Grants & Opportunities

Network-wide quantification and mitigation of methane emissions from sewers. Substantial methane emissions from sewer networks have been reported by water utilities worldwide, yet effective control approaches remain unexplored. This project aims to fill critical knowledge and technology gaps in quantifying and mitigating sewer methane emissions. Expected outcomes include swift mathematical models for predicting temporal-spatial variations in methane production, real-time control algorithms of chemical dosing for network-wide cost-effective reduction of methane emissions, and a standardised guideline for reporting city-wide emissions from sewer systems. This project will deliver timely technologies to empower Australian water utilities to minimise carbon footprint, supporting the goal of Net Zero emissions by 2050.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4004 - Chemical Engineering. Lead: Dr Jiuling Li

New directions in geometric flows. A geometric flow describes how an object's shape evolves under applied forces, such as a bubble floating through air or a rubber band returning to its natural shape by releasing bending energy. In this process, factors like area, volume, and curvature are optimised within given constraints. This project will explore two groundbreaking geometric flows: Sobolev curvature flow and the target flow, both specifically designed to build on the candidate's recent breakthroughs. Now is the perfect moment to drive forward transformative progress on two renowned open mathematical problems: the Cartan-Hadamard conjecture and a challenge posed by Fields Medallist S. T. Yau. Key benefits include new knowledge and research capacity building.. Scheme: ARC Future Fellowships. Field: 4904 - Pure Mathematics. Lead: Dr Glen Wheeler

Project Delivery Harmonisation for Urban Micromobility Infrastructure . This project aims to enhance delivery of micromobility projects by improved collaboration and consensus building among governments, private practice and communities through participatory research. This project is expected to yield substantial benefits, including facilitating the allocation of billions of dollars for many smaller-scale projects, leading to significant local economic growth. It aims to achieve the strategic goals of governments concerning health and decarbonisation, stemming from increased physical activity and reduced reliance on private vehicles. We will promote our research outcomes through high-profile industry organisations and partnerships with local and state governments to ensure widespread understanding and adoption.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 3304 - Urban and Regional Planning. Lead: Dr Mike Harris

Biomimetic Design and Optimisation of Gradient Interfacial Structure. This project aims to develop a new approach for creating strong, durable interfacial structures by mimicking natural strategies. It will establish an integrated framework combining recent advances in correlative imaging (lab-based and at synchrotron), multiscale computational modelling, design optimisation, and additive manufacturing. It uses kangaroo joints as a study system, which endure repeated extreme impacts throughout life and are unique to Australia. The project will uncover quantitative principles and deliver tuneable templates to design and optimise bioinspired interfacial structures, for high-performance applications in many areas including transportation, robotics, and wearable technologies.. Scheme: ARC Future Fellowships. Field: 4017 - Mechanical Engineering. Lead: A/Prof Junning Chen

How the land became Country: the archaeology of people and trees in Oceania. Trees are essential to human life. Archaeobotany explores the deep history of this relationship through anthracology (wood charcoal analysis) and this project will position Australia as a global leader in the discipline. It will establish its application across Australia and the Pacific, developing essential resources, pioneering new methods and studies, to deliver unique datasets evidencing the combined history of people and trees across Oceania. The project will generate new knowledge on the archaeology of traditional ecological practices and the creation of cultural landscapes. Benefits include supporting two-ways science for Indigenous-led environmental management and the solutions offered for a sustainable future.. Scheme: ARC Future Fellowships. Field: 4513 - Pacific Peoples Culture, Language and History. Lead: Dr Emilie Dotte-Sarout

Collaborative Planning for Revitalising Superdiverse Suburban Centres. This project aims to advance revitalisation in superdiverse suburban centres by critically examining the potential and limitations of collaborative, place-based planning in Dandenong, Melbourne. In partnership with the City of Greater Dandenong, the study will co-design and evaluate a collaborative approach to revitalisation between government, business, and community organisations. It will bolster local collaborative capacity while producing new insights about collaboration and how superdiversity can inform urban policymaking. Expected outputs include journal articles, a practical toolkit and briefings to encourage wider uptake. This should enable other superdiverse suburban centres to further revitalisation goals through collaboration.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 3304 - Urban and Regional Planning. Lead: Dr Hayley Henderson

