Supersymmetry and supergravity: new approaches and applications. This project aims to advance our understanding of supersymmetric quantum field, gravity, and higher-spin theories. Supersymmetry and supergravity play crucial roles in modern developments in fundamental particle physics and cosmology. They also have rich connections with many branches of mathematical physics. Major conceptual questions in the description of general supergravity-matter couplings are still unsolved. By performing sta ....Supersymmetry and supergravity: new approaches and applications. This project aims to advance our understanding of supersymmetric quantum field, gravity, and higher-spin theories. Supersymmetry and supergravity play crucial roles in modern developments in fundamental particle physics and cosmology. They also have rich connections with many branches of mathematical physics. Major conceptual questions in the description of general supergravity-matter couplings are still unsolved. By performing state of the art analysis in supergravity and holographic dualities, the project will advance our understanding of quantum gravity, black holes, and cosmology placing Australia at the forefront of these important research fields.Read moreRead less
Interactive learning for robots in human environments. This project aims to develop robots that can interact with and learn from humans to quickly and safely learn new skills. Recent advances in robotics and artificial intelligence are poised to transform our economy, workplaces and homes, and even the organisation of society, however these advances are limited by robots’ inability to learn and adapt in uncertain environments. The outcomes of this project are expected to include new validated me ....Interactive learning for robots in human environments. This project aims to develop robots that can interact with and learn from humans to quickly and safely learn new skills. Recent advances in robotics and artificial intelligence are poised to transform our economy, workplaces and homes, and even the organisation of society, however these advances are limited by robots’ inability to learn and adapt in uncertain environments. The outcomes of this project are expected to include new validated methods and frameworks to enable robots to be used by non-experts and to be quickly deployed in a variety of settings. This is anticipated to provide transformative benefits, improving safety and productivity in the workspace, and enabling improved comfort, convenience and quality of life in the home.Read moreRead less
Home helper robots: Understanding our future lives with human-like AI. This fellowship aims to understand and plan for the social effects of embedding ‘cute’ home helper robots into people’s everyday lives. The project is expected to generate new knowledge and resources to understand and respond to the emerging opportunities and risks associated with home helper robots, including their ability to support household tasks, and to provide child and aged care and companionship. Expected outcomes inc ....Home helper robots: Understanding our future lives with human-like AI. This fellowship aims to understand and plan for the social effects of embedding ‘cute’ home helper robots into people’s everyday lives. The project is expected to generate new knowledge and resources to understand and respond to the emerging opportunities and risks associated with home helper robots, including their ability to support household tasks, and to provide child and aged care and companionship. Expected outcomes include an improved understanding of anthropomorphised robots in everyday life and innovation in home helper robot theory and imaginaries. This should provide benefits such as informing robot design and policy to improve social outcomes, consumer protections and human-robot relationships.Read moreRead less
Improving crops from the ground up: genetic solutions to optimise roots. This project aims to develop future crops with optimised root systems by overcoming genetic constraints that currently restrict their potential. Exploiting advances in genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics and genome editing, this project expects to advance understanding of the biology and genetic controls of root development and responses to concurrent stressors, including drought, nutrient deficiency and soil-borne disea ....Improving crops from the ground up: genetic solutions to optimise roots. This project aims to develop future crops with optimised root systems by overcoming genetic constraints that currently restrict their potential. Exploiting advances in genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics and genome editing, this project expects to advance understanding of the biology and genetic controls of root development and responses to concurrent stressors, including drought, nutrient deficiency and soil-borne disease. It is anticipated that project outcomes will support the development of crops equipped with novel root traits, enhancing resource-use efficiency and yield stability amid climate variability. This globally relevant research is designed to benefit the sustainability and profitability of the Australian grains industry.Read moreRead less
The role of strong duality in computer vision. This project aims to undertake research in the fields of computer vision and optimization that will have a significant impact on the design of numerical algorithms for solving a wide range of problems in Computer Vision, Virtual Reality and Robotic Navigation. This project will advance understanding of a broad class of problems related to how computers interpret images. An expected outcome is the generation of novel mathematical theory and numerical ....The role of strong duality in computer vision. This project aims to undertake research in the fields of computer vision and optimization that will have a significant impact on the design of numerical algorithms for solving a wide range of problems in Computer Vision, Virtual Reality and Robotic Navigation. This project will advance understanding of a broad class of problems related to how computers interpret images. An expected outcome is the generation of novel mathematical theory and numerical algorithms capable of fundamentally changing the way problems relevant to a wide range of vision-related applications are solved. This should offer Australia a strong competitive advantage as a leader in scientific innovation in the areas of Computer Vision, Virtual Reality and Robotics and Autonomous Systems.Read moreRead less
