Grants & Opportunities

Advancing stochastic optimisation: highly-correlated restless bandit models. This project will address a significant challenge in stochastic optimisation – the curse of dimensionality. The project plans to tackle this longstanding obstacle to the analysis of important real-life processes, from medical/transportation resource scheduling to satellite communications through new breakthroughs in the study of correlated restless bandit models. The expected outcomes include innovative techniques for solving such problems, as well as new knowledge and discoveries in relevant research fields. The anticipated benefits include making powerful methodologies accessible to the public to solve important problems in the areas of energy reduction, public health, and transportation.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4901 - Applied Mathematics. Lead: Prof Peter Taylor

Formation of bicontinuous Gyroid nanostructures in neotropical butterflies. This project aims to investigate bicontinuous nanostructures and membranes in biology. While widespread across all kingdoms of life, their function and formation are poorly understood due to a lack of in-vivo observation methods and tractable model systems. This project will study a butterfly where, in the pupal stage, the emergence of bicontinuous structures causes optical reflections. Combining optical in-vivo signals with ultramicroscopy of microbiopsy samples, the project will build capacity to study bicontinuous structure formation and its response to chemical and environmental stress. Learnings from this butterfly model will benefit applications of bicontinuous structures in biomimetic materials, pharmaceutics and cell physiology. . Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5104 - Condensed Matter Physics. Lead: Prof Gerd Schroeder-Turk

Unlocking the detrital feldspar archive. This project aims to address preservation and fertility bias in the detrital geochronological record by developing in-situ detrital feldspar Rb-Sr geochronology in tandem with Pb isotopic tracing. The integration of these novel in-situ isotopic systems, applied to the most common minerals on Earth, can revolutionize provenance studies and inform mineral exploration. The Rb-Sr-Pb method will be applied to feldspars stored in offshore sediments to probe into subglacial Antarctica and the Himalayas, and tested in the Australian regolith as a vector to mineral deposits. The project will thus use isotopic analysis to unlock geological history from areas that are difficult to access and provide direct benefits to mineral exploration under cover.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3705 - Geology. Lead: A/Prof Stijn Glorie

High-entropy colloidal nanocrystals for sustainable energy production. This project aims to address the growing need for sustainable energy solutions by developing high-entropy colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals as multifunctional electrocatalysts to boost electrochemical redox reactions. Key innovations include the use of a novel seed-mediated synthesis strategy to harness novel functional nanomaterials with exceptional catalytic reactivity. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of electrochemistry, materials science and nanotechnology. These should not only expand the applications of high-entropy nanomaterials to a new domain of electrocatalysts, but also may eventually lead to new industry advances in nanomaterials for sustainable energy production.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Prof Guohua Jia

Student housing in (a time of) crisis: interrogating student housing supply. In the context of a housing crisis and new university funding policies, this project aims to critically analyse the current and future delivery of purpose-built student housing. By mapping funding, development and management activity at a national level and undertaking case studies, the project aims to generate theoretical and applied knowledge about the objectives of university and private providers, as well as the opportunities and challenges for future supply. Anticipated outcomes include an understanding of how the emergent policy context will shape student housing delivery and trace the potential for new models. This will bring benefits to housing and education policy via recommendations about student housing delivery and governance.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4406 - Human Geography. Lead: Prof Kristian Ruming

Oral anti-fertility vaccine for population control of invasive rabbits . Rabbits are the most serious invasive pest animal in Australia, they are a major threat to native species extinction, they cause significant environmental damage, they are responsible for large food production losses which impacts food security, and they have an annual economic cost in excess over $200M. This project aims to develop the first oral vaccines that suppress fertility in rabbits and enable responsible and ethical landscape population control. Expected outcomes of this project include the creation of commercially attractive oral immunization platform that will open the door for the development of strategies for mass fertility control of pest and feral animals via oral (bait) vaccination.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3214 - Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Lead: A/Prof Mariusz Skwarczynski

