Roads to the Future: Infrastructure and the New Development in Africa. This project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of new road schemes in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean (a region which sits at the intersection of several major global transport and development corridors), in order to understand their economic, socio-political, cultural and public health effects. As global road-building accelerates at an unprecedented rate, especially in the developing world, there is an urgent n ....Roads to the Future: Infrastructure and the New Development in Africa. This project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of new road schemes in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean (a region which sits at the intersection of several major global transport and development corridors), in order to understand their economic, socio-political, cultural and public health effects. As global road-building accelerates at an unprecedented rate, especially in the developing world, there is an urgent need for new models for understanding roads' potential economic benefits, as well as their risks, including their environmental risks. This project is benefitting citizens, NGOs, donors and governments, by generating new knowledge about how we have in the past, do at present, and should in the future, engage with roads.Read moreRead less
Evolution of diverse symbiotic phenotypes among native soil bacteria following spread of a genomic island from a rhizobial inoculant. The quality of legume protein depends on symbiotic nitrogen fixation by root nodule bacteria (RNB). Sustainable legume production in Australian agriculture depends on legume inoculation with effective strains of these bacteria. Unfortunately inoculant strains transfer DNA to other soil bacteria resulting in soil populations of RNB that compete for nodulation but a ....Evolution of diverse symbiotic phenotypes among native soil bacteria following spread of a genomic island from a rhizobial inoculant. The quality of legume protein depends on symbiotic nitrogen fixation by root nodule bacteria (RNB). Sustainable legume production in Australian agriculture depends on legume inoculation with effective strains of these bacteria. Unfortunately inoculant strains transfer DNA to other soil bacteria resulting in soil populations of RNB that compete for nodulation but are less effective in nitrogen fixation. This transfer of DNA threatens a $2 billion asset in Australian agriculture. We will use molecular microbial ecology to investigate the mechanisms of genetic transfer of symbiotic DNA in RNB, and use this knowledge to prevent it.Read moreRead less
Biochar as a renewable catalyst for hot gas cleaning. This project aims to generate new knowledge for the development of a novel hot gas cleaning technology. This project expects to understand the mechanisms of tar reforming using biochar as a renewable catalyst, which can avoid the problems associated with the catalyst deactivation and catalyst disposal if conventional supported catalysts are used. Expected outcomes of this project include a theoretical framework and a kinetic model describing ....Biochar as a renewable catalyst for hot gas cleaning. This project aims to generate new knowledge for the development of a novel hot gas cleaning technology. This project expects to understand the mechanisms of tar reforming using biochar as a renewable catalyst, which can avoid the problems associated with the catalyst deactivation and catalyst disposal if conventional supported catalysts are used. Expected outcomes of this project include a theoretical framework and a kinetic model describing the catalytic reforming of tar as part of the hot gas cleaning during the conversion of biomass. The technology will contribute to Australia’s improved energy security and reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the carbon-constrained future.Read moreRead less
Smart self-propelled nanoreactors for catalytic environmental remediation. This project aims to develop nanomaterial design and technology to enable the applications of nanotechnology for environmental remediation. Various nanomotors with different asymmetric structures will be fabricated and tested for catalytic and photocatalytic degradation of aqueous pollutants. The physicochemical properties, motion behaviour and catalytic performance will be comprehensively investigated. The outcomes of th ....Smart self-propelled nanoreactors for catalytic environmental remediation. This project aims to develop nanomaterial design and technology to enable the applications of nanotechnology for environmental remediation. Various nanomotors with different asymmetric structures will be fabricated and tested for catalytic and photocatalytic degradation of aqueous pollutants. The physicochemical properties, motion behaviour and catalytic performance will be comprehensively investigated. The outcomes of the project will underpin the development of green technologies for sustainable energy conversion and water treatment. This will provide significant benefits, putting Australia in a leading position in the sustainable development of nanotechnology for sustainable energy supply and transformation as well as environmental and biomedical applications.Read moreRead less
Green catalysis for energy and environment using metal free nanostructured carbons. This project will advance the nanomaterial design and science underpinning the development of green technologies for important chemical production and water treatment. The outcomes of this project will help Australia in a leading position in the sustainable development of nanotechnology and water remediation.
