Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL230100030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,320,000.00
Summary
A walk on the wild side: understanding disease resistance across plants. Plants are in constant battle with pests and pathogens. Wild species host genetic diversity, providing sources of disease resistance, while the narrow genetic base of crop varieties leads to an increasing reliance on the unsustainable application of chemical fungicides. Here I will apply the latest genomics approaches to characterise disease resistance gene diversity across the plant kingdom. Comparison of gene diversity wi ....A walk on the wild side: understanding disease resistance across plants. Plants are in constant battle with pests and pathogens. Wild species host genetic diversity, providing sources of disease resistance, while the narrow genetic base of crop varieties leads to an increasing reliance on the unsustainable application of chemical fungicides. Here I will apply the latest genomics approaches to characterise disease resistance gene diversity across the plant kingdom. Comparison of gene diversity within and between plant families will improve our understanding of resistance gene evolution in wild species and the impact of domestication and breeding on resistance gene diversity. Translation of this knowledge will support breeding for crop resilience, leading to durable resistance and more sustainable crop productionRead moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100107
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$672,000.00
Summary
The next generation fast radio burst detector for Australia. This project intends to provide a next-generation fast radio burst detector for the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. The project expects to both transform our understanding of fast radio bursts, enigmatic flashes of radio waves of unknown origin, but also use the bursts as tools to study the cosmic web of matter that resides in intergalactic space. To do so, the project aims to deliver a more sensitive detection system ca ....The next generation fast radio burst detector for Australia. This project intends to provide a next-generation fast radio burst detector for the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. The project expects to both transform our understanding of fast radio bursts, enigmatic flashes of radio waves of unknown origin, but also use the bursts as tools to study the cosmic web of matter that resides in intergalactic space. To do so, the project aims to deliver a more sensitive detection system capable of localising a large sample of fast radio bursts to greater distances, found commensal to other observations. This should provide significant benefit, including the resolutions to key open astrophysical questions and improved scientific outcomes for transient searches with the Square Kilometre Array.Read moreRead less
Investigating a novel genetic strategy for insect resistance in crops. Plants are in a constant battle with insect pests and there is an increasing reliance on chemical inputs for control. However there are incoming bans on some pesticides, and new approaches are required for pest management. The aim of this project is to develop a new strategy which exploits the dependence of herbivorous insects on phytosterols. Here, we will apply the latest genomics technologies in plants to produce non-utili ....Investigating a novel genetic strategy for insect resistance in crops. Plants are in a constant battle with insect pests and there is an increasing reliance on chemical inputs for control. However there are incoming bans on some pesticides, and new approaches are required for pest management. The aim of this project is to develop a new strategy which exploits the dependence of herbivorous insects on phytosterols. Here, we will apply the latest genomics technologies in plants to produce non-utilizable sterols which will not support insect growth and reproduction, but will still allow the plant to function normally. We will demonstrate this in the important crop canola. Translation of this knowledge will support breeding for crop resilience, leading to durable resistance and more sustainable crop production.Read moreRead less
Sustainable fiscal federalism and reform of the GST distribution system. The primary source of funds for Australian States and Territories is GST revenue distributed by the Commonwealth using an equalisation formula that has proved to be politically unsustainable and in recent times manifestly inadequate to provide the revenue needed in response to crises and natural disasters. A tipping point has been reached and reform is urgently needed. Drawing on international experience with GST distributi ....Sustainable fiscal federalism and reform of the GST distribution system. The primary source of funds for Australian States and Territories is GST revenue distributed by the Commonwealth using an equalisation formula that has proved to be politically unsustainable and in recent times manifestly inadequate to provide the revenue needed in response to crises and natural disasters. A tipping point has been reached and reform is urgently needed. Drawing on international experience with GST distributions specifically and fiscal federalism more generally, the project aims to develop a reform blueprint for a sustainable and equitable fiscal federalism regime in Australia that best aligns with Australia’s current and long-term fiscal needs.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100694
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,014.00
Summary
Does disconnection in the aging brain cause age-related movement decline? This project aims to use new neurophysiological approaches to understand the causal role of age-related changes in brain network connectivity to the movement control. Brain regions interact through complex and dynamic neural networks to control voluntary movement, but whether age-related changes in network connectivity drive age-related decline in movement control is unknown. This project will provide significant benefits ....Does disconnection in the aging brain cause age-related movement decline? This project aims to use new neurophysiological approaches to understand the causal role of age-related changes in brain network connectivity to the movement control. Brain regions interact through complex and dynamic neural networks to control voluntary movement, but whether age-related changes in network connectivity drive age-related decline in movement control is unknown. This project will provide significant benefits such as the neurophysiological knowledge required to develop targeted interventions to improve movement control in the aging population.Read moreRead less
