Fundamentals and applications of dynamic interfacial forces in soft matter. The proposed program will make an internationally significant contribution to the fundamental understanding of soft matter on the nanoscale. This has a direct impact upon processes that are key to a wide range of Australian industries ranging from the manufacture of functional foods to minerals recovery to pharmaceutical formulation, where innovative solutions can substantially improve productivity, increase export pote ....Fundamentals and applications of dynamic interfacial forces in soft matter. The proposed program will make an internationally significant contribution to the fundamental understanding of soft matter on the nanoscale. This has a direct impact upon processes that are key to a wide range of Australian industries ranging from the manufacture of functional foods to minerals recovery to pharmaceutical formulation, where innovative solutions can substantially improve productivity, increase export potential and reduce environmental impact. The outcomes of this work, in the form of high impact papers and conference presentations, will build and enhance Australia's reputation as a world leader in nanotechnology and colloid science. Read moreRead less
Mary Astell (1666-1731): An Historical-Intellectual Role Model for Women in Philosophy. Mary Astell was an early modern English philosopher of exceptional eloquence and skill. This project will produce the first overview of her philosophical thought, the first authoritative critical edition of her magnum opus, and the first assessment of her philosophical relevance today. These outputs have the potential to encourage women's participation in philosophy and in intellectual life more generally, ou ....Mary Astell (1666-1731): An Historical-Intellectual Role Model for Women in Philosophy. Mary Astell was an early modern English philosopher of exceptional eloquence and skill. This project will produce the first overview of her philosophical thought, the first authoritative critical edition of her magnum opus, and the first assessment of her philosophical relevance today. These outputs have the potential to encourage women's participation in philosophy and in intellectual life more generally, outcomes that would be of tremendous benefit to Australia's social and economic fabric. The project will also enhance Australia's already outstanding scholarly reputation for early modern studies and the history of women's ideas.Read moreRead less
Complex and nonlinear pattern analysis in architectural space, form and program: developing computational tools to support social and cultural design. In a country that is experiencing increasing urban density there is an urgent need for the development of tools and models for the production of socially and culturally responsive environments. The Fellowship develops a new quantitative and qualitative understanding of the experiential and semiotic characteristics of buildings. The project, assis ....Complex and nonlinear pattern analysis in architectural space, form and program: developing computational tools to support social and cultural design. In a country that is experiencing increasing urban density there is an urgent need for the development of tools and models for the production of socially and culturally responsive environments. The Fellowship develops a new quantitative and qualitative understanding of the experiential and semiotic characteristics of buildings. The project, assisted by developments in robotics technology, produces a leading-edge computational model for analysing complex and non-linear patterns in architectural space, form and program from a social and cultural perspective. Such a model will assist design practitioners, scholars, town planners and policy writers to shape rich, responsive and inclusive architectural environments.Read moreRead less
Fatigue Life Prediction of Nano-filler Modified Composites. The proposed project aims to study the behaviour and the failure mechanisms of polymer nanocomposites under cyclic loading. The outcomes of the project will make original contributions to our knowledge base on such materials. The mechanics modelling and statistical analysis of the prediction of fatigue life will provide a sound physical basis and a useful tool for any future improvement and optimisation of the composites to achieve bett ....Fatigue Life Prediction of Nano-filler Modified Composites. The proposed project aims to study the behaviour and the failure mechanisms of polymer nanocomposites under cyclic loading. The outcomes of the project will make original contributions to our knowledge base on such materials. The mechanics modelling and statistical analysis of the prediction of fatigue life will provide a sound physical basis and a useful tool for any future improvement and optimisation of the composites to achieve better reliability and integrity in their intended applications. This study will bring economic benefits to the end-users of advanced material technology including the Australian materials industries. Read moreRead less
The Language of Knowledge. Knowledge is central to our lives. The way we attribute knowledge to others governs whom we trust, how we reason, what we do, and whether we succeed. The significance of this project consists in a deeper understanding of our attributions of knowledge, situated within the context of questions. This project offers the benefits of quality foundational research in an interdisciplinary venue. It connects to a range of areas of National Research Priority including An Environ ....The Language of Knowledge. Knowledge is central to our lives. The way we attribute knowledge to others governs whom we trust, how we reason, what we do, and whether we succeed. The significance of this project consists in a deeper understanding of our attributions of knowledge, situated within the context of questions. This project offers the benefits of quality foundational research in an interdisciplinary venue. It connects to a range of areas of National Research Priority including An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, Promoting and Managing Good Health, and Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries, insofar as all of these areas of National Research Priority are concerned with the acquisition and transfer of knowledge.Read moreRead less
