Honesty and efficiency in the provision of expert services: doctors and other experts as participants in economic experiments. Experts serve us when we see the doctor, the financial planner or the car mechanic. In all these case the expert can take advantage of his superior knowledge and sell us something we do not need. This research will inform policy makers about the underlying motives of real world experts and allow them to design better institutions.
Was an ancient bird-like sex chromosome system ancestral to reptiles and mammals? Recent discoveries reveal amazing similarity in the sex chromosomes of distantly related animals. This project will use advanced DNA technology to explore diverse sex chromosomes in reptiles to discover whether this signifies ancient and unsuspected common ancestry, or the convergent redeployment of genes and chromosomes predisposed to determine sex.
DNA methylation in insect social evolution. This project will investigate the evolutionary relationship between DNA methylation and the advanced sociality displayed by bees, ants and wasps. The project will map DNA methylation across the social insects and test whether it has coevolved with sociality. It will also determine how a vital social cue, the queen pheromone, influences the worker methylome. Finally, it will apply quantitative genetic and methylomic methods to wild insects, revealing pa ....DNA methylation in insect social evolution. This project will investigate the evolutionary relationship between DNA methylation and the advanced sociality displayed by bees, ants and wasps. The project will map DNA methylation across the social insects and test whether it has coevolved with sociality. It will also determine how a vital social cue, the queen pheromone, influences the worker methylome. Finally, it will apply quantitative genetic and methylomic methods to wild insects, revealing patterns of selection and inheritance in epigenetic and phenotypic traits. By combining genomic and evolutionary methods, the project will advance the ongoing debate about the importance of methylation to sociality and extreme phenotypic plasticity. It will contribute to a quantum leap in our understanding of DNA methylation and sociobiology and mark the first application of quantitative genetics to wild insects.Read moreRead less
Older workers & psychological contracts: A dynamic perspective. This project aims to track the trajectories of older workers’ psychological contracts that shape their give-and-take with the organisation. Little is understood about how these psychological contracts change as older workers continue to pursue work through their fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth decades of life. This project tracks older workers over intensive, repeated in-depth interviews and a large-scale longitudinal panel study. ....Older workers & psychological contracts: A dynamic perspective. This project aims to track the trajectories of older workers’ psychological contracts that shape their give-and-take with the organisation. Little is understood about how these psychological contracts change as older workers continue to pursue work through their fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth decades of life. This project tracks older workers over intensive, repeated in-depth interviews and a large-scale longitudinal panel study. The outcomes fill significant gaps in our understanding of older workers’ needs and orientation toward work, and identify the age-related changes and organisational practices that spur older workers to sustain a strong trajectory of productive participation in the workforce.Read moreRead less
Variation in the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor (AVPR1a) gene, the social environment, general health and wellbeing. The project aims to investigate how the arginine vasopressin 1a gene affects gene expression and influences social behaviour and ultimately health and wellbeing. This research will contribute to understanding the importance of individual differences in social policy and interventions aimed at improving health and wellbeing.
Sympatric speciation in Australian sexually deceptive orchids. Speciation has generated the diversity of life, yet the mechanisms of speciation remain poorly understood. Chiloglottis orchids are pollinated by highly specific sexually attracted male pollinators-an intriguing and predominantly Australian pollination mechanism. New evidence indicates these orchids offer novel opportunities to illuminate the evolutionary processes of speciation. This project will integrate new and powerful molecul ....Sympatric speciation in Australian sexually deceptive orchids. Speciation has generated the diversity of life, yet the mechanisms of speciation remain poorly understood. Chiloglottis orchids are pollinated by highly specific sexually attracted male pollinators-an intriguing and predominantly Australian pollination mechanism. New evidence indicates these orchids offer novel opportunities to illuminate the evolutionary processes of speciation. This project will integrate new and powerful molecular laboratory procedures with field studies to investigate the mechanisms of speciation within the genus. These orchids may provide rare examples of sympatric speciation-the evolution of species in the absence of geographic isolation. This is currently a speciation mechanism of current and intense research interest worldwide.Read moreRead less
Analysing and modelling molecular rate variation among nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. My research will have important practical benefits for bioinformaticians and evolutionary biologists, because existing analytical methods will be rigorously tested and new tools will be developed. Australia has a comparatively high concentration of researchers in this field, so my research will foster domestic collaboration and import international expertise. The research will provide important insights int ....Analysing and modelling molecular rate variation among nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. My research will have important practical benefits for bioinformaticians and evolutionary biologists, because existing analytical methods will be rigorously tested and new tools will be developed. Australia has a comparatively high concentration of researchers in this field, so my research will foster domestic collaboration and import international expertise. The research will provide important insights into the rates and patterns of genetic changes associated with domestication, and into variation in evolutionary rates among the primate ancestors of humans. In addition to developing new software, which will be made publicly available, I will develop new evolutionary models to supplement existing software packages. Read moreRead less
Gene-environment interactions in reptile sex determination. Sex in many reptiles-crocodiles, marine and freshwater turtles, lizards, tuatara-depends on temperature in the nest. This project will examine poorly understood interactions between genes and temperature in determining sex expanding knowledge of how reptiles with temperature dependent sex determination can evolve to accommodate environmental change.
The Maintenance of Genetic Variation by Antagonistic Sexual Selection. The principle outcomes of my proposed research are fundamental knowledge, training of young scientists and the improvement of Australia's research capacity and profile. My research will have a major impact on two major branches of evolutionary biology that are seldom integrated - sexual selection and quantitative genetics. My research will enable me to establish myself as an independent researcher. Moreover, my collaborations ....The Maintenance of Genetic Variation by Antagonistic Sexual Selection. The principle outcomes of my proposed research are fundamental knowledge, training of young scientists and the improvement of Australia's research capacity and profile. My research will have a major impact on two major branches of evolutionary biology that are seldom integrated - sexual selection and quantitative genetics. My research will enable me to establish myself as an independent researcher. Moreover, my collaborations with one of the leading research laboratories in the UK, will teach me several modern techniques that I can disseminate to Australian students participating on the proposed project.Read moreRead less
Understanding the evolution of the alternation of generations in the land plant life cycle. This project will investigate the genetic basis and evolution of the land plant life cycle, in which both haploid and diploid phases consist of complex multicellular bodies. The project's findings, which will be made using two model laboratory plants, will be applicable to all plants and will help understand important processes such as pollen and seed production.