Placental nutrient transport shows how complex traits evolve. This project aims to use amino acid transport in the vertebrate placenta as a model to demonstrate how genes are recruited and modified to produce a major organ. Using an innovative combination of a new technology, selected reaction monitoring, and transcriptomic and molecular approaches, plus carefully selected Australian species pairs, this project will study the evolution of a complex trait (placental amino acid transport). The pr ....Placental nutrient transport shows how complex traits evolve. This project aims to use amino acid transport in the vertebrate placenta as a model to demonstrate how genes are recruited and modified to produce a major organ. Using an innovative combination of a new technology, selected reaction monitoring, and transcriptomic and molecular approaches, plus carefully selected Australian species pairs, this project will study the evolution of a complex trait (placental amino acid transport). The project will provide fundamental advances in our knowledge of the nutrient transport during pregnancy that is required to produce a healthy baby.Read moreRead less
Lively reproduction: do common molecules underlie all vertebrate live birth? Most animals lay eggs, but some (most mammals, including humans and some reptiles) give birth to live young. This project will reveal the molecules underlying the evolution of live birth and fundamental processes of early pregnancy, which potentially will lead to future developments in reproductive science.
Dark canaries: new multidisciplinary understanding about the origins, radiation and response to environmental change of southern hemisphere bats. This project will overhaul global understanding of the origins of bats, their flight patterns and the role of echolocation in resource partitioning in an environmentally changing Australia. It will also provide information vital for conservation and novel biomimetic understanding of the modulation of ultrasound for medical and engineering purposes.
The link between the angiogenesis of live birth and cancer: a lizard model. The possible link between live birth and cancer will be tested in this project. Lizards that express a growth factor that helps the growth of human cancer tumours will be studied to determine the action of the factor in a whole animal and in human cancer cells.
The Social Life of Death. This project aims to investigate experiences of death, dying and bereavement amidst rapid social, economic and political transformation. In the wake of COVID19, and as Australia’s anticipated ‘death boom’ approaches, how to foster good deaths has never been more uncertain, nor more urgent. Drawing on innovative methods and socio-cultural theory, and working in partnership with families and communities, this project aims to generate new knowledge to better inform and imp ....The Social Life of Death. This project aims to investigate experiences of death, dying and bereavement amidst rapid social, economic and political transformation. In the wake of COVID19, and as Australia’s anticipated ‘death boom’ approaches, how to foster good deaths has never been more uncertain, nor more urgent. Drawing on innovative methods and socio-cultural theory, and working in partnership with families and communities, this project aims to generate new knowledge to better inform and improve policy and spark cultural renewal around the end of life. Expected outcomes include setting the international benchmark for novel scholarly understandings of death, dying and bereavement, and centring community voices in addressing contemporary challenges to dying well.
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Epigenetic silencing in vertebrates: evolution and function from the bottom-up. The primary benefits are contribution to Australia's knowledge base and raising the profile of functional genomics in Australia, with the research priority of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries and priority goals in Breakthrough Science and Frontier Technologies. This project focuses on important biological questions surrounding gene regulation and sex chromosome evolution. Inte ....Epigenetic silencing in vertebrates: evolution and function from the bottom-up. The primary benefits are contribution to Australia's knowledge base and raising the profile of functional genomics in Australia, with the research priority of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries and priority goals in Breakthrough Science and Frontier Technologies. This project focuses on important biological questions surrounding gene regulation and sex chromosome evolution. International attention has already resulted in genome characterization of Australian icons (wallaby, Tasmanian devil and platypus), more research on these, and other Australian animals, will further highlight the importance of Australian fauna and impact positively on our scientific profile.Read moreRead less
Origin and Evolution of Mammalian Dosage Compensation. The primary benefits are contribution to Australia's knowledge base and raising the profile of functional comparative genomics in Australia, with the research priority of 'Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries' and priority goals in 'Breakthrough Science and Frontier Technologies'. This project addresses fundamental questions about the evolution of mammalian X-chromosome inactivation, of importance as a mo ....Origin and Evolution of Mammalian Dosage Compensation. The primary benefits are contribution to Australia's knowledge base and raising the profile of functional comparative genomics in Australia, with the research priority of 'Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries' and priority goals in 'Breakthrough Science and Frontier Technologies'. This project addresses fundamental questions about the evolution of mammalian X-chromosome inactivation, of importance as a model for epigenetic change, and sex chromosomes, which has engaged some of the greatest genetic minds over nearly a century. Therefore my results will attract wide international interest and impact positively on Australia's scientific profile, and further highlight the importance of Australian mammals.Read moreRead less
Variation in bacterial genomic mutation rates. Our measurement of global mutation rates will contribute to an understanding of the evolutionary properties of bacteria, the most diverse and successful organisms in the biosphere. Bacterial variation and culture richness contributes not only to ecological processes but also to emerging diseases. The studies will enhance capabilities essential in interpreting the evolution of epidemics and the kinetics of bacterial sweeps in nature. Variation also p ....Variation in bacterial genomic mutation rates. Our measurement of global mutation rates will contribute to an understanding of the evolutionary properties of bacteria, the most diverse and successful organisms in the biosphere. Bacterial variation and culture richness contributes not only to ecological processes but also to emerging diseases. The studies will enhance capabilities essential in interpreting the evolution of epidemics and the kinetics of bacterial sweeps in nature. Variation also provides the source material for exploitation of bacterial products such as antibiotics. The results from understanding a complete set of mutational changes through genomic analysis will provide the most direct estimates of variation in evolving bacteria.Read moreRead less
Cellular Gene Regulation Networks. The benefit to Australia will be scientific in terms of providing an understanding of how cells integrate transcriptional control systems and the networks that are involved. This will inform research on folate deficiency and aberrant human development and towards identifying genes that are important in improving efficiency of microbial fermentations. Additional and more practical major benefits will follow from the development of tools to analyse interaction ....Cellular Gene Regulation Networks. The benefit to Australia will be scientific in terms of providing an understanding of how cells integrate transcriptional control systems and the networks that are involved. This will inform research on folate deficiency and aberrant human development and towards identifying genes that are important in improving efficiency of microbial fermentations. Additional and more practical major benefits will follow from the development of tools to analyse interactions between control systems, including software of value to the research community. The work will provide postgraduate students with major training in up-to-date genomic technologies, and in the interface between application of bioinformatics and experimental science.
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An International Comparison of Corporate Financial Policy. Our research contributes to the finance discipline, corporate decision making and public policy. Existing empirical literature provides managers with insights on the impact of firm characteristics on corporate financial decisions. However, beyond suggesting that well-functioning banks, equity and bond markets are an integral part of corporate financing, no insight is provided as to the role played by the public policy, legal structures a ....An International Comparison of Corporate Financial Policy. Our research contributes to the finance discipline, corporate decision making and public policy. Existing empirical literature provides managers with insights on the impact of firm characteristics on corporate financial decisions. However, beyond suggesting that well-functioning banks, equity and bond markets are an integral part of corporate financing, no insight is provided as to the role played by the public policy, legal structures and the suppliers of capital. In a market such as Australia, where superannuation is a large and increasing part of corporate funding, this is a glaring omission. This study seeks to examine the impact of public policy, legal and institutional structures on these financial choices.Read moreRead less