Solving the mysteries of warped discs. The last decade has seen a revolution in observations of planet forming discs including the unexpected discovery of warped discs, which deeply challenge our understanding of disc evolution. The project will identify the origin of these mysterious discs and quantify their role in how planets are born. Using an innovative approach, the project expects to generate new knowledge in our fundamental understanding of star and planet formation. Expected outcomes of this project include new numerical techniques with wide applicability across astronomy and expansion of fundamental knowledge. Economic benefits will be created through the training of early career researchers, collaborations and social benefits through associated outreach events.. Scheme: ARC Future Fellowships. Field: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences. Lead: Dr Rebecca Nealon

Enhancing the Characterisation of Industry Designed Arrays of Spin Qubits. This project aims to develop a highly sensitive tool for characterizing silicon quantum chips, addressing a key challenge in building scalable quantum computers. This new characterisation tool will help Australian company Diraq Pty Ltd advance from prototype devices to large-scale quantum processors by improving the ability to detect and understand material imperfections at the atomic level. The outcomes of this project will support the development of commercial quantum technology in Australia, strengthen the nation’s competitive edge in a rapidly growing industry, and contribute to training a skilled quantum workforce essential for the future of technology.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 5108 - Quantum Physics. Lead: Dr Scott Liles

Capacity building for nature-based coastal protection. This project aims to build capacity for implementation of nature-based solutions for coastal protection. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the suitability of shorelines for different designs of nature-based coastal protection. Expected outcomes of this project include new technical guidance that will inform management actions to increase resilience of built, natural and cultural assets to current and future coastal hazards. This should provide significant socio-economic and environmental benefits through improving Australia’s ability to manage coastal hazard risk sustainably. . Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 3103 - Ecology. Lead: Dr Rebecca Morris

A study of Torres Strait Islander mobility amid climate change. This project aims to investigate the mobility of Torres Strait Islanders in response to climate change, focusing on how potential relocation impacts their environment, health, and connection to their land and seas. By using innovative participatory methods, the project expects to generate new insights into climate migration. Key outcomes include informed national climate policies and adaptive strategies that enhance community resilience, prioritising the voices and experiences of Torres Strait Islanders. The benefits include a better understanding of human adaptation that integrates Indigenous knowledge, resulting in more effective and inclusive national climate change policies. . Scheme: ARC Future Fellowships. Field: 4505 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Society and Community. Lead: A/Prof Felecia Watkin Lui

Digital transformation of greener concrete rail sleeper with local resource. This project aims to develop a low-carbon concrete sleeper solution that offers a swift and sustainable remedy to the urgent need for replacing aging timber units in rail infrastructure. It expects to generate new knowledge in producing limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) with diverse regional clay resources via numerical innovations, also pioneering a novel framework for long-term performance predictions. Expected outcomes include a low-carbon LC3 concrete sleeper and a scientifically robust numerical method for its design optimisation and smart maintenance planning. This should provide substantial benefits for Australia by enhancing the resilience and cost efficiency of next-generation rail infrastructure towards net-zero goal by 2050.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4005 - Civil Engineering. Lead: Dr Yuguo Yu

Energy-Aware Routing for Electrified Fleets: Towards Zero-Carbon Transport. This project aims to investigate the efficient integration of Electric Vehicles (EVs) within corporate fleets by advancing energy-aware route planning technologies, accelerating the transition towards a net-zero carbon future. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of fleet electrification using interdisciplinary approaches that combine engineering principles with advanced AI techniques. Expected outcomes of this project include theory development for energy-aware, flexible EV routing, integrated with sustainable charging solutions. This should provide significant benefits, such as lowering operational and infrastructure costs related to electrification, while enhancing grid stability and optimising asset utilisation.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4602 - Artificial Intelligence. Lead: Dr Saman Ahmadi

4D compact infrared hyperspectral camera. This project aims to develop the world’s first portable four-dimensional (4D) infrared (IR) camera, capable of recording three-dimensional spatial data for object localization, and hyperspectral data for object identification in a single snapshot. The 4D IR camera is expected to play a crucial role in various fields such as medicine, agriculture, industry, and autonomous driving. Expected outcomes of this project include a significant breakthrough in 4D imaging principles and the creation of a portable 4D IR camera. This should provide significant benefits by unlocking a market valued in the billions of AUD, generating substantial commercial opportunities innovation, and fostering domestic and international collaborations.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Dr Guiyuan Cao

