School autonomy reform and Australian public education. This project aims to provide an evidence base for policymakers and practitioners that articulates how Australian public schools at an individual and system level engage with school autonomy reform. The project expects to generate an evidence base and new knowledge in the form of dilemma cases, position papers and a practice framework to support social justice through school autonomy reform. This evidence base will produce national economic ....School autonomy reform and Australian public education. This project aims to provide an evidence base for policymakers and practitioners that articulates how Australian public schools at an individual and system level engage with school autonomy reform. The project expects to generate an evidence base and new knowledge in the form of dilemma cases, position papers and a practice framework to support social justice through school autonomy reform. This evidence base will produce national economic and social benefits for Australian communities by identifying the requisite knowledge and practices that will enable key stakeholders to mobilise school autonomy in ways that produce just outcomes for all students.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of deficits in driving performance and self-regulation practices among older drivers with bilateral cataract. Despite the high prevalence of cataract among the older population, there is limited evidence on the impact of first and second eye cataract surgery on driving outcomes. This prospective study will use naturalistic in-vehicle driver monitoring devices and a state-of–the-art driving simulator to examine the association between clinical measures of vision, refractive manag ....Characterisation of deficits in driving performance and self-regulation practices among older drivers with bilateral cataract. Despite the high prevalence of cataract among the older population, there is limited evidence on the impact of first and second eye cataract surgery on driving outcomes. This prospective study will use naturalistic in-vehicle driver monitoring devices and a state-of–the-art driving simulator to examine the association between clinical measures of vision, refractive management, driving patterns, self-regulation and driving performance for bilateral cataract patients before first eye surgery, between surgeries and after second eye surgery. The results will inform Ophthalmology and licensing authorities regarding surgical and refractive management as well as fitness to drive assessments for older drivers with bilateral cataract.Read moreRead less
Modelling community preferences for health policy: how choice experiments can inform the organisation of acute health services for older Australians. This work will provide vital information on community preferences to inform health policy regarding how we should best organise acute healthcare for older Australians. It addresses one of the most pressing health policy issues in Australia: how to maintain a sustainable, equitable and responsive health care system, in the face of an ageing populati ....Modelling community preferences for health policy: how choice experiments can inform the organisation of acute health services for older Australians. This work will provide vital information on community preferences to inform health policy regarding how we should best organise acute healthcare for older Australians. It addresses one of the most pressing health policy issues in Australia: how to maintain a sustainable, equitable and responsive health care system, in the face of an ageing population.Read moreRead less
Does word similarity across languages help or hinder bilingual speakers? This project aims to understand in more detail how bilinguals can accurately speak in both their languages. Speaking is a complex skill, particularly if you have two languages to choose from, which will be true for over half of Australia’s population by 2025. This project aims to investigate the factors that influence speech production in both monolinguals and bilinguals including those with language impairment, and develop ....Does word similarity across languages help or hinder bilingual speakers? This project aims to understand in more detail how bilinguals can accurately speak in both their languages. Speaking is a complex skill, particularly if you have two languages to choose from, which will be true for over half of Australia’s population by 2025. This project aims to investigate the factors that influence speech production in both monolinguals and bilinguals including those with language impairment, and develop a better bilingual theory. The benefit of this new theory will be to provide a clear basis for diagnosis and treatment for children in bilingual households who have problems learning to speak, and for bilingual people with language problems after a stroke or dementia.Read moreRead less
Sex determination in dragons: Genetics, epigenetics and environment. This project aims to discover the master sex-determining gene in a reptile, how that gene is differentially regulated in males and females and by temperature, and to identify evolutionary drivers of transitions between genetic and environmental sex determination. In many reptiles, like mammals, chromosomes determine sex. In others, the temperature at which their eggs are incubated determines sex. This project will study how tem ....Sex determination in dragons: Genetics, epigenetics and environment. This project aims to discover the master sex-determining gene in a reptile, how that gene is differentially regulated in males and females and by temperature, and to identify evolutionary drivers of transitions between genetic and environmental sex determination. In many reptiles, like mammals, chromosomes determine sex. In others, the temperature at which their eggs are incubated determines sex. This project will study how temperature reverses chromosomal sex determination in dragon lizards. This could show how climatic extremes affect the biology of climate sensitive reptiles, and understand their vulnerability to climate change.Read moreRead less
Ageing in a developing country and its effects on intra-household resource allocation. Indonesia, our largest neighbour and our third largest recipient of AID, is among the fastest-growing elderly populations in Southeast Asia. Ongoing cultural and economic change means that the traditional reliance of elderly on family support is breaking down leaving the country's social fabric vulnerable. Understanding the linkages between ageing, ill-health and the labour market responses at the household le ....Ageing in a developing country and its effects on intra-household resource allocation. Indonesia, our largest neighbour and our third largest recipient of AID, is among the fastest-growing elderly populations in Southeast Asia. Ongoing cultural and economic change means that the traditional reliance of elderly on family support is breaking down leaving the country's social fabric vulnerable. Understanding the linkages between ageing, ill-health and the labour market responses at the household level is the path to effectively intervene in the link between age and poverty and to successfully design policy that facilitates improvements in women's social status.Read moreRead less
Origin and evolution of plant functional traits in relation to fire. This project addresses the fundamental question as to what extent the Australian flora is adapted to fire by tracing the evolutionary history of the iconic family Proteaceae over the last 100 million years. The answer to this question has significant implications for informing Australia’s fire management and nature conservation policies.
