Light driven degradation of persistent organic pollutants. This project aims to address the accumulation of pollutants in our environment by developing and optimising materials that utilise light energy to breakdown these persistent chemicals. Combining novel techniques and approaches, this project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of materials science and photochemistry. The anticipated outcomes of this project include an advancement of environmental remediation methods and the cap ....Light driven degradation of persistent organic pollutants. This project aims to address the accumulation of pollutants in our environment by developing and optimising materials that utilise light energy to breakdown these persistent chemicals. Combining novel techniques and approaches, this project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of materials science and photochemistry. The anticipated outcomes of this project include an advancement of environmental remediation methods and the capture of pollutants at their source. This should provide significant benefits to both humans and the environment through preventing the adverse impacts of pollutant exposure.Read moreRead less
Dead Heart Beating? Landscape, Climate and People in Desert Australia. This project aims to undertake the first detailed investigation of the archaeology, landscape history and paleoenvironment of dryland lakes in the Simpson, Strzelecki and Stuart Stony Deserts in Central Australia. Using cutting edge methods, the project expects to discover new archaeological sites, provide a new climate record for inland Australia and develop innovative new analytical and field techniques. Expected benefits a ....Dead Heart Beating? Landscape, Climate and People in Desert Australia. This project aims to undertake the first detailed investigation of the archaeology, landscape history and paleoenvironment of dryland lakes in the Simpson, Strzelecki and Stuart Stony Deserts in Central Australia. Using cutting edge methods, the project expects to discover new archaeological sites, provide a new climate record for inland Australia and develop innovative new analytical and field techniques. Expected benefits also include the development of new cutting-edge methodologies for the investigation of Australian desert landscapes, comprehensive baseline data of how this region has evolved prior to European colonization and resolving why no Pleistocene aged archaeological sites have been found in the region.Read moreRead less
The ownership of minds. This project aims to research the awareness of a conscious state as the subject's own. This is at the heart of a perennial debate about consciousness: whether we are aware of our conscious states as our own, or are merely aware of their occurrence. The project will collaborate internationally and across disciplines and institutions to develop a conceptual distinction between two components of consciousness. It will also provide an analysis of the nature of three mental di ....The ownership of minds. This project aims to research the awareness of a conscious state as the subject's own. This is at the heart of a perennial debate about consciousness: whether we are aware of our conscious states as our own, or are merely aware of their occurrence. The project will collaborate internationally and across disciplines and institutions to develop a conceptual distinction between two components of consciousness. It will also provide an analysis of the nature of three mental disorders in which the two components seem to come apart. These outcomes are expected to constitute a significant innovation in the study of consciousness and, more generally, in the philosophy of mind.Read moreRead less
Pathways for Indigenous and Western knowledge into Environmental Policy. The aim of this project is to identify the ways in which all knowledge, particularly Western and Indigenous knowledges can work together to inform environmental policy, with a focus on climate change adaptation. Using participatory methodologies and supported by an Indigenous led advisory group, the project will partner with Indigenous Ranger groups to interrogate three key knowledge management concepts: integration, co-pro ....Pathways for Indigenous and Western knowledge into Environmental Policy. The aim of this project is to identify the ways in which all knowledge, particularly Western and Indigenous knowledges can work together to inform environmental policy, with a focus on climate change adaptation. Using participatory methodologies and supported by an Indigenous led advisory group, the project will partner with Indigenous Ranger groups to interrogate three key knowledge management concepts: integration, co-production and co-existence. Based on communities of practice, in the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Basin, Australia, the Fellowship seeks to produce mechanisms of knowledge co-existence and maintenance that will contribute to stronger environmental policies and create spaces for Indigenous voices to be represented within them.Read moreRead less
Going beyond genetics: the shape of marsupial evolution and conservation. This project aims to explain the past and protect the present biodiversity of endangered marsupial mammals such as bilbies and koalas. It will generate new knowledge using an interdisciplinary combination of 3D analysis of skull shape, reflecting a mammal’s ability to feed and sense its surrounds, with the fast-moving fields of marsupial conservation and evolutionary genetics. This will help to anticipate if, and how, chan ....Going beyond genetics: the shape of marsupial evolution and conservation. This project aims to explain the past and protect the present biodiversity of endangered marsupial mammals such as bilbies and koalas. It will generate new knowledge using an interdisciplinary combination of 3D analysis of skull shape, reflecting a mammal’s ability to feed and sense its surrounds, with the fast-moving fields of marsupial conservation and evolutionary genetics. This will help to anticipate if, and how, changing environments and declining numbers reduce these species’ ability to adapt. Benefits include better information to support improved conservation decisions and identification of genes underlying the evolution of marsupial skull diversity.Read moreRead less
