Conducting polymer materials. This project aims to understand the optical, electrical and optoelectronic properties of conductive polymers by studying how ions influence the charge transport through the polymeric structure. The discovery of conductive polymers in the 1970s led to smartphone and laptop touch displays and solar cells. These materials promise even more still – but how they operate at the atomic level is not understood. This project could lead to an ability to harness and control th ....Conducting polymer materials. This project aims to understand the optical, electrical and optoelectronic properties of conductive polymers by studying how ions influence the charge transport through the polymeric structure. The discovery of conductive polymers in the 1970s led to smartphone and laptop touch displays and solar cells. These materials promise even more still – but how they operate at the atomic level is not understood. This project could lead to an ability to harness and control these properties for energy storage and wearable displays. These materials’ biological neutrality could lead to drug delivery and sensing applications in the agriculture and healthcare spaces.Read moreRead less
Engineering floating liquid marbles for three-dimensional cell cultures. This project aims to understand the physics of three-dimensional cell cultures in a liquid marble floating on a liquid free surface. New methodology developed can produce these cell cultures without using matrices or scaffolds and with run-times well beyond existing technologies. This methodology closely mimics a normal in-vivo environment and produces spheroids needed in cell transplantation therapies. This project will re ....Engineering floating liquid marbles for three-dimensional cell cultures. This project aims to understand the physics of three-dimensional cell cultures in a liquid marble floating on a liquid free surface. New methodology developed can produce these cell cultures without using matrices or scaffolds and with run-times well beyond existing technologies. This methodology closely mimics a normal in-vivo environment and produces spheroids needed in cell transplantation therapies. This project will resolve uncertainties in the underlying phenomena. The expected outcome should support future high quality cell cultures suitable for transplantation therapies.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100040
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,000.00
Summary
Advanced capabilities for surface engineering and nanolithography . Advanced capabilities for surface engineering and nanolithography: This project will establish a facility for atomic layer deposition and nanolithography. Strong fabrication and engineering capabilities are key in keeping interdisciplinary research highly competitive. The applications of these cutting-edge surface nanoengineering technologies are enormous and include: development of new materials with new properties for sensing, ....Advanced capabilities for surface engineering and nanolithography . Advanced capabilities for surface engineering and nanolithography: This project will establish a facility for atomic layer deposition and nanolithography. Strong fabrication and engineering capabilities are key in keeping interdisciplinary research highly competitive. The applications of these cutting-edge surface nanoengineering technologies are enormous and include: development of new materials with new properties for sensing, biosensing, optical, photonic, electronic and medical devices, new metamaterials, solar cell, energy production and environmental protection.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL130100044
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,965,000.00
Summary
Controlling light to understand and drive nanoscale processes. This project aims to develop a suite of light-based sensing technologies capable of quantifying the dynamic environment within a living cell. These technologies will extend our capacity to harness light-matter interactions at the nanoscale, providing new insights in fields ranging from plant biology to medicine.
Closing the loop between salience and brain activity. This project aims to understand how animals exposed to an abundance of highly complex information decide what to attend to, that is, how they determine visual saliency. The project will approach this question by systematically tracking visual decision-making in the smallest animal brains, in closed-loop virtual reality environment. This approach will uncover basic working principles applicable to any system that needs to pay attention in a vi ....Closing the loop between salience and brain activity. This project aims to understand how animals exposed to an abundance of highly complex information decide what to attend to, that is, how they determine visual saliency. The project will approach this question by systematically tracking visual decision-making in the smallest animal brains, in closed-loop virtual reality environment. This approach will uncover basic working principles applicable to any system that needs to pay attention in a visually cluttered world, from insects to humans or autonomous vehicles.Read moreRead less
New bar-encoded polymer microbeads for multiplexed bioanalysis-a quick and high-throughput approach for complex disease diagnosis. Distinguishable new bar-encoded (element-encoded) polymer microbeads associated with a mass spectroscopy-flow cytometer detector provide a novel platform for highly multiplexed biological analysis. Such an approach can simultaneously identify many non-self-agents at low concentrations, which facilitates early-stage complex disease diagnosis.
Where do inductive biases come from? A Bayesian investigation. This project aims to investigate the origin of our thinking and learning biases using state-of-the-art mathematical models and sophisticated experimental designs. Expected outcomes include bridging the gap between human and machine learning by pairing mathematical modelling with experimental work, forming a necessary step toward the development of machine systems that can reason like people do. This will provide significant benefits ....Where do inductive biases come from? A Bayesian investigation. This project aims to investigate the origin of our thinking and learning biases using state-of-the-art mathematical models and sophisticated experimental designs. Expected outcomes include bridging the gap between human and machine learning by pairing mathematical modelling with experimental work, forming a necessary step toward the development of machine systems that can reason like people do. This will provide significant benefits such as understanding how people operate so effectively in real environments, when even the most powerful computers struggle to handle the complexities of everyday learning problems.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101244
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$417,276.00
Summary
Advanced zinc-ion batteries with high voltage and high energy density. Zinc-ion battery is not only cheaper than current lithium-ion battery (LIB), but it is safer due to a neutral aqueous electrolyte. However, its grid-scale development is plagued by limited output voltage and inadequate energy density compared with more mainstream LIB. This project aims to solve the discharge-voltage problem by fabricating atomic-level structure engineered manganese (Mn)-based cathode and a new stable solid-st ....Advanced zinc-ion batteries with high voltage and high energy density. Zinc-ion battery is not only cheaper than current lithium-ion battery (LIB), but it is safer due to a neutral aqueous electrolyte. However, its grid-scale development is plagued by limited output voltage and inadequate energy density compared with more mainstream LIB. This project aims to solve the discharge-voltage problem by fabricating atomic-level structure engineered manganese (Mn)-based cathode and a new stable solid-state electrolyte, and improve the device energy density by zinc (Zn) anode interface nanotechnology. The success of this project will benefit Australia’s access to new markets and introduce a new low-cost and safe energy storage technology for the long-term viability of Australia’s abundant Zn and Mn resources.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100040
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,375,000.00
Summary
An advanced electron microscope facility for nanomaterials, functional materials and minerals. An advanced electron microscope facility for nanomaterials, functional materials and minerals: Recent advances in electron microscopy provide instruments that can resolve at the atomic level and image both morphologically and chemically at these resolutions. These modern instruments are also less complex to operate therefore allowing many more researchers to access them directly. The High Resolution Sc ....An advanced electron microscope facility for nanomaterials, functional materials and minerals. An advanced electron microscope facility for nanomaterials, functional materials and minerals: Recent advances in electron microscopy provide instruments that can resolve at the atomic level and image both morphologically and chemically at these resolutions. These modern instruments are also less complex to operate therefore allowing many more researchers to access them directly. The High Resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope will allow a complete, nano-scale characterisation of natural and synthetic materials in a broad range of scientific, engineering and industrial applications. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope will provide nano-science users with a tool that can image many of the processes in the formation of these nanostructures and particles.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR120200004
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$30,000,000.00
Summary
Australian Synchrotron Access Program. The Australian Synchrotron epitomises scientific research excellence in Australian and New Zealand. Its impact spans nearly every research sector. This proposal brings together over 30 Australian universities working together to ensure that world-class peer-reviewed science continues to be performed at the Australian Synchrotron.