Development of nanoporous materials for capture and release of oxygen. This project aims to develop new materials to make lighter, more efficient oxygen concentrators. The project will combine materials that can capture oxygen with particles that can be magnetically heated, making it possible to release the oxygen rapidly and efficiently when needed. Expected outcomes from this project include new composite materials and better understanding of how gases are trapped and released within composite ....Development of nanoporous materials for capture and release of oxygen. This project aims to develop new materials to make lighter, more efficient oxygen concentrators. The project will combine materials that can capture oxygen with particles that can be magnetically heated, making it possible to release the oxygen rapidly and efficiently when needed. Expected outcomes from this project include new composite materials and better understanding of how gases are trapped and released within composite materials. Benefits from this project may include oxygen concentrators that are more portable and have longer battery life, both with industrial and medical applications.Read moreRead less
The evolution of specialised orchid pollination and its reversibility. This project aims to determine the changes in key floral volatile compounds underpinning pollination transitions, identify their molecular basis, and understand the ecological processes favouring reversals away from extreme specialisation. By focusing on pollination of sexually deceptive Australian orchids, this project would be the first to determine the molecular, chemical and behavioural basis of evolutionary reversals to ....The evolution of specialised orchid pollination and its reversibility. This project aims to determine the changes in key floral volatile compounds underpinning pollination transitions, identify their molecular basis, and understand the ecological processes favouring reversals away from extreme specialisation. By focusing on pollination of sexually deceptive Australian orchids, this project would be the first to determine the molecular, chemical and behavioural basis of evolutionary reversals to more generalised strategies in a group of plants facing high risk of pollinator extinction. The expected outcome, a mechanistic understanding of how pollination transitions occur, would be internationally ground-breaking, and provide crucial insights to protect this diverse but highly threatened group of plants.Read moreRead less
Carbon nanotube fluidic channels for desalination - interplay of nanoscale confinement and electrostatics. Tiny tubes of carbon, ten thousand times smaller than human hair, allow water to pass through at extraordinary speed. This project aims to understand and improve their salt rejection properties using comprehensive experimental and theoretical approaches. This will provide the impetus and knowledge for developing advanced membranes for desalination
An Empirical Study of Agenda Setting in the High Court of Australia. This project aims to undertake the first comprehensive study of institutional and individual factors that facilitate and constrain access to judicial power via the High Court’s agenda setting process, special leave. Using quantitative methods, the project expects to generate new and advanced knowledge about the High Court’s role as the gatekeeper of judicial power. Expected outcomes include foundational knowledge on the nature ....An Empirical Study of Agenda Setting in the High Court of Australia. This project aims to undertake the first comprehensive study of institutional and individual factors that facilitate and constrain access to judicial power via the High Court’s agenda setting process, special leave. Using quantitative methods, the project expects to generate new and advanced knowledge about the High Court’s role as the gatekeeper of judicial power. Expected outcomes include foundational knowledge on the nature and scope of access to judicial power in Australia via policy reports, scholarly articles and datasets. This should provide significant benefits such as important insights on the impact and influence of justices, litigants, lawyers, and governments on High Court’s decisions to grant or deny special leave to appeal.Read moreRead less
Slicing India: a new perspective for understanding contemporary India. This project exploits techniques of slice history, pioneered in AUSTRALIANS: A HISTORICAL LIBRARY. Using the 12-yearly religious festival, the Kumbh Mela, to define its slice years, the study compares over time the extent to which men and women were involved with, or divorced from, the ideas of an Indian nation, political decision-making and institutions, religious practices, a wider economy and the ecology of their dwelling ....Slicing India: a new perspective for understanding contemporary India. This project exploits techniques of slice history, pioneered in AUSTRALIANS: A HISTORICAL LIBRARY. Using the 12-yearly religious festival, the Kumbh Mela, to define its slice years, the study compares over time the extent to which men and women were involved with, or divorced from, the ideas of an Indian nation, political decision-making and institutions, religious practices, a wider economy and the ecology of their dwelling places. The Project aims to identify neglected aspects of politics and society in modern India and thus sharpen understanding of India's current condition and potential.Read moreRead less
Linking soil acidification with carbon dynamics in Australian agroecosystems. The ability to mitigate climate change by sequestering soil carbon may be limited in acidic soils, which are prevalent in Australia. The project will investigate the link between carbon cycling, soil acidification and liming, and provide important knowledge to identify agricultural practices which have the capacity to build soil carbon.
The coming of the dingo and its interaction with Indigenous Australians. This project will identify more precisely the time of the entry of dingoes into Australia and will investigate their impact on the lives of Indigenous Australians. Archaeological and anthropological evidence suggests that Indigenous people rapidly incorporated dingoes into their lives. Dingoes were used for a variety of purposes and were particularly valued as hunters by women, effectively increasing their access to meat. ....The coming of the dingo and its interaction with Indigenous Australians. This project will identify more precisely the time of the entry of dingoes into Australia and will investigate their impact on the lives of Indigenous Australians. Archaeological and anthropological evidence suggests that Indigenous people rapidly incorporated dingoes into their lives. Dingoes were used for a variety of purposes and were particularly valued as hunters by women, effectively increasing their access to meat. Impact would include a re-organisation of gender roles and an associated improvement in women's fecundity. By examining evidence for such changes, this project will significantly contribute to knowledge about implications of the arrival of a living technology in Australia and, more generally, the human/dog relationship.Read moreRead less
Applying search theory for eradicating invasive species. Invasive species have major economic and environmental impacts in Australia and are a major cause of extinctions worldwide. Monitoring is crucial for the timely control of invasive species in sensitive environments. Early detection increases the probability of eradication and increased accuracy in detection reduces the impact of control programs on non-target species. Efficient monitoring also is crucial in determining whether eradication ....Applying search theory for eradicating invasive species. Invasive species have major economic and environmental impacts in Australia and are a major cause of extinctions worldwide. Monitoring is crucial for the timely control of invasive species in sensitive environments. Early detection increases the probability of eradication and increased accuracy in detection reduces the impact of control programs on non-target species. Efficient monitoring also is crucial in determining whether eradication has succeeded. Search Theory has been applied for over 60 years in a wide range of non-biological monitoring problems, resulting in large increases in target detection rates. Gains of a similar magnitude in invasive species detection would greatly enhance Australia's capacity to manage these threats.Read moreRead less
Understanding the role of trauma in alcohol and other drug-related problems. This project aims to investigate the relationship between trauma and alcohol and other drug (AOD)-related problems. Using a robust set of qualitative and ethnographic methods, the project expects to advance international knowledge on how experiences of trauma influence AOD consumption, and the diverse factors that shape variation in experience and outcomes for individuals. Expected outcomes include targeted recommendati ....Understanding the role of trauma in alcohol and other drug-related problems. This project aims to investigate the relationship between trauma and alcohol and other drug (AOD)-related problems. Using a robust set of qualitative and ethnographic methods, the project expects to advance international knowledge on how experiences of trauma influence AOD consumption, and the diverse factors that shape variation in experience and outcomes for individuals. Expected outcomes include targeted recommendations to improve AOD responses, policy and trauma-informed AOD care, and increased capacity of the Australian health workforce to respond to trauma and AOD-related problems. This should provide significant benefit by reducing the harms, and economic and social costs associated with AOD consumption.Read moreRead less
Gender after conflict: a gendered analysis of the international community's engagement in post-conflict zones. Efforts by the international community to transition post-conflict societies into peaceful democracies can be fraught with complex politics. This project seeks to examine the role that the international community's ideas and policies about gender have on the failures and successes of this transition.