Modulating neuron activity with terahertz light. The increasing prevalence of high frequency electromagnetic radiation for military applications, communication and imaging has prompted interest in the effects of these frequencies in neuroscience. The primary aim of this project is to understand the interactions and effects of terahertz light (or T-rays) on neurons and brain tissue and will build on Australia's position as a leader in terahertz technology. This work will identify optimal paramete ....Modulating neuron activity with terahertz light. The increasing prevalence of high frequency electromagnetic radiation for military applications, communication and imaging has prompted interest in the effects of these frequencies in neuroscience. The primary aim of this project is to understand the interactions and effects of terahertz light (or T-rays) on neurons and brain tissue and will build on Australia's position as a leader in terahertz technology. This work will identify optimal parameters for neuronal modulation with one of the potential outcomes being the possibility of controlling neuron firing rates which has applications in neuroscience. It also has clinical implications in terms of the suppression of pain and other neurological disorders.Read moreRead less
Turf Wars: fighting the new battle facing blue forests. This project aims to use ecological models and field experiments to uncover drivers and critical thresholds for turf expansion. Habitat loss is a leading threat to goods and services from the oceans. Globally, kelp forests are collapsing and being replaced by persistent unwanted algal ‘turfs’. Understanding of this habitat shift is rudimentary, and solutions to mitigate the impacts virtually non-existent. Through stress experiments and geno ....Turf Wars: fighting the new battle facing blue forests. This project aims to use ecological models and field experiments to uncover drivers and critical thresholds for turf expansion. Habitat loss is a leading threat to goods and services from the oceans. Globally, kelp forests are collapsing and being replaced by persistent unwanted algal ‘turfs’. Understanding of this habitat shift is rudimentary, and solutions to mitigate the impacts virtually non-existent. Through stress experiments and genomic analyses, this project aims to discover resilient kelps that promote forest persistence under stress. By expanding our understanding of critical habitat transitions, and exploring new solutions, this project aims to enhance our capacity to respond to the ongoing degradation of Australia’s Great Southern Reef.Read moreRead less
Global threats to kelp forests from heatwaves, herbivores and diseases. This project aims to understand the mechanisms behind climate-mediated declines in kelp. Ocean warming causes the collapse of valuable temperate kelp forests globally and on both sides of Australia, but it is unknown if this is because of direct physiological effects from temperature or the indirect effects of changes in species interactions. This project will compare the direct effects of marine heatwaves to the indirect ef ....Global threats to kelp forests from heatwaves, herbivores and diseases. This project aims to understand the mechanisms behind climate-mediated declines in kelp. Ocean warming causes the collapse of valuable temperate kelp forests globally and on both sides of Australia, but it is unknown if this is because of direct physiological effects from temperature or the indirect effects of changes in species interactions. This project will compare the direct effects of marine heatwaves to the indirect effects of range-shifting tropical herbivores and pathogens for the kelp forests of the Great Southern Reef, one of Australia’s largest coastal ecosystems. This project will generate knowledge underpinning adaptation strategies for these critical ecosystems, and could enhance the capacity to respond to degradation of these natural assets.Read moreRead less