Suspension flows and particle focusing in curved geometries. The project aims to develop fast predictive tools to investigate suspension flows in curved channels and thin ducts and the effect of channel geometry on the focusing of particles by weight to different regions of the channel. Interaction between particles and fluid in suspension flows is a fundamental problem that is little understood but which is important in a wide range of problems in nature and industry (eg for design of microscal ....Suspension flows and particle focusing in curved geometries. The project aims to develop fast predictive tools to investigate suspension flows in curved channels and thin ducts and the effect of channel geometry on the focusing of particles by weight to different regions of the channel. Interaction between particles and fluid in suspension flows is a fundamental problem that is little understood but which is important in a wide range of problems in nature and industry (eg for design of microscale segregation devices for separation of different cells in a blood sample, and of macroscale devices for separation of mineral particles from crushed ore). At present, the description of these processes is qualitative, with quantitative understanding seen as a challenge without intensive computation. The project plans to develop, solve and validate mathematical models to give a quantitative understanding of these processes.Read moreRead less
Prediction of inertial particle focusing in curved microfluidic ducts. This project aims to develop mathematical models to predict migration of particles suspended in flow through curved microfluidic ducts and their focusing by size to different regions in the cross-section of the duct. New knowledge in mathematics and engineering will be generated through models that capture the two-way force balance between fluid and particles and by a novel use of asymptotics for computational efficiency. Exp ....Prediction of inertial particle focusing in curved microfluidic ducts. This project aims to develop mathematical models to predict migration of particles suspended in flow through curved microfluidic ducts and their focusing by size to different regions in the cross-section of the duct. New knowledge in mathematics and engineering will be generated through models that capture the two-way force balance between fluid and particles and by a novel use of asymptotics for computational efficiency. Expected outcomes are understanding of the physics that drives particle migration and the parameters that may be used to control particle focusing. This will benefit design and operation of microfluidic devices for particle sorting as required for "liquid biopsy", the isolation of cancer cells in a routine blood sample.Read moreRead less
Root-to-shoot: modeling the salt stress response of a plant vascular system. Salt and drought are the two major abiotic stresses affecting crop plant health, growth and development. We aim to understand salt and water transport in plants and the physiological effects of soil salinity. Using biophysical models, we will quantify the movement of salt through plant organs, tissues and cells, from root to leaf. We aim to answer the question of how salt moves across the different tissues and major org ....Root-to-shoot: modeling the salt stress response of a plant vascular system. Salt and drought are the two major abiotic stresses affecting crop plant health, growth and development. We aim to understand salt and water transport in plants and the physiological effects of soil salinity. Using biophysical models, we will quantify the movement of salt through plant organs, tissues and cells, from root to leaf. We aim to answer the question of how salt moves across the different tissues and major organs, how salt accumulates in root, leaf and shoot cells, and how movement and accumulation is controlled by the diversity of transport mechanisms operating in plants. We aim to quantify tissue tolerance, osmotic tolerance and ionic tolerance and discover new mechanisms by which plants can stave off the effect of salt stress.Read moreRead less
New mathematics for lipids and cells: structured models for atherosclerosis. The project aims to create new mathematical theory for immune cell behaviour which leads to heart attacks and strokes. This includes formulation and analysis of new types of mathematical models for atherosclerotic plaque development, leading to the creation of new mathematical tools to investigate cell fate in plaques and to generate new hypotheses for experimental research. Expected outcomes of this project include po ....New mathematics for lipids and cells: structured models for atherosclerosis. The project aims to create new mathematical theory for immune cell behaviour which leads to heart attacks and strokes. This includes formulation and analysis of new types of mathematical models for atherosclerotic plaque development, leading to the creation of new mathematical tools to investigate cell fate in plaques and to generate new hypotheses for experimental research. Expected outcomes of this project include powerful and reliable mathematical models ready for application, and national and international collaborations with scientists and mathematicians. This should provide significant benefits including increased capacity to use mathematical models in vascular biology and training young researchers in interdisciplinary methods.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100031
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$333,684.00
Summary
Mathematical modelling of the complex mechanics of biological materials and their role in tissue function and development. The mechanics of biological materials is complicated because they consist of many components such as fibres, proteins and polymers. We aim to use mathematical tools to understand how these components interact in tissues such as the spinal disc which will aid the development of new treatments to reverse the effects of injury, disease or aging.
