Establishing nanoscale design principles for non-viral genome engineering. This project aims to develop a bio-nanotechnology platform for non-viral genome engineering using dendronised polymers. The project will advance both fundamental and practical knowledge at the forefront of nanotechnology and cell biology, whilst providing training to the research community. Outcomes from the project will also provide significant benefits, such as positioning Australia at the forefront of genome engineerin ....Establishing nanoscale design principles for non-viral genome engineering. This project aims to develop a bio-nanotechnology platform for non-viral genome engineering using dendronised polymers. The project will advance both fundamental and practical knowledge at the forefront of nanotechnology and cell biology, whilst providing training to the research community. Outcomes from the project will also provide significant benefits, such as positioning Australia at the forefront of genome engineering.Read moreRead less
Meta-microscopy of insect tissue: How nature grows bicontinuous nanosolids. Several butterfly species grow a complex nano-sculptured matrix whose chiral network structure confers remarkable optical properties, including jewel-like reflections. The formation process remains mysterious and a spectacular case of bottom-up self-assembly at far larger scales than accessible in the lab. The project aims to decipher this process, by (a) tomography of a species where arrested growth sites represent time ....Meta-microscopy of insect tissue: How nature grows bicontinuous nanosolids. Several butterfly species grow a complex nano-sculptured matrix whose chiral network structure confers remarkable optical properties, including jewel-like reflections. The formation process remains mysterious and a spectacular case of bottom-up self-assembly at far larger scales than accessible in the lab. The project aims to decipher this process, by (a) tomography of a species where arrested growth sites represent time-frozen snapshots of the development, and (b) by a combination of micron-resolved in-vivo microscopy of a developing butterfly wing with a growth model to infer nanometer-scale information. This insight will lead to blueprints for self-assembly strategies and shed light on function and form of inner-cellular membranes. Read moreRead less
How do myelinating cells alter brain circuits to facilitate learning? This project aims to identify the brain circuits that receive new insulation and characterise the molecular mediators of this process. This project will apply innovative technologies to understand how the nervous system remains adaptable throughout life. This new knowledge, of the cellular mechanisms that allow brain circuits to remain adaptable throughout life, may have application in the development of interventions aimed at ....How do myelinating cells alter brain circuits to facilitate learning? This project aims to identify the brain circuits that receive new insulation and characterise the molecular mediators of this process. This project will apply innovative technologies to understand how the nervous system remains adaptable throughout life. This new knowledge, of the cellular mechanisms that allow brain circuits to remain adaptable throughout life, may have application in the development of interventions aimed at improving educational outcomes or counteracting age-related memory decline. Potential future benefits include facilitating the development of drugs to circumvent memory loss resulting from brain diseases, and improving the design of neuromorphic hardware for computing.Read moreRead less
Detection and Localisation of Gravitational Waves using Pulsar Timing Array. This project aims to contribute to one of the most significant breakthroughs in science - the direct detection of gravitational waves. It will develop innovative techniques to detect and localise gravitational waves in the nanohertz frequency band from radio timing data of millisecond pulsars. The technique developed by this project will help maximise the scientific output of Australia's legendary Parkes Radio Telescope ....Detection and Localisation of Gravitational Waves using Pulsar Timing Array. This project aims to contribute to one of the most significant breakthroughs in science - the direct detection of gravitational waves. It will develop innovative techniques to detect and localise gravitational waves in the nanohertz frequency band from radio timing data of millisecond pulsars. The technique developed by this project will help maximise the scientific output of Australia's legendary Parkes Radio Telescope, and boost the opportunities of the first detections of gravitational waves using the upcoming radio telescopes, Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) and Square Kilometre Array (SKA).Read moreRead less
The roles and regulators of new plant cells linked to root transport. Plant genomics has moved to the single cell resolution, allowing precise investigations of previously hidden cell types and cell states that respond to environmental stress and that vary among differentially adapted plant populations. Here, we will extend our pioneering efforts that have mapped and discovered novel root cell types, to determine their salt and nutrient stress responses, and to elegantly dissect the underling ca ....The roles and regulators of new plant cells linked to root transport. Plant genomics has moved to the single cell resolution, allowing precise investigations of previously hidden cell types and cell states that respond to environmental stress and that vary among differentially adapted plant populations. Here, we will extend our pioneering efforts that have mapped and discovered novel root cell types, to determine their salt and nutrient stress responses, and to elegantly dissect the underling causal genetic variation. The unique cell markers and regulatory networks will be validated with tissue specific and transgenic tools that can work across a host of plant species to reveal adaptive cellular responses to harsh environmental conditions.Read moreRead less
