Linking human brain structure to function with ultra-high resolution fMRI. This project will examine the structure and function of the sensory cortex of the human brain using ultra-high resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (7 Tesla MRI). The project pushes new boundaries for resolution with ultra-high field MRI (7 Tesla) and, as such, will advance techniques for the acquisition, analysis, and computational modelling of high-resolution fMRI brain imaging, providing detail of the funct ....Linking human brain structure to function with ultra-high resolution fMRI. This project will examine the structure and function of the sensory cortex of the human brain using ultra-high resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (7 Tesla MRI). The project pushes new boundaries for resolution with ultra-high field MRI (7 Tesla) and, as such, will advance techniques for the acquisition, analysis, and computational modelling of high-resolution fMRI brain imaging, providing detail of the functional organisation of the sensory cortex at a level never previously possible in the living human brain. This will provide new understanding of the neural-level networks that underpin attention and touch perception in the human brain.Read moreRead less
Statistical methods for analysing maps in the visual brain. This project aims to apply Gaussian process methods, a Bayesian approach for data analysis, to analyse data from brain imaging experiments. Discovering the principles of functional brain architecture requires analysing data from functional imaging technologies. However, these technologies produce very noisy data which is difficult to interpret. This project will apply Gaussian process methods to study data from optical imaging and funct ....Statistical methods for analysing maps in the visual brain. This project aims to apply Gaussian process methods, a Bayesian approach for data analysis, to analyse data from brain imaging experiments. Discovering the principles of functional brain architecture requires analysing data from functional imaging technologies. However, these technologies produce very noisy data which is difficult to interpret. This project will apply Gaussian process methods to study data from optical imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging of the visual brain. This is expected to reveal critical information about how normal brain structure changes with development and sensory experience. The statistical methods developed should be applicable within and beyond neuroscience, and may ultimately help improve the diagnosis of human health disorders.Read moreRead less
How do bees orchestrate smooth landings? The results should pave the way for the development of novel, biologically inspired strategies for the control of landing in unmanned aerial vehicles. Endowing aircraft with the capability of autonomous flight and landing has been a major challenge in engineering technology. There is now considerable interest, nationally and world wide, in the development of small, intelligent, autonomous airborne vehicles for application in a number of areas of defense, ....How do bees orchestrate smooth landings? The results should pave the way for the development of novel, biologically inspired strategies for the control of landing in unmanned aerial vehicles. Endowing aircraft with the capability of autonomous flight and landing has been a major challenge in engineering technology. There is now considerable interest, nationally and world wide, in the development of small, intelligent, autonomous airborne vehicles for application in a number of areas of defense, surveillance and space exploration. The proposed research will help Australia maintain a leading edge in uncovering important biological principles of flight control that can be translated into useful technological applications.Read moreRead less
Motion and Spatial Coding in Vision. The results of this project will have implications for the design and implementation of artificial visual systems. Completion of this project will depend upon international collaboration - forging links between a young Australian investigator and outstanding overseas scientists as well as providing excellent training opportunities. Subsequent publication of the research in top-ranking international journals will further promote Australian science abroad.