Plasmonic nanotweezer quantum sensors: window into the nanoworld. This project aims to expand our understanding of nanoscience by developing a device that uses the forces exerted by light to immobilise single protein molecules above a quantum sensor, so that they can be probed in exquisite detail. Our project expects to generate new knowledge in light-induced immobilisation. It expects to generate new knowledge in quantum sensors with single molecule sensitivity. The expected outcome will be a new tool for nanoscience that could be used to observe the structure and workings of proteins in an unprecedented fashion. This could provide significant benefits to our understanding of fundamental biological processes and the method could also be applied to other fields in nanoscience.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5102 - Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. Lead: Prof Kenneth Crozier

Models Meet Data: Accelerating Safe Learning and Optimization in Robots. This project aims to develop control strategies for robotics and autonomous systems, enabling safe, responsive, and efficient operation in dynamic and unpredictable environments by combining data-driven learning with model-based optimization techniques. The project will address theoretical advancements and practical challenges, tested through two ready-to-deploy platforms: underwater robotics for deep-water exploration and human-robot interaction in manufacturing. Expected outcomes include improved performance in complex tasks, reduced trial-and-error, and safer, more responsive deployment. By integrating data and models, this framework will expand to sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and energy, unlocking new opportunities.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4007 - Control Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics. Lead: Prof Ying Tan

Securitising China through Comprehensive Social Governance . This project aims to investigate China’s local social governance system, focusing on social governance action plans, pilot programs and plans for data-gathering technology in police-run governance centres. It examines how the Chinese Communist Party integrates police, government and community services to embed its ideology more deeply into citizens’ daily lives. The project expects to generate new knowledge in social governance by analysing the securitisation of grassroots governance. Expected outcomes include a new framework for understanding China’s social governance system and refined analytical methods. This research should benefit the Australian government by informing responses to political challenges from China’s security regime.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4499 - Other Human Society. Lead: Prof Sue Trevaskes

'Splitting' of dying cells by neighbouring phagocytes to aid cell clearance. This project aims to investigate how fragmentation of dying cells could aid their removal. More than 200 billions cells die daily in the human body. It is critical that dying cells are rapidly cleared as their buildup can interfere with normal tissue functions. This project will use a suite of contemporary molecular/cell biological approaches to study a newly identified process that occurs during cell clearance. Expected outcomes include a paradigm-shift in understanding the process of cell death and clearance. This project is expected to generate fundamental new knowledge of the mechanisms by which dying cells are efficiently removed from tissues. This should provide significant benefits to the cell death and general cell biology fields.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Lead: Prof Ivan Poon

Modeling the impact of online social information on judgments and decisions. Our most consequential decisions are chiefly informed by sampling views from our offline and online social networks. This project aims to uncover the cognitive processes that underlie how we make such decisions. We will develop and test a new computational model of social sampling. We will also examine how the sampling process is affected by age and social media access. The expected outcomes are advances in our understanding of how adults and adolescents use social sampling to make decisions, and the relative impacts of offline and online information. By identifying which information sources have the most influence on people’s beliefs, our project will guide the formulation of policies for combating misinformation and youth radicalisation.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5204 - Cognitive and Computational Psychology. Lead: Dr Christin Schulze

A Cultural History of Workplace Fatigue . This project aims to investigate how the historical and cultural construction of workplace fatigue shapes the design and implementation of fatigue management technologies in an age of AI. Through historical research, stakeholder consultation, and focus-group studies, it will analyse and evaluate the impact of automated fatigue management technologies on diverse users. Expected outcomes include better understanding of end user experiences, recommendations for more equitable fatigue management, and co-developed models for product design that mitigate the risk of automated discrimination. Benefits include improved workplace health outcomes, enhanced diversity-informed technology design, and international academic and industry collaboration.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4702 - Cultural Studies. Lead: A/Prof Elizabeth Stephens

Interfacial engineering advances high-performance thermoelectric devices. The low stability, high contact resistance, and suboptimal performance of thermoelectric interface materials (TEiMs) are critical barriers to the efficiency of thermoelectric devices. This project aims to overcome these challenges through innovative interfacial design, targeting record-high device performance. Expected outcomes include a rapid and reliable workflow for designing advanced TEiMs by optimizing electrical and thermal resistances, with the goal of improving thermoelectric device efficiency by over 25%. This project may enhance scientific understanding and drive commercialization potentials in microelectronics and energy, positioning Australia as a global leader in renewable energy and environmental innovation.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Prof Zhi-Gang Chen

