ARC Centre of Excellence - In Plant Energy Biology (CPEB). Plant cell metabolism underlies the synthesis of important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Research in CPEB will focus on control of this metabolism. Its expertise will enhance Australia's participation in major international research efforts directly relevant to sustainable agriculture in a country with fragile/ ....ARC Centre of Excellence - In Plant Energy Biology (CPEB). Plant cell metabolism underlies the synthesis of important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Research in CPEB will focus on control of this metabolism. Its expertise will enhance Australia's participation in major international research efforts directly relevant to sustainable agriculture in a country with fragile/degrading ecosystems. The research will provide new approaches for enhancing quality metabolite traits important for human health. It will further strengthen our international leadership in plant energy science, and will strengthen Australia's research training in systems biology to influence plant function.Read moreRead less
Discovery of novel microRNA biogenesis and functional components. Discovery of novel microRNA components will provide new strategies for confronting a diverse array of challenges Australia faces, such as the increasing rates of certain cancers in our population, to stresses on our crop plants faced with environmental changes. The biological mechanisms underlying these disparate problems are unified by microRNA involvement in many instances. By finding microRNA controlling factors common to all h ....Discovery of novel microRNA biogenesis and functional components. Discovery of novel microRNA components will provide new strategies for confronting a diverse array of challenges Australia faces, such as the increasing rates of certain cancers in our population, to stresses on our crop plants faced with environmental changes. The biological mechanisms underlying these disparate problems are unified by microRNA involvement in many instances. By finding microRNA controlling factors common to all higher organisms, we expect our community will benefit from the increased knowledge base that will help our researchers adopt new strategies in fighting diseases and improving our agricultural industry.Read moreRead less
Multiblock copolymer synthesis for nano-engineered materials. This project aims to develop methodology for environmentally friendly and industrially applicable synthesis of new types of advanced polymeric materials comprising multiblock copolymers. Polymeric materials play an important role in society with applications from bulk plastics to advanced technological applications. This would enable the creation of advanced materials with specific engineering targets and applications ranging from nan ....Multiblock copolymer synthesis for nano-engineered materials. This project aims to develop methodology for environmentally friendly and industrially applicable synthesis of new types of advanced polymeric materials comprising multiblock copolymers. Polymeric materials play an important role in society with applications from bulk plastics to advanced technological applications. This would enable the creation of advanced materials with specific engineering targets and applications ranging from nanomedicine to materials science.Read moreRead less
Polymer-functionalised nanotubes: controlled formation by self-assembly. This project will develop new structures of nanotubes by combining peptide sequences and synthetic polymers. These nanostructured materials will form the basis of a wide range of technological applications, such as inorganic nanotubes, ion channels, drug carriers, and more broadly in nanotechnology and nanomedicine.
CENTRE for INTEGRATIVE LEGUME RESEARCH. Legumes are essential for environmental sustainability and are important for maintaining human health. The Centre combines innovative genomic approaches to investigate the causal phenotypic links required for regulation of legume growth. The unique coexistence of multiple pluripotent meristems in shoots, roots, flowers and nodules permits the discovery of new paradigms governing legume architecture, reproductive differentiation and root-nodule developmen ....CENTRE for INTEGRATIVE LEGUME RESEARCH. Legumes are essential for environmental sustainability and are important for maintaining human health. The Centre combines innovative genomic approaches to investigate the causal phenotypic links required for regulation of legume growth. The unique coexistence of multiple pluripotent meristems in shoots, roots, flowers and nodules permits the discovery of new paradigms governing legume architecture, reproductive differentiation and root-nodule development. New knowledge of the plant growth processes through mechanistic analysis of organ induction provides the tools to optimise the legume's productivity, quality, and environment adaptation.