From Titan's haze to Earth's labs: predicting organic crystal growth. This project aims to model organic mineral formation on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, whose atmosphere functions like a natural laboratory for prebiotic chemistry. By developing new computational methods, we will uncover which minerals are likely, their formation, and properties. Expected outcomes of this research are new computational techniques for the prediction of crystals and their properties, an enhanced understanding of geological processes on Titan and the formation of new interdisciplinary collaborations. This should provide significant benefits across wide-ranging applications, from supporting future missions like NASA's Dragonfly to from pharmaceutical design here on Earth, enabling new approaches for materials design and beyond.. Scheme: ARC Future Fellowships. Field: 3407 - Theoretical and Computational Chemistry. Lead: Dr Peter Spackman

Engineering perovskite crystals for next-generation X-ray detectors. This project aims to develop highly sensitive X-ray detectors enabling high spatial resolution imaging using low radiation dosages through advancement of new fabrication and engineering strategies of novel semiconductor perovskite crystals. The revolutionary X-ray detectors developed in this project will surpass the limitations of conventional detectors in terms of sensitivity, radiation risks and cost. Expected outcomes will generate new fundamental knowledge on the structure-property-performance relationships in next-generation perovskite X-ray detectors. This project will place Australia at the forefront of research in the fields of materials science and nanotechnology – through the establishment of strong international collaborations.. Scheme: ARC Future Fellowships. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Dr Munkhbayar Batmunkh

Smart Building Solution: AI-Driven Interlocking Prefab Masonry System. This project aims to address climate change, labour and housing shortages by creating smart building solutions using prefab masonry system. An optimised interlocking block design will be created through Artificial Intelligence (AI), which will be used in making an easy to install and sustainable prefab masonry walling system, for helping the Australian masonry and construction industries. Expected outcomes include an efficient prefab masonry system, not reliant on formwork and skilled labours, with optimal interlocking block design to commercialise and adopt in buildings. This will significantly benefit the Australian community by reducing construction delays, housing cost and carbon emissions through sustainable construction practices. . Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4005 - Civil Engineering. Lead: Dr Tatheer Zahra

Advanced Membrane Engineering for Direct Lithium Extraction from Salt Lakes. This project aims to advance the development of innovative, loose-structured nanofiltration membranes using state-of-the-art fabrication techniques to enhance lithium and magnesium extraction from salt lakes. It is expected to generate valuable knowledge for advanced membrane development, focusing on membrane material design and ion transport theory within tailored polymer frameworks. The anticipated outcomes include improved direct lithium extraction technologies and integrated strategies for resource utilisation in salt lakes. This should provide significant benefits to our society by positioning Australia as a leader in lithium production, minimising environmental impact, maximising resource utilisation, and boosting economic prosperity.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Dr Zhikao Li

Rehabilitating Mines Through Ecosystem-based Approaches to Biodiversity. This project aims to develop best practice standards for the transformation of Australia's over 80,000 abandoned mines to transform them from sites of environmental degradation to functional ecosystems. This project will generate new knowledge on how to recreate habitats to allow animals to live and persist in rehabilitated mining landscapes. Expected outcomes include the development of national standards for creating fauna habitat based on co-design with academia, industry, regulators, and Traditional Custodians. Benefits for Australia will be significant as the project will provide models and standards for future mine site rehabilitation grounded in entire ecosystem re-creation.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 3103 - Ecology. Lead: Dr Holly Bradley

Environmental Communication for Whales, Dolphins, and Restorative Futures. This project aims to uncover the communication dimensions of globally popular whale and dolphin watching to advance effective strategies for sustainability awareness. It expects to produce vital insights into why nature tourism often falls short of its potential to increase environmental understanding. Using comparative multi-sited ethnographic methods, it will generate new knowledge about environmental discourses and modes of identification that allow threats to species and ecosystems to be normalised or overcome. Outcomes will be amplified through national best-practice guidelines and interdisciplinary researcher and industry, government, and stakeholder engagement to deliver significant environmental, social, and economic benefits.. Scheme: ARC Future Fellowships. Field: 4701 - Communication and Media Studies. Lead: Prof Tema Milstein

