Grants & Opportunities

Lab-on-a-chip hyperspectral microscopy based on graphene metalenses. This project aims to develop a miniaturised lab-on-a-chip hyperspectral microscopy (HM) system using integrated ultrathin graphene metalenses. Its applications span across various fields due to its ability to provide detailed chemical, molecular, and structural information. This project expects to generate new knowledge in developing novel metalenses with engineered dispersion in a broad bandwidth and entirely new design principles and HM systems. Expected outcomes include a new HM system prototype for expanded broad applications and the related new design and manufacturing methods. This should provide significant benefits, such as enhancing advanced manufacturing capability in Australia and making potential commercial benefits.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: A/Prof Han Lin

Unravelling ammonia slip in zero-carbon rich-lean staged combustors. Ammonia, which can be produced via renewable electricity, has potential as a zero-carbon fuel in gas turbine engines. In emerging rich-lean staged combustion systems, ammonia slip, the emission of unburned ammonia in the primary rich stage is a significant unsolved issue, since it leads to large emissions of oxides of nitrogen when consumed in the second stage. Using large-scale, first principles direct numerical simulations, we aim to provide basic understanding of two proposed mechanisms for ammonia slip that involve local quenching: the interaction with a cold wall or via aerodynamic straining in turbulence. Understanding these mechanisms will facilitate the design of mitigation strategies, enabling ammonia-fuelled zero-carbon engines.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4012 - Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering. Lead: Prof Evatt Hawkes

Unravelling a gut-brain pathway regulating fluid intake. Fluid intake must be strictly regulated to maintain proper fluid balance. Control of drinking involves multiple pathways, including signals derived from the gut inform on fluid volume and osmolarity. However, how the gut senses fluid intake remains unknown. We have discovered a specific cell type and ion channel in the gut responsible for sensing fluid intake and initiating a signal to the brain to cease drinking. The thirst response to dehydration is essential for proper health but is reduced in the elderly, driving health burdens related to dehydration, cognition, kidney function and cardiac events. Study outcomes will unravel this complex but important physiological system and inform future strategies for managing fluid imbalance.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3109 - Zoology. Lead: Prof Damien Keating

Unravelling PFAS dark matter in food contact material. Using a novel suite of analytical techniques, this project aims to assess the magnitude of PFAS in food contact material (FCM), its migration to food and the extent of dark matter transformation following ingestion. Assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is challenging due to the structural complexity of this class of chemicals and the presence of PFAS dark matter, unknown or not analysable compounds. PFAS dark matter may also be metabolised to persistent, dead-end products which is overlooked in risk evaluations. We aim to develop analytical tools for understanding PFAS dark matter exposure which is critical to manage PFAS impacts and to reduce the burden of direct and indirect health costs on the Australian population.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3006 - Food Sciences. Lead: Prof Albert Juhasz

Unlocking Solar System Secrets from Asteroid Sample Return Missions. Analysis of priceless asteroid material from sample return missions will provide new insights into the origin and evolution of our solar system. This project will translate high level mission science team membership into full participation at the forefront of sample analysis, furthering Australian standing in this multi-billion-dollar global effort. Quantitative petrological and geochemical analysis of pristine samples returned from three asteroids will elucidate primordial and interstellar processes. Petrophysical analysis will inform planetary defence and exploration strategies. This project provides inspiration for- and training of Australia’s next generation of scientists in the current golden age of space and planetary exploration.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5109 - Space Sciences. Lead: A/Prof Nicholas Timms

A Nanoplatform for Lipopolysaccharide-independent Immune Hyperactivation . This project aims to develop a new class of bioactive nanoplatform for immune hyperactivation, a recently identified highly proinflammatory state of the immune system that drives long-lived immune protection. Materials engineering and immune signalling modulation will be leveraged to achieve optimal hyperactivation outcome without the reliance on bacterial toxins. Expected outcomes include new insights into the nanomaterial-mediated biochemical cues on inflammatory signaling and the establishment of a patentable immunostimulatory nanoplatform with enormous potential for next-generation immuno-adjuvant technology, strengthening Australia's vaccine manufacturing capability and offering ennomic benefits to pharmaceutical and veterinary fields.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3106 - Industrial Biotechnology. Lead: Dr Yannan Yang

