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
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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.
Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. Episodic Volunteering for Non-Profits. This project seeks to improve the policy and practice of volunteer involvement in the non-profit sector. Non-profit organisations rely on volunteers, and their capacity to deliver vital community services is threatened by the decrease in long-term, continuous volunteering and increase in episodic (short-term, flexible) volunteering. The interdisciplinary project aims to use mixed methods (qualitative interviews and quantitat ....Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. Episodic Volunteering for Non-Profits. This project seeks to improve the policy and practice of volunteer involvement in the non-profit sector. Non-profit organisations rely on volunteers, and their capacity to deliver vital community services is threatened by the decrease in long-term, continuous volunteering and increase in episodic (short-term, flexible) volunteering. The interdisciplinary project aims to use mixed methods (qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys) and multiple perspectives (volunteers and staff who manage them) to develop an episodic volunteering definition; to explore the economic and social impact of episodic volunteering, and to develop a theoretical model of volunteer retention. The findings are intended to provide an evidence base and recommendations for non-profit sector policy and practice.Read moreRead less
Towards a model of emotional control: Assessment of patients with focal cortical injuries. This project will produce vital information about a potential mechanism that may underlie the observed association between frontal brain damage and deficits in emotional control. The proposed research will therefore have significant clinical and theoretical implications; it will enable better prediction of emotional dysregulation following brain injury, generation of more accurate models of emotional regul ....Towards a model of emotional control: Assessment of patients with focal cortical injuries. This project will produce vital information about a potential mechanism that may underlie the observed association between frontal brain damage and deficits in emotional control. The proposed research will therefore have significant clinical and theoretical implications; it will enable better prediction of emotional dysregulation following brain injury, generation of more accurate models of emotional regulation, as well as informing the provision and delivery of evidence-based treatments for emotional dysregulation. It will also contribute to our understanding of emotional functioning in other disorders characterized by frontal dysfunction, such as schizophrenia, depression and traumatic brain injury.
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Learning about threats: the neural and behavioural response to predator-related cues in rodents. This project will investigate the anxiety displayed by rats when confronted with the odours of predators such as cats. This anxiety may be very similar to that experienced by humans who suffer from anxiety disorders such as phobias. By investigating the nature of this anxiety, the nature of the stimuli that produce it, and the learning and neural processes that underlie it we may better understand h ....Learning about threats: the neural and behavioural response to predator-related cues in rodents. This project will investigate the anxiety displayed by rats when confronted with the odours of predators such as cats. This anxiety may be very similar to that experienced by humans who suffer from anxiety disorders such as phobias. By investigating the nature of this anxiety, the nature of the stimuli that produce it, and the learning and neural processes that underlie it we may better understand human anxiety. The project also aims to identify novel chemicals in the fur of cats that have rodent repellent properties. Such chemicals may be of great use in domestic and agricultural contexts where rodents are pests.Read moreRead less
The role of oxytocin in attachment patterns and socio-emotional development. The role of oxytocin in attachment patterns and socio-emotional development. This project aims to better understand how oxytocin mediates links between maternal sensitivity and attachment and child socio-emotional outcomes. The child's emotional health is the most powerful childhood predictor of adult life satisfaction, and evidence points to the pivotal role of the oxytocin system on mother-child interactions and attac ....The role of oxytocin in attachment patterns and socio-emotional development. The role of oxytocin in attachment patterns and socio-emotional development. This project aims to better understand how oxytocin mediates links between maternal sensitivity and attachment and child socio-emotional outcomes. The child's emotional health is the most powerful childhood predictor of adult life satisfaction, and evidence points to the pivotal role of the oxytocin system on mother-child interactions and attachment representations that affect children's socio-emotional development. As a longitudinal study of oxytocin function in mother-child dyads, it examines how genetic, epigenetic and parenting factors determine socio-emotional and temperamental outcomes.Read moreRead less
Pathways to social cohesion and social change: opinion-based groups and the dynamic formation of identities. This project will update the understanding of political conflict by exploring groups based around shared opinions. It will show that groups are likely to be more successful in their political campaigns when they tie their causes to national and other positive identifies.
A longitudinal study into the development of personal vulnerabilities and well-being in adolescence. This longitudinal study examines the temperament and environmental factors that promote character strengths in adolescents. Character strengths such as empathy and emotion-management skills are potentially teachable and help prevent an adolescent from experiencing difficulties in social, emotional and academic adjustment.
