Grants & Opportunities

Towards Unified Learning Framework for Graph Anomaly Detection. This project aims to build a unified framework to detect anomalies in networked data, such as fraud in financial systems or cyberattacks in computer networks. Existing solutions heavily rely on domain-specific data and costly computations to establish scenario-specific models, significantly limiting their applicability and generalisability in data-scarce, privacy-sensitive, or rapidly evolving scenarios. This project expects to design novel techniques to build a unified framework that can generalise across different application domains, data types, and anomaly types. The framework should benefit domains like finance, cybersecurity, and environmental monitoring, enhancing security and efficiency for governments, businesses, and communities.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science. Lead: Dr Yixin Liu

Addressing long-term climate displacement in Australia. This project aims to investigate the long-term impacts of internal climate displacement in Australia and identify effective policies to support community resilience. It will generate insights into how climate disaster displacement impacts people’s social and economic stability over time. It will analyse the Australian policy landscape and global best practices to identify opportunities to improve resilience. This is significant given the lack of understanding of climate displacement in advanced economies. Expected outcomes include co-designed, evidence-based policy recommendations and interactive story mapping. This should benefit Australia by fostering an engaged policy network that can strategically address climate displacement.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4101 - Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation. Lead: Dr Colette Mortreux

Unveiling Sulfur Reaction Pathways in All-Solid-State Li–S Batteries. All-solid-state lithium–sulfur batteries offer up to ten times the energy density of today's lithium-ion batteries while reducing material costs by over 30% through the use of abundant sulfur. This project aims to unlock their full potential by developing an advanced sulfur electrode material that enhances voltage stability and energy efficiency, ensuring optimal performance and reliability. Expected outcomes of this project include establishing the foundation for the development of longer-range electric vehicles and cost-effective renewable energy storage solutions. This should provide significant benefits, such as strengthening Australia’s battery manufacturing sector while promoting economic and environmental sustainability.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4004 - Chemical Engineering. Lead: Dr Borui Liu

Revealing the role of adaptive radiation in driving early animal evolution. This project aims to determine the importance of adaptive radiation—the rapid diversification of a group into a variety of ecological niches—in driving early animal evolution. New knowledge will be generated by synthesizing large fossil and palaeoenvironmental datasets, and using a new method of calculating morphological diversity through deep time. Expected outcomes include a greater understanding of the factors driving past diversification events, including how groups recover after major extinctions. Significant benefits include a new framework for analysing biodiversity in the fossil record, and highlighting Australia’s outstanding museum collections and geological record of early life.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 3705 - Geology. Lead: Dr James Holmes

Children as cultural agents: New frameworks for creative arts practice . Currently under-researched, there are limited opportunities for children and young people from marginalised backgrounds to assume artistic decision-making responsibilities within the creative industries. This has resulted in systemic exclusion from cultural citizenship and artistic leadership. This project aims to utilise co-design methodologies to design inclusive, culturally safe spaces for children and young people to exercise creative agency and leadership in arts participation contexts. Expected outcomes of this project include developing evidence-based replicable frameworks for cultural leadership, thus providing significant benefit and re-establishing Australia as a world-leader in arts participation for children and young people. . Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 3604 - Performing Arts. Lead: Dr Sarah Austin

Boom or bust? Predicting species’ responses to extreme environmental change. This project aims to transform our understanding of population responses in hypervariable environments as they face intensifying climate pressures by using Australian terrestrial ectotherms as a model system. This project will identify individual traits that drive demographic processes by integrating existing long-term field data with new genomic analysis, physiological experiments, and ecological modelling. Expected outcomes include the ability to differentiate between natural population fluctuations and changes driven by climate and human disturbance. This new knowledge will inform managers what species are at risk following disturbance and, most importantly, it will enable the prediction and mitigation of additive climate change impacts.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 3103 - Ecology. Lead: Dr Kristoffer Wild