Discovering Stellar Origins with a Groundbreaking Map of the Galaxy . This program aims to connect the chemical enrichment of the Milky Way to its spatial formation over time by combining a multitude of large spectroscopic surveys using new methods. It expects to reveal the Milky Way's formation processes and pinpoint its building blocks using 30 element abundances forged in a jamboree of environments, with 10 million stars. The mapping of the Galaxy generated will eclipse previous views. The outcome will be to understand element formation at a new level of detail, and establish directly which types of small galaxies built the infant-Milky Way. This will generate benefits of knowledge, legacy data products, train the upcoming generation in data-science, and leverage investments in Australian observing.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences. Lead: Prof Melissa Ness

Uncreative Australia: impacts of declining participation in arts education. Australia’s arts and cultural sector has faced significant changes due to the post-COVID environment, cost of living crisis, and workforce reform. Despite increased demand for arts activities, there has been a reduction in creative arts courses at universities, affecting training and innovation. This research investigates factors influencing young people's decisions to abandon creative arts studies and examines long-term impacts on Australia’s cultural landscape. The mixed methods approach includes in-depth interviews and co-design workshops with young people to uncover motivations behind education choices, providing a nuanced understanding of the decline in creative arts education and solutions for the sector's future.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3699 - Other Creative Arts and Writing. Lead: Prof Sandra Gattenhof

Multifunctional High-Performance Zinc-Hydrogel Batteries for Wound Healing. This project aims to develop a multifunctional zinc-hydrogel battery-based electroceutical patch to enhance wound healing, addressing the challenges of low electrochemical performance and poor biocompatibility encountered with the current technology. This will be achieved using innovative chemistry and engineering guided by theoretical modelling to tailor all battery components: drug release hydrogel cathode, breathable zinc anode, and biofunctional hydrogel electrolyte. Expected outcomes include a novel hydrogel design, new electroceutical patch concept, and a high-performance battery system. These advancements in patch technology will have the potential to significantly benefit chronic wound care and other healthcare applications.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Prof Caiyun Wang

Understanding and optimising attentional exploitation versus exploration. This project aims to examine how our attention is influenced by the information provided by items we perceive, and its impact on decision making. Using innovative eye tracking and neuroscience methods, this project will test a new framework contrasting attentional exploitation (driven by reliable information) and exploration (for potential information). Expected outcomes include a computational cognitive model of the role of information in attention control, and new understanding of how attention modes interact. This will yield significant benefits by identifying how tasks can be tailored to optimise decisions and avoid distraction, in domains of focused performance (driving, air-traffic control) and effective messaging (marketing, policy).. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5204 - Cognitive and Computational Psychology. Lead: Prof Mike Le Pelley

Living memorials, art in dialogue. There is a lack of memorials acknowledging and addressing the violences of the past toward Indigenous people in Australia. Speech in the form of testimony is one powerful mechanism for acknowledging past wrongs and creating a shared memory of trauma and injustice. Art is another. Art in facilitating a dialogue between artist and audience, and between artists and the world, traverses language, borders and histories. This project investigates art as a witness to past violence and trauma, and produces a living memorial through dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists and audiences. It seeks to provide pathways toward national healing through an innovative model of bearing witness to Australia’s history through art and dialogue. . Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4702 - Cultural Studies. Lead: Dr Lisa Radford

Emerging Altermagnetic Materials for Future Information Technology. Altermagnets, which exhibit zero net magnetic moment while retaining spin splitting, combine the strengths of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. They are gaining global attention for their broad application potential, including transforming the AI era by enabling ultra-high-density data processing and storage, ultrafast response, and low energy consumption. This project aims to advance this emerging field by designing, fabricating, and testing robust altermagnetic materials that operate at room temperature, demonstrating their practicality for real-world applications. By driving innovation in materials and technology and fostering a skilled workforce, Australia is poised to lead this groundbreaking research and its industrial applications.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5104 - Condensed Matter Physics. Lead: Prof Zhenxiang Cheng

