Early start arts programmes to counter radicalisation. This project aims to strengthen interfaith relationships, through youth arts workshops that generate positive images of Muslim and non-Muslim Australian youth belonging together. Anxiety about violent extremism can stigmatise Muslim-Australian youth, but the arts can transform negative effects and amplify feelings of belonging. This project will create early childhood and primary interfaith arts intervention workshops to develop interfaith b ....Early start arts programmes to counter radicalisation. This project aims to strengthen interfaith relationships, through youth arts workshops that generate positive images of Muslim and non-Muslim Australian youth belonging together. Anxiety about violent extremism can stigmatise Muslim-Australian youth, but the arts can transform negative effects and amplify feelings of belonging. This project will create early childhood and primary interfaith arts intervention workshops to develop interfaith bonds at crucial developmental stages. It will also develop a public art campaign featuring images from the workshops about Muslim children belonging to Australian culture. The project has potential economic, social and cultural benefits for Australia.Read moreRead less
Combining evolutionary, physiological and molecular approaches to understand ageing and performance. How organisms grow, behave and perform is a result of environmentally triggered molecular, physiological and biochemical reactions. Little is known about how these different levels of organisation interact to create the infinite morphological and behavioural complexities seen in adults. This project aims to integrate the fields of developmental, physiological and evolutionary biology to elucidate ....Combining evolutionary, physiological and molecular approaches to understand ageing and performance. How organisms grow, behave and perform is a result of environmentally triggered molecular, physiological and biochemical reactions. Little is known about how these different levels of organisation interact to create the infinite morphological and behavioural complexities seen in adults. This project aims to integrate the fields of developmental, physiological and evolutionary biology to elucidate how the environment moderates cell and tissue development through gene expression. This will highlight how early developmental decisions affect lifetime energetic trade-offs and efficiency, and how underlying biology manifests into emergent phenomena such as performance, behaviour, ageing and lifespan.Read moreRead less
A Varied Diet, Ageing, and the Evolution of Life Histories. This research aims to understand how nutritional environments affect lifespan and its evolution. The expected outcomes are improved knowledge around the biology of ageing including the identification of diet-responsive genes and biological pathways. These elements will comprise targets for future applied studies on ageing, metabolic dysfunction and personalised nutrition. This study will also inform as to how lifespans evolve. Because l ....A Varied Diet, Ageing, and the Evolution of Life Histories. This research aims to understand how nutritional environments affect lifespan and its evolution. The expected outcomes are improved knowledge around the biology of ageing including the identification of diet-responsive genes and biological pathways. These elements will comprise targets for future applied studies on ageing, metabolic dysfunction and personalised nutrition. This study will also inform as to how lifespans evolve. Because lifespan is a fundamental demographic trait, this knowledge will improve ability to predict how populations adapt to environmental change. Lastly, through methodological innovation this project will also provide new statistical tools for studying how treatments affect the risk of death age specifically.Read moreRead less
Linkages between productivity and consistent behavioural traits in fish: implications for harvesting, climate impacts, and selective breeding for aquaculture. The extent to which behavior, growth and reproduction are genetically linked in fish populations is unknown, but critical for predicting the impacts of fish harvesting and climate warming, and developing fish stains for aquaculture. If strongly linked, fish harvest will always remove aggressive, large and productive fish, requiring their p ....Linkages between productivity and consistent behavioural traits in fish: implications for harvesting, climate impacts, and selective breeding for aquaculture. The extent to which behavior, growth and reproduction are genetically linked in fish populations is unknown, but critical for predicting the impacts of fish harvesting and climate warming, and developing fish stains for aquaculture. If strongly linked, fish harvest will always remove aggressive, large and productive fish, requiring their protection; in aquaculture, selecting for productive fish will also increase aggression-related injuries. If not strongly linked, we may be able to select for high productivity and low aggression in fish, or high productivity and low metabolism, thus reducing feed costs in aquaculture associated with aggressive behaviour leading to injury and infection, and reduced growth at warmer temperatures.Read moreRead less
The Wealth Effect: A cultural analysis of prosperity, financialisation and everyday life in contemporary Australia. Financial and real estate markets are now central to Australian family life. But current government policies to individualise responsibility for saving and borrowing decisions often exceed the individual capacity to manage complex financial choices and unknown market risks. Growing levels of home and property ownership bring new benefits but they also increase exposure to economic ....The Wealth Effect: A cultural analysis of prosperity, financialisation and everyday life in contemporary Australia. Financial and real estate markets are now central to Australian family life. But current government policies to individualise responsibility for saving and borrowing decisions often exceed the individual capacity to manage complex financial choices and unknown market risks. Growing levels of home and property ownership bring new benefits but they also increase exposure to economic downturn. For many households the Great Australian Dream of home ownership and prosperity has now turned into a nightmare. This project responds to the pressing need for greater understanding of these developments, and will advance our understanding of this new socio-economic terrain.Read moreRead less
Crisis and change: cultural-economic research on the adaptability and sustainability of Australian households. This research will enable better understanding of the ways in which households respond to governmental imperatives to become more sustainable in their own circumstances. It will reveal unheralded patterns of adaptation and innovative responses among ordinary households to the problems of climate change, financial crisis, and demographic transition. Funding this research will provide an ....Crisis and change: cultural-economic research on the adaptability and sustainability of Australian households. This research will enable better understanding of the ways in which households respond to governmental imperatives to become more sustainable in their own circumstances. It will reveal unheralded patterns of adaptation and innovative responses among ordinary households to the problems of climate change, financial crisis, and demographic transition. Funding this research will provide an opportunity for government to listen to Australian households, and to learn from their experiences as they grapple with contemporary economic, environmental and demographic challenges. It will enhance Australia's ability to become more environmentally sustainable, strengthen the social fabric of communities and reveal vernacular forms of innovation culture.Read moreRead less
Environmentally Induced Non-genetic Effects on Ageing and Fitness over Multi-generations and the Evolution of Life-history Trade-offs. This project will study trade-offs among growth, lifespan and fecundity, and test the following three predictions by employing a short-lived fish model and cutting-edge statistical and computational modelling. First, different dietary conditions not only affect the fitness of the organism, but also that of subsequent generations. Second, different nutritional eff ....Environmentally Induced Non-genetic Effects on Ageing and Fitness over Multi-generations and the Evolution of Life-history Trade-offs. This project will study trade-offs among growth, lifespan and fecundity, and test the following three predictions by employing a short-lived fish model and cutting-edge statistical and computational modelling. First, different dietary conditions not only affect the fitness of the organism, but also that of subsequent generations. Second, different nutritional effects and transgenerational effects on fitness-related traits are underpinned by epigenetic (or non-genetic) modifications. Third, such epigenetic modifications and their inheritance influence the evolution of life-history trade-offs. This project will link the emerging field of epigenetics with evolutionary theory, and reveal mechanisms of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Read moreRead less