Rod-cone interaction under mesopic illumination. Visual function and performance can be degraded under dim light levels. This occurs in many indoor settings, emergency and traffic lighting conditions. Approximately 45% of all Australian traffic fatalities occur under dim light. The research program uses a frontier technology to determine how vision is degraded under dim lighting and provide accurate parameters to better design mesopic lighting environments to maximize visual function and perform ....Rod-cone interaction under mesopic illumination. Visual function and performance can be degraded under dim light levels. This occurs in many indoor settings, emergency and traffic lighting conditions. Approximately 45% of all Australian traffic fatalities occur under dim light. The research program uses a frontier technology to determine how vision is degraded under dim lighting and provide accurate parameters to better design mesopic lighting environments to maximize visual function and performance. This work will help to evaluate new energy-efficient lighting systems and optimise traffic lighting for early recognition of obstacles and dangerous situations. Read moreRead less
Psychophysical Assessment of Receptoral and Post-Receptoral Visual Function. Visual function and performance can be degraded under dim light levels. This occurs in many indoor settings, emergency lighting and road traffic lighting conditions. Approximately 45% of all Australian road traffic fatalities occur under dim lighting conditions. My data will be unique, as it will provide accurate parameters to better design mesopic lighting environments to maximize visual function and performance. This ....Psychophysical Assessment of Receptoral and Post-Receptoral Visual Function. Visual function and performance can be degraded under dim light levels. This occurs in many indoor settings, emergency lighting and road traffic lighting conditions. Approximately 45% of all Australian road traffic fatalities occur under dim lighting conditions. My data will be unique, as it will provide accurate parameters to better design mesopic lighting environments to maximize visual function and performance. This work will help to optimise road traffic lighting for the early recognition of obstacles and dangerous situations. The research program will make important scientific contributions to understanding human visual function and performance at dim light levels.Read moreRead less
The rules governing combined rod and cone photoreceptor signalling in visual pathways. The research program investigates vision at dim (mesopic) light levels where rod and cone photoreceptors simultaneously transmit visual information. The interaction between rod and cone signals is not trivial because their different amplitudes, timings and delays significantly change the perceptual qualities of our visual experience. The research addresses fundamental questions about how the retina and brain i ....The rules governing combined rod and cone photoreceptor signalling in visual pathways. The research program investigates vision at dim (mesopic) light levels where rod and cone photoreceptors simultaneously transmit visual information. The interaction between rod and cone signals is not trivial because their different amplitudes, timings and delays significantly change the perceptual qualities of our visual experience. The research addresses fundamental questions about how the retina and brain integrate disparate signals from the rods and cones to produce a homogenous visual percept. New psychophysical and electroretinographic paradigms will independently control the retinal photoreceptors to resolve the long standing problem of how noise modifies signalling and information flow between the retina and visual cortex.Read moreRead less
The plasticity of neural codes. Information about the world is represented in the brain by the combined activity of populations of many neurons. However, the basic principles underlying how such population activity codes information are largely unknown. Using the map from the eye to the brain of the zebrafish as a model, the project aims to combine experimental measurements of neural activity with mathematical modelling in order to discover these basic principles. Of particular interest is how t ....The plasticity of neural codes. Information about the world is represented in the brain by the combined activity of populations of many neurons. However, the basic principles underlying how such population activity codes information are largely unknown. Using the map from the eye to the brain of the zebrafish as a model, the project aims to combine experimental measurements of neural activity with mathematical modelling in order to discover these basic principles. Of particular interest is how these coding principles change during development and their plasticity after disruptions to the visual map. Besides improving our understanding of how brains process information, the knowledge gained could help optimise the design of brain-computer interfaces and artificial computing devices.Read moreRead less
Enhanced Multilingual Speaker Recognition through the Incorporation of High-Level Features, Late Fusion and Discriminative Classification Methods. The development of robust multilingual speaker recognition systems will benefit the community through the elimination of fraud incurred by financial institutions and customers by enabling several person authentication applications such as: voice based signatures and document issuance; credit card verification by voice and secure over-the-phone financi ....Enhanced Multilingual Speaker Recognition through the Incorporation of High-Level Features, Late Fusion and Discriminative Classification Methods. The development of robust multilingual speaker recognition systems will benefit the community through the elimination of fraud incurred by financial institutions and customers by enabling several person authentication applications such as: voice based signatures and document issuance; credit card verification by voice and secure over-the-phone financial transactions. The technology will also assist in the protection of the community and safeguard Australia by enabling the implementation of the following: suspect identification using voice print; national security measures for combating terrorism by using voice to locate and track terrorists; preemptive criminal activity counter-measures; surveillance and secure building access by voice.Read moreRead less
Robust speaker recognition with reduced utterance duration and intersession variability. The development of robust and accurate speaker recognition systems will enable secure person authentication in over-the-phone financial transactions and benefit the community through the elimination of identity fraud incurred by customers and financial institutions. The technology will also assist in safeguarding Australia by enabling the implementation of suspect identification using voice and security meas ....Robust speaker recognition with reduced utterance duration and intersession variability. The development of robust and accurate speaker recognition systems will enable secure person authentication in over-the-phone financial transactions and benefit the community through the elimination of identity fraud incurred by customers and financial institutions. The technology will also assist in safeguarding Australia by enabling the implementation of suspect identification using voice and security measures for combating terrorism by using voice to locate and track terrorists. Our research at QUT Speech Research Lab is at the forefront of development in this field and will provide Australia with a technological advantage in the rapidly evolving global market for speaker recognition technology for person authentication applications.Read moreRead less