Integrated Photothermal Membrane Distillation for Water-Energy Nexus. This project aims to address unsustainable lithium extraction—critical for clean energy—by developing a solar-powered membrane system that integrates photothermal distillation and hydrovoltaic energy generation to recover lithium, purify water, and produce electricity. By advancing nanomaterials and hybrid processes, it expects to bridge membrane science and nanotechnology, tackling the water-energy-resource nexus. Expected outcomes include a high-efficiency membrane system reducing water and energy use, industry partnerships, and new recovery methods. Benefits include reduced water waste, lower emissions, cost-effective lithium supply, and sustainable mining, aligning with Australia’s National Battery Strategy and global climate goals.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4004 - Chemical Engineering. Lead: Dr Pengrui Jin

Hybrid encoding of light for fault tolerant optical quantum computing. Optical quantum computing is a leading contender in the global quantum arena, offering unprecedented computational power using all-optical components at room temperature. However, current optical quantum computers lack practical methods to correct computational errors, significantly limiting their applications. This project aims to efficiently generate optical quantum states that represent a core enabling technology for quantum error correction in an all-optical platform. By making quantum computers scalable and error-protected, this project aims to mark a pivotal step towards building fully-fledged, general-purpose quantum computers with transformative potential for industries in medicine, cybersecurity, and climate modeling. . Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 5108 - Quantum Physics. Lead: Dr Jie Zhao

Optimal surface texture for drag reduction in rolling body flows. This project aims to develop optimised surfaces which minimise the drag experienced by a body rolling on a wall in a fluid. The force applied to the body by the surrounding fluid exhibits a surprising dependence on surface texture, which is not well understood. This project will develop innovative new models to understand how the details of surface texture, such as the size, shape and distribution of roughness elements, influence the fluid forces and subsequent motion of the body. These models will be used to develop optimal surface textures to minimise drag. The benefits of this project include substantially improved modelling of sediment transport in industrial and natural flows, and significant reduction of friction in roller bearings.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4012 - Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering. Lead: Dr Stephen Terrington

Strengthening Public Opinion Formation Amid Digital Threats. Online public opinion formation is broken, and research on how to fix it is urgently required. This project investigates how people form opinions online by analysing discussions about key flashpoints like climate change and immigration on mainstream social media platforms. It is the first cross-platform study of opinion formation that uses an innovative mix of relational content analysis, interviews, citizen science workshops and AI/LLM-assisted analysis. It reclaims the promise of online communication for constructive public conversations and resilient opinion formation by developing, among others, a civic literacy module designed to equip citizens of all ages with critical tools for navigating digital opinion formation.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4701 - Communication and Media Studies. Lead: Dr Katharina Esau

Smart light-sheet with metabolic imaging for extremely delicate samples. The aim of this project is to develop advanced imaging technologies to allow long term visualisation and recording of individual organelles and cells within complex multicellular structures such as embryos, developing tissues, organoids and iblastoids. Imaging technologies have driven major advances in the life sciences but photo-toxicity has limited advances in sensitive multicellular systems. The technology we will implement reduces phototoxicity by using 2-photon microscopy and adaptive opticsn and an Airy beam scanning system enhances speed and resolution of imaging. This capability will lead to new discoveries in how organelles and cells interact to create functional multicellular systems. . Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities. Field: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Lead: Prof John Carroll

Molecular Bismuth Catalysts in Hydrogen Evolution Reactions. This project aims to achieve a sustainable, non-toxic and state-of-the-art approach to developing environmentally benign bismuth catalysts for hydrogen production within Australia. Current industrial approaches for the generation of hydrogen rely primarily upon the steam-reforming of methane, a process that is responsible for significant global greenhouse gas emissions every year. This project will utilise redox flexible bismuth systems in catalytic hydrogen evolution reactions. The outcomes of this project will provide significant support to Australia on its mission to establish effective and lucrative hydrogen production technologies to support the wider hydrogen roadmap.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 3402 - Inorganic Chemistry. Lead: Dr Matthew Evans

Smart Covalent Organic Frameworks for Recovery of Rare Earth Elements. This project aims to develop innovative smart covalent organic frameworks featuring coordination and photo-responsive functionalities for the efficient separation and extraction of rare earth elements, thereby addressing critical challenges in resource sustainability and environmental conservation. The project anticipates generating novel insights and techniques in multifunctional material design and advanced mineral processing. Expected outcomes encompass improved strategies for efficient resource recovery, enhanced capacity and strengthened collaborations, ultimately providing substantial benefits for Australia's efficient mineral resource development and the establishment of a low-carbon, environmentally friendly ecosystem.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Dr Meiyan Gao

