Research