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence - Centre for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology. Free radical chemistry is of increasing importance in the manufacture of improved plastics, paints and related materials, in helping restrict oxidative processes that can lead to adverse human health and also to the degradation of important industrial materials. The research will contribute to promoting & maintaining good health by developing new methods for reducing the impacts of ageing as well as in the treatment ....ARC Centre of Excellence - Centre for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology. Free radical chemistry is of increasing importance in the manufacture of improved plastics, paints and related materials, in helping restrict oxidative processes that can lead to adverse human health and also to the degradation of important industrial materials. The research will contribute to promoting & maintaining good health by developing new methods for reducing the impacts of ageing as well as in the treatment of several life-threatening conditions such as stroke. Industrial applications include better surface coatings for preserving metals, and additives to improve the quality and shelf life of beer and wines.Read moreRead less
Understanding the koala microbiome: unlocking the secrets of koala health and dietary specialisation, and successful husbandry and translocation. This project aims to discover how the composition and function of koala gastrointestinal microbial communities differ in space and time in response to the varying nutritional quality and chemical composition of koala diets. Using detailed chemical analysis, cutting edge metagenomic and bioinformatic pipelines and powerful approaches to study enzyme fun ....Understanding the koala microbiome: unlocking the secrets of koala health and dietary specialisation, and successful husbandry and translocation. This project aims to discover how the composition and function of koala gastrointestinal microbial communities differ in space and time in response to the varying nutritional quality and chemical composition of koala diets. Using detailed chemical analysis, cutting edge metagenomic and bioinformatic pipelines and powerful approaches to study enzyme functions in the koala’s gut, the investigators aims to reveal the role of microbes in detoxification of plant toxins and degradation of recalcitrant fibre fractions. The outcomes aim to facilitate the use of faecal transplants to improve digestive function for translocated and rehabilitated koalas, enhancing options for koala management and conservation.Read moreRead less
Manipulative mothers and family feuds: evolution of maternal effects under mother-offspring conflict. Can mothers shape the lives of their offspring and their grand-offspring? Can siblings shape the lives of their brothers and sisters? This project will address how mother and offspring strategies affect current and future generations. This is crucial for understanding how mothers will direct and accelerate evolutionary change in our changing world.
Enabling three dimensional stochastic geological modelling. This project aims to develop technologies to mitigate three dimensional (3D) geological risk in resources management. This project expects to create new knowledge and methods in the field of 3D geological modelling through the innovative application of mathematical methods, structural geology concepts and probabilistic programming. The expected outcomes are an enhanced capability to model the subsurface, characterise model uncertainty a ....Enabling three dimensional stochastic geological modelling. This project aims to develop technologies to mitigate three dimensional (3D) geological risk in resources management. This project expects to create new knowledge and methods in the field of 3D geological modelling through the innovative application of mathematical methods, structural geology concepts and probabilistic programming. The expected outcomes are an enhanced capability to model the subsurface, characterise model uncertainty and test multiple geological scenarios. This enhanced capability is important for the future of Australia's subsurface management, including urban geology and our continuously growing sustainable resources industry.Read moreRead less
Functionalised biopolymers - a new class of renewable nano-engineered materials. Licella is an Australian start-up company, focusing on developing uses for the renewable resource lignocellulosic biomass; a fibrous material sourced principally from waste, such as that generated by forestry and agricultural operations. It is possible to use such waste and process it to separate the biomass components. This project proposes to modify these biomass fractions with living radical polymerisation (LPR) ....Functionalised biopolymers - a new class of renewable nano-engineered materials. Licella is an Australian start-up company, focusing on developing uses for the renewable resource lignocellulosic biomass; a fibrous material sourced principally from waste, such as that generated by forestry and agricultural operations. It is possible to use such waste and process it to separate the biomass components. This project proposes to modify these biomass fractions with living radical polymerisation (LPR) polymers to impart functionalities, such as antimicrobial properties, high tensile strengths and/or in-built photodegrability. New, high-performance sustainable materials like these will be the back-bone of the polymer/plastics industry of the future, replacing common plastics, sourced from non-renewable petrochemicals, with benign, sustainable plastics.Read moreRead less