any industries interested in these applications stand to benefit from our research. In particular, the automotive and defence industries stand to benefit from the nonlinear control design aspect of the proposed project outcomes. The
telecommunications industries, on the other hand, benefit from the signal processing and communicat ....Convex optimisation for control, signal processing and communication systems. Renewable control of complex systems, signal processing, telecommunication and in general any industries interested in these applications stand to benefit from our research. In particular, the automotive and defence industries stand to benefit from the nonlinear control design aspect of the proposed project outcomes. The
telecommunications industries, on the other hand, benefit from the signal processing and communications aspects. We also build a core expertise in optimisation and its applications in Australia by training PhD students and Postdoctoral researchers. The research collaborations will cement and maintain the international linkages which will improve applied research in AustraliaRead moreRead less
Neural circuit control of effort under stress . This Project aims to investigate how the ‘decision’ to persist in exerting effort to obtain a reward is encoded in the the brain and affected by stress. This work will generate new knowledge on the neural mechanisms through which stress modifies neural activity to control decision making processes underpinning adaptive behaviours essential for survival. The expected outcomes of this work include enhanced capacity at the interface of behavioural a ....Neural circuit control of effort under stress . This Project aims to investigate how the ‘decision’ to persist in exerting effort to obtain a reward is encoded in the the brain and affected by stress. This work will generate new knowledge on the neural mechanisms through which stress modifies neural activity to control decision making processes underpinning adaptive behaviours essential for survival. The expected outcomes of this work include enhanced capacity at the interface of behavioural and computational neuroscience, that will in turn provide significant benefits through greater insight into brain functions essential for survival, with long ranging implications for performance optimisation and brain-inspired computing. Read moreRead less
The sparrows in the mining towns: a century of adaptation to contamination. Our research will characterise how contamination from the extraction of precious metals can spread through the environment and how it effects a highly urbanised bird – the house sparrow. In many cases, populations of these birds have been intimately associated with mining operations for over a century, and our recent work has provided evidence of adaptation over time. House sparrows provide a great natural system to unde ....The sparrows in the mining towns: a century of adaptation to contamination. Our research will characterise how contamination from the extraction of precious metals can spread through the environment and how it effects a highly urbanised bird – the house sparrow. In many cases, populations of these birds have been intimately associated with mining operations for over a century, and our recent work has provided evidence of adaptation over time. House sparrows provide a great natural system to understand the genetic potential of organisms to adapt to anthropomorphic change in the environment connected with the resources industry. Our work, will bring new insight into the future management of environmental contamination, and the mitigation of adverse effects arising from resource extraction.Read moreRead less