Protecting Australian high-country peaty soils by hydrological manipulation. The peaty soils of Australia's high country are vital to ensuring future water security but are under threat from multiple factors. This project aims to produce the knowledge required to safeguard peaty soils in Australia's high country by using a multi-disciplinary approach combining vegetation function with the measurement of fluxes and storage pools of carbon and water, enhancing outputs from new infrastructure. Importantly, this project will assess how well subalpine peaty soils can be protected through relatively simple interventions. Expected outcomes include an enhanced ability to predict the resilience of the vital water-storage and filtration services provided by these systems as well as intervention options for improving these.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4102 - Ecological Applications. Lead: Prof Mark Hovenden

Investigating gravitational lensing in cosmology with numerical relativity. This project aims to perform the first rigorous study of cosmological lensing from first principles in general relativity. Light from distant sources is bent by massive objects in its path as it travels towards our telescopes. The complexity of the equations involved forces cosmologists to use approximations to simplify calculations. This project aims to remove all common approximations for gravity via a numerical-relativity based framework. This project expects to generate new knowledge in how well the accuracy of standard theoretical models can match the high precision of future cosmological data. Expected outcomes include potential solutions to current tensions in observations compared to theory; without the need for new, exotic physics.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences. Lead: Dr Hayley Macpherson

Heterometallic nanosheets with ultra-high MRI signals and sensor capability. Quantifying drug release in deep tissue is vital for advancing drug delivery systems, ensuring precise dosage and timing for safety and efficacy. In situ monitoring drug release at molecular level in body is challenging due to the limited accessibility and sensitivity of currently available tracking and imaging tools. This project aims to engineer sheet-like heterometallic nanomaterials with ultra-high MRI signals, serving as the tools for quantitatively monitoring drug delivery process and release profile in deep tissue. Expected outcomes include new insights into the mechanisms behind MRI signals amplification and the creation of advanced tools for precise molecular sensing, driving innovation in materials and biomedical technologies.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4018 - Nanotechnology. Lead: Prof Hang Ta

Solar-Driven Biotransformation of CO2 into Renewable Energy. Addressing climate change demands sustainable and effective carbon management strategies. This research develops an innovative solar-powered electro-active Biotic-Abiotic Hybrid (e-BAH) process for CO2 conversion and renewable energy generation. This project is set to revolutionise CO2 reduction, employing an interdisciplinary strategy that combines advanced environmental biotechnology, omics, bioinformatics, materials science, and bioreactor engineering. Anticipated outcomes include a substantial leap in the efficiency of sustainable CO2 reduction, contributing directly to meeting Australia's goals for greenhouse gas emission reduction and the enhancement of renewable energy production.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4103 - Environmental Biotechnology. Lead: Prof Yang Liu

Boosting Algorithm Performance with Imperfect Advice. This project aims to develop a suite of new methods to design algorithms that perform best with AI-derived advice, even when imperfect. Recent advances in AI show its power and compel its application. This project is a significant and timely contribution to knowledge, with principled methods of integrating AI into algorithms, without sacrificing safety or robustness. Expected outcomes include practical algorithms with provable guarantees that leverage advice to achieve better solution quality and memory utilisation, especially when data is streamed. These new algorithms will provide significant benefits in effectiveness and efficiency gains, and robustness guarantees, for real-world problems arising in transport, energy, and cybersecurity.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4613 - Theory of Computation. Lead: Prof Anthony Wirth

3D elemental mapping by prompt-gamma ghost imaging. This project aims to develop new neutron-imaging capabilities at the Open-Pool Australian Lightwater reactor. Existing elemental identification methods based on analysis of gamma emission after neutron irradiation provide total elemental concentrations, however, they do not give any spatial distribution information. The team intends to achieve 3D elemental mapping capabilities by applying their world-first techniques for ghost imaging and ghost projection, that employs shaped neutron beams, to achieve prompt-gamma emission ghost imaging. This elemental imaging technology has immediate applications in fields ranging from critical-mineral mining to materials science helping Australia transition to a net-zero future.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4603 - Computer Vision and Multimedia Computation. Lead: A/Prof Andrew Kingston

Unravelling Molecular Mechanisms of SSA DNA Homologous Recombination. The repair of double-stranded DNA breaks is critical to the survival of all living organisms. One key process performing DNA repair is Single-Strand Annealing (SSA), which is a homologous DNA recombination pathway found in all life forms from viruses to humans. Despite its fundamental importance, the detailed molecular mechanisms of SSA and the structures of the protein complexes involved remain poorly understood. Our project aims to fill this critical gap by investigating the structural and functional mechanisms of the protein complexes carrying out SSA. Our project has far-reaching implications from enhancing the precision and efficiency of gene editing technologies to development of future anti-cancer and anti-bacterial therapies.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Lead: A/Prof Gokhan Tolun

