Left to right is front to back: attentional distortions in near and far space for healthy and clinical populations. We are investigating a perceptual bias that makes people think objects right in front of them are actually slightly to the right but objects far away are slightly to the left. This project will help understand why this happens, to help reduce traffic collisions and help people with brain damage that causes similar perceptual biases.
Attentional asymmetries for navigation in healthy and clinical groups. This project plans to investigate how differences in attentional capacity between the left and right sides of the brain affect the ability to walk or manoeuvre vehicles between obstacles. To navigate our environment and avoid obstacles, we need to attend to stimuli that are important and ignore those that are not. Unfortunately, the brain’s attentional capacity is limited, which can result in errors and collisions. Using the ....Attentional asymmetries for navigation in healthy and clinical groups. This project plans to investigate how differences in attentional capacity between the left and right sides of the brain affect the ability to walk or manoeuvre vehicles between obstacles. To navigate our environment and avoid obstacles, we need to attend to stimuli that are important and ignore those that are not. Unfortunately, the brain’s attentional capacity is limited, which can result in errors and collisions. Using the techniques of cognitive neuroscience, the project aims to provide a better understanding of the cognitive and neural mechanisms that govern attention in an applied setting. It expects to identify the factors that exacerbate lapses in attention and collisions. The effect of everyday impediments such as mobile phones, alcohol and fatigue will be investigated together with means of minimising these attentional lapses and improving safety.Read moreRead less
Close to me: the effect of distractors on spatial attention in healthy and clinical populations. To function well, we need to pay attention to what is important. This project investigates how the brain responds to distractors, such as a person or object that is close by. This knowledge will help with the treatment of people with attentional disorders and will assist the design of human/machine interfaces, such as cars and security screening.
Global dementias: Examining structural vulnerability and dementia outcomes. This project aims to examine the social and cultural dimensions of dementia by using a comparative ethnographic approach to examine the experiences of people living with dementia in Australia, Malaysia and India. The project expects to generate new anthropological knowledge about structural inequalities by examining how dementia is responded to in diverse geographic, cultural and social settings. Expected outcomes of thi ....Global dementias: Examining structural vulnerability and dementia outcomes. This project aims to examine the social and cultural dimensions of dementia by using a comparative ethnographic approach to examine the experiences of people living with dementia in Australia, Malaysia and India. The project expects to generate new anthropological knowledge about structural inequalities by examining how dementia is responded to in diverse geographic, cultural and social settings. Expected outcomes of this project include the creation of a new evidence-base on dementia and the production of briefing documents to guide global health frameworks. The project should provide significant benefits for people living with dementia by providing locally-relevant strategies to respond to dementia and resultant disability.Read moreRead less
Young People with Disability & Young Carers: Opportunities & Contributions. This project aims to examine opportunities that young people with disability and young carers (aged 12-24) value and access, and contributions they make to families, communities and society. Using novel conceptual framing, qualitative research and large-scale survey data, the project expects to provide new knowledge on how policy can support access to valued opportunities and contributions for young people with disabilit ....Young People with Disability & Young Carers: Opportunities & Contributions. This project aims to examine opportunities that young people with disability and young carers (aged 12-24) value and access, and contributions they make to families, communities and society. Using novel conceptual framing, qualitative research and large-scale survey data, the project expects to provide new knowledge on how policy can support access to valued opportunities and contributions for young people with disability and young carers to support them to reach their full potential. Young people are centrally involved as co-researchers and the project is guided by a Policy Advisory Group. Benefits include evidence for a strengths-based policy approach to disability and care, longer-term economic gains and improved social cohesion.Read moreRead less
Novel geometric invariants. Quantum theory is the language of fundamental physics, it describes the small scale structure of matter and possibly space-time. Sophisticated models in condensed matter physics and string theory have exposed geometric and topological structure as basic building blocks of the theory. Issues thrown up by quantum theory are very similar to, and have provided techniques to solve, problems in the geometry of three and four dimensional manifolds. Exciting two way exchanges ....Novel geometric invariants. Quantum theory is the language of fundamental physics, it describes the small scale structure of matter and possibly space-time. Sophisticated models in condensed matter physics and string theory have exposed geometric and topological structure as basic building blocks of the theory. Issues thrown up by quantum theory are very similar to, and have provided techniques to solve, problems in the geometry of three and four dimensional manifolds. Exciting two way exchanges of methods, problems and solutions have emerged. This project aims to settle fundamental questions in the interaction between these two fields.Read moreRead less
New approaches to index theory. The laws of nature are often expressed by differential equations, involving their rates of change. If 'elliptic,' they have an 'index,' which is the number of solutions minus the number of constraints imposed. The Atiyah-Singer index theorem gives a striking calculation of this "index'. An extension is Fractional Index Theory, which has received international attention, having solved a fundamental open problem. A central aim is to investigate this further. I will ....New approaches to index theory. The laws of nature are often expressed by differential equations, involving their rates of change. If 'elliptic,' they have an 'index,' which is the number of solutions minus the number of constraints imposed. The Atiyah-Singer index theorem gives a striking calculation of this "index'. An extension is Fractional Index Theory, which has received international attention, having solved a fundamental open problem. A central aim is to investigate this further. I will assist beginners to navigate to the cutting edge of research through workshops, spring-schools and supervision. Benefits include the enhancement of Australia's position in the forefront of international research.Read moreRead less
Operator Integrals and Derivatives. The project is a contribution to the study of non-commutative differential and integral calculus. The novelty of the present project lies in the study of smoothness properties of functions whose domains and ranges are spaces of unbounded, non-commuting operators on some Hilbert space. Our general approach will be based on a detailed investigation of properties of double operator integrals, which permit smoothness estimates of operator-functions. It can be expe ....Operator Integrals and Derivatives. The project is a contribution to the study of non-commutative differential and integral calculus. The novelty of the present project lies in the study of smoothness properties of functions whose domains and ranges are spaces of unbounded, non-commuting operators on some Hilbert space. Our general approach will be based on a detailed investigation of properties of double operator integrals, which permit smoothness estimates of operator-functions. It can be expected that the new techniques generated will find further application in areas of mathematical physics and non-commutative geometry related to quantized calculus.
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Non-commutative analysis and differential calculus. This project is in an area of central mathematical importance and will lead to important scientific advances that will keep Australia at the forefront internationally in this field of research. There is an emphasis on international networking and we will collaborate with leading researchers in USA and France.
Finding Australia’s Disabled Authors: Connection, Creativity, Community. This research project aims to explore disabled writers and disability more generally in Australian literature. As there is little awareness of the contribution that Australian authors with disability have made to literary culture, the project expects to generate new knowledge about how disabled people have forged their writing careers, and how their disability shapes their creative practice. The expected outcomes include a ....Finding Australia’s Disabled Authors: Connection, Creativity, Community. This research project aims to explore disabled writers and disability more generally in Australian literature. As there is little awareness of the contribution that Australian authors with disability have made to literary culture, the project expects to generate new knowledge about how disabled people have forged their writing careers, and how their disability shapes their creative practice. The expected outcomes include a greater understanding of the diversity of Australian writers and literature, community engagement with disability, and support for emerging disabled writers. The project will provide significant benefits including a greater awareness of disability and the capacity to combat ableism and discrimination. Read moreRead less