The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Nano-reactors: Protein cages as reusable scaffolds for designer enzymes. This project aims to develop robust protein cages derived from the coats of viruses to contain heat-stable P450 enzymes, for use as specialised protein bio-catalysts in chemical industries. A valuable chemical precursor of renewable bio-plastics will be produced from seed oils by enzymes, reducing the use of fossil fuels. This synthetic biology approach combines biotechnology, nanotechnology and protein engineering to estab ....Nano-reactors: Protein cages as reusable scaffolds for designer enzymes. This project aims to develop robust protein cages derived from the coats of viruses to contain heat-stable P450 enzymes, for use as specialised protein bio-catalysts in chemical industries. A valuable chemical precursor of renewable bio-plastics will be produced from seed oils by enzymes, reducing the use of fossil fuels. This synthetic biology approach combines biotechnology, nanotechnology and protein engineering to establish a plant-based platform biotechnology for using enzymes as catalysts to make high-value molecules. The project aims to show how to engineer clean, sustainable chemistry in designer nano-environments. This should make synthetic processes more sustainable and enhance advanced chemical manufacturing in Australia.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology. The ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology (CoESB) will provide the technical innovation critical for Australia to develop a vibrant bioeconomy building on the nation’s strengths in agriculture. For thousands of years we have used microbes to create bread, wine, cheese. Now, our Centre will pioneer new approaches to the design of synthetic microbes, enabling the development of custom-designed microbial communities, synthetic organelles and ne ....ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology. The ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology (CoESB) will provide the technical innovation critical for Australia to develop a vibrant bioeconomy building on the nation’s strengths in agriculture. For thousands of years we have used microbes to create bread, wine, cheese. Now, our Centre will pioneer new approaches to the design of synthetic microbes, enabling the development of custom-designed microbial communities, synthetic organelles and new to nature biological pathways and enzymes. CoESB will combine engineering with molecular biology to design and construct novel biological systems that can convert biomass from agriculture or waste streams to biofuel, bioplastics and other high-value chemicals.Read moreRead less
Developing an integrated systems and synthetic biology platform to expand the product spectrum of acetogens. This project aims to advance a waste gas fermentation process to enable the production of sustainable aviation fuel molecules for the first time. LanzaTech are world leaders in microbial gas fermentation and have produced ethanol at large scale in China. This project aims to combine the LanzaTech process with systems biology expertise at The University of Queensland to go beyond ethanol t ....Developing an integrated systems and synthetic biology platform to expand the product spectrum of acetogens. This project aims to advance a waste gas fermentation process to enable the production of sustainable aviation fuel molecules for the first time. LanzaTech are world leaders in microbial gas fermentation and have produced ethanol at large scale in China. This project aims to combine the LanzaTech process with systems biology expertise at The University of Queensland to go beyond ethanol to deliver new value-added products such as butanediol and farnesene. To achieve this aim the project will explore, understand and overcome fundamental energy and metabolic limitations in the production microorganism. Achieving the aims will be of direct relevance to SkyNRG and the new Brisbane Bioport on their path to deliver sustainable fuel to Brisbane Airport.Read moreRead less
Toward sustainable diesel production using microbial cells: unravelling isoprenoid pathway regulation through systems biology. The methylerythritol pyrophosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprenoid production is an essential biochemical pathway. It was only fully elucidated a decade ago, and the regulatory controls over this pathway are not understood. The objective of this project is to elucidate the mechanisms by which the MEP pathway is controlled in E. coli using a novel systems biology approach. U ....Toward sustainable diesel production using microbial cells: unravelling isoprenoid pathway regulation through systems biology. The methylerythritol pyrophosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprenoid production is an essential biochemical pathway. It was only fully elucidated a decade ago, and the regulatory controls over this pathway are not understood. The objective of this project is to elucidate the mechanisms by which the MEP pathway is controlled in E. coli using a novel systems biology approach. Understanding control of the MEP pathway is required to gain insight into homeostatic control of this essential pathway, and enable biotechnological engineering of E. coli in order to produce a wide range of industrially useful isoprenoids (including biofuels, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, neutraceuticals, food additives, perfumes and many more).Read moreRead less
Novel ultraviolet radiation filters from extreme environments. This project aims to exploit uncultured microorganisms to produce and characterise novel ultraviolet radiation-filter biosynthesis pathways. Current ultraviolet radiation-filtering compounds are toxic and persistent. There is a need for biodegradable, ultraviolet radiation filters that are safe for use across a variety of health and industrial applications. Over millions of years, the damaging effect of ultraviolet radiation has exer ....Novel ultraviolet radiation filters from extreme environments. This project aims to exploit uncultured microorganisms to produce and characterise novel ultraviolet radiation-filter biosynthesis pathways. Current ultraviolet radiation-filtering compounds are toxic and persistent. There is a need for biodegradable, ultraviolet radiation filters that are safe for use across a variety of health and industrial applications. Over millions of years, the damaging effect of ultraviolet radiation has exerted selective pressure on organisms that has driven the evolutionary diversity of natural radiation-filtering compounds. This project expects to characterise and harness the microbial diversity of unique high ultraviolet radiation ecosystems via synthetic biology to produce industrially and pharmacologically useful ultraviolet radiation filters.Read moreRead less
