A new universal mechanism controlling body proportions in animals. This project aims to establish that a recently-discovered mechanism, the inhibitory cascade, determines the basic proportions of appendages and body segments in a diverse range of animal groups, particularly vertebrates and arthropods. The goals of the project are to reveal the molecular mechanisms in mice and insects, and build computer simulations to show how to manipulate the control of development by the inhibitory cascade. T ....A new universal mechanism controlling body proportions in animals. This project aims to establish that a recently-discovered mechanism, the inhibitory cascade, determines the basic proportions of appendages and body segments in a diverse range of animal groups, particularly vertebrates and arthropods. The goals of the project are to reveal the molecular mechanisms in mice and insects, and build computer simulations to show how to manipulate the control of development by the inhibitory cascade. The project should benefit bioengineering by establishing control mechanisms for the manipulation and regeneration of teeth and limbs.Read moreRead less
How does timing affect mammalian brain development and evolution? This project aims to generate fundamental knowledge on the origin of diversity in mammalian brain circuits by studying development of marsupials and rodents. The expected outcome is to elucidate how differences in the timing, rate and sequence of development of gene expression, cell differentiation and circuit formation can relate to the origin of key evolutionary innovations in the mammalian brain. The significance of understandi ....How does timing affect mammalian brain development and evolution? This project aims to generate fundamental knowledge on the origin of diversity in mammalian brain circuits by studying development of marsupials and rodents. The expected outcome is to elucidate how differences in the timing, rate and sequence of development of gene expression, cell differentiation and circuit formation can relate to the origin of key evolutionary innovations in the mammalian brain. The significance of understanding the dynamics of developmental systems that shape complex brain traits includes establishing new developmental paradigms in evolutionary theory, generating new tools to investigate and manipulate brain gene expression in vivo, and the potential discovery of the causes of neurodevelopmental dysfunction.Read moreRead less
The Epigenetics of Sex in the Dragon. Genetic codes do not directly translate to phenotypes -- environment acts through epigenetics to modify development. We use advanced molecular techniques to examine how epigenetics responds to temperature to reverse sex in our novel animal model, the dragon lizard. How does the cell sense temperature? Once the extrinsic signal is captured, how does it influence chromatin modification to release or suppress key genes in the sex differentiation pathway? Which ....The Epigenetics of Sex in the Dragon. Genetic codes do not directly translate to phenotypes -- environment acts through epigenetics to modify development. We use advanced molecular techniques to examine how epigenetics responds to temperature to reverse sex in our novel animal model, the dragon lizard. How does the cell sense temperature? Once the extrinsic signal is captured, how does it influence chromatin modification to release or suppress key genes in the sex differentiation pathway? Which sex genes are targets? Epigenetic enzymes are astonishingly conserved, providing exciting opportunities to draw from human systems to unravel novel signatures of temperature-induced sex switching in reptiles. This project will advance knowledge of developmental programming generally.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH230100013
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,000,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for Future Digital Manufacturing. This Hub aims to grow and accelerate Australian digital manufacturing (DM) transformation by devising novel DM technology and commercialisation/adoption pathways. The Hub expects to transform industry by developing novel AI and IoT-powered DM technology that provides for dramatic improvement in manufacturing productivity, resilience and competitiveness. Expected outcomes include novel DM technology for digitally representing, predicting, and imp ....ARC Research Hub for Future Digital Manufacturing. This Hub aims to grow and accelerate Australian digital manufacturing (DM) transformation by devising novel DM technology and commercialisation/adoption pathways. The Hub expects to transform industry by developing novel AI and IoT-powered DM technology that provides for dramatic improvement in manufacturing productivity, resilience and competitiveness. Expected outcomes include novel DM technology for digitally representing, predicting, and improving production and its outcomes via an open platform that supports reusing industry co-created DM solutions. Through supporting advanced manufacturing priorities and Industry 4.0, the Hub should provide significant benefits by increasing Australian manufacturing productivity and resilience by 30%.Read moreRead less
Exemplary early childhood educators at work: A multi-level investigation. Exemplary early childhood educators at work: A multi-level investigation. This project aims to inform strategies to better attract, prepare, recognise, support and retain a high quality workforce, by investigating the complexity of early childhood educators’ work. Seemingly entrenched workforce shortages threaten the objectives that governments and families seek through investment in early childhood education. Popular imag ....Exemplary early childhood educators at work: A multi-level investigation. Exemplary early childhood educators at work: A multi-level investigation. This project aims to inform strategies to better attract, prepare, recognise, support and retain a high quality workforce, by investigating the complexity of early childhood educators’ work. Seemingly entrenched workforce shortages threaten the objectives that governments and families seek through investment in early childhood education. Popular images of work with young children as easy and instinctual, or of teaching as only school based, mislead potential workforce entrants and erode the status of educators, leading to attrition. This project’s audit and description of exemplary educators’ work, across each level of mandated qualification, will inform strategies to sustain a high quality early childhood workforce into the future.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101141
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$340,383.00
Summary