Complex Multiscale Systems: Modeling, Analysis and Scientific Computation. This project aims to develop and implement a systematic approach, both analytic and computational, to extract compact, accurate, system level models of complex physical and engineering systems. The wide ranging methodology is to construct computationally efficient "wrappers" around fine scale, microscopic, detailed descriptions of dynamical systems (particle or molecular simulation, or partial differential equations or la ....Complex Multiscale Systems: Modeling, Analysis and Scientific Computation. This project aims to develop and implement a systematic approach, both analytic and computational, to extract compact, accurate, system level models of complex physical and engineering systems. The wide ranging methodology is to construct computationally efficient "wrappers" around fine scale, microscopic, detailed descriptions of dynamical systems (particle or molecular simulation, or partial differential equations or lattice equations). Comprehensively accounting for multiscale interactions between subgrid processes among macroscale variations ensures stability and accuracy. Based on dynamical systems theory and analysis, this approach is expected to empower systematic analysis and understanding for optimal macroscopic simulation for forthcoming exascale computing.Read moreRead less
Optimal electromaterial structures for energy applications. This project aims to develop new mathematical and modelling approaches to determine optimal configurations and parameters for material structures created from three-dimensional printing of combined metals and electromaterials. Electromaterials are needed for sustainable energy, but solving coupled-systems of highly nonlinear governing equations is needed for optimal control of spatial arrangement and composition in nano and micro-struct ....Optimal electromaterial structures for energy applications. This project aims to develop new mathematical and modelling approaches to determine optimal configurations and parameters for material structures created from three-dimensional printing of combined metals and electromaterials. Electromaterials are needed for sustainable energy, but solving coupled-systems of highly nonlinear governing equations is needed for optimal control of spatial arrangement and composition in nano and micro-structural domains. Dealing with this mathematical complexity is critical to developing high efficiency energy generation and gas storage systems. This is expected to enhance transport mechanisms within electrochemical devices and create opportunities for industry to use electrofunctional materials.Read moreRead less
A Novel Geometric Approach to Shocks in Reaction-Nonlinear Diffusion Models. Reaction-nonlinear diffusion models play a vital role in the study of cell migration and population dynamics. However, the presence of aggregation, or backward diffusion, leads to the formation of shock waves - distinct, sharp interfaces between different populations of densities of cells - and the breakdown of the model. This project will develop new geometric methods to explain the formation and temporal evolution of ....A Novel Geometric Approach to Shocks in Reaction-Nonlinear Diffusion Models. Reaction-nonlinear diffusion models play a vital role in the study of cell migration and population dynamics. However, the presence of aggregation, or backward diffusion, leads to the formation of shock waves - distinct, sharp interfaces between different populations of densities of cells - and the breakdown of the model. This project will develop new geometric methods to explain the formation and temporal evolution of these shock waves, while simultaneously unifying existing regularisation techniques under a single, geometric banner. It will devise innovative tools in singular perturbation theory and stability analysis that will identify key parameters in the creation of shock waves, as well as their dynamic behaviour.Read moreRead less
Accurate modelling of large multiscale dynamical systems for engineering and scientific simulation and analysis. In current modelling the underlying microscopic mechanisms are known, but the closures to translate microscale knowledge to a system level macroscopic description are rarely available. The project's computational methodologies will circumvent this stumbling block to radically change the modelling, exploration and understanding of complex systems.
Construction of near optimal oscillatory regimes in singularly perturbed control systems via solutions of Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman inequalities. Problems of optimal control of systems evolving in multiple time scales arise in a great variety of applications (from diet to environmental modelling). This project addresses the challenge of analytically and numerically constructing rapidly oscillating controls that would 'near optimally coordinate' the slow and fast dynamics.