Identifying genes controlling the regulatory and metabolic interactions between the energy organelles of the leaf. Plant energy metabolism underlies the synthesis of many important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance key plant traits, such as germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Furthering our understanding on the complex interplay of genes controlling energy metabolism and its impact on leaf function has potent ....Identifying genes controlling the regulatory and metabolic interactions between the energy organelles of the leaf. Plant energy metabolism underlies the synthesis of many important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance key plant traits, such as germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Furthering our understanding on the complex interplay of genes controlling energy metabolism and its impact on leaf function has potential outcomes for smart genetic manipulation either by classical breeding or genetic transformation. There are more than 10,000 genes of unknown function in plant genomes and this represents a tremendous untapped resource for future Australian R&D outcomes and insights from this research proposal will have application to all plant-based agriculture.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100859
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Phosphatidylserine: a regulator of muscle and mitochondrial biology? This project aims to characterise a novel pathway involved in regulating skeletal muscle mass through effects on mitochondrial function. This project will examine how degradation causes mitochondrial abnormalities leading to severe muscle wasting. This project is expected to advance understanding of how pathways interact, thus identifying novel mechanisms that impact on muscle structure and function. Understanding what makes mu ....Phosphatidylserine: a regulator of muscle and mitochondrial biology? This project aims to characterise a novel pathway involved in regulating skeletal muscle mass through effects on mitochondrial function. This project will examine how degradation causes mitochondrial abnormalities leading to severe muscle wasting. This project is expected to advance understanding of how pathways interact, thus identifying novel mechanisms that impact on muscle structure and function. Understanding what makes muscle vulnerable to atrophy is fundamental to developing strategies to counteract muscle wasting conditions. Methodologies developed will have broad application in the field of life sciences research.Read moreRead less
The regulation of skeletal muscle mass. This project aims to delineate a pathway involved in regulating skeletal muscle mass, and examine whether disrupting mitochondrial phospholipid synthesis affects mitochondrial structure and function, causing muscle wasting. Defining a new atrophy pathway will advance understanding of the mechanisms that control muscle mass. This project could have important economic and quality of life benefits, especially for agriculture, where achieving optimal muscle ma ....The regulation of skeletal muscle mass. This project aims to delineate a pathway involved in regulating skeletal muscle mass, and examine whether disrupting mitochondrial phospholipid synthesis affects mitochondrial structure and function, causing muscle wasting. Defining a new atrophy pathway will advance understanding of the mechanisms that control muscle mass. This project could have important economic and quality of life benefits, especially for agriculture, where achieving optimal muscle mass ensures international competitiveness, productivity and economic growth, and successful ageing, where maintaining muscle mass is essential.Read moreRead less
Engineering electrochemical protein biosensors. This project plans to develop novel, sensitive, inexpensive and flexible electric biosensors to monitor potentially any molecule. It plans to use synthetic biology principles to develop a new class of artificial protein receptors that generate electric current upon encountering a molecular target. Using expertise in in vitro protein synthesis, the project plans to integrate biosensor design and electrode prototyping to achieve rapid development of ....Engineering electrochemical protein biosensors. This project plans to develop novel, sensitive, inexpensive and flexible electric biosensors to monitor potentially any molecule. It plans to use synthetic biology principles to develop a new class of artificial protein receptors that generate electric current upon encountering a molecular target. Using expertise in in vitro protein synthesis, the project plans to integrate biosensor design and electrode prototyping to achieve rapid development of low-cost broadly applicable sensory electrodes. To increase the sensitivity of the resulting sensing systems, the electrochemical receptors will be integrated with signal amplification cascades based on artificial autoinhibited proteases. The project aims to address the need for new technologies that enable collection of biological information outside of the laboratory environment.Read moreRead less
Untangling the plant Golgi apparatus: Functional proteomics to understand plant cell wall biosynthesis. The plant cell wall determines plant morphology and structure. It is also a major factor in food quality, and it is used as forage and is the raw material for a range of industries. A significant proportion of the cell wall is synthesised in a poorly studied cellular compartment known as the Golgi apparatus. This project intends to exploit unique isolation and analytical techniques in conjunct ....Untangling the plant Golgi apparatus: Functional proteomics to understand plant cell wall biosynthesis. The plant cell wall determines plant morphology and structure. It is also a major factor in food quality, and it is used as forage and is the raw material for a range of industries. A significant proportion of the cell wall is synthesised in a poorly studied cellular compartment known as the Golgi apparatus. This project intends to exploit unique isolation and analytical techniques in conjunction to further profile and characterise this structure in order to uncover new information about the complex interplay of components involved in plant cell wall biosynthesis. This information will be used to support approaches to manipulate cell walls to produce plant biomass optimised for agricultural and industrial applications.Read moreRead less