Solar-Driven C-H Functionalization Reactions. This project aims to investigate the functionalization reaction of unreactive C-H bonds using light as the source of energy. Light is a transformative change to synthesis as thermal activation is exchanged to solar activation. The latter gives access to excited state chemistry and enables reaction steps that are thermally inaccessible. It is a key strategy to leverage synthesis to the demands of the 21st century and to minimise its ecologic footprint ....Solar-Driven C-H Functionalization Reactions. This project aims to investigate the functionalization reaction of unreactive C-H bonds using light as the source of energy. Light is a transformative change to synthesis as thermal activation is exchanged to solar activation. The latter gives access to excited state chemistry and enables reaction steps that are thermally inaccessible. It is a key strategy to leverage synthesis to the demands of the 21st century and to minimise its ecologic footprint. At the same time this strategy provides a lever to profoundly impact and drive new concepts in synthesis. Significant benefits are expected, such as increase in fundamental knowledge on photochemical processes, but also the access to new materials for applications as drugs or OLEDs.Read moreRead less
Critical conversations: An ethnographic study of Australian organ donation. There is an urgent need for new culturally sensitive ways of improving organ donation rates in Australia, which are lower in culturally and linguistically diverse groups. The project aims to reorient the research focus from decisions made prior to death to the actual times and clinical spaces in which these decisions occur. Through a comparative cross-cultural analysis this research will provide essential knowledge that ....Critical conversations: An ethnographic study of Australian organ donation. There is an urgent need for new culturally sensitive ways of improving organ donation rates in Australia, which are lower in culturally and linguistically diverse groups. The project aims to reorient the research focus from decisions made prior to death to the actual times and clinical spaces in which these decisions occur. Through a comparative cross-cultural analysis this research will provide essential knowledge that will inform innovative approaches to understanding organ donation. The outcomes will have a strong bearing on how organ donation communication, professional protocols, and ultimately, organ donation practice evolve in Australia. Read moreRead less
Engineered redox polymers for catalytic water purification. This project aims to develop a novel family of chemically and structurally controlled redox polymer as metal-free catalysts for wastewater micropollutant treatment. Innovations lie in the synthesis of high-performance and nanostructured carbon-based materials, multiscale modeling, and in situ characterizations for understanding structure-property relationship in carbon catalysis. Expected outcomes will deliver innovations in functional ....Engineered redox polymers for catalytic water purification. This project aims to develop a novel family of chemically and structurally controlled redox polymer as metal-free catalysts for wastewater micropollutant treatment. Innovations lie in the synthesis of high-performance and nanostructured carbon-based materials, multiscale modeling, and in situ characterizations for understanding structure-property relationship in carbon catalysis. Expected outcomes will deliver innovations in functional materials, mechanism, catalytic engineering, and sustainable separation processes. This project will provide significant benefits in renovating smart nanomaterials in advanced manufacturing and clean environmental technologies, promoting Australia’s economic development and environment protection.Read moreRead less
Safeguarding coral reef fisheries for future food security. This Fellowship aims to address the vulnerability of coral reef fisheries in Australia and the Indo-Pacific by identifying fishery targets that benefit human nutrition and will persist despite declining coral habitats and rising water temperature. This project will advance knowledge on coral and fish responses to increasingly frequent marine heatwaves, using novel methodologies rooted in ecological modelling, experimental marine biology ....Safeguarding coral reef fisheries for future food security. This Fellowship aims to address the vulnerability of coral reef fisheries in Australia and the Indo-Pacific by identifying fishery targets that benefit human nutrition and will persist despite declining coral habitats and rising water temperature. This project will advance knowledge on coral and fish responses to increasingly frequent marine heatwaves, using novel methodologies rooted in ecological modelling, experimental marine biology and climate forecasting. Expected outcomes include (i) a comprehensive toolbox for improved management of coral reefs and associated fisheries in Australia and beyond, and (ii) an integrated socio-ecological model for predicting coral reef fishery responses under environmental change.Read moreRead less
Sulfur-based materials for infrared optics and thermal imaging. This project aims to investigate novel sulfur polymers for use in infrared optics and thermal imaging. Current thermal imaging lenses are made in energy-intensive processes from expensive semiconductors and toxic chalcogenide glasses. In contrast, highly abundant elemental sulfur can be converted into polymers that are highly transparent to mid- and long-wave infrared light, providing a promising low-cost alternative. In developing ....Sulfur-based materials for infrared optics and thermal imaging. This project aims to investigate novel sulfur polymers for use in infrared optics and thermal imaging. Current thermal imaging lenses are made in energy-intensive processes from expensive semiconductors and toxic chalcogenide glasses. In contrast, highly abundant elemental sulfur can be converted into polymers that are highly transparent to mid- and long-wave infrared light, providing a promising low-cost alternative. In developing this technology, expected outcomes include novel methods to manufacture polymers from low-cost sulfur and their use as lenses for thermal imaging. Significant benefits are expected, such as access to low-cost, recyclable materials for thermal imaging required in surveillance, diagnostics, and spectroscopy.Read moreRead less