The genomic programming of complex organisms. The project will have far-reaching consequences in medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, engineering, information science and associated industries. It will provide a platform for the rationalization of genetic epidemiology and genetic improvement programs, the development of a wide range of new diagnostics and therapies, the development of new core technologies and practical approaches in genetics and genetic diversity, a framework for advanced gen ....The genomic programming of complex organisms. The project will have far-reaching consequences in medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, engineering, information science and associated industries. It will provide a platform for the rationalization of genetic epidemiology and genetic improvement programs, the development of a wide range of new diagnostics and therapies, the development of new core technologies and practical approaches in genetics and genetic diversity, a framework for advanced genetic engineering, the development of new principles and systems for information storage and transmission, and the design of artificial systems capable of self-referential assembly in other environments.Read moreRead less
Evaluating the adaptive potential of organisms to respond to environmental change. The program utilizes technological advances to develop a gene inventory for climatic change adaptation, using, as model system, the vinegar fly from divergent climates along eastern Australia. The inventory will result in new methods for monitoring climatic change impact on populations, and for testing adaptive potential of organisms from threatened habitats. A key hypothesis is that these organisms have restricte ....Evaluating the adaptive potential of organisms to respond to environmental change. The program utilizes technological advances to develop a gene inventory for climatic change adaptation, using, as model system, the vinegar fly from divergent climates along eastern Australia. The inventory will result in new methods for monitoring climatic change impact on populations, and for testing adaptive potential of organisms from threatened habitats. A key hypothesis is that these organisms have restricted genetic options to counter environmental change, increasing extinction risk. The program investigates genetic adaptation to pollutants in midges, a key group for monitoring water health. By assessing evolutionary potential and DNA species markers, biological signatures of aquatic pollutants should result.Read moreRead less
Deliberative Global Governance. The worldwide movement building deliberative democracy should now address deliberative capacity in whole systems, not just micro innovations such as citizens' juries. This includes global systems such as that addressing climate change; substantial environmental benefits will result. A world populated by more effective democracies - especially in East Asia - is in Australia's national security interest. A century ago, Australia was a world leader in innovations suc ....Deliberative Global Governance. The worldwide movement building deliberative democracy should now address deliberative capacity in whole systems, not just micro innovations such as citizens' juries. This includes global systems such as that addressing climate change; substantial environmental benefits will result. A world populated by more effective democracies - especially in East Asia - is in Australia's national security interest. A century ago, Australia was a world leader in innovations such as the secret ballot and votes for women. Work on deliberative democracy can put Australia back in the forefront of democratic progress, with many associated social, political, and economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Rethinking Mental Health Laws: An Integrated Approach. Mental health is one of the Commonwealth Government's national health priority areas. This research program will ensure the best possible outcomes for the Government's five-year action plan for better mental health services by developing model legal frameworks that will help shape the way in which individuals with mental illnesses can access the highest attainable standard of mental health care. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and th ....Rethinking Mental Health Laws: An Integrated Approach. Mental health is one of the Commonwealth Government's national health priority areas. This research program will ensure the best possible outcomes for the Government's five-year action plan for better mental health services by developing model legal frameworks that will help shape the way in which individuals with mental illnesses can access the highest attainable standard of mental health care. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and through developing model frameworks for both civil commitment and sentencing laws, this program will enable Australia to set the international agenda as to how countries can best respond to the mental health needs of their citizens.Read moreRead less
Islam and Modernity: Syari'ah, Terrorism and Governance in South-East Asia. Our region faces major political and legal challenges in the post-Cold War era, one of the most important of which is militant Islam. Australia has historically paid little attention to the implications of its location immediately to the south of the world's largest Muslim populations but 9/11 and Islamic terrorism in SE Asia have shown that regional Islam is of direct strategic and security importance for our welfare. T ....Islam and Modernity: Syari'ah, Terrorism and Governance in South-East Asia. Our region faces major political and legal challenges in the post-Cold War era, one of the most important of which is militant Islam. Australia has historically paid little attention to the implications of its location immediately to the south of the world's largest Muslim populations but 9/11 and Islamic terrorism in SE Asia have shown that regional Islam is of direct strategic and security importance for our welfare. There is, however, a significant gap in Australian understandings of Islam and Islamic law (syari'ah) and their implications for regional governance. This program addresses this gap, updates scholarship on SE Asian syari'ah, informs Australian foreign policy and builds bridges with SE Asian Muslim scholars and lawyers.Read moreRead less
Role of an ancient genetic program in the elaboration of plant architecture. This proposal will reveal how plant architecture is controlled by genes. Ultimately it will help us manipulate plant form tailored for Australia's crops, pastures and plantations. Potential benefits include larger leaves, more fruits and seeds, and timbers with new properties. As a young researcher I bring a strong and growing international reputation in plant molecular developmental genetics with world-wide collaborati ....Role of an ancient genetic program in the elaboration of plant architecture. This proposal will reveal how plant architecture is controlled by genes. Ultimately it will help us manipulate plant form tailored for Australia's crops, pastures and plantations. Potential benefits include larger leaves, more fruits and seeds, and timbers with new properties. As a young researcher I bring a strong and growing international reputation in plant molecular developmental genetics with world-wide collaborations to build a focus of excellence in Australian plant development research.