Raman conversion in diamond: Next generation long and far infrared and terahertz lasers. Through the creation of practical and powerful long wave infrared and terahertz lasers, this project will enable more rapid progress in many fields of science and technology, and in important medical, environmental and safeguarding applications of national priority. Australia also stands to benefit economically via commercialization of diamond-based Raman lasers and instruments into the market. The project w ....Raman conversion in diamond: Next generation long and far infrared and terahertz lasers. Through the creation of practical and powerful long wave infrared and terahertz lasers, this project will enable more rapid progress in many fields of science and technology, and in important medical, environmental and safeguarding applications of national priority. Australia also stands to benefit economically via commercialization of diamond-based Raman lasers and instruments into the market. The project will produce highly-trained researchers and students in the theory, design and development of diamond sources, enhance Australia's existing strengths in waveguide optics and photonics, and place Australia at the forefront of research in long-wave infrared and terahertz science.Read moreRead less
Mimetics and small chemical compounds for hemopoietic stem cell mobilisation. This project will result in the design and synthesis of new chemical compounds that could be used clinically to help collect blood stem cells for bone marrow transplantation. For patients this will mean more effective and less painful ways to collect stem cells and better transplant outcomes. There is a large, ongoing international market for this type of drug and likelihood of significant financial benefit.
Differentiation not disintegration: Integrating strategies to improve Occupational Health and Safety in the construction industry. Almost ten percent of all injury and death claims in Australia are attributed to construction, creating a significant social and economic burden. Organisational, technological and cultural fragmentation of the supply chain impedes the integration of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) into construction planning and design. The research will effect critical and susta ....Differentiation not disintegration: Integrating strategies to improve Occupational Health and Safety in the construction industry. Almost ten percent of all injury and death claims in Australia are attributed to construction, creating a significant social and economic burden. Organisational, technological and cultural fragmentation of the supply chain impedes the integration of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) into construction planning and design. The research will effect critical and sustainable improvements in construction OHS, through: (i) the engagement of all industry participants in the OHS improvement effort; (ii) the identification of new technologies which can improve OHS; and (iii) the establishment of a unity of purpose regarding OHS among construction industry stakeholders, contributing significantly to a reduction in the social and economic costs of occupational death, injury and illness.Read moreRead less
Novel Synthesis and Bio-applications of Functional Macroporous Ordered Siliceous Foams. This project will lead to advances in materials science and nanotechnology, providing high efficiency separation and purification for viruses or plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which are important in modern gene engineering for the treatment of genetic and acquired diseases. Application benefits also include developing a new protocol in the detection of trace amount proteins, which will afford a signific ....Novel Synthesis and Bio-applications of Functional Macroporous Ordered Siliceous Foams. This project will lead to advances in materials science and nanotechnology, providing high efficiency separation and purification for viruses or plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which are important in modern gene engineering for the treatment of genetic and acquired diseases. Application benefits also include developing a new protocol in the detection of trace amount proteins, which will afford a significant improvement in diverse fields such as health care. Through this project, novel macroporous materials will be fabricated using an economically and environmentally sustainable approach. These new materials will have unique structures and properties compared to conventional macroporous materials, advancing Australia's intellectual position in this discipline.Read moreRead less
Increasing internet energy and cost efficiency by improving higher-layer protocols. Australians rely heavily on our telecommunications infrastructure due to our geographic dispersion. We are also very susceptible to climate change, given our reliance on agriculture. Information technology is consuming a rapidly increasing fraction of our power and our budget. This research will help to reverse both those trends, by finding novel and practical ways to use our infrastructure more efficiently, and ....Increasing internet energy and cost efficiency by improving higher-layer protocols. Australians rely heavily on our telecommunications infrastructure due to our geographic dispersion. We are also very susceptible to climate change, given our reliance on agriculture. Information technology is consuming a rapidly increasing fraction of our power and our budget. This research will help to reverse both those trends, by finding novel and practical ways to use our infrastructure more efficiently, and to minimise its energy use. This will enable the Australian telecommunications industry to provide better service (including to Australian industries and rural communities) at lower economic and environmental cost. This project will put Australia on the international stage as a leading contributor to energy-efficient internet technology.Read moreRead less