Molecular movies using time-resolved momentum spectroscopies. This project aims to use time-resolved momentum spectroscopies to take snapshots of chemical and physical processes as they evolve in time. This project expects to use these molecular movies to track the changes to electron motion after they have absorbed light. Expected outcomes of this project include understanding how the motion of electrons can drive physical processes and induce chemical changes. This will provide significant ben ....Molecular movies using time-resolved momentum spectroscopies. This project aims to use time-resolved momentum spectroscopies to take snapshots of chemical and physical processes as they evolve in time. This project expects to use these molecular movies to track the changes to electron motion after they have absorbed light. Expected outcomes of this project include understanding how the motion of electrons can drive physical processes and induce chemical changes. This will provide significant benefits through expanding knowledge that will assist in controlling chemical reactions and developing technologies with improved performance, such as sensors and solar cells. Read moreRead less
Targeting chloroplasts to enhance crop salt tolerance. Yield losses in crop plants due to increasingly saline soils are linked to the effects of salt on chloroplasts. By comparing chloroplast water- and salt-transport mechanisms of closely related salt-loving and salt-sensitive plants, this Fellowships aims to discover how chloroplasts maintain function in saline conditions. Novel biophysics and molecular techniques will be used to characterise transporters in model plants, and proof-of-concept ....Targeting chloroplasts to enhance crop salt tolerance. Yield losses in crop plants due to increasingly saline soils are linked to the effects of salt on chloroplasts. By comparing chloroplast water- and salt-transport mechanisms of closely related salt-loving and salt-sensitive plants, this Fellowships aims to discover how chloroplasts maintain function in saline conditions. Novel biophysics and molecular techniques will be used to characterise transporters in model plants, and proof-of-concept complementation experiments aim to confer salt tolerance on sensitive plants. These fundamental insights are likely to lead to rapid, step-change improvements in salt tolerance, especially in agriculturally relevant crops, to benefit Australia’s agri-industry and ensure food security in the future.Read moreRead less
A comprehensive approach to dark matter searches: the Cherenkov Telescope Array, IceCube and the Large Hadron Collider. Following the recent discovery of the Higgs boson, the greatest outstanding mystery in physics, it is now time to identify the nature of the dark matter that fills much of our Universe. This project aims to invent new data mining techniques to test the viability of a wide class of theoretical dark matter models, using an extensive range of particle physics and astrophysics data ....A comprehensive approach to dark matter searches: the Cherenkov Telescope Array, IceCube and the Large Hadron Collider. Following the recent discovery of the Higgs boson, the greatest outstanding mystery in physics, it is now time to identify the nature of the dark matter that fills much of our Universe. This project aims to invent new data mining techniques to test the viability of a wide class of theoretical dark matter models, using an extensive range of particle physics and astrophysics data. It will use these models to help design the next generation of dark matter searches in gamma ray and neutrino astronomy, using the Large Hadron Collider. This project aims to put Australia at the forefront of international particle astrophysics research and potential new discoveries will change the future direction of international particle research.Read moreRead less
Probing the experimental frontier of particle physics with high-precision and high-energy collisions. Analysis of data from the high-energy collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, and B-physics observables, will provide a new precision by which to interrogate our picture of the Universe. The interplay between these two novel and complementary approaches will unveil the fundamental nature of the particles that make up all known matter. Technological advances in high precision data analysis, and ....Probing the experimental frontier of particle physics with high-precision and high-energy collisions. Analysis of data from the high-energy collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, and B-physics observables, will provide a new precision by which to interrogate our picture of the Universe. The interplay between these two novel and complementary approaches will unveil the fundamental nature of the particles that make up all known matter. Technological advances in high precision data analysis, and experimental data readout, will result in significant advances in the global knowledge of particle detector performance and operation. New techniques in data analysis will arise from this work. In going beyond the Standard Model and discovering extensions to the theory, the ultimate outcome of this project will define new directions for the field.Read moreRead less
The top quark: a portal to new physics in particle colliders. This project aims to address fundamental questions of particle physics by studying the top quark, the most elementary particle known. The project will generate new knowledge about the top quark and the recently discovered Higgs boson, explore dark matter production in particle collisions, and potentially discover and study new phenomena. The project will develop data analysis techniques that could be used in big data contexts beyond f ....The top quark: a portal to new physics in particle colliders. This project aims to address fundamental questions of particle physics by studying the top quark, the most elementary particle known. The project will generate new knowledge about the top quark and the recently discovered Higgs boson, explore dark matter production in particle collisions, and potentially discover and study new phenomena. The project will develop data analysis techniques that could be used in big data contexts beyond fundamental research. The expected outcome of the project is to expand in a substantial way our understanding of the smallest components of matter and potentially, also of the largest structures of the Universe.Read moreRead less
Interplay of the forces of nature: electroweak and strong interactions. The Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland will search for new physics by smashing protons together at the highest energies ever created in the laboratory. This project will focus on complementary searches for new physics by investigating novel phenomena associated with the mutual interactions of the strong and weak forces of nature.