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Deciphering genome function in animal development. The normal development of an embryo depends on complex and finely tuned gene regulatory mechanisms. In this Fellowship, I will use sophisticated new technologies to discover which of our 30,000 genes is important for embryonic development, reveal the roles of these genes, and identify the control mechanisms that can go awry to cause birth defects. Our research will suggest new ways to diagnose and deal with these conditions, and will be applicab ....Deciphering genome function in animal development. The normal development of an embryo depends on complex and finely tuned gene regulatory mechanisms. In this Fellowship, I will use sophisticated new technologies to discover which of our 30,000 genes is important for embryonic development, reveal the roles of these genes, and identify the control mechanisms that can go awry to cause birth defects. Our research will suggest new ways to diagnose and deal with these conditions, and will be applicable to stem cell technologies, tissue regeneration, cancer biology, conservation, pest management and livestock breeding, thus delivering significant economic and social benefits to Australia. Read moreRead less
Discovering genes and mechanisms regulating immune responses. The Fellowship will retain and expand a pioneering Australian research program, and attract to Australia major international investment and technology linkages, making use of the DNA sequence of humans and other mammals to advance understanding of immunity and infection control in public health, agriculture and industry. The program will build on Australia's pre-eminent research strengths in the field of immunity and infection, and w ....Discovering genes and mechanisms regulating immune responses. The Fellowship will retain and expand a pioneering Australian research program, and attract to Australia major international investment and technology linkages, making use of the DNA sequence of humans and other mammals to advance understanding of immunity and infection control in public health, agriculture and industry. The program will build on Australia's pre-eminent research strengths in the field of immunity and infection, and will create new knowledge and resources to improve human and animal health through vaccines, pharmaceuticals and public health policy. Read moreRead less
Metabolomic and genetic approaches to the discovery of genes that direct carbon partitioning in plants. Plants make starch, sucrose, cell walls (fibre), oil, organic acids, vitamins and other products of great economic and social importance. The partitioning of carbon resources into such products determines crop productivity and quality. This partitioning is strongly influenced by nutrients, water and salinity. The powerful genomics resources of Arabidopsis including the new discipline of metabo ....Metabolomic and genetic approaches to the discovery of genes that direct carbon partitioning in plants. Plants make starch, sucrose, cell walls (fibre), oil, organic acids, vitamins and other products of great economic and social importance. The partitioning of carbon resources into such products determines crop productivity and quality. This partitioning is strongly influenced by nutrients, water and salinity. The powerful genomics resources of Arabidopsis including the new discipline of metabolomics, will be deployed to understand the regulation of carbon partitioning in leaves and to discover genes that direct partitioning. National research capability will be enhanced and new resources will be generated to breed crops with improved yield potential and product quality under varied environmental conditions.Read moreRead less
Small RNAs: what makes a plant, a plant. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a young field of research that is giving, and will continue to give, profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The projec ....Small RNAs: what makes a plant, a plant. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a young field of research that is giving, and will continue to give, profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The project will yield insights into fundamental biological processes which are expected to engender applications in agriculture and biotechnology. It will maintain and enhance Australia's position in this area.Read moreRead less