Pheromone evolution and ecology in insects on intra- and inter-specific scales. The study of pheromones is important because so many insect pests use them as part of their reproductive life cycle, increasing their potential to cause damage to crops and other natural products. My research will improve our understanding of the evolution of pheromones and communication by smell, a subject that has been largely neglected by evolutionary biologists. More specifically, by identifying the ecological fa ....Pheromone evolution and ecology in insects on intra- and inter-specific scales. The study of pheromones is important because so many insect pests use them as part of their reproductive life cycle, increasing their potential to cause damage to crops and other natural products. My research will improve our understanding of the evolution of pheromones and communication by smell, a subject that has been largely neglected by evolutionary biologists. More specifically, by identifying the ecological factors that influence pheromone evolution, the research will help to assess the long-term consequences of the control measures currently used against such pests and, in particular, will have direct applications to the prevention of damage to Australian pine plantations by the invasive five-spined bark beetle, Ips grandicollis. Read moreRead less
The genomics of adaptation in Wolbachia pipientis, an emerging biocontrol agent. Australians are increasingly exposed to insect-transmitted diseases such as dengue fever. Novel biocontrol methods using the bacterium Wolbachia aim to control insect populations to reduce disease transmission. Our research will be the first to investigate genomic variation and the process of adaptation to new insect hosts in Wolbachia. The novel data and understanding of evolutionary processes we generate will be c ....The genomics of adaptation in Wolbachia pipientis, an emerging biocontrol agent. Australians are increasingly exposed to insect-transmitted diseases such as dengue fever. Novel biocontrol methods using the bacterium Wolbachia aim to control insect populations to reduce disease transmission. Our research will be the first to investigate genomic variation and the process of adaptation to new insect hosts in Wolbachia. The novel data and understanding of evolutionary processes we generate will be critical for screening bacterial biocontrol candidates and designing biocontrol release strategies. It will also strengthen the position of Australian research as a world-leader in the fusion of post-genomics and applied microbiology. Read moreRead less
The evolution of elaborate antennae in insects. This project will address several neglected but fundamental issues in the field of chemical communication and insect diversity. These include the evolutionary importance of receptor structures in a communication system, and the basis of diversity in one of the most defining characteristics of insects: antennae. The moth species in the proposed experiments are commercial pests of crops and therefore understanding of the evolutionary processes shapin ....The evolution of elaborate antennae in insects. This project will address several neglected but fundamental issues in the field of chemical communication and insect diversity. These include the evolutionary importance of receptor structures in a communication system, and the basis of diversity in one of the most defining characteristics of insects: antennae. The moth species in the proposed experiments are commercial pests of crops and therefore understanding of the evolutionary processes shaping their communication systems and mating behaviour will contribute to better predictive knowledge of the effects of control measures used against them. The project will also involve international collaboration to learn and develop new a technique in the analysis of pheromone communication. Read moreRead less
Olfactory signal transduction in Drosophila melanogaster. This project will strengthen Australia's research capabilities in the areas of molecular neurobiology and neurogenetics. The project will equip students with the intellectual and technical skills needed to work in priority areas such as genomics and biotechnology, as well as in medical and agricultural research, and education. The research has possible long term applications in modifying the behaviour of insects of agricultural or medical ....Olfactory signal transduction in Drosophila melanogaster. This project will strengthen Australia's research capabilities in the areas of molecular neurobiology and neurogenetics. The project will equip students with the intellectual and technical skills needed to work in priority areas such as genomics and biotechnology, as well as in medical and agricultural research, and education. The research has possible long term applications in modifying the behaviour of insects of agricultural or medical importance. For example, by inhibiting the ability of insects to perceive specific odours it may ultimately be possible to prevent insects that carry disease from identifying target animals, or plant pests from locating their host plants.Read moreRead less
Olfactory signalling and coding in Drosophila and other insects. Animals rely on olfactory cues to detect food, danger, and others of the same species. The olfactory systems of Drosophila and other insects are simpler than those of mammals, yet complex enough to offer fascinating systems for studying neural information processing. This project aims to investigate the role of the Drosophila odorant receptors in olfactory coding, and to use multiple approaches to isolate components of the poorly u ....Olfactory signalling and coding in Drosophila and other insects. Animals rely on olfactory cues to detect food, danger, and others of the same species. The olfactory systems of Drosophila and other insects are simpler than those of mammals, yet complex enough to offer fascinating systems for studying neural information processing. This project aims to investigate the role of the Drosophila odorant receptors in olfactory coding, and to use multiple approaches to isolate components of the poorly understood insect olfactory signal transduction pathway. In addition, the role of the NO/cGMP pathway in olfactory signalling will be studied using an olfactory mutant that has nitric oxide synthase defects.Read moreRead less