Robotic Trainers for a Skilled Workforce of the Future. This project addresses Australia’s skilled labour shortage by developing robotic tools for human skilled worker training, paving the way for a robot-augmented workforce. It tackles the key challenge of a robot’s inability to quantify task difficulty for individuals and how such difficulty can be modulated through robotic assistance. The project thus constructs task difficulty models, develops optimised multimodal feedback to convey information to humans, and integrates these into a robotic training platform that adapts to facilitate skill learning. By addressing labour shortages, boosting productivity, and providing scalable training, it supports critical sectors and more equitable employment.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4007 - Control Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics. Lead: Prof Denny Oetomo

Breaking Barriers: The Role of the Intestinal Barrier Ageing in Longevity . Food and gastrointestinal (GI) barrier function are central to life and critical for longevity. This project aims to identify cellular and molecular drivers of GI barrier decline and its systemic consequences and to examine how macronutrients shape GI barrier architecture and physiology over a lifetime, providing novel insights into interactions between diet and ageing. Using molecular, biochemical, and proteomic techniques, this project expects to identify basic mechanisms of ageing, offering a fundamental understanding of how in the aged GI barrier shapes systemic physiology, nutrition, and organismal homeostasis. The outcomes of this work may guide future innovations in nutritional science and strategies to optimize ageing trajectories.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3202 - Clinical Sciences. Lead: Dr Rachel McQuade

Mapping the Influencer Aspirations and Literacies among Australian children. This project aims to investigate how Australian children (0-18) engage with and aspire to participate in the Influencer industry. It expects to generate new knowledge of children's social media literacy and career aspirations using an innovative approach that prioritises the lived experience of children when considering education and regulation. Anticipated outcomes include development of pathways/a scaffold that bridge/s children's social media use and potential Influencer careers; enhanced capacity of regulatory bodies to make informed decisions about child safety; improved online safety protocols for child Influencers and educational resources for stakeholders. Significant benefits include enhancing the wellbeing of children online.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4701 - Communication and Media Studies. Lead: Prof Crystal Abidin

Deciphering sympathetic neuro-immune communication. Interactions between the nervous and immune systems are increasingly being recognised for their crucial roles in body homeostasis. How this is achieved is poorly understood. We have discovered a new way in which the immune system regulates the sympathetic nervous system. This project aims to identify the fundamental molecular mechanisms underpinning communication between the immune system and peripheral nervous system. Using cutting-edge technologies we will contribute new knowledge to our limited understanding of how immune responses modulate the activity of neurons. The anticipated outcomes of this project are to build Australia’s research capacity and to generate new knowledge of significance for researchers in academia and industry.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3209 - Neurosciences. Lead: Prof Scott Mueller

Harnessing rare earths for new chemistry. This project aims to deploy the high reactivity of rare earth metals and their metal-organic compounds in exciting new chemistry. Their capacity to activate the strong carbon-fluorine bonds will be used to break down forever fluorocarbons like PFAS chemicals. The role of free-metals in reactions to replace mercury compounds will be enhanced and a recently discovered C-P cleavage reaction will be developed to access unusual low valent rare earth complexes. This project will provide significant benefits such as a better knowledge base in rare earth chemistry to underpin future applications in chemical manufacturing, new materials, catalysis and recycling while building a highly trained workforce and international collaboration.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3402 - Inorganic Chemistry. Lead: Prof Peter Junk

Rapidly-evolving jets at the highest angular resolution. This project will develop innovative new algorithms for Australia's unique high angular resolution radio telescopes, enabling us to achieve unprecedented accuracy in producing radio images of fast evolving and explosive cosmic events. These advances will determine how black holes launch powerful jets that recycle matter and energy back into their cosmic surroundings. This addresses a key question in modern astrophysics, generating new knowledge on the most energetic events in our Universe. The project will leverage Australia's significant investments in world-leading telescope facilities, develop new capability in data science and statistical techniques and inspire the public by generating real-time movies of black hole jets as they evolve.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences. Lead: Prof James Miller-Jones