Cellular and network basis of information processing in the mammalian visual system. The project aims to discover the strategies by which cells in the brain interact with each other to code the sensory input efficiently. It is expected that simultaneous recording of the activity of many neurones from the visual cortex of anaesthetised cats during visual stimulation will reveal how the biophysics of synaptic integration combined with excitatory and inhibitory inputs from different sources sculpt ....Cellular and network basis of information processing in the mammalian visual system. The project aims to discover the strategies by which cells in the brain interact with each other to code the sensory input efficiently. It is expected that simultaneous recording of the activity of many neurones from the visual cortex of anaesthetised cats during visual stimulation will reveal how the biophysics of synaptic integration combined with excitatory and inhibitory inputs from different sources sculpts the output of individual neurones. The experiments will be extended to the study of possible interactions between different areas of the brain and the study of mechanisms by which the cortical network and higher cognitive factors such as attention and memory might influence the coding of sensory information in awake animals.Read moreRead less
Multifunctional trilayer separator for durable multivalent energy storage. This project aims to develop an important new family of economical, high energy, multivalent batteries based on an abundant element, sulphur. The project plans to design a new battery separator to enable long-term stability in sulphur-based rechargeable batteries. This type of separator is of critical importance in many membrane-involved energy storage technologies. The project plans to use leading-edge durable energy tec ....Multifunctional trilayer separator for durable multivalent energy storage. This project aims to develop an important new family of economical, high energy, multivalent batteries based on an abundant element, sulphur. The project plans to design a new battery separator to enable long-term stability in sulphur-based rechargeable batteries. This type of separator is of critical importance in many membrane-involved energy storage technologies. The project plans to use leading-edge durable energy technologies to strengthen the development of residential energy systems and the involvement of renewable energy sources in modern grid.Read moreRead less
Use of Interval Arithmetic and GRID Computing in Computational Molecular Science: Bounding Errors and Locating Global Minima. Catastrophic failure of the Ariane 5 rocket in 1996 and the inability of Patriot missile systems to reach their targets during the 1991 Gulf war were both attributed to numerical computing errors. Less dramatic, but in a similar vein, this project aims to study the numerical stability of contemporary computational molecular science applications. The focus will be on linea ....Use of Interval Arithmetic and GRID Computing in Computational Molecular Science: Bounding Errors and Locating Global Minima. Catastrophic failure of the Ariane 5 rocket in 1996 and the inability of Patriot missile systems to reach their targets during the 1991 Gulf war were both attributed to numerical computing errors. Less dramatic, but in a similar vein, this project aims to study the numerical stability of contemporary computational molecular science applications. The focus will be on linear scaling electronic structure codes, methods that are critical to the study of nano- and bio-materials, and are therefore of great importance to our economic future and medical well being. The project will build expertise within Australia in the area of interval arithmetic, an area that is currently poorly represented.Read moreRead less
Nonlinear nanophotonics. This project will support world-leading research in nonlinear nanophotonics. It will develop theoretically and demonstrate experimentally novel concepts for confining and manipulating light in specially designed structures, making an essential step towards the creation of nanoscaled optical devices for storage, memory, and sensing. These developments will underpin the next generation of high-performance optical networks promising to revolutionize global communications. T ....Nonlinear nanophotonics. This project will support world-leading research in nonlinear nanophotonics. It will develop theoretically and demonstrate experimentally novel concepts for confining and manipulating light in specially designed structures, making an essential step towards the creation of nanoscaled optical devices for storage, memory, and sensing. These developments will underpin the next generation of high-performance optical networks promising to revolutionize global communications. This research program will keep Australia at the forefront of international research and provide training for students in breakthrough applications of nanophotonics and nanotechnology, contributing to the uptake of frontier technologies by Australian industries.Read moreRead less
