Small RNAs: what makes a plant, a plant. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a young field of research that is giving, and will continue to give, profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The projec ....Small RNAs: what makes a plant, a plant. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a young field of research that is giving, and will continue to give, profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The project will yield insights into fundamental biological processes which are expected to engender applications in agriculture and biotechnology. It will maintain and enhance Australia's position in this area.Read moreRead less
Biohumanities: Philosophical, Historical, and Socio-Cultural Studies of Contemporary Bioscience. Improving understanding of the meaning and implications of contemporary bioscience, especially genetics and molecular biology, through bioliterate research in the humanities and social sciences, and conversely through better assimilation of bioscience and its significance by the humanities and social sciences. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with the Australian scientific commun ....Biohumanities: Philosophical, Historical, and Socio-Cultural Studies of Contemporary Bioscience. Improving understanding of the meaning and implications of contemporary bioscience, especially genetics and molecular biology, through bioliterate research in the humanities and social sciences, and conversely through better assimilation of bioscience and its significance by the humanities and social sciences. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with the Australian scientific community and will be disseminated back to the scientific community, to the humanities and to the Australian public. The project will bring to Australia the strengths of the applicant's existing collaborations with leading research centres in this field in the USA, UK and Canada.Read moreRead less
Spectacle and Multimedia in Late-Eighteenth-Century Europe: a programme of written and multi-media histories. I aim to demonstrate that Philippe de Loutherbourg, an eighteenth-century European artist and set-designer, pioneered revolutionary developments in the technology and culture of multi-media through the agency of 'spectacles.' These multi-sensory displays for entertainment and knowledge foreshadow the advent of modern cinema and multimedia, and suggest new ways of praticing history throug ....Spectacle and Multimedia in Late-Eighteenth-Century Europe: a programme of written and multi-media histories. I aim to demonstrate that Philippe de Loutherbourg, an eighteenth-century European artist and set-designer, pioneered revolutionary developments in the technology and culture of multi-media through the agency of 'spectacles.' These multi-sensory displays for entertainment and knowledge foreshadow the advent of modern cinema and multimedia, and suggest new ways of praticing history through multimedia re-creations.Read moreRead less
Cambodia: Place, People and Politics; Environmental, Economic, Cultural, Political, and Regional History since Earliest Times. Understanding the region and the world is vital to safeguarding Australia. Cambodian-Australian relations are important to Australia's foreign policy, both in Southeast Asia and globally. Australia's substantial Cambodian communities remain very interested in developments in their home country. This project will heighten Australia's profile in Cambodia, stimulate regiona ....Cambodia: Place, People and Politics; Environmental, Economic, Cultural, Political, and Regional History since Earliest Times. Understanding the region and the world is vital to safeguarding Australia. Cambodian-Australian relations are important to Australia's foreign policy, both in Southeast Asia and globally. Australia's substantial Cambodian communities remain very interested in developments in their home country. This project will heighten Australia's profile in Cambodia, stimulate regional research among Khmer-Australians, and attract top students and Post-Doctoral Fellows from Cambodia and other countries. Cambodia's specific ecological conditions and the long and important documented history of its people and their role in the region, will result in this project having a significant impact on Australian, regional and global study of Southeast Asia.Read moreRead less
Logic and language: Foundations of cognitive growth. This project investigates children's competence in using language, from a biological perspective. The past twenty years has witnessed innovative developments in behavioral measures (e.g., eye-movement recording) and computational models of language development. I propose to integrate this research with the study of the neural basis of cognitive processes, using a new methodology for functional brain imaging, magnetoencephalography (MEG), The p ....Logic and language: Foundations of cognitive growth. This project investigates children's competence in using language, from a biological perspective. The past twenty years has witnessed innovative developments in behavioral measures (e.g., eye-movement recording) and computational models of language development. I propose to integrate this research with the study of the neural basis of cognitive processes, using a new methodology for functional brain imaging, magnetoencephalography (MEG), The project combines behavioral, computational, and biological methods to better understand (a) the nature of linguistic knowledge, (b) how logical expressions are acquired, and (c) how knowledge of logic and language are put to use by children in production and comprehension.Read moreRead less