Bio-enhanced Hydrogen production and CO2 mineralisation. This project pioneers a revolutionary approach to producing Gold Hydrogen while converting industrial CO2 into permanent solid-state storage, harnessing innovative biocatalyst-engineered interactions with olivine. By targeting iron-magnesium bonds, the biocatalyst enables rapid olivine dissolution in an optimised reaction environment leading to substantial hydrogen production through serpentinization. The key objectives include (1) maximise Gold Hydrogen production, (2) accelerate CO2 mineralisation at low temperatures, and (3) enhance carbonation required for industries such as cement manufacturing. This paradigm-shifting approach promises an energy-generating, scalable solution for clean energy production and permanent CO2 sequestration.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4019 - Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy. Lead: Prof Hamid Roshan

Improving Teacher Retention in High-Turnover Areas: A Geo-Spatial Approach. This project aims to improve teacher retention in high-turnover areas by developing a Workforce Distribution Dashboard to map teacher employment patterns and identify Teacher Exodus Zones in VIC, NSW, and QLD. It expects to generate new knowledge about successful retention practices through geo-spatial analysis and case studies of schools achieving high retention under challenging conditions. Expected outcomes include a scalable strategic framework for teacher retention, showcasing successful practices and providing actionable insights for policymakers and schools. This project will significantly benefit rural, remote, and disadvantaged communities by addressing workforce shortages and supporting sustainable, data-driven workforce planning.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3902 - Education Policy, Sociology and Philosophy. Lead: A/Prof Babak Dadvand

Identification and functional analysis of long noncoding RNAs in cognition. Noncoding RNAs make up the majority of the human genome yet their function is poorly understood. We aim to discover a functional role for long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cognition. This will be achieved by identifying candidate lncRNAs associated with cognitive processes in humans, selecting and imaging these lncRNAs in rodents, and then knocking down their activity to demonstrate how they regulate learning, memory and perception. Our project will generate the first comprehensive assessment of spatiotemporal expression of lncRNAs and provide a causal relationship between lncRNAs and cognition. This will have benefits for understanding how lncRNAs contribute to brain function in healthy brains, across development and with ageing.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3105 - Genetics. Lead: A/Prof Kelly Clemens

Designing New Photothermal Catalysts for Green Methanol Production. This project aims to innovate photothermal catalysts for green methanol synthesis powered by solar energy instead of fossil fuels. By leveraging advanced materials design and tailoring catalysts to harness the full solar spectrum, particularly infrared light, it seeks to generate new knowledge in photothermal catalysis for solar-to-chemical energy conversion. Expected outcomes include highly efficient, selective, and durable catalyst materials, profound insights into the mechanisms of photothermal catalysis, and a scalable, reliable, and eco-friendly methanol production process. This project will reduce carbon emissions, advance solar-powered chemical manufacturing, and support the transition to sustainable energy technologies.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Dr Haijiao Lu

Understanding and exploiting allostery of AI-designed protein switches. Allostery allows proteins to convert incoming biochemical signals into functional responses. Despite its biological and technological importance, our understanding of allostery is fragmented, and our ability to engineer it is woefully underdeveloped. We discovered that allostery spontaneously emerges in AI-designed ligand-binding proteins that can be used to construct highly efficient protein biosensors. We will uncover the biophysical basis of synthetic allostery and use this knowledge for predictable design of biosensors with the desired properties. The project will reveal the fundamental mechanisms of protein allostery, advance protein engineering while delivering transformative analytical, diagnostic, and bioengineering applications.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Lead: Prof Kirill Alexandrov

Imaging the explosive birth of the Universe. This project seeks to test our hypotheses for how the Universe began, by searching for gravitational wave echoes of the Universe’s first moments. The most-promising idea for the beginning is Inflation, where the Universe undergoes an exponential expansion in the first fraction of a second. We aim to detect gravitational waves sourced by this expansion by using telescopes in Antarctica to search for the polarisation patterns these waves would imprint on light from the cosmic microwave background. A detection or non-detection will inform our models for the origins of the Universe. The project will also train students and researchers in data science and petabyte-scale data processing, contributing to a highly skilled STEM workforce.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences. Lead: Prof Christian Reichardt

