Forest ecosystem diversity, function and service in response to perturbations: the key regulatory role of biogeochemical cycling. The natural and anthropogenic perturbations such as elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen(N) deposition, fires and land contamination have transformed much of the land surface on the earth and significantly modified terrestrial biogeochemical cycles in the past century. This project seeks to develop and apply novel nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ....Forest ecosystem diversity, function and service in response to perturbations: the key regulatory role of biogeochemical cycling. The natural and anthropogenic perturbations such as elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen(N) deposition, fires and land contamination have transformed much of the land surface on the earth and significantly modified terrestrial biogeochemical cycles in the past century. This project seeks to develop and apply novel nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, isotopic and bio-molecular techniques to examine the key role of interactive biogeochemical cycles of carbon and major elements (N, Phosphorous) in regulating forest ecosystem responses to these perturbations. This project will result in improved mitigation and adaptation strategies for such perturbations, thereby restoring and sustaining forest ecosystems and conserving biodiversity in natural ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Soil ecology in the 21st century - a crucial role in land management. Recent technological advances have helped us discover the role of soil ecology in achieving sustainability in Australia. This project will develop ways to take this complex knowledge and translate it into forms that can be used by land managers. This work will focus on soil carbon sequestration, but is relevant to many other environmental issues.
Dynamic soil landscape carbon modelling. Soil is the largest terrestrial store of carbon. This project will enhance our understanding of the causes and controls of spatial and temporal variations of soil carbon which is crucial for managing climate change, food water and energy security and for maintenance of biodiversity.
Ecosystem response to climate and anthropogenic disturbances: implications for greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient cycling. Humanity is challenged with climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, declining fertiliser reserves and a need to feed the world's growing population. This project will result in greater understanding of how ecosystems can respond to these challenges and provide a framework to help Australia manage its agricultural and natural reserves.
Understanding why aluminium and other trace metals are toxic to plants - the key to improving crop yield in degraded soils. Aluminium toxicity drastically reduces plant growth in acid soils, costing Australia approximately $1.5 billion per annum in lost productivity. This project will aim to identify the reasons behind the toxicities of aluminium and other metals and has the potential to increase yields in 50 per cent of Australia’s agricultural land which is acidic.
Interplay of the forces of nature: electroweak and strong interactions. The Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland will search for new physics by smashing protons together at the highest energies ever created in the laboratory. This project will focus on complementary searches for new physics by investigating novel phenomena associated with the mutual interactions of the strong and weak forces of nature.
Quantum control in mesoscopic condensed matter systems. Semiconductor devices are at the foundation of modern technology. Industrial nanofabrication techniques can now produce devices near the atomic scale, and state-of-the-art experiments have demonstrated the previously unimaginable ability to manipulate individual electrons. This project will develop new techniques to control such quantum circuits and couple them together to form useful devices. New experiments to test these schemes will be p ....Quantum control in mesoscopic condensed matter systems. Semiconductor devices are at the foundation of modern technology. Industrial nanofabrication techniques can now produce devices near the atomic scale, and state-of-the-art experiments have demonstrated the previously unimaginable ability to manipulate individual electrons. This project will develop new techniques to control such quantum circuits and couple them together to form useful devices. New experiments to test these schemes will be proposed. This project will provide a foundation for future information processing technologies such as quantum computers.Read moreRead less
Crops for a phosphorus-scarce future: plant adaptation to fluctuating phosphorus availability. Phosphorus is commonly used on farmland to ensure high yields. However, rock phosphate reserves are declining and leaching of phosphorus from farmlands into native vegetation and water bodies causes significant environmental degradation. As a result, more phosphorus-efficient farming systems are urgently required. Many Australian native plants have adapted to low phosphorus soils and fast fluctuations ....Crops for a phosphorus-scarce future: plant adaptation to fluctuating phosphorus availability. Phosphorus is commonly used on farmland to ensure high yields. However, rock phosphate reserves are declining and leaching of phosphorus from farmlands into native vegetation and water bodies causes significant environmental degradation. As a result, more phosphorus-efficient farming systems are urgently required. Many Australian native plants have adapted to low phosphorus soils and fast fluctuations in phosphorus availability. This project aims to investigate plant adaptations to phosphorus fluctuations and the potential for storing phosphorus when it is abundant for later use. This should aid development of crops with improved phosphorus fertiliser-use efficiency in anticipation of a phosphorus-scarce future.Read moreRead less
Self-Assembled Semiconductor Nanowires: A New Platform for Spintronic Devices. The multi-billion dollar semiconductor industry drives the extraordinary growth in information technology that we have witnessed in recent decades. This Fellowship will establish a new program to build electronic devices using tiny semiconductor 'nanowires'. It draws on UNSW's international reputation in nanoelectronics research, strongly enhances Australia's existing investment in the growth of nanowires at ANU, an ....Self-Assembled Semiconductor Nanowires: A New Platform for Spintronic Devices. The multi-billion dollar semiconductor industry drives the extraordinary growth in information technology that we have witnessed in recent decades. This Fellowship will establish a new program to build electronic devices using tiny semiconductor 'nanowires'. It draws on UNSW's international reputation in nanoelectronics research, strongly enhances Australia's existing investment in the growth of nanowires at ANU, and will place Australia at the forefront of nanowire research on the international stage. This project will contribute strongly to Australia's ongoing efforts in semiconductor nanotechnology and quantum information science, and allow us to play a leading role in the development of next-generation computer technologies.Read moreRead less
Microscopic many-body quantum dynamics: new approaches for fundamental science and applications. A new approach to create and validate a fundamental microscopic quantum theory of interactions of composite systems, like molecules and nuclei, by exploiting ideal features of nuclear reactions such as fusion will be developed. This will have broad impact in interdisciplinary areas from astrophysics and molecular reactions to future nanotechnologies.