Placental nutrient transport shows how complex traits evolve. This project aims to use amino acid transport in the vertebrate placenta as a model to demonstrate how genes are recruited and modified to produce a major organ. Using an innovative combination of a new technology, selected reaction monitoring, and transcriptomic and molecular approaches, plus carefully selected Australian species pairs, this project will study the evolution of a complex trait (placental amino acid transport). The pr ....Placental nutrient transport shows how complex traits evolve. This project aims to use amino acid transport in the vertebrate placenta as a model to demonstrate how genes are recruited and modified to produce a major organ. Using an innovative combination of a new technology, selected reaction monitoring, and transcriptomic and molecular approaches, plus carefully selected Australian species pairs, this project will study the evolution of a complex trait (placental amino acid transport). The project will provide fundamental advances in our knowledge of the nutrient transport during pregnancy that is required to produce a healthy baby.Read moreRead less
Precision ecology: the modern era of designed experiments in plant ecology. This project aims to develop the field of precision ecology, forging a new era of designed experiments where sampling is informed by research questions and what is known about the ecological process being studied. Through the development of novel statistical methods, new experiments globally will be designed to answer important ecological questions including what influence abiotic and biotic factors have on plant commun ....Precision ecology: the modern era of designed experiments in plant ecology. This project aims to develop the field of precision ecology, forging a new era of designed experiments where sampling is informed by research questions and what is known about the ecological process being studied. Through the development of novel statistical methods, new experiments globally will be designed to answer important ecological questions including what influence abiotic and biotic factors have on plant communities over time and different spatial scales. Expected outcomes include new methods and tools that will modernise how future experiments will be conducted in plant ecology. This will provide significant transdisciplinary benefits including new statistical methods that target scientific discovery in ecological studies.Read moreRead less
Combining biomechanics and movement ecology of kangaroos and relatives. Kangaroos and their relatives are unique in their body form, hopping gait and by the fact that increased speed does not come at an increased energetic cost. This project aims to build 3D musculoskeletal models to understand how muscles and tendons interact, enabling greater distances to be travelled using less energy. Further, it will use animal tracking devices and machine-learning tools to quantify movements in the wild. T ....Combining biomechanics and movement ecology of kangaroos and relatives. Kangaroos and their relatives are unique in their body form, hopping gait and by the fact that increased speed does not come at an increased energetic cost. This project aims to build 3D musculoskeletal models to understand how muscles and tendons interact, enabling greater distances to be travelled using less energy. Further, it will use animal tracking devices and machine-learning tools to quantify movements in the wild. This framework will provide novel insights into how energetics, morphology, and habitat have shaped the evolution of this unique group. This may open doors to a range of future ecological, physiological, and conservation studies and provide biological inspiration for energetically efficient robotic and assistive devices.Read moreRead less
Promoting transition metal complex catalysis with plasmonic antennae. This project aims to apply visible light photocatalysis to a wide range of chemical reactions by utilizing the intriguing effects of intense light absorption by plasmonic metal nanoparticles, such as generating energetic electrons, changing reactant adsorption and the chemical binding of reactant with the catalyst. These effects will promote catalysis at surface-bound metal complex reaction sites under mild reaction conditions ....Promoting transition metal complex catalysis with plasmonic antennae. This project aims to apply visible light photocatalysis to a wide range of chemical reactions by utilizing the intriguing effects of intense light absorption by plasmonic metal nanoparticles, such as generating energetic electrons, changing reactant adsorption and the chemical binding of reactant with the catalyst. These effects will promote catalysis at surface-bound metal complex reaction sites under mild reaction conditions. This is a part of our long-term effort to transform chemical production by heating into green photocatalytic process. This project expects to generate knowledge crucial for developing theories for catalysis, the design of efficient catalysts, green chemical synthesis methods, and enhance international collaboration.Read moreRead less
Sodium ion interactions with biomass-derived hard carbon electrodes. This project aims to investigate sodium ion behavior when electrochemically interacting with hard carbon electrode materials by using both in-situ and ex-situ techniques in combination with advanced computational methods. This project expects to generate new knowledge and establish structure-property-performance correlations, thus providing guidelines and strategies for synthesising cost-effective electrode materials from bioma ....Sodium ion interactions with biomass-derived hard carbon electrodes. This project aims to investigate sodium ion behavior when electrochemically interacting with hard carbon electrode materials by using both in-situ and ex-situ techniques in combination with advanced computational methods. This project expects to generate new knowledge and establish structure-property-performance correlations, thus providing guidelines and strategies for synthesising cost-effective electrode materials from biomass for developing sustainable sodium-ion batteries. The intended outcome of this project includes knowledge advancement, enhanced capability to build international collaborations, training of early career researchers and students, and positioning Australia on the world map as a world-leading nation in energy storage.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100585