Safe and environmentally friendly perovskite photovoltaic technology. This project aims to counter the toxicity, environmental harmfulness, and instability of metal halide perovskite materials so they can be used as the core material in next-generation solar cells – by developing lead-free formulations and synthesis with safe, green, bio-sourced solvents. Expected outcomes include new knowledge about the solution chemistry of perovskite precursors, efficient fabrication processes for cost-effective industrial production, and new pathways for the full-scale manufacture of non-toxic, high-performance, long-lasting perovskite solar cells – with environmental and socioeconomic benefits from adopting a breakthrough world-leading technology to make optimal use of Australia’s inexhaustible abundance of solar energy.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Dr Minh Tam Hoang

Collaborative and Reliable Machine Learning in Edge Computing Environment. This project aims to deliver a suite of methods and techniques to enable collaborative and reliable machine learning (ML) over 5G/6G networks. It will generate new approaches to tackle the scalability and security challenges in training ML models in Mobile Edge Computing where data processing occurs near end users. Expected outcomes include novel techniques, mechanisms, and schemes for developing and deploying 5G/6G artificial intelligence (AI) applications with performance and privacy guarantees. It will drive Australia's 5G/6G initiatives by enabling edge AI applications in various areas such as smart cities and remote learning. It will strengthen post-COVID economic resilience and enhance Australia’s leadership in global 5G/6G research.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science. Lead: Dr Feifei Chen

Unlocking Australia’s hydrogen industry through large-scale salt caverns. This project evaluates Australia’s ancient salt deposits to identify optimal sites for underground Hydrogen storage. Salt caverns are the most cost-effective solution for this purpose, making it essential to characterise the sedimentology and structural geology of these deposits thoroughly. The project aims to optimise salt cavern sites in areas with limited geological data by employing an interdisciplinary approach using outcrop analogues from South Australia and the Northern Territory as inputs for novel physical and geophysical modelling. This innovative strategy will minimise Hydrogen leakage, enhance safety, and support Australia’s ambitions to become a key player in the global Hydrogen market.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 3705 - Geology. Lead: Dr Rachelle Kernen

Bridging the Blue: Ocean Connectivity for All. Ocean connectivity –the exchange of water and organisms across ocean areas– is essential for healthy marine ecosystems, yet assessing connectivity is currently limited to experts. This project aims to make ocean connectivity accessible to all. Using cutting-edge ocean models and mathematical techniques, this project will bridge the gap between experts and a wide group of users by developing a reliable, user-friendly tool. The key project outcome will be a tool that allows the integration of crucial ocean connectivity data into marine management decisions. This tool is vital for addressing major environmental challenges and will provide significant benefits to sustainably managing, protecting, and restoring Australia’s marine environment.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 3708 - Oceanography. Lead: Dr Mirjam van der Mheen

Balancing Autonomy and Control in Interactive Social Agent Design. The project aims to develop a comprehensive framework for designing AI-driven social agents that align with social roles and values. It will create innovative control mechanisms, enabling users to manage and adjust the behaviour of interactive social robots and avatars, as well as robust feedback systems that let users communicate preferences to ensure the agents’ actions are observable and aligned with expectations. By exploring agentic programming and social learning techniques, this research will allow AI agents to adapt to user preferences in real-time. This work will make social robotics technology safer, more adaptable, and accessible for diverse applications, including aged care, education and remote collaboration.. Scheme: ARC Future Fellowships. Field: 4608 - Human-Centred Computing. Lead: A/Prof Wafa Johal

Rethinking 4D Shape Statistics via Neural Functional Representations. This project will develop novel mathematical tools and machine learning algorithms for the statistical modelling and analysis of how biological objects develop their 3D shape, grow and deform as they interact with their environment. It will generate new knowledge on how to mathematically model the 3D geometry, deformations and growth using a novel generation of neural networks that are physically motivated, compact and fast to train. These are crucial for understanding developmental processes, natural growth and disease progression in biological objects. Expected outcomes include innovative techniques and computational tools that operate directly on RGB images and videos, with substantial benefits to biology, health and computer vision. . Scheme: ARC Future Fellowships. Field: 4603 - Computer Vision and Multimedia Computation. Lead: Prof Hamid Laga