Targeting root architecture to improve plant production in sub-optimal soil. This project aims to identify important missing links in the signalling pathways that connect major plant hormones in their control of root architecture, with a focus on the signalling system that helps plants cope with sub-optimal growing conditions. New discoveries in plant hormones will be applied to crops to provide a deeper understanding of root growth responses under sub-optimal conditions, and to maximise plant e ....Targeting root architecture to improve plant production in sub-optimal soil. This project aims to identify important missing links in the signalling pathways that connect major plant hormones in their control of root architecture, with a focus on the signalling system that helps plants cope with sub-optimal growing conditions. New discoveries in plant hormones will be applied to crops to provide a deeper understanding of root growth responses under sub-optimal conditions, and to maximise plant efficiency. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of signal pathways in roots, improved knowledge about how crops respond to adverse conditions, new knowledge and potential genetic resources for plant industry, and novel ideas about how to improve crop productivity.Read moreRead less
Defining pathways that establish and maintain reproductive cell identity in plant ovules and seeds. Unlike animals, individual somatic cells in plants have the remarkable ability to regenerate into new plants, depending on the signals they perceive. This developmental plasticity is particularly important during normal plant growth, when mature cells adopt new identities within multicellular environments. Tissue complexity is critical for the utilisation of plants in society as food, fuel and fib ....Defining pathways that establish and maintain reproductive cell identity in plant ovules and seeds. Unlike animals, individual somatic cells in plants have the remarkable ability to regenerate into new plants, depending on the signals they perceive. This developmental plasticity is particularly important during normal plant growth, when mature cells adopt new identities within multicellular environments. Tissue complexity is critical for the utilisation of plants in society as food, fuel and fibre, but how and why plant cells adopt or change identity has been difficult to determine. This project aims to employ next-generation molecular methods to identify pathways driving differentiation of specific ovule and seed cell-types, which directly impact crop quality, yield and end-use.Read moreRead less
Molecular hallmarks of androgen receptor targeting in prostate cancer. There is a critical need in oncology drug development for better biomarkers of response to prostate cancer therapies, clinically to assist with treatment decision making, and pre-clinically to facilitate translation of emerging agents into clinical practice. Using a unique explant culture model, this project will identify protein and lipid markers that can be used to accurately and reliably assess response to androgen recepto ....Molecular hallmarks of androgen receptor targeting in prostate cancer. There is a critical need in oncology drug development for better biomarkers of response to prostate cancer therapies, clinically to assist with treatment decision making, and pre-clinically to facilitate translation of emerging agents into clinical practice. Using a unique explant culture model, this project will identify protein and lipid markers that can be used to accurately and reliably assess response to androgen receptor (AR)-targeting therapies in human prostate tumours. The identification and functional assessment of these biomarkers will identify those that can be used as surrogate endpoints in clinical trials, facilitate earlier approval of investigational agents and lead to improved options for therapeutic management of prostate cancer.Read moreRead less
Dissecting chloride transport in plants to secure an untapped source for improving plant productivity. Chloride and nitrate are central to physiological processes that determine crop yield and food production, but their uptake and transport within the plant body are antagonistic. This project will gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms underlying this antagonism. This will provide new tools for improving salinity tolerance and the efficiency of fertiliser use, which can be used for t ....Dissecting chloride transport in plants to secure an untapped source for improving plant productivity. Chloride and nitrate are central to physiological processes that determine crop yield and food production, but their uptake and transport within the plant body are antagonistic. This project will gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms underlying this antagonism. This will provide new tools for improving salinity tolerance and the efficiency of fertiliser use, which can be used for the development of new crop varieties. Improving these traits will be essential if we are to successfully address the threats to Australian and global food security posed by salinity, and the rising economic and environmental costs of inefficient fertiliser use.Read moreRead less