Sequencing and assembling microbial community metagenomes in real-time. This project aims to assemble metagenomes directly from environmental samples using nanopore sequencing. Short-read approaches to metagenomics cannot assemble mixed genomes from an environmental sample, so focus on describing which species and genes are present. Long-read nanopore sequencing enables the assembly of full genomes of multiple species in a sample. Assembling complete genomes in important resources such as water ....Sequencing and assembling microbial community metagenomes in real-time. This project aims to assemble metagenomes directly from environmental samples using nanopore sequencing. Short-read approaches to metagenomics cannot assemble mixed genomes from an environmental sample, so focus on describing which species and genes are present. Long-read nanopore sequencing enables the assembly of full genomes of multiple species in a sample. Assembling complete genomes in important resources such as water and soil should lead to deeper understanding of the dynamics, variation and transfer of genetic material within these resources’ microbial communities, strategies to manage microbial diversity, and improved productivity and long-term sustainability for these resources.Read moreRead less
Structure and states of operator-algebraic dynamical systems. This project is in the general area of functional analysis, and more specifically operator theory, an area in which the University of Wollongong has an active research group and a strong international reputation. The investigators will study dynamical systems arising in combinatorial and number-theoretic situations, where the analogue of the "dynamics'' is provided by an action of the real line on an operator algebra. Thus the project ....Structure and states of operator-algebraic dynamical systems. This project is in the general area of functional analysis, and more specifically operator theory, an area in which the University of Wollongong has an active research group and a strong international reputation. The investigators will study dynamical systems arising in combinatorial and number-theoretic situations, where the analogue of the "dynamics'' is provided by an action of the real line on an operator algebra. Thus the project will involve ideas and techniques from a wide range of mathematical disciplines, and will help to broaden Australia's expertise across these disciplines.Read moreRead less
Endomorphisms, transfer operators and Hilbert modules. This project is in the general area of functional analysis, an area where both Newcastle University and the University of New South Wales have strong international reputations. The aim of the project is to study irreversible dynamics in the presence of transfer operators, as recently introduced by Professor Exel. The motivation comes from a variety of examples arising in different areas of mathematics, including number theory and graph theor ....Endomorphisms, transfer operators and Hilbert modules. This project is in the general area of functional analysis, an area where both Newcastle University and the University of New South Wales have strong international reputations. The aim of the project is to study irreversible dynamics in the presence of transfer operators, as recently introduced by Professor Exel. The motivation comes from a variety of examples arising in different areas of mathematics, including number theory and graph theory. It is hoped that the results will give new understanding of the algebraic and analytic structure underlying the multi-resolution analyses used in approximation theory and Fourier analysis. This project will help ensure that Australia has a strong foundation in mathematics which will foster innovation.Read moreRead less
Operator algebras associated to semigroups and graphs. This project aims to unify ideas from two highly topical areas of mathematics in which one studies discrete objects by representing them as families of linear transformations. In the first area, one represents the semigroups which model irreversible dynamics as isometries (that is, distance-preserving transformations); in the second, one represents networks by families of partially defined isometries in a way which reflects the behaviour of ....Operator algebras associated to semigroups and graphs. This project aims to unify ideas from two highly topical areas of mathematics in which one studies discrete objects by representing them as families of linear transformations. In the first area, one represents the semigroups which model irreversible dynamics as isometries (that is, distance-preserving transformations); in the second, one represents networks by families of partially defined isometries in a way which reflects the behaviour of paths in the network. The link will be achieved by viewing the operator algebras they generate as semidirect products which have been twisted by a noncommutative cocycle.Read moreRead less
Operator algebras associated to groupoids. Australian researchers have a strong reputation for excellence and innovation in the field of operator algebras. Operator algebras associated to groupoids have been immensely influential in recent decades, both within mathematics and via applications to theoretical physics. This project will develop an innovative approach to groupoid algebras, and will help to maintain the high standing of Australian researchers in this important field.