Genetic and epigenetic control of developmental competence. Development is an important biological process of life and understanding development has important medical and economic benefits for Australia. This research aims to study development using a simple, easily manipulated and well established experimental organism, a fungus, as a model for development in other organisms, including humans. In addition, fungi directly impact on life at many levels. Fungi can be pathogens of humans, other ani ....Genetic and epigenetic control of developmental competence. Development is an important biological process of life and understanding development has important medical and economic benefits for Australia. This research aims to study development using a simple, easily manipulated and well established experimental organism, a fungus, as a model for development in other organisms, including humans. In addition, fungi directly impact on life at many levels. Fungi can be pathogens of humans, other animals or plants significantly affecting our health, agriculture and industry. Fungi are also beneficial to other organisms, especially to many plants, and are used to manufacture pharmaceuticals and enzymes used in the health and biotechnology industries.Read moreRead less
Complexity-manageable methodologies and efficient computational tools for analysis and design of large-scale systems. The tools to be developed in this project have impact on a broad range of disciplines, including system analysis, feedback control technology, signal processing, communication network, and information theory. Practically, the success of this project will create cutting edge technologies applicable to design and management of important infrastructures of the modern society such as ....Complexity-manageable methodologies and efficient computational tools for analysis and design of large-scale systems. The tools to be developed in this project have impact on a broad range of disciplines, including system analysis, feedback control technology, signal processing, communication network, and information theory. Practically, the success of this project will create cutting edge technologies applicable to design and management of important infrastructures of the modern society such as communication networks, transportation systems, electrical power grids, and collaborative intelligent machines, and water distribution networks. Success of this project will bring novel methodologies and computational tools which help engineers to systematically design and validate the performance of their engineering systems.Read moreRead less
Robustness Analysis and Control Design of Distributed and Networked Systems. The theory and computational tools to be developed in this project have impact on a broad range of areas, including various engineering disciplines, biology, and medical and environmental sciences. In terms of practical interests, this project will create cutting edge technologies which are applicable to important infrastructures of the modern society such as communication networks, transportation systems, electrical po ....Robustness Analysis and Control Design of Distributed and Networked Systems. The theory and computational tools to be developed in this project have impact on a broad range of areas, including various engineering disciplines, biology, and medical and environmental sciences. In terms of practical interests, this project will create cutting edge technologies which are applicable to important infrastructures of the modern society such as communication networks, transportation systems, electrical power grids, collaborative intelligent machines, and water distribution networks. Read moreRead less
Sociality and a sense of smell: receptor organ evolution in ants. This research provides novel insights into social recognition in insects by capitalising on a new technique to investigate the role of chemosensory detection of contact pheromones. The primary impact will be to ensure that Australia maintains its high research profile in this field, and by contributing to research training through supervising and mentoring research students. Finally, our research will contribute to our understand ....Sociality and a sense of smell: receptor organ evolution in ants. This research provides novel insights into social recognition in insects by capitalising on a new technique to investigate the role of chemosensory detection of contact pheromones. The primary impact will be to ensure that Australia maintains its high research profile in this field, and by contributing to research training through supervising and mentoring research students. Finally, our research will contribute to our understanding of the 'success' of major trans-global ant pest species, information that could prove useful in management strategies.Read moreRead less
Understanding and exploiting bacterial sulfatases. Bacterial sulfatases participate in environmental nutrient cycling and are implicated in bacterial pathogenesis mechanisms. These enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of sulfate esters and possess an unusual posttranslational active-site modification where a cysteine residue is oxidized to formylglycine. We will study the mechanism of these enzymes in detail and design inhibitors that exploit the reactivity of this aminoacid. This work has significan ....Understanding and exploiting bacterial sulfatases. Bacterial sulfatases participate in environmental nutrient cycling and are implicated in bacterial pathogenesis mechanisms. These enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of sulfate esters and possess an unusual posttranslational active-site modification where a cysteine residue is oxidized to formylglycine. We will study the mechanism of these enzymes in detail and design inhibitors that exploit the reactivity of this aminoacid. This work has significance because of application to areas that include the treatment of cancer and bacterial infections. Additionally, we will clone novel carbohydrate sulfatases from the heparin-degrading bacterium Flavobacterium heparinum. These sulfatases will have use in biotechnology for characterization of sulfated glycoconjugates.Read moreRead less