Nanofluidic modulation for precision molecular separations. This project aims to tackle the fundamental challenge in engineering precise membrane selectivity for energy-efficient chemical separations by leveraging recent breakthroughs in atomically thin membranes. It seeks to develop theoretical frameworks and practical methods to create and modulate perfectly aligned nanopores, having suppressed non-ideal size distributions, achieving sub-angstrom precision in molecular separations from complex mixtures. Expected outputs include novel nanoporous materials, a modern kinetic network model of rate-limiting molecular transport, and an innovative electro-membrane process. The project should drive innovations in precision chemical separations, promoting sustainability and supporting a circular economy.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Dr CHI CHENG

Exploring the mystery of quark and lepton flavours. The aim is to study the mystery of why the building blocks of matter, the various “flavours” or types of quarks and leptons, come in three families of ever higher mass, though only the first family of up/down quarks, electrons and electron neutrinos is needed to explain atoms and radioactive beta decay. Significant new extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics will be constructed to explain the hierarchical masses of the quarks and charged leptons and the especially tiny neutrino masses. The expected outcomes are timely, experimentally testable and cosmologically acceptable theories of flavour. This should provide significant benefits for fundamental physics and high-level training in translatable mathematical problem solving.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5107 - Particle and High Energy Physics. Lead: Prof Raymond Volkas

Microbial detoxification of chrysotile - Towards safe disposal of asbestos . Safe disposal of asbestos is a global concern. It belongs to serpentine class of minerals which are magnesium phyllosilicates. In natural environments, microbes and geochemical processes play an important role in the dissolution and transformation of these magnesium silicate minerals as chrysotile into non-toxic forms along with capturing of CO2; but much of our knowledge in the area is limited due to poor understanding of reaction mechanisms. This project will develop new methods to enable and advance the fundamental knowledge of microbially induced transformation of asbestos minerals into non toxic forms with significant implications for CO2 capture; a crucial step towards safe disposal of asbestos and net zero carbon emissions.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3703 - Geochemistry. Lead: Dr Navdeep Dhami

Understanding Hunger: A New Perspective on Brain-Body Communication. This project investigates how the hypothalamus communicates with the body by secreting proteins during hunger and fullness. Using a world-first transgenic mouse model developed in the CI’s lab, we aim to identify novel proteins secreted by the hypothalamus, map their target tissues (liver, fat, and muscle), and determine their role in metabolic regulation. The outcomes will provide unprecedented insights into how the brain governs metabolism and energy balance, benefiting Australia by contributing to new knowledge, training future scientists in innovative technologies, and positioning Australian science at the forefront of this field. . Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3109 - Zoology. Lead: A/Prof Garron Dodd

Ethics, Sustainability and Future Generations. This project aims to evaluate conceptions of the renowned Principle of Sustainability in terms of their underlying ethical and scientific commitments. It expects to provide a philosophical basis for debating and applying Sustainability, and to advance ethical theory through new models and ways of analysing the possible long-term consequences of choice options. The expected outcomes include a novel conceptual toolkit that can facilitate ethically robust consideration of the future in policy deliberations across diverse contexts. This should provide significant benefits, in addressing a key obstacle to achieving the far-sighted public decision making that is required to safeguard the wellbeing of present and future generations of Australians.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5003 - Philosophy. Lead: Prof Katie Steele

Unveiling Spatial and Temporal Regulation of Subcellular Protein Disorder. This project aims to develop innovative molecular tools to capture protein folding states within organelle proteomes in living cells for the first time. Protein localisation significantly influences folding, and mislocalisation can cause misfolding, contributing to disease. However, technical limitations have left a gap in understanding how localisation and folding are coordinated. These new tools will reveal how subcellular environments affect protein folding and how these processes change with ageing. This study will deliver innovative tools for research and commercialisation, and provide insights to inform future research on the diagnosis and treatment of age-related diseases, contributing to Australia’s scientific and economic growth.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Lead: Prof Yuning Hong