Control and learning for enhancing capabilities of quantum sensors. This project aims to develop new theories and algorithms to enhance capabilities in engineering quantum sensors from the perspective of systems and control. The project is significant because it is anticipated to advance key knowledge and provide systematic methods to enable achievement of high-precision sensing for wide applications, e.g., early disease detection, medical research, discovery of ore deposits and groundwater moni ....Control and learning for enhancing capabilities of quantum sensors. This project aims to develop new theories and algorithms to enhance capabilities in engineering quantum sensors from the perspective of systems and control. The project is significant because it is anticipated to advance key knowledge and provide systematic methods to enable achievement of high-precision sensing for wide applications, e.g., early disease detection, medical research, discovery of ore deposits and groundwater monitoring. The intended outcomes are fundamental theories, effective control and learning algorithms for achieving highly-sensitive sensors. These outcomes should make important contributions to and deliver new knowledge and skills for Australia's sensing industries, which could benefit Australia's economic growth.Read moreRead less
Swarm construction: ant-inspired processes for teams of building robots. Construction and manufacturing can be dangerous, wasteful industries—prime candidates for automation by teams of mobile robot builders. However, our understanding of how to program robots for teamwork is limited. This project aims to understand how colonies of weaver ants build complex nest structures, using novel 3D-imaging and ant tracking techniques. The anticipated outcomes of the project are i) a framework for how indi ....Swarm construction: ant-inspired processes for teams of building robots. Construction and manufacturing can be dangerous, wasteful industries—prime candidates for automation by teams of mobile robot builders. However, our understanding of how to program robots for teamwork is limited. This project aims to understand how colonies of weaver ants build complex nest structures, using novel 3D-imaging and ant tracking techniques. The anticipated outcomes of the project are i) a framework for how individual-level behaviour drives structure-level outcomes, applicable to many complex systems, and ii) novel software and hardware for robot swarms that can 3D-print structures using ant inspired teamwork strategies. Benefits of the project include new construction technologies that are safer, greener, cheaper and faster.Read moreRead less
Universal structures in stringy extra dimensions. The project aims to study properties of extra dimensions in string theory by means of techniques from supersymmetric gauge theory. This new approach makes it possible to study areas in the landscape of stringy extra dimensions that have not been accessible before. The project expects to uncover new universal features. This will have significant impact on string theory and mathematics. Expected outcomes of this project include answers to conceptua ....Universal structures in stringy extra dimensions. The project aims to study properties of extra dimensions in string theory by means of techniques from supersymmetric gauge theory. This new approach makes it possible to study areas in the landscape of stringy extra dimensions that have not been accessible before. The project expects to uncover new universal features. This will have significant impact on string theory and mathematics. Expected outcomes of this project include answers to conceptual questions in string theory, new types of extra dimensions, and new methods to compute quantum corrections in string theory. This should provide significant benefits, such as interdisciplinary collaborations at the national and international level and a strengthening of string theory in Australia.Read moreRead less
Logarithmic conformal field theory and the 4D/2D correspondence. Conformal field theory provides powerful methods for attacking problems in theoretical physics and furnishes beautiful connections between seemingly disparate branches of pure mathematics. This proposal aims to greatly expand our knowledge of the logarithmic conformal field theories that have recently witnessed a resurgence of interest in physics. Advancing these theories is crucial to progress in high-energy physics and pure mathe ....Logarithmic conformal field theory and the 4D/2D correspondence. Conformal field theory provides powerful methods for attacking problems in theoretical physics and furnishes beautiful connections between seemingly disparate branches of pure mathematics. This proposal aims to greatly expand our knowledge of the logarithmic conformal field theories that have recently witnessed a resurgence of interest in physics. Advancing these theories is crucial to progress in high-energy physics and pure mathematics. Expected outcomes include a completely new understanding of the mathematical structure of these theories which will, in turn, facilitate applications in 4D gauge theory. This will boost research capacity and further cement Australia's reputation as an international leader in mathematical physics research.Read moreRead less