Integrated electronic textiles with miniature soft actuators. This project aims to realize haptic textiles by building miniature actuators at fibre interweaving points. This project expects to create new knowledge in tuning fibre heterostructures at the micron scale by extruding and achieving a robust interface at the fiber contact area. The new interwoven structure is expected to result in new electromechanical behavior to strengthen the understanding of electrostatic-hydraulic coupled actuation. The expected outcomes of this project are the haptic textiles that multiply the resolution of large-area haptic interface and maintain the intrinsic comfort of textiles, making substantial contributions to wearable human-machine interaction.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4014 - Manufacturing Engineering. Lead: Dr Xiang Shi

Quality-Aware and Verifiable Data Valuation in Decentralized Networks. Unlocking fragmented data resources to enhance the fairness and trustworthiness of collaborations in decentralized networks is a vital challenge. This project aims to develop a quality-aware and verifiable data valuation framework for the challenge. The framework generates new knowledge in decentralized data ecosystems through innovative approaches to data representation, multi-dimensional quality assessment, and secure verifications. Project outcomes include theoretical advancements in data valuation and a prototype system demonstrating cross-organizational data collaboration. It strengthens national security and improves healthcare delivery by filtering malicious data and utilizing valuable data to build robust systems across the nation.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science. Lead: Dr Jie Xu

Efficient Bug Detection for Reliable AI Software Infrastructures. AI software infrastructures, such as PyTorch and TensorRT, form the backbone of AI technologies and are increasingly critical for the widespread adoption of AI. However, bugs within these software systems can cause AI applications to make wrong decisions, leading to catastrophic failures such as car crashes. This project aims to enhance the reliability and cybersecurity of these systems by developing bug-directed fuzzing techniques for efficient bug detection. The expected outcomes include cutting-edge fuzzing methods and a new framework for systematic testing. This project will significantly mitigate risks and enhance the profitability of AI, particularly in high-impact sectors such as smart transportation, agriculture and manufacturing.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4604 - Cybersecurity and Privacy. Lead: Dr Xiaogang Zhu

Elder abuse and migration: Supporting safer ageing in Australia. This project will investigate how migration intersects with elder abuse to reduce the risk, impact and acuity of abuse for older migrants living in Australia. Using sociological qualitative methods, the project will deliver empirical evidence and theoretical understandings of how elder abuse is affected by migration policy, cultural factors, and transnational family dynamics. Expected outcomes include new knowledge about the lives of vulnerable older adults at risk of harm, and the kinds of community and service supports they need to age well. The project will deliver policy recommendations to support safer ageing in multicultural Australia and resources to inform both community members and professionals working in relevant sectors.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4410 - Sociology. Lead: Dr Catriona Stevens

Decoding Stellar and Galactic Evolution through Star Clusters. Star clusters are the fossils and living dinosaurs of the Milky Way, preserving its history while shaping its evolution. These stellar groups are the birthplaces of millions of Milky Way stars, yet their full life cycle—from formation to dissolution—remains poorly understood. This project will trace their evolution, from young clusters where stellar rotation influences early evolution to ancient globular clusters holding the chemical fingerprints of the Galaxy’s past. By uncovering how clusters form, evolve, and dissolve, this research will provide fundamental insights into stellar and Galactic evolution, supporting and preparing for the scientific discoveries of next-generation billion-dollar instruments.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 5101 - Astronomical Sciences. Lead: Dr Giacomo Cordoni

How climate extremes shape plant microbiome functions and pathogen invasion. This project aims to investigate how extreme climate events impact the structure and functions of plant-associated microorganisms, which are essential for sustaining crop health. Climate extremes, such as heatwaves and floods, severely impact plant diseases and food security. Using advanced approaches and microbial analysis, this project will generate new knowledge about the responses of crop microorganisms to climate extremes and pathogen invasion. It expects to develop an innovative workflow for harnessing beneficial microbial traits to enhance plant health. This will provide novel microbial applications to boost plant resilience to climate change and pathogen threats and offer significant benefits to support sustainable agriculture.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4106 - Soil Sciences. Lead: Dr Chao Xiong