Psychosocial and cognitive outcomes of residential relocation and retirement: The TRAnsitions In Later Life (TRAILL) project. Individual and social issues surrounding older adults' residential relocation and the transition to retirement are increasingly important in the context of Australia's ageing population. A better understanding of the factors that influence psychological well-being and intergenerational relationships during these major life transitions will play an important role in infor ....Psychosocial and cognitive outcomes of residential relocation and retirement: The TRAnsitions In Later Life (TRAILL) project. Individual and social issues surrounding older adults' residential relocation and the transition to retirement are increasingly important in the context of Australia's ageing population. A better understanding of the factors that influence psychological well-being and intergenerational relationships during these major life transitions will play an important role in informing government policy. This project aims to provide national and community benefits through informing policy related to housing and labour force participation, and by informing programs aimed at volunteer recruitment, retention and maximising the quality of the volunteer experience.Read moreRead less
Killing which averts suffering: the role of norms and empathy. Abattoir workers and butchers kill animals to prepare food, farmers to cull stock, and veterinarians to alleviate suffering. Soldiers kill other humans in war, police or security guards to protect the public, and doctors to enact legal euthanasia. Research shows that these tasks can be confronting, and even traumatic. This project aims to test the processes through which people learn socially supported palliative killing to avert suf ....Killing which averts suffering: the role of norms and empathy. Abattoir workers and butchers kill animals to prepare food, farmers to cull stock, and veterinarians to alleviate suffering. Soldiers kill other humans in war, police or security guards to protect the public, and doctors to enact legal euthanasia. Research shows that these tasks can be confronting, and even traumatic. This project aims to test the processes through which people learn socially supported palliative killing to avert suffering and their neural underpinnings, with a focus on norms and empathic distress. It will focus on two core samples: veterinarians, who must euthanize animals, and health practitioners in Victoria, where legal changes will introduce ‘voluntary assisted dying’ in mid-2019. It will investigate how practitioners learn palliative killing, and what the impact is on psychological variables such as empathy and identity. It will generate new understandings of social influence around life and death decisions, provide an evidence basis to inform policy makers, and help institutions and practitioners seeking to manage distress and respond to fast-moving, controversial policy changes.Read moreRead less
The elusive engram: What can infantile amnesia tell us about memory? Revealing the 'engram' is one of the greatest challenges neuroscience has faced. Substantial advances have been made in elucidating the mechanisms underlying memories that last for a few hours or days but much less is known about the cellular and molecular processes that mediate memories across remote periods of time. An underutilised approach to this problem is to study forgetting. The infant rat is an ideal model as they typi ....The elusive engram: What can infantile amnesia tell us about memory? Revealing the 'engram' is one of the greatest challenges neuroscience has faced. Substantial advances have been made in elucidating the mechanisms underlying memories that last for a few hours or days but much less is known about the cellular and molecular processes that mediate memories across remote periods of time. An underutilised approach to this problem is to study forgetting. The infant rat is an ideal model as they typically display good memory for a day or two but forget after a week or more. That is, they exhibit a specific impairment in the maintenance of remote memories. This project aims to determine the molecular/cellular processes underlying infantile amnesia and is expected to provide unique insights into memory processes in general.Read moreRead less
New generation psychology advances in science motivation and engagement. Following alarming declines in science participation and performance at school and beyond, this project aims to harnesses educational psychology, physiological psychology, and neuro-psychology, to develop “new generation” advances in science motivation and engagement. Building on latest developments in mobile data capture in psychology, the project will identify key elements of student motivation and engagement associated w ....New generation psychology advances in science motivation and engagement. Following alarming declines in science participation and performance at school and beyond, this project aims to harnesses educational psychology, physiological psychology, and neuro-psychology, to develop “new generation” advances in science motivation and engagement. Building on latest developments in mobile data capture in psychology, the project will identify key elements of student motivation and engagement associated with outcomes in school-based scientific disciplines. With a comprehensive understanding of motivation and engagement, effective intervention to boost outcomes is possible. Enhancing the motivation and engagement that underpins research and innovation in society can enhance a nation’s competitiveness and optimise students’ potential.Read moreRead less