Unlocking the potential of poly(ionic liquids) for electrochemical sensing. This project aims to create new science that will enable the development of low-cost, miniaturised electrochemical sensors based on poly-ionic liquids. The chemistry of the materials will be tuned to selectively detect hazardous pollutants to enable trace concentration detection at analytically relevant levels. Fundamental behaviour of gases and solid contaminants dissolved in poly-ionic liquid/ionic liquid membranes wil ....Unlocking the potential of poly(ionic liquids) for electrochemical sensing. This project aims to create new science that will enable the development of low-cost, miniaturised electrochemical sensors based on poly-ionic liquids. The chemistry of the materials will be tuned to selectively detect hazardous pollutants to enable trace concentration detection at analytically relevant levels. Fundamental behaviour of gases and solid contaminants dissolved in poly-ionic liquid/ionic liquid membranes will be uncovered, and their performance for sensing in real environments will be examined. It is expected that these advances will transform detection methods by taking sensing out of the lab and in to the hands of the everyday person, giving rapid and accurate knowledge about the concentration of hazards in the environment.Read moreRead less
Impact of redox condition on emerging contaminants fate. This project aims to improve our ability to predict the environmental drivers that control the fate of contaminants of emerging concern in the subsurface. Emerging contaminants are a concern due to their potential negative ecosystem and health outcomes. Prediction of their environmental fate will be of benefit as it will help ensure the safety of our drinking water sources and ensure that water sources are fit for purpose. With increasing ....Impact of redox condition on emerging contaminants fate. This project aims to improve our ability to predict the environmental drivers that control the fate of contaminants of emerging concern in the subsurface. Emerging contaminants are a concern due to their potential negative ecosystem and health outcomes. Prediction of their environmental fate will be of benefit as it will help ensure the safety of our drinking water sources and ensure that water sources are fit for purpose. With increasing pressure on our precious water resources prediction of the risks to this resource is essential. Expected outcomes are of significance as they will include a much improved ability to predict and control the ultimate fate of emerging contaminants in our water sources.Read moreRead less
How does temperature affect complex life histories? A Cost Theory approach. This proposal seeks to understand how temperature affects the relative costs of early life history stages, from
development, through to energy independence for a diverse array of taxa, from seaweeds, to plants to
vertebrates. The proposed research seeks to test the predictions of a new framework, Developmental Cost
Theory, and extend this theory to include germination (for plants) and metamorphosis for animals. The antic ....How does temperature affect complex life histories? A Cost Theory approach. This proposal seeks to understand how temperature affects the relative costs of early life history stages, from
development, through to energy independence for a diverse array of taxa, from seaweeds, to plants to
vertebrates. The proposed research seeks to test the predictions of a new framework, Developmental Cost
Theory, and extend this theory to include germination (for plants) and metamorphosis for animals. The anticipated
goals are to provide clear predictions regarding which species are likely to thrive or suffer under continued global
warming, and a valuable framework for understanding how temperature shapes the life histories of organisms,
including those that are important from an ecological or agricultural perspective.Read moreRead less
Romance and Intimacy among China's Young Rural Migrant Workers. China's global ascendancy seems unstoppable. But its economic reforms have made China one of the world's most unequal countries. To a significant extent, the nation's stability and global prosperity now rest precariously on the goodwill of more than 260 million mostly disadvantaged rural migrant workers, and how they feel and act. But how do they experience inequality? How does inequality shape their most intimate feelings? This pro ....Romance and Intimacy among China's Young Rural Migrant Workers. China's global ascendancy seems unstoppable. But its economic reforms have made China one of the world's most unequal countries. To a significant extent, the nation's stability and global prosperity now rest precariously on the goodwill of more than 260 million mostly disadvantaged rural migrant workers, and how they feel and act. But how do they experience inequality? How does inequality shape their most intimate feelings? This project aims to demonstrate unequivocally that love and romance are far from 'trivial' for these individuals: studying them is not a retreat to the merely personal, but rather promises vital new ways of understanding inequality.Read moreRead less
Side-Hustles: Young People and Employment-Adjacent Entrepreneurship. This project aims to understand new working biographies created by young people that combine employment with entrepreneurial activities. 'Side-hustles' are increasingly common amongst young workers, but while entrepreneurship is promoted globally as a policy solution to youth unemployment there is no comprehensive evidence base about the nature of young workers' entrepreneurial activities or the outcomes they experience. The ev ....Side-Hustles: Young People and Employment-Adjacent Entrepreneurship. This project aims to understand new working biographies created by young people that combine employment with entrepreneurial activities. 'Side-hustles' are increasingly common amongst young workers, but while entrepreneurship is promoted globally as a policy solution to youth unemployment there is no comprehensive evidence base about the nature of young workers' entrepreneurial activities or the outcomes they experience. The evidence created by this project supports efforts to facilitate youth entrepreneurship, address youth unemployment, and enhance Australia's future labour force. Outcomes include policy papers and reports, a policy forum, academic outputs, and a project website, offering benefit to policymakers, educators and employers.Read moreRead less
