Real-time phylogenetics for food-borne outbreak surveillance. The project aims to introduce, for the first time, real-time evolutionary analysis of agricultural pathogens so that outbreaks affecting crops and the food supply can be managed precisely and rapidly. An expert team will implement a large-scale data analytics framework in user-friendly software that integrates Australian infectious disease genomics data with global data. Underpinning this work are new theory and algorithms that apply ....Real-time phylogenetics for food-borne outbreak surveillance. The project aims to introduce, for the first time, real-time evolutionary analysis of agricultural pathogens so that outbreaks affecting crops and the food supply can be managed precisely and rapidly. An expert team will implement a large-scale data analytics framework in user-friendly software that integrates Australian infectious disease genomics data with global data. Underpinning this work are new theory and algorithms that apply Sequential Monte Carlo to update phylogenetic analyses continuously as new data arrives. Expected outcomes include new knowledge of statistical algorithms for evolutionary analysis, relevant to biological disciplines beyond infectious disease; and enhanced capacity for infectious disease analysis. Read moreRead less
Ancestral state reconstruction and the evolution of Australian marsupials. This project aims to investigate the diversification and evolvability of Australian marsupials, by enabling genomes, ecology and 3D skeletal shape to synergistically inform evolutionary inference. This project expects to generate new knowledge of the processes that have promoted and maintained marsupial biodiversity, by tracing their evolution across a fossil gap that spans half of their history. Expected outcomes of this ....Ancestral state reconstruction and the evolution of Australian marsupials. This project aims to investigate the diversification and evolvability of Australian marsupials, by enabling genomes, ecology and 3D skeletal shape to synergistically inform evolutionary inference. This project expects to generate new knowledge of the processes that have promoted and maintained marsupial biodiversity, by tracing their evolution across a fossil gap that spans half of their history. Expected outcomes of this project include improved methods for merging fossils into the tree of life and for reconstructing the ecology and morphology of ancestors on phylogenetic trees. This should provide significant benefits, such as a coherent evolutionary context for informing research on marsupial biology, ecology and conservation.Read moreRead less