Building Deep Debate Evidence Systems for Youth Crime Policy Reform. This project aims to develop a reliable, equitable, and explainable deep evidence system to contribute to global debates on youth crime policy. This project expects to enhance transparency and fairness, aligned with Australian justice priorities, by mitigating bias and misinformation and ensuring legislative changes are backed by diversified evidence. Expected outcomes include AI-driven recommendations from scientific studies, public discourse, and social media via data engineering and data science. This should provide significant benefits to policymakers and communities promoting fairer justice reforms and strengthening Australia’s leadership in data governance by ensuring policy decisions are based on comprehensive, verifiable evidence.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science. Lead: Dr Thanh Tam Nguyen

Policy transformations for compound climate disasters. This project aims to identify the capacity of Australia’s current and future disaster policy to address the needs of people who live through multiple climate disasters. Through a groundbreaking analysis that links policy, survivor experiences and the perspectives of policy actors, this project will generate new knowledge on how disaster services can be adapted from the current focus on ‘single disasters’ to better address overlapping, compound disasters. Expected outcomes include an inventory of new policy instruments and enhanced capacity to develop interventions. This should provide significant benefits for improving emergency management services for compound disasters, which are projected to increase with climate change.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4407 - Policy and Administration. Lead: Dr Claire Leppold

Tracking absorbable plastic contaminants in drinking water. This project aims to investigate the occurrence, sources, and removal of absorbable plastic particles (particles smaller than 10 µm) in drinking water. Using cutting-edge analytical techniques, it expects to identify and track plastic contaminants in Australian water supplies and evaluate the effectiveness of household filtration systems to remove them. The findings should inform regulatory standards, enhance water quality management, and support safer drinking water practices. By providing essential evidence for policymakers, water utilities, and consumers, this research should help mitigate plastic pollution risks and strengthen public confidence in drinking water safety. . Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4104 - Environmental Management. Lead: Dr Elvis Okoffo

Safeguarding sexual and reproductive rights online. Digital platforms can provide generative spaces for sexual expression, sex education and sexual health information, however online spaces are increasing hostile for sexual minorities, who face criminalisation and surveillance. Bringing together local and global stakeholders, including sexual health organisations, public interest technologists, human rights lawyers and affected communities, the project investigates how digital platforms can better safeguard sexual and reproductive rights online. Through participatory and creative methods, it advances a novel theoretical and evidence-based approach to sexual content moderation that reconceptualises online safety and improves platform and regulatory approaches to building safer sexual spaces.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4701 - Communication and Media Studies. Lead: Dr Zahra Stardust

Advanced Characterisation Facility for High Speed Quantum Devices. This project will provide critical new capabilities for the measurement and characterisation of advanced quantum devices and materials in a new multi-user Quantum Science and Industry Laboratory. It will leverage existing ARC and university funding to provide a unique new capability designed to serve the needs of users both from Australia's emerging quantum technology industries as well as academia. Expected outcomes include the creation of new intellectual property, local manufacturing of quantum control hardware, support for Australia's quantum industries, and training of researchers and workers for the burgeoning quantum technology sector which is predicted to generate $6 billion in revenue and create 19,400 jobs in Australia by 2045.. Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities. Field: 5108 - Quantum Physics. Lead: Prof Alexander Hamilton

Fully Printable Low-Dimensional Perovskites for Sustainable Memory Devices. This project aims to create a new class of environmentally friendly, low-dimensional perovskites and pioneer inkjet printing techniques for multifunctional memory devices. These devices are designed to respond to both electrical and optical signals, opening up new opportunities for sustainable electronics. This project expects to yield fundamental insights into perovskite properties and memory mechanisms by establishing structure-property-performance correlations. Expected outcomes include novel device concepts and manufacturing approaches that can be scaled up. This should provide significant economic and societal benefits to Australia by supporting advanced manufacturing and positioning the nation at the forefront of memory technologies.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Dr Xinwei Guan