“Beacons in the Night” unveiling how galaxies light up dark matter. How dark matter influences the formation and evolution of galaxies is to this day an outstanding question in astrophysics. To answer it, world-class facilities and a unique combination of observations and theory are required. This DP team, a world-class team of observers and theorists, will tackle this question by leveraging on two multi-million dollar projects: the MAGPI galaxy survey and the hydrodynamical simulations suite EA ....“Beacons in the Night” unveiling how galaxies light up dark matter. How dark matter influences the formation and evolution of galaxies is to this day an outstanding question in astrophysics. To answer it, world-class facilities and a unique combination of observations and theory are required. This DP team, a world-class team of observers and theorists, will tackle this question by leveraging on two multi-million dollar projects: the MAGPI galaxy survey and the hydrodynamical simulations suite EAGLE-XL. MAGPI will deliver exquisite kinematics for hundreds of galaxies in the middle ages of the Universe, providing a view to the effect of dark matter on galaxies at this critical time, while EAGLE-XL represents the technological frontier in simulations and provides the best interpretative framework for MAGPI.Read moreRead less
Control and Optimization of Distributed Multiagent Formations. The project aims to develop a conceptual framework and algorithms for handling multi-vehicle formation control. Formations of unmanned airborne vehicles are currently used by defence forces and swarms of micro-vehicles are beginning to find increasing use in defence and for civilian emergency response, largely for surveillance purposes. Vehicles must cooperate to achieve a global formation objective, while respecting constraints on s ....Control and Optimization of Distributed Multiagent Formations. The project aims to develop a conceptual framework and algorithms for handling multi-vehicle formation control. Formations of unmanned airborne vehicles are currently used by defence forces and swarms of micro-vehicles are beginning to find increasing use in defence and for civilian emergency response, largely for surveillance purposes. Vehicles must cooperate to achieve a global formation objective, while respecting constraints on sensors, energy, and general mechanical limitations. The project aims to resolve the challenges of deciding what a single vehicle should observe, what and to where it should communicate, and how it should move in relation to what it sees. The conceptual framework developed may also be relevant in guiding future defence acquisitions and civilian applications.Read moreRead less
Multi-object Estimation for Live-Cell Microscopy. The objective of this project is to develop new tools for the inference of biological information from live-cell data to facilitate analysis of experiments and speed up discovery in cell biology. The new tools would provide reliable, consistent inference requiring no manual intervention and able to process large volumes of data in a timely manner. This would equip biologists with a vehicle that could move them closer to the goal of understanding ....Multi-object Estimation for Live-Cell Microscopy. The objective of this project is to develop new tools for the inference of biological information from live-cell data to facilitate analysis of experiments and speed up discovery in cell biology. The new tools would provide reliable, consistent inference requiring no manual intervention and able to process large volumes of data in a timely manner. This would equip biologists with a vehicle that could move them closer to the goal of understanding the mechanism behind biological processes.Read moreRead less
Physiology of oxygen transport in the mammalian kidney. This project aims to improve understanding of oxygen regulation in renal tissue and knowledge of the physiology of the kidney. The mammalian kidney receives more oxygen than it uses or needs, and yet renal tissue is commonly found to be hypoxic. This project proposes that oxygen transport to the renal tissue is limited by blood vessel surface area. The project expects to generate anatomical data currently missing from the renal physiology c ....Physiology of oxygen transport in the mammalian kidney. This project aims to improve understanding of oxygen regulation in renal tissue and knowledge of the physiology of the kidney. The mammalian kidney receives more oxygen than it uses or needs, and yet renal tissue is commonly found to be hypoxic. This project proposes that oxygen transport to the renal tissue is limited by blood vessel surface area. The project expects to generate anatomical data currently missing from the renal physiology community, and potentially change the accepted story of oxygen homeostasis in the kidney. This will provide significant benefits, such as the provision of the foundational physiological science behind a determinant of kidney health and its flow-on impact to quality of life.Read moreRead less
Locating the Commonweal: Community, Environment and Local Governance Regimes in Reform Era Indonesia. The Indonesian government is currently implementing decentralisation legislation to address increasing regional discontent. In the context of political and economic crisis, these institutional reforms are intended to bring about greater popular participation in the political process and in resource management. This research will study several intersecting dimensions of reform in the local domai ....Locating the Commonweal: Community, Environment and Local Governance Regimes in Reform Era Indonesia. The Indonesian government is currently implementing decentralisation legislation to address increasing regional discontent. In the context of political and economic crisis, these institutional reforms are intended to bring about greater popular participation in the political process and in resource management. This research will study several intersecting dimensions of reform in the local domain: popular participation in decentralised governance; resource access and management by local communities; and the implications of reform for local sustainability and equity. The research will produce a comparative analysis of emerging governance patterns in the Reform Era based on locally grounded case studies spanning the Indonesian archipelago.Read moreRead less