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Does foot shape even matter? Rethinking the function of the human foot. Human feet are unique in shape and structure, having evolved to allow upright locomotion. Despite their importance, we don’t understand how foot shape and structure facilitates upright locomotion.This DECRA aims to explore the relationship between foot morphology and foot function. I will close a large knowledge gap by applying novel experimental and shape modelling approaches to provide unprecedented insights into human foo ....Does foot shape even matter? Rethinking the function of the human foot. Human feet are unique in shape and structure, having evolved to allow upright locomotion. Despite their importance, we don’t understand how foot shape and structure facilitates upright locomotion.This DECRA aims to explore the relationship between foot morphology and foot function. I will close a large knowledge gap by applying novel experimental and shape modelling approaches to provide unprecedented insights into human foot function. The primary expected outcome is a detailed understanding of how foot shape and structure influences our ability to walk and run. This research will create a paradigm shift in how we think about feet in the context of human evolution, human athletic performance and athletic footwear design.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL190100062
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,130,000.00
Summary
A new functional approach to coral reefs. This project aims to identify the key ecosystem functions that are needed to sustain coral reefs and determine their susceptibility to disturbance. Around the world coral reefs are changing fast, challenging traditional scientific, management, and governance approaches. This project plans to address this challenge by implementing a new, functional, approach exploiting a unique combination of evolutionary and ecological methodologies. Expected outcomes in ....A new functional approach to coral reefs. This project aims to identify the key ecosystem functions that are needed to sustain coral reefs and determine their susceptibility to disturbance. Around the world coral reefs are changing fast, challenging traditional scientific, management, and governance approaches. This project plans to address this challenge by implementing a new, functional, approach exploiting a unique combination of evolutionary and ecological methodologies. Expected outcomes include a global overview of ecosystem function and an in-depth understanding of how ecosystems change over time. This is likely to result in specific, and practical, management objectives by identifying crucial ecosystem functions that support reefs and the people who rely on them. Read moreRead less
Optimising the spring in your step to enhance footwear design. This project aims to examine how the nervous system adjusts the mechanical function of our feet across a spectrum of speeds, from slow running through to maximal effort sprinting. The proposed research will explore how the nervous system controls the function of the foot to meet the ever-varying demands of locomotion in the real-world. Expected outcomes of this project are to determine if running shoes help or hinder the natural spri ....Optimising the spring in your step to enhance footwear design. This project aims to examine how the nervous system adjusts the mechanical function of our feet across a spectrum of speeds, from slow running through to maximal effort sprinting. The proposed research will explore how the nervous system controls the function of the foot to meet the ever-varying demands of locomotion in the real-world. Expected outcomes of this project are to determine if running shoes help or hinder the natural spring-like function of the foot. It will explain a conceptually novel design allowing shoes to support our feet, whilst harnessing the energetic benefits of the foot's spring-like function. This research has the potential to revolutionise athletic footwear design and has direct implications for enhanced performance in running athletes.Read moreRead less
Bulk nanobubbles: from fundamentals to biomedical applications. This project aims to extend optical and acoustic tools to detect bulk nanobubbles, control their size-distributions, and understand how they interact with biomolecules. Liquids containing nanobubbles have numerous applications particularly in biomedicine. Using interdisciplinary approaches, this project expects to gain convincing evidence of the existence of bulk nanobubbles. This is expected to advance existing fundamental knowle ....Bulk nanobubbles: from fundamentals to biomedical applications. This project aims to extend optical and acoustic tools to detect bulk nanobubbles, control their size-distributions, and understand how they interact with biomolecules. Liquids containing nanobubbles have numerous applications particularly in biomedicine. Using interdisciplinary approaches, this project expects to gain convincing evidence of the existence of bulk nanobubbles. This is expected to advance existing fundamental knowledge at the forefront of soft matter research, and give Australia a decisive technological head start in a competitive and lucrative industry through patentable technology.Read moreRead less