Novel link between bacterial sugar metabolism and cell-to-cell signalling. This project aims to understand the role and function of the bacterial communication system that enables bacteria to form complex communities and alter phenotypic traits, essential for survival in their environment. Bacteria survive in their environmental niches by developing complex multicellular communities. Cell to cell communication, termed quorum sensing (QS), is critical for this process and is linked to their capac ....Novel link between bacterial sugar metabolism and cell-to-cell signalling. This project aims to understand the role and function of the bacterial communication system that enables bacteria to form complex communities and alter phenotypic traits, essential for survival in their environment. Bacteria survive in their environmental niches by developing complex multicellular communities. Cell to cell communication, termed quorum sensing (QS), is critical for this process and is linked to their capacity to detect and secrete small signalling molecules, autoinducers. This project will provide a new paradigm in bacterial adaptation through comprehensive characterisation of the Autoinducer-2 QS system. This knowledge will provide future opportunities for intervention in microbial infestation with broad potential benefits.Read moreRead less
Thermodynamics inversion for mineral systems. This project aims to provide a newly developed science approach to the Australian Lithospheric Architecture Magnetotelluric Project (AusLAMP). AusLAMP provides unparalleled geophysical information aimed at unravelling the tectonic history of the Australian continent and its mineral potential. The project will use thermodynamically based geodynamic simulators to jointly analyse and quantify intraplate deformation. This will illuminate the cause of dri ....Thermodynamics inversion for mineral systems. This project aims to provide a newly developed science approach to the Australian Lithospheric Architecture Magnetotelluric Project (AusLAMP). AusLAMP provides unparalleled geophysical information aimed at unravelling the tectonic history of the Australian continent and its mineral potential. The project will use thermodynamically based geodynamic simulators to jointly analyse and quantify intraplate deformation. This will illuminate the cause of driving fluid flow thorough the lithosphere, mineralisation phenomena, their datasets and geometries, and dynamic aspects of the processes driving mineral systems.Read moreRead less
Organic Bionics: Soft Materials to Solve Hard Problems in Neuroengineering. This project aims to combine innovations in organic conductors, nanotechnology, 3D biofabrication and neuroengineering to develop a bioelectronic system capable of wireless neuromodulation with unprecedented stability and precision. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the properties of materials that promote optical neuromodulation and new strategies to obtain long-term material stability in biologic ....Organic Bionics: Soft Materials to Solve Hard Problems in Neuroengineering. This project aims to combine innovations in organic conductors, nanotechnology, 3D biofabrication and neuroengineering to develop a bioelectronic system capable of wireless neuromodulation with unprecedented stability and precision. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the properties of materials that promote optical neuromodulation and new strategies to obtain long-term material stability in biological environments. The expected outcome is to generate new material design rules to facilitate wireless neuromodulation technologies in biomedical engineering. The project will position Australia as a leader in bionic devices by creating a new 3D bioprinting hub for low-cost fabrication of bioelectronic systems.Read moreRead less
Organic Bioelectronics: Solving Key Barriers to Precision Neuromodulation. This project aims to combine the principles of molecular electronics and neurobiology to create organic conductors with enhanced biocompatibility that enable optical neuromodulation. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the properties of materials that promote connectivity with neurons and the ability of new microscopy tools to visualise this bio-interface. The expected outcome of this project includes ....Organic Bioelectronics: Solving Key Barriers to Precision Neuromodulation. This project aims to combine the principles of molecular electronics and neurobiology to create organic conductors with enhanced biocompatibility that enable optical neuromodulation. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the properties of materials that promote connectivity with neurons and the ability of new microscopy tools to visualise this bio-interface. The expected outcome of this project includes new high performing materials, measurement tools and fabrication approaches to overcome the key challenges to precision neuromodulation. A significant benefit of the new materials is their printability, providing the opportunity to establish a sovereign capability to manufacture low-cost bioelectronic systems in Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100324
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$394,318.00
Summary
Cooperative Single Atom Catalysts for Zn-CO2 Batteries. This project aims to develop cooperative single-atom catalysts for efficient and selective electrocatalytic CO2 conversion and Zn-CO2 batteries. Cooperative catalysts at the single atom limit can potentially achieve enhanced electrochemical properties beyond state-of-the-art and will trigger significant theoretical and technological interests in energy conversion and storage fields. It is expected to generate new knowledge in materials scie ....Cooperative Single Atom Catalysts for Zn-CO2 Batteries. This project aims to develop cooperative single-atom catalysts for efficient and selective electrocatalytic CO2 conversion and Zn-CO2 batteries. Cooperative catalysts at the single atom limit can potentially achieve enhanced electrochemical properties beyond state-of-the-art and will trigger significant theoretical and technological interests in energy conversion and storage fields. It is expected to generate new knowledge in materials science and electrochemistry, using interdisciplinary approaches of atom-precise material engineering, in situ characterisation and full-cell optimisation. Significant economic and environmental benefits are expected from developing carbon-neutral CO2 electrolysers with low cost and high energy efficiency.Read moreRead less