Globalising school reform through online teacher professional learning. This project aims to explore how new online modes of professional learning can inform professional knowledge and practice in teaching. The project will examine how international forms of evidence and expertise, and emergent private policy networks, are reshaping teacher knowledge, learning and practice in Australia and the United States of America. Through interviews, Internet and social media searches and document analysis, ....Globalising school reform through online teacher professional learning. This project aims to explore how new online modes of professional learning can inform professional knowledge and practice in teaching. The project will examine how international forms of evidence and expertise, and emergent private policy networks, are reshaping teacher knowledge, learning and practice in Australia and the United States of America. Through interviews, Internet and social media searches and document analysis, the project will highlight the changing nature of evidence-informed solutions, and create opportunities for teachers and policymakers to learn how to use professional learning and evidence to influence local schooling practices. The project will enhance teacher professional learning on student learning outcomes, as well as potentially improve the cost-effectiveness of delivering professional development programs for teachers.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101140
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$383,157.00
Summary
The role of teacher expertise, authority and professionalism in education. This project aims to provide new insights about the role of education in modern democratic societies, with a particular focus on teachers and teacher expertise. Specifically, the project will use case studies from three Western Democracies - Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States of America - to investigate the role of teachers in these education systems, and the ways in which contemporary policy and practice is ....The role of teacher expertise, authority and professionalism in education. This project aims to provide new insights about the role of education in modern democratic societies, with a particular focus on teachers and teacher expertise. Specifically, the project will use case studies from three Western Democracies - Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States of America - to investigate the role of teachers in these education systems, and the ways in which contemporary policy and practice is impacting their professional expertise and authority in their classrooms and schools. Using an innovative approach to comparative case studies, this project will advance knowledge about the relationship between schools, professional expertise and democracy, and the role of teachers within these spaces.Read moreRead less
The commercial provision of schooling and its implications for Australia. This project aims to identify modes of commercial provision of schooling around the globe and the policy networks and changing forms and practices of the state that help this provision. The integration of public schooling and corporate investment has become relatively commonplace around the world, yet there is no academic research on how this phenomenon could affect Australia. The project expects to show how commercial pro ....The commercial provision of schooling and its implications for Australia. This project aims to identify modes of commercial provision of schooling around the globe and the policy networks and changing forms and practices of the state that help this provision. The integration of public schooling and corporate investment has become relatively commonplace around the world, yet there is no academic research on how this phenomenon could affect Australia. The project expects to show how commercial provision of schooling creates relationships between governments and private companies and the implications of this commercial provision for equitable and democratic schooling in Australia.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC190100017
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,703,664.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Integrated Operations for Complex Resources. This Training Centre aims to increase value in mining through clever applications of ‘lean processing’ and train the next generation of scientists and engineers in advanced sensors and data analytics in complex resources; knowledge priorities for the mining industry. Sensor information will be linked to the resource’s in-place knowledge to enable data analytics of all embedded knowledge. Processing can then be tuned to resource ....ARC Training Centre for Integrated Operations for Complex Resources. This Training Centre aims to increase value in mining through clever applications of ‘lean processing’ and train the next generation of scientists and engineers in advanced sensors and data analytics in complex resources; knowledge priorities for the mining industry. Sensor information will be linked to the resource’s in-place knowledge to enable data analytics of all embedded knowledge. Processing can then be tuned to resource attributes, maximising value ‘on the fly’. Benefits will include increasing certainty on product quality and maximising throughput and recovery. Outcomes will include new tools to rapidly model geological and geometallurgical uncertainty with sensor inputs, to track the resource to product and enhance interpretation.Read moreRead less
Evolution. Morphodynamics and History of the Younghusband Peninsula. This project will examine the history and evolution of the Sir Richard-Younghusband Peninsula (SRYP) complex barrier in SA. The aims are to derive a understanding of how the influences of relative sea-level changes, neotectonics, and sediment supply, can produce remarkably different responses in barrier development. No complex barrier (i.e. foredune ridges in one portion, transgressive dunefields in another) has ever been compr ....Evolution. Morphodynamics and History of the Younghusband Peninsula. This project will examine the history and evolution of the Sir Richard-Younghusband Peninsula (SRYP) complex barrier in SA. The aims are to derive a understanding of how the influences of relative sea-level changes, neotectonics, and sediment supply, can produce remarkably different responses in barrier development. No complex barrier (i.e. foredune ridges in one portion, transgressive dunefields in another) has ever been comprehensively drilled, dated, modelled, or examined in the context of indigenous occupation and oral histories in Australia. The study provides excellent analogues for barrier and dune response, and shoreline translation to varying rates of sea level rise, paralleling pressures facing all coastlines today.Read moreRead less