Co-universal operator algebras. Australian researchers have established themselves at the very forefront of research into operator algebras associated to graphs. The proposed research will make an important impact, at a fundamental level, on the way that researchers around the world view these operator algebras. This will help to further strengthen Australia's reputation in this field. The proposed program will also train two PhD students in a very active area of mathematics and put them in cont ....Co-universal operator algebras. Australian researchers have established themselves at the very forefront of research into operator algebras associated to graphs. The proposed research will make an important impact, at a fundamental level, on the way that researchers around the world view these operator algebras. This will help to further strengthen Australia's reputation in this field. The proposed program will also train two PhD students in a very active area of mathematics and put them in contact with a vibrant research community. This will help contribute to the strong future of pure mathematics in Australia.Read moreRead less
New Directions in Noncommutative Geometry. A. Connes' noncommutative geometry has recently become important in topology, geometry and physics. The central geometric objects in noncommutative geometry are called spectral triples. Spectral triples also provide the framework for studying some important classes of equations. This project will extend the definitions of spectral triples to cover additional important examples. This extension will provide the tools to study a broad class of boundary val ....New Directions in Noncommutative Geometry. A. Connes' noncommutative geometry has recently become important in topology, geometry and physics. The central geometric objects in noncommutative geometry are called spectral triples. Spectral triples also provide the framework for studying some important classes of equations. This project will extend the definitions of spectral triples to cover additional important examples. This extension will provide the tools to study a broad class of boundary value problems in the theory of equations. Such problems occur in several areas of modern physics. In addition, results obtained will be useful for studying the structure of the most important spectral triples, called noncommutative manifolds.Read moreRead less
Using venoms to map critical and evolutionary conserved vulnerabilities. We have developed and applied new functional genomic approaches to study venom evolution. Using CRISPR screening, we find that unrelated venoms act on cells by exploiting the same vulnerabilities. By functionally mapping these vulnerabilities for all venom classes, we can begin to develop universal venom antidotes. Conversely, much of what we know about venom mechanisms comes from a small percentage of the biodiversity with ....Using venoms to map critical and evolutionary conserved vulnerabilities. We have developed and applied new functional genomic approaches to study venom evolution. Using CRISPR screening, we find that unrelated venoms act on cells by exploiting the same vulnerabilities. By functionally mapping these vulnerabilities for all venom classes, we can begin to develop universal venom antidotes. Conversely, much of what we know about venom mechanisms comes from a small percentage of the biodiversity within a venom, and we have developed genomic tools to study the venom “dark matter”. This work will lead to the full molecular characterisation of venom biodiversity, and new venom components will be useful for research or as novel medicines.Read moreRead less
High performance complex oxide heterostructures for nanoelectronic devices. This project aims to develop a material with ultrahigh electron mobility and conductivity well above today’s materials at room temperature to enable next generation nanoelectronics. The demand for higher performance and lower power consumption in electronic systems drives the creation of materials for devices in nanometre scale. The success of these materials depends on enhancement in carrier mobility and conductivity. T ....High performance complex oxide heterostructures for nanoelectronic devices. This project aims to develop a material with ultrahigh electron mobility and conductivity well above today’s materials at room temperature to enable next generation nanoelectronics. The demand for higher performance and lower power consumption in electronic systems drives the creation of materials for devices in nanometre scale. The success of these materials depends on enhancement in carrier mobility and conductivity. This project will spatially separate the electron generation layer from the conduction layer by individually engineering the atomically sharp complex oxide heterointerfaces to enhance the electron mobility and density. This is expected to develop new materials and nanoelectronic technologies.Read moreRead less
System-level characterisation of the siphonophore, Indo-Pacific man o' war. The Indo-Pacific man o' war (bluebottle), is a cnidarian from the siphonophore order. These animals frequent Australian beaches in swarms and cause thousands of stings every year. The project proposes to profile the genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and proteome of the bluebottle to gain insight into its life cycle, its behaviour, and toxins. Expected outcomes include the generation of novel information related to bluebo ....System-level characterisation of the siphonophore, Indo-Pacific man o' war. The Indo-Pacific man o' war (bluebottle), is a cnidarian from the siphonophore order. These animals frequent Australian beaches in swarms and cause thousands of stings every year. The project proposes to profile the genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and proteome of the bluebottle to gain insight into its life cycle, its behaviour, and toxins. Expected outcomes include the generation of novel information related to bluebottle gene regulation and its toxin repertoire, which will be highly beneficial for the design of future sting treatment strategies. Given that the bluebottle is a colony made of functionally specialised polyps, this study will also provide significant novel insight into the origins and evolution of animal multicellularity.Read moreRead less