A Novel Geometric Approach to Shocks in Reaction-Nonlinear Diffusion Models. Reaction-nonlinear diffusion models play a vital role in the study of cell migration and population dynamics. However, the presence of aggregation, or backward diffusion, leads to the formation of shock waves - distinct, sharp interfaces between different populations of densities of cells - and the breakdown of the model. This project will develop new geometric methods to explain the formation and temporal evolution of ....A Novel Geometric Approach to Shocks in Reaction-Nonlinear Diffusion Models. Reaction-nonlinear diffusion models play a vital role in the study of cell migration and population dynamics. However, the presence of aggregation, or backward diffusion, leads to the formation of shock waves - distinct, sharp interfaces between different populations of densities of cells - and the breakdown of the model. This project will develop new geometric methods to explain the formation and temporal evolution of these shock waves, while simultaneously unifying existing regularisation techniques under a single, geometric banner. It will devise innovative tools in singular perturbation theory and stability analysis that will identify key parameters in the creation of shock waves, as well as their dynamic behaviour.Read moreRead less
Mathematics to underpin and drive novel inertial microfluidic technologies. Particles suspended in flow through microfluidic ducts migrate under inertial and drag forcing to different regions in the cross-section depending on particle size, duct geometry and control parameters, enabling isolation of, for example, cancer cells/microplastics from a blood/water sample. Device design needs mathematical models yielding understanding of the particle dynamics, and tools for determining geometry and con ....Mathematics to underpin and drive novel inertial microfluidic technologies. Particles suspended in flow through microfluidic ducts migrate under inertial and drag forcing to different regions in the cross-section depending on particle size, duct geometry and control parameters, enabling isolation of, for example, cancer cells/microplastics from a blood/water sample. Device design needs mathematical models yielding understanding of the particle dynamics, and tools for determining geometry and control parameters. Particle boundary conditions strongly influence the inertial lift and drag forces that drive particle motion. This project will develop these mathematical tools for boundary conditions applicable to both passive and active particles, so driving development of novel devices for existing and new applications.Read moreRead less
On-Chip Detection and Molecular Fingerprinting of Emerging Toxicants. The project aims to address key questions about the development and integration of advanced materials and functional molecules into cutting-edge analytical tools for screening emerging environmental pollutants. This is expected to generate fundamental and applied knowledge in analytical chemistry, using an interdisciplinary approach to engineer materials with precisely tailored properties for ultra-sensitive and selective dete ....On-Chip Detection and Molecular Fingerprinting of Emerging Toxicants. The project aims to address key questions about the development and integration of advanced materials and functional molecules into cutting-edge analytical tools for screening emerging environmental pollutants. This is expected to generate fundamental and applied knowledge in analytical chemistry, using an interdisciplinary approach to engineer materials with precisely tailored properties for ultra-sensitive and selective detection of extremely persistent toxicants in water. Anticipated outcomes are optical materials and functional molecules, integrated into lab-on-a-chip platforms with advanced features for real-life environmental applications – with significant benefits for addressing major environmental and health treats to our society.Read moreRead less
Bioinspired photo–iontronic membranes for smart neuron-mimicking systems. The project aims to address key fundamental questions about the development of bioinspired artificial nanochannels that can precisely mimic current signals and functionalities in neurons. This is expected to generate fundamental and applied knowledge in bioengineered photo–iontronic systems, harnessing a multidisciplinary approach to engineer materials with precisely tailored properties at the nanoscale for unprecedented d ....Bioinspired photo–iontronic membranes for smart neuron-mimicking systems. The project aims to address key fundamental questions about the development of bioinspired artificial nanochannels that can precisely mimic current signals and functionalities in neurons. This is expected to generate fundamental and applied knowledge in bioengineered photo–iontronic systems, harnessing a multidisciplinary approach to engineer materials with precisely tailored properties at the nanoscale for unprecedented dynamic control over ionic current through responsive, adaptable neuron-mimicking nanopores. Anticipated outcomes are advanced materials, integrated into smart architectures to overcome the limitations of solid-state systems for the next generation of integrated circuits, bio-interfacial sensors, and energy generators.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100200
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,398.00
Summary
Next generation causal inference methods for biological data. This project aims to develop next generation causal inference methods for analysing biological data especially the single cell sequencing data and their applications in cell biology. Although Artificial Intelligence and Statistical Machine Learning have been applied successfully in many fields, including biological research, there is still a serious lack of methods for interpreting and reasoning about the mechanism of biological syste ....Next generation causal inference methods for biological data. This project aims to develop next generation causal inference methods for analysing biological data especially the single cell sequencing data and their applications in cell biology. Although Artificial Intelligence and Statistical Machine Learning have been applied successfully in many fields, including biological research, there is still a serious lack of methods for interpreting and reasoning about the mechanism of biological systems, the ultimate goal of research in many areas. Efficient data-driven causality discovery approaches developed by the project will be a timely and significant contribution to the knowledge of biology and statistics as well as the battle against health threats.
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