Synthetic biology tools for just-in-time control of biosynthetic pathways. Synthetic biology enables sustainable synthesis of precious chemicals, ranging from drugs to biomaterials. Using microbes, high production levels are usually attained by overexpressing the genes that make the desired product, but this simple approach often fails for antibiotics and other compounds that are toxic to microbes. Using synthetic biology this project builds genetic circuits enabling smart, just-in-time activati ....Synthetic biology tools for just-in-time control of biosynthetic pathways. Synthetic biology enables sustainable synthesis of precious chemicals, ranging from drugs to biomaterials. Using microbes, high production levels are usually attained by overexpressing the genes that make the desired product, but this simple approach often fails for antibiotics and other compounds that are toxic to microbes. Using synthetic biology this project builds genetic circuits enabling smart, just-in-time activation of target genes, which is pervasive in natural pathways. Using these circuits we will boost 1) the production of a valuable antibiotic and 2) calcite precipitation in self-healing concrete. This approach enables the biosynthesis of many other chemicals, leading to cleaner and greener bio-factories.Read moreRead less
The targeting of macromolecules to alter mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are essential organelles involved in energy production and specific metabolic pathways in plant cells that require the import of cytosolic transfer RNA (tRNA) to function. To date our knowledge on the mechanisms of tRNA import is limited. This project seeks to characterise putative receptors and mechanisms with the purpose of exploiting these insights to allow for the manipulation and modification of macromolecule targ ....The targeting of macromolecules to alter mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are essential organelles involved in energy production and specific metabolic pathways in plant cells that require the import of cytosolic transfer RNA (tRNA) to function. To date our knowledge on the mechanisms of tRNA import is limited. This project seeks to characterise putative receptors and mechanisms with the purpose of exploiting these insights to allow for the manipulation and modification of macromolecule targeting to mitochondria. The ability to modify or alter mitochondrial biogenesis and activity may allow for new approaches to be undertaken to increase plant growth, productivity and resistance to stress.Read moreRead less
The Devonian Gogo Fauna: Diversity, Palaeoecology and Global Significance. The late Devonian Gogo Formation (380 million years old) is undoubtedly one of the richest and best-preserved assemblages of fossil fishes and invertebrates from this age anywhere on Earth. This project will use CT scanning for stomach contents, plus use biomechanical and morphometric analyses to reconstruct tropic relationships of reef-dwelling organisms and test the resilience of the reef ecosystem. Several new species .... The Devonian Gogo Fauna: Diversity, Palaeoecology and Global Significance. The late Devonian Gogo Formation (380 million years old) is undoubtedly one of the richest and best-preserved assemblages of fossil fishes and invertebrates from this age anywhere on Earth. This project will use CT scanning for stomach contents, plus use biomechanical and morphometric analyses to reconstruct tropic relationships of reef-dwelling organisms and test the resilience of the reef ecosystem. Several new species will be published and the heritage significance of the site will be assessed. Working with local indigenous stakeholders, the scientific findings will feed into developing a long-term management plan to protect and conserve the site for future research work and to grow tourism in the region.Read moreRead less
Marsupial germ cells and genes. Germ cells are the most fascinating cells in the body, since theirs is the unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation. Studies in mice have suggested that position in the embryo determines their origin, but the early embryology of the mouse is so different from that of other mammals that the events need confirming and extending in another species. The simplified embryology of the tammar wallaby makes it ideal for studying one of the ....Marsupial germ cells and genes. Germ cells are the most fascinating cells in the body, since theirs is the unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation. Studies in mice have suggested that position in the embryo determines their origin, but the early embryology of the mouse is so different from that of other mammals that the events need confirming and extending in another species. The simplified embryology of the tammar wallaby makes it ideal for studying one of the most fundamental questions in the whole of biology: what is the basis for the primal distinction between sex and soma?Read moreRead less
Electrostatic catalysis from single-molecule events to macroscopic systems. Electrostatics has important applications in day-to-day technologies, from recycling plastics to photocopying, but the exploration of how static charges affect chemical bonds and bonding is still in its infancy. This project aims to demonstrate the experimental links between the magnitude and polarity of an external electric field and chemical rates, expanding our understanding of chemical reactivity and transforming our ....Electrostatic catalysis from single-molecule events to macroscopic systems. Electrostatics has important applications in day-to-day technologies, from recycling plastics to photocopying, but the exploration of how static charges affect chemical bonds and bonding is still in its infancy. This project aims to demonstrate the experimental links between the magnitude and polarity of an external electric field and chemical rates, expanding our understanding of chemical reactivity and transforming our view of catalysis. By investigating the role of static electricity over systems selected from different sub-disciplines of chemistry, the project will derive the ground and selection rules for reactivity and selectivity by electrostatics. The project is expected to show that for chemical reactions of practical and conceptual value a specific catalyst can be replaced by a generic electric field stimulus, an invisible catalyst, enabling cleaner and cheaper opportunities that current technologies cannot fulfil.Read moreRead less