Investigating Innovative Waste Economies: redrawing the circular economy . Australia is facing a waste crisis and government and industry are promoting the Circular Economy as a solution. This project investigates innovative cultural and economic practices in three waste streams: single use plastics, organics and bulky household waste, to understand how they realise or redraw the circle. The project develops empirical evidence to advance thinking about how novel waste economies are organised and ....Investigating Innovative Waste Economies: redrawing the circular economy . Australia is facing a waste crisis and government and industry are promoting the Circular Economy as a solution. This project investigates innovative cultural and economic practices in three waste streams: single use plastics, organics and bulky household waste, to understand how they realise or redraw the circle. The project develops empirical evidence to advance thinking about how novel waste economies are organised and the cultural and social innovations they generate. Outcomes include national and international case studies of innovative waste economies, social learning events with industry stakeholders and academic publications. Key benefits provide evidence of how different waste practices enable more sustainable ways of living. Read moreRead less
Selling the Sea: a comparative cultural analysis of urban fish markets. This project aims to conduct the first comparative interdisciplinary ethnographic study about how urban fish markets act as vital infrastructures connecting the oceans and cities, fishers, buyers, tourists and consumers. Through three case studies of the fish markets in Sydney, Dakar, and Manila, it expects to generate new knowledge about the local impacts of the global issues of overfishing, ocean warming, and geo-political ....Selling the Sea: a comparative cultural analysis of urban fish markets. This project aims to conduct the first comparative interdisciplinary ethnographic study about how urban fish markets act as vital infrastructures connecting the oceans and cities, fishers, buyers, tourists and consumers. Through three case studies of the fish markets in Sydney, Dakar, and Manila, it expects to generate new knowledge about the local impacts of the global issues of overfishing, ocean warming, and geo-political disputes about fishing regulations. The expected outcomes include new cross-cultural knowledge about the roles of fish markets, and enhanced international interdisciplinary collaborations. The rich theoretical and empirical results should provide significant benefits to academia, industry, and government policy-makersRead moreRead less
Improving water quality modelling by better understanding solute transport. Poor stream water quality is a critical problem in Australia and globally. Stream water quality depends directly on pathways and time taken for water to transport pollutants through catchments. Predicting these pathways is highly challenging and currently requires specialised data. This project aims to better model the movement of water from rainfall to streams, enable greatly improved use of water quality data routinely ....Improving water quality modelling by better understanding solute transport. Poor stream water quality is a critical problem in Australia and globally. Stream water quality depends directly on pathways and time taken for water to transport pollutants through catchments. Predicting these pathways is highly challenging and currently requires specialised data. This project aims to better model the movement of water from rainfall to streams, enable greatly improved use of water quality data routinely collected in Australia's catchments and thereby better predict water quality behaviour. Proposed field studies aim to support this development. The outcomes sought are improved planning and management of water quality in our rivers, lakes and estuaries, improved health of these water bodies and improved water supplies.Read moreRead less
Why do only some exotics become invasive? Combining ecological and genomic approaches to address alternative hypotheses in a recent Australian weed. This project will specifically test alternative hypotheses about how weeds become invasive. As invasive weeds affect both agricultural and native ecosystems equally, research on understanding the mechanisms of weed invasion is critical. Outcomes will benefit Australia by allowing better prioritisation of management against exotic plants already i ....Why do only some exotics become invasive? Combining ecological and genomic approaches to address alternative hypotheses in a recent Australian weed. This project will specifically test alternative hypotheses about how weeds become invasive. As invasive weeds affect both agricultural and native ecosystems equally, research on understanding the mechanisms of weed invasion is critical. Outcomes will benefit Australia by allowing better prioritisation of management against exotic plants already in the country by providing predictive tools to estimate likelihood of spread. For formal Pest Risk Analysis by regulators (eg Biosecurity Australia), our project will provide genomic tools by which the potential weediness of a regulated plant can be assessed through genetic screening, and forms part of an international effort to identify 'weedy genes'. Read moreRead less
An examination of the factors shaping recent developments in youth drinking. Over the past 15 years, the proportion of Australian teenagers who drink alcohol has halved. This project aims to understand the drivers of this major shift in teenage drinking behaviour. Initial work has shown that drinking has declined across demographic, socio-economic and cultural groups. This project plans to use mixed methods to analyse new and existing data to examine four potential drivers of this generational c ....An examination of the factors shaping recent developments in youth drinking. Over the past 15 years, the proportion of Australian teenagers who drink alcohol has halved. This project aims to understand the drivers of this major shift in teenage drinking behaviour. Initial work has shown that drinking has declined across demographic, socio-economic and cultural groups. This project plans to use mixed methods to analyse new and existing data to examine four potential drivers of this generational change in behaviour. Understanding the reasons behind this shift is important both to expand knowledge about the socio-cultural conditions shaping teenage alcohol consumption practices, and to support and maintain these trends through informed social policy.Read moreRead less