Experimental runtime complexity analysis of logic programs. While declarative languages improve programmer productivity, they make it harder for programmers to understand the performance of their code. We will build a tool that will use profiling data and program analysis to allow programmers to predict the running time of their programs.
Understanding how bacteria form multicellular biofilm communities on surfaces: the role of cyclic diguanylate as a potent biofilm activator. Bacteria usually exist as multicellular communities called biofilms when attached to surfaces, frequently to the detriment of the environment, industry and health. This project will explore the strategies bacteria use to switch from living as free-floating, individual cells to forming biofilms by studying how bacteria 'switch on' their biofilm genes.
Adapting the Bulk Synchronous Parallel processing model to Peer-to-Peer Networked Computing. Advances in distributed computing have shown that data parallel and parametric applications domains are amenable to wide area distribution. The project will advance the Bulk Synchronous Parallel processing model to describe innovative applications from the loosely synchronous domain, e.g. fluid dynamics, strategy algorithms and N-body problems are challenges that have significant scientific and industria ....Adapting the Bulk Synchronous Parallel processing model to Peer-to-Peer Networked Computing. Advances in distributed computing have shown that data parallel and parametric applications domains are amenable to wide area distribution. The project will advance the Bulk Synchronous Parallel processing model to describe innovative applications from the loosely synchronous domain, e.g. fluid dynamics, strategy algorithms and N-body problems are challenges that have significant scientific and industrial value. The project specializes the exciting peer-to-peer paradigm, a frontier of inter-networking technology. By using the latest techniques and taking advantage of the technology implosion caused by low cost parallel infrastructure, the project outcomes will give Australia a strong position in the future of parallel technology.Read moreRead less
eGenomics - Next generation biomonitoring of threatened species. DNA is the molecule of life and exists everywhere in the environment as a largely untapped source of information on evolution, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. Our overriding aim is to start mining that information to benefit threatened species. Based on optimized ancient DNA methods, powerful sequencing technology, whole genome analyses, and RNA profiling, we present a novel and holistic framework for genetic biomonitoring. In ....eGenomics - Next generation biomonitoring of threatened species. DNA is the molecule of life and exists everywhere in the environment as a largely untapped source of information on evolution, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. Our overriding aim is to start mining that information to benefit threatened species. Based on optimized ancient DNA methods, powerful sequencing technology, whole genome analyses, and RNA profiling, we present a novel and holistic framework for genetic biomonitoring. In two parallel model systems we will study corals and reptiles to improve environmental detection while simultaneously obtaining information on their population health. This will foster more efficient conservation of endangered species that are of tremendous importance to our marine and terrestrial ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Achieving biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service delivery: the role of landscape structure. Achieving gains for human well-being and, at the same time, conserving biodiversity is the ultimate challenge for conservation policy. This project will develop new understandings and new methods to address this issue, with important impacts on the effectiveness of strategies to conserve biodiversity.
Soundness-guided security analysis for android applications. This project aims to develop a soundness-guided programme analysis to mitigate security threats caused by reflection and dynamic class loading in Android apps, without compromising precision and scalability. Both dynamic code update techniques are widely used in benign and malware apps, but state-of-the-art malware analysis tools ignore or mishandle them, missing security threats and vulnerabilities. The resulting open-source security ....Soundness-guided security analysis for android applications. This project aims to develop a soundness-guided programme analysis to mitigate security threats caused by reflection and dynamic class loading in Android apps, without compromising precision and scalability. Both dynamic code update techniques are widely used in benign and malware apps, but state-of-the-art malware analysis tools ignore or mishandle them, missing security threats and vulnerabilities. The resulting open-source security analysis tool will allow software industries and enterprises (from national security, finance, banking to healthcare, retail, telecommunications) to test their mobile software effectively for code defects or security threats early at software development time at significantly reduced cost.Read moreRead less
Micro Compilers: An Extensible Compiler Architecture for Increased Flexibility and Safety. Programming languages specialised to a particular application domain can cut software development costs and reduce programming errors. Unfortunately, most application domains cannot sustain the costly development and maintenance of the specialised compilers required to implement specialised languages. We address this problem by introducing a novel customisable compiler architecture that can be adapted to ....Micro Compilers: An Extensible Compiler Architecture for Increased Flexibility and Safety. Programming languages specialised to a particular application domain can cut software development costs and reduce programming errors. Unfortunately, most application domains cannot sustain the costly development and maintenance of the specialised compilers required to implement specialised languages. We address this problem by introducing a novel customisable compiler architecture that can be adapted to specialised languages and other special-purpose compiler requirements. Customisable compilers are especially important to a country like Australia that has only limited resources for special purpose developments. Moreover, we will train students at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the area of programming languages and compilers.Read moreRead less
A Unified Grid Programming Methodology for Global e-Science. This project will contribute to the national benefit in three important ways. First, we will build a set of novel e-Science applications as demonstrator projects in areas of national priority. These will have enormous economic impact in areas ranging from environmental management to health. Second, we will build software infrastructure that will have both commercial and strategic value in its own right. Third, we shall build a critical ....A Unified Grid Programming Methodology for Global e-Science. This project will contribute to the national benefit in three important ways. First, we will build a set of novel e-Science applications as demonstrator projects in areas of national priority. These will have enormous economic impact in areas ranging from environmental management to health. Second, we will build software infrastructure that will have both commercial and strategic value in its own right. Third, we shall build a critical mass of expertise that bridges the physical sciences and computer science. The support provided to this proposal will allow multi-disciplinary teams to address scientific problems of significant scale.Read moreRead less
Portable High-Performance Computing Based on Flattening and Fusion. We aim at simplifying the development and improving the portability of computing intensive applications, such as those from computational science and engineering, which are of growing scientific and economic relevance (e.g., drug synthesis, virtual wind tunnel, and geologic surveys). Our focus is on achieving portable high-performance for a particularly expressive high-level notation supporting irregular algorithms (like sparse ....Portable High-Performance Computing Based on Flattening and Fusion. We aim at simplifying the development and improving the portability of computing intensive applications, such as those from computational science and engineering, which are of growing scientific and economic relevance (e.g., drug synthesis, virtual wind tunnel, and geologic surveys). Our focus is on achieving portable high-performance for a particularly expressive high-level notation supporting irregular algorithms (like sparse matrices and hierarchical N-body codes). We will develop a set of program transformations and integrate them into a compiler implementing an aggressive fusion strategy optimising for the memory hierarchy. We do not propose a new programming language, but work within an existing one.Read moreRead less
Securing systems against code-reuse attacks with modular pointer analysis. This project aims to build secure defences against code-reuse attacks in large-scale C++ applications with millions of lines of code, by enforcing control flow integrity with modular pointer analysis. The state-of-the-art mitigation techniques that are deployed in mainstream computer operating systems can all be bypassed by advanced code-reuse attacks, resulting in security exploits in all major web browsers. The outcomes ....Securing systems against code-reuse attacks with modular pointer analysis. This project aims to build secure defences against code-reuse attacks in large-scale C++ applications with millions of lines of code, by enforcing control flow integrity with modular pointer analysis. The state-of-the-art mitigation techniques that are deployed in mainstream computer operating systems can all be bypassed by advanced code-reuse attacks, resulting in security exploits in all major web browsers. The outcomes of this project will be an exploit mitigation technology and an open-source tool that can significantly raise the bar against advanced code-reuse attacks, thereby providing a foundation for eliminating such security threats.Read moreRead less