Jurassic arc? Reconstructing the lost world of Eastern Australia. This project aims to resolve a long-standing enigma about the geological formation of the Great Artesian Basin – Australia’s most important onshore reservoir for groundwater and hydrocarbon resources. Specifically, the project will integrate sedimentological and geochemical studies to investigate the geodynamic configuration of Eastern Australia during the Jurassic Period of basin formation. The intended outcomes are an improved u ....Jurassic arc? Reconstructing the lost world of Eastern Australia. This project aims to resolve a long-standing enigma about the geological formation of the Great Artesian Basin – Australia’s most important onshore reservoir for groundwater and hydrocarbon resources. Specifically, the project will integrate sedimentological and geochemical studies to investigate the geodynamic configuration of Eastern Australia during the Jurassic Period of basin formation. The intended outcomes are an improved understanding of the evolution of the Australian continent and better knowledge of the formation of intercontinental sedimentary basins, which includes better assessment of their potential to contain hydrocarbon resources.Read moreRead less
Collision Avoidance in Shipping Lanes via Intelligent Sensor Data Fusion . This project aims to develop an online maritime traffic monitoring system for reliable collision/contact avoidance that exploits complementary data from high-resolution airborne sensors and surface vessel sensors. Our approach is based on optimal scheduling and fusion of the sensor data and possibly other sources of data to construct a comprehensive dynamic picture of maritime traffic, in real-time. Moreover, the proposed ....Collision Avoidance in Shipping Lanes via Intelligent Sensor Data Fusion . This project aims to develop an online maritime traffic monitoring system for reliable collision/contact avoidance that exploits complementary data from high-resolution airborne sensors and surface vessel sensors. Our approach is based on optimal scheduling and fusion of the sensor data and possibly other sources of data to construct a comprehensive dynamic picture of maritime traffic, in real-time. Moreover, the proposed methodology enables quantification of confidence in the predictions. This will provide ship owners, directly to their vessels and/or at the fleet management centres, information such as weather reports, reliable collision/no-collision warnings and avoidance strategies, on-the-fly. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100158
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$405,751.00
Summary
Addressing vaccine rejection: drivers and impact of mandatory vaccination. This project aims to investigate and analyse the introduction, design and implementation of mandatory child vaccination programs in Italy, France, Australia and California, using a comparative case study approach. Parental rejection of childhood vaccines can cause illness and death. However, governments limiting personal liberty can erode public acceptance. The project’s goal is to provide the tools, framework and concept ....Addressing vaccine rejection: drivers and impact of mandatory vaccination. This project aims to investigate and analyse the introduction, design and implementation of mandatory child vaccination programs in Italy, France, Australia and California, using a comparative case study approach. Parental rejection of childhood vaccines can cause illness and death. However, governments limiting personal liberty can erode public acceptance. The project’s goal is to provide the tools, framework and conceptual clarity to help researchers and policymakers consider the merits and limitations of strategies which mandate childhood vaccination.Read moreRead less
Adaptation to life in the dark: genomic analyses of blind beetles. This project aims to utilise a unique Australian model system based on multiple, independently-evolved subterranean water beetles to explore the adaptive and regressive changes in the genome that occur when surface species colonise subterranean habitats. This project focuses on the evolution of Heat Shock protein (Hsp) genes that play critical roles in adaptation to environmental stress and the process of de-canalisation, the rel ....Adaptation to life in the dark: genomic analyses of blind beetles. This project aims to utilise a unique Australian model system based on multiple, independently-evolved subterranean water beetles to explore the adaptive and regressive changes in the genome that occur when surface species colonise subterranean habitats. This project focuses on the evolution of Heat Shock protein (Hsp) genes that play critical roles in adaptation to environmental stress and the process of de-canalisation, the release of cryptic genetic variation that can allow novel morphologies to evolve in new environments. The project expects to provide further understanding of how species may potentially adapt to environmental stresses in the future, including climate change.Read moreRead less
Understanding the relationship between sociality and cognition. The evolution of cognition is a fundamentally important yet poorly researched area. It has recently become clear that rather than measuring cognitive performance between species, understanding the causes of intraspecific variation in cognitive performance is vital to accurately measure the selective benefits of cognition. Recent groundbreaking research on Australian magpies has revealed individual differences in cognitive performanc ....Understanding the relationship between sociality and cognition. The evolution of cognition is a fundamentally important yet poorly researched area. It has recently become clear that rather than measuring cognitive performance between species, understanding the causes of intraspecific variation in cognitive performance is vital to accurately measure the selective benefits of cognition. Recent groundbreaking research on Australian magpies has revealed individual differences in cognitive performance are influenced by differences in sociality. This proposal will determine the causality of these results by examining the developmental and fitness consequences of individual differences in cognitive performance in relation to social interactions, thus directly addressing the sociality-cognition debate.Read moreRead less