Increasing solid electrolyte conductivity through defect design. This project aims to engineer electrolyte materials, based on organic ionic plastic crystals, and use isomeric doping to improve the ionic conductivity. The development of safer batteries relies on eliminating the volatile and flammable solvents commonly used as the electrolyte. Improving the safety and performance of batteries is important as electricity costs increase. Solid state ionic electrolytes can address leakage and volati ....Increasing solid electrolyte conductivity through defect design. This project aims to engineer electrolyte materials, based on organic ionic plastic crystals, and use isomeric doping to improve the ionic conductivity. The development of safer batteries relies on eliminating the volatile and flammable solvents commonly used as the electrolyte. Improving the safety and performance of batteries is important as electricity costs increase. Solid state ionic electrolytes can address leakage and volatility problems, but the conductivity must be improved if these materials are to support high battery power. The project’s electrolyte materials can be used in lithium metal batteries, which have higher theoretical energy densities than traditional lithium ion batteries. This project will develop new solid state electrolytes, with improved conductivity, and use these materials in emerging lithium battery technologies.Read moreRead less
High-performance computational data-mining techniques for feature detection in complex time series from large-scale, networked plasma experiments. Terabytes of data are gathered from large experimental facilities as complex time-series. Analysis of these data is daunting, especially when they involve high-dimensional spectral or image arrays. We will develop high-performance computational techniques for dimension reduction, efficient data-mining, and experimental control, using as an initial ta ....High-performance computational data-mining techniques for feature detection in complex time series from large-scale, networked plasma experiments. Terabytes of data are gathered from large experimental facilities as complex time-series. Analysis of these data is daunting, especially when they involve high-dimensional spectral or image arrays. We will develop high-performance computational techniques for dimension reduction, efficient data-mining, and experimental control, using as an initial target the H-1NF plasma fusion MNRF at the ANU and its >100 GB/year data stream. The techniques will immediately provide Australian researchers with unique tools for collaboration in international research to develop fusion as a low-emissions source of electricity, and will be applicable to complex time-series analysis in other areas of science, medicine, and defence.Read moreRead less
Borametallacycles: confluence of metallacycle and boracycle chemistries. Metallacycles are cyclic structures constructed from a transition metal and the first row elements, such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. They underpin numerous technological applications in catalysis and materials chemistry. Borametallacycles which include the missing element boron will be explored with a view to developing new materials with novel properties.
The impact of strategic alignment on IT outsourcing success in a complex service setting. Improved conceptual and methodological understanding of strategic alignment is essential for better IT outsourcing decisions. This research will improve the performance of Australian industry by investigating how strategically well aligned ITO investments can lead to improved performance and greater competitive advantage.
Probabilistic modeling of human responses in complex interaction. The project aims to develop computational ability to reliably detect and hence act on implicit user preferences. It aims to develop techniques combining advanced non-intrusive sensor measures of conscious and non-conscious behaviour during interaction tasks to enable very high-level computerised support for human goal-seeking in complex data and design environments. It plans to use a user’s physiology and preference evaluation to ....Probabilistic modeling of human responses in complex interaction. The project aims to develop computational ability to reliably detect and hence act on implicit user preferences. It aims to develop techniques combining advanced non-intrusive sensor measures of conscious and non-conscious behaviour during interaction tasks to enable very high-level computerised support for human goal-seeking in complex data and design environments. It plans to use a user’s physiology and preference evaluation to capture their complex interaction with the data they view, probability models to accumulate information to identify their underlying preferences and extract relationships to find possible ‘hidden variables’ which may help explain and leverage the user's choices.Read moreRead less
Finding and exploiting interesting paths in multidimensional information spaces. This project will invent a new approach for searching within a large complex information space, finding interesting paths between points within the space, visualising the results, and supporting rich, human-centric user interaction with queries and results. This project will embody these techniques in a novel, internet-scale framework to support rapid development of large path search and visualisation applications. ....Finding and exploiting interesting paths in multidimensional information spaces. This project will invent a new approach for searching within a large complex information space, finding interesting paths between points within the space, visualising the results, and supporting rich, human-centric user interaction with queries and results. This project will embody these techniques in a novel, internet-scale framework to support rapid development of large path search and visualisation applications. Evaluation will be via development of several exemplar applications. The techniques and framework will be applicable to a broad range of economically important problems in areas as diverse as health, travel, scientific publication search, product marketing and software engineering.Read moreRead less