From individuals to mass organisation: aggregation, synchronisation and collective movement in locusts. By combining field biology, robotics and mathematics, this project will determine how animals flock or swarm and, in particular, how locust nymphs control their collective movement over their lifetime. The mathematical models derived during the project will be directly applied to controlling outbreaks of locusts in Australia, South and North Africa.
The evolution of species traits and spread during biological invasions. Exotic species pose a dire threat to Australia's biodiversity and natural resources due to the speed at which non-indigenous pests spread and the ecological and environmental damage they are capable of causing. The proposed research, on identifying traits associated with the spread of exotic vertebrate species and modelling the reproductive and dispersal parameters among different populations, will provide new knowledge and ....The evolution of species traits and spread during biological invasions. Exotic species pose a dire threat to Australia's biodiversity and natural resources due to the speed at which non-indigenous pests spread and the ecological and environmental damage they are capable of causing. The proposed research, on identifying traits associated with the spread of exotic vertebrate species and modelling the reproductive and dispersal parameters among different populations, will provide new knowledge and aid in developing innovative solutions for arresting the spread of exotic species. The validation of current models of spread will represent a major and timely addition to the national research capability on exotic species, and add substantially to Australia's reputation as a global leader in evolutionary ecology.Read moreRead less
Psyllids as biosecurity threats to plantation and native eucalypts in Australia and internationally. Psyllids are tiny cicada-like insects that are economic pests of forestry and horticulture because the saliva injected when feeding causes leaf death and some vector plant diseases. Advanced technologies and procedures will be used to determine what makes plants susceptible to psyllids and to improve Australian preparedness ahead of an incursion.
Discovering the pathways and mechanisms underlying bio-insecticide control of the global migratory pest, diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. Sustaining crop yield and maintaining food security is a significant worldwide concern. This project aims to strengthen insect pest control strategies and improve bio-insecticide use in agriculture through better understanding of the mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticides. It aims to improve their efficacy and evaluate opportunities t ....Discovering the pathways and mechanisms underlying bio-insecticide control of the global migratory pest, diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. Sustaining crop yield and maintaining food security is a significant worldwide concern. This project aims to strengthen insect pest control strategies and improve bio-insecticide use in agriculture through better understanding of the mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticides. It aims to improve their efficacy and evaluate opportunities to develop bio-insecticides based on plant saponins. This will assist in determining the risk of insecticide resistant moths migrating to Australia, and within our borders. This project aims to provide opportunities to improve transgenic Bt-crops and Bt-sprays, provide commercial development of new bio-insecticides, and develop optimal control strategies for major Australian migratory pests.Read moreRead less
Building child health through maternal wellbeing. Chronic diseases partly originate in the health & social circumstances of previous generations, during pregnancy, and in conditions during infancy and childhood. This project will draw from three community studies the researcher established to investigate how aspects of women's health affect their children's health and identify new opportunities for disease prevention.
Realising socio-economic rights: law and the politics of access to public services in Indonesia. This project seeks to identify the conditions under which justiciable legal frameworks or socio-economic rights are effective in promoting realisation of these rights in developing countries. The empirical focus is on Indonesia during the post-Suharto era and rights related to free basic education, water, and free health care for the poor.
From Baskets to Boomerangs: Knowledges, Lifeways and Colonial Legacies. This project aims to transform our understanding of Australian Aboriginal lifeways by undertaking a comprehensive study of objects made from fibre and wood, from iconic boomerangs through to woven basketry. Although crucial to toolkits for millennia, systematic research about plant-based technologies has been limited, even though knowledge about their creation has been passed down across generations. This project, initiated ....From Baskets to Boomerangs: Knowledges, Lifeways and Colonial Legacies. This project aims to transform our understanding of Australian Aboriginal lifeways by undertaking a comprehensive study of objects made from fibre and wood, from iconic boomerangs through to woven basketry. Although crucial to toolkits for millennia, systematic research about plant-based technologies has been limited, even though knowledge about their creation has been passed down across generations. This project, initiated by River Murray Traditional Owners, will employ innovative archaeological science techniques, explore colonial legacies and use creative engagement methods to provide new insights into the diversity of Aboriginal experiences and connect Traditional Owners with their material cultural heritage housed in museums.Read moreRead less
Indigenous Living-Legacy Archives: Memory Story Innovations for our Time. This project aims to investigate Indigenous community and colonial archives as powerful sites of social and cultural memory, and creative intervention. These sites can locate, repatriate, and transform fundamental narratives of history and collective memory to reassert and determine Indigenous voice and agency. This work partners with peak Indigenous arts and archive networks to demonstrate the value of Indigenous living-l ....Indigenous Living-Legacy Archives: Memory Story Innovations for our Time. This project aims to investigate Indigenous community and colonial archives as powerful sites of social and cultural memory, and creative intervention. These sites can locate, repatriate, and transform fundamental narratives of history and collective memory to reassert and determine Indigenous voice and agency. This work partners with peak Indigenous arts and archive networks to demonstrate the value of Indigenous living-legacy archive innovations and initiatives for cultural preservation and renewal, through unique community-led modes of storytelling. It benefits community wellbeing and healing through self-determined knowledge production and memory stories of local and global impact, and truth-telling legacy work for future generations.Read moreRead less
Defining and controlling seawater intrusion in threatened coastal aquifers. This project aims to improve knowledge of coastal aquifer processes and management practices in order to increase the security of highly vulnerable freshwater. In particular, it aims to address critical barriers to the regional-scale investigation of coastal aquifers, including island lenses – the most vulnerable freshwater resources on earth. Threats to coastal aquifers are intensifying globally, and key knowledge gaps ....Defining and controlling seawater intrusion in threatened coastal aquifers. This project aims to improve knowledge of coastal aquifer processes and management practices in order to increase the security of highly vulnerable freshwater. In particular, it aims to address critical barriers to the regional-scale investigation of coastal aquifers, including island lenses – the most vulnerable freshwater resources on earth. Threats to coastal aquifers are intensifying globally, and key knowledge gaps prevail in our current understanding and representation of transient, regional-scale seawater intrusion. The project plans to use coastal aquifer case studies from Australia and overseas to evaluate seawater intrusion reversibility, intermittent pumping effects, offshore aquifer processes, and management approaches. The project may improve coastal aquifer practices globally by unravelling the driving forces of transient seawater intrusion and developing new seawater intrusion models.Read moreRead less
Social relations and social engagement in older adulthood: implications for health, well being and cognition. This project will examine the nature of changes in peoples social networks that occur with age and the effects of these changes on health and well being in later life. The project will use information collected as part of several ongoing Australian studies of ageing and will have implications for social policy.