Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100614
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$363,612.00
Summary
Evolutionary genomics and origin of the molluscan biomineralisation toolkit. The project aims to use new genomes from understudied lineages of Mollusca to identify the genes involved in shell formation (biomineralisation) and infer their function and evolutionary history. The ability of molluscs to biofabricate intricate and robust skeletal structures from sea water is encoded in their genomes. Understanding the ancestral biomineralisation toolkit is of great interest to materials science, which ....Evolutionary genomics and origin of the molluscan biomineralisation toolkit. The project aims to use new genomes from understudied lineages of Mollusca to identify the genes involved in shell formation (biomineralisation) and infer their function and evolutionary history. The ability of molluscs to biofabricate intricate and robust skeletal structures from sea water is encoded in their genomes. Understanding the ancestral biomineralisation toolkit is of great interest to materials science, which seeks to replicate molluscan biomineralisation in vitro for biomedical and other applications. Understanding the toolkit is an important first step toward synthetic biology techniques to 'print' structures like bones in vitro. Moreover, new genomic resources from molluscs will be of interest to researchers in numerous fields.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100164
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$387,551.00
Summary
How do neural circuits coordinate to produce adaptive changes in behaviour? This project aims to discover how neurons alter their function in coordinated ways to produce adaptive changes in behaviour. Behavioural outputs result from the activity of multiple cells in a functional network, but current methods are limited to studying signalling effects on single neurons. To address this, I will develop new methods to visualise every cell in the brain of the living nematode worm to provide a unique ....How do neural circuits coordinate to produce adaptive changes in behaviour? This project aims to discover how neurons alter their function in coordinated ways to produce adaptive changes in behaviour. Behavioural outputs result from the activity of multiple cells in a functional network, but current methods are limited to studying signalling effects on single neurons. To address this, I will develop new methods to visualise every cell in the brain of the living nematode worm to provide a unique systems-level understanding of a model brain. Through collaboration with engineers and psychologists, I will describe molecular switches that trigger reorganisation of entire neural networks. Expected outcomes include new insights on neural circuit plasticity, which will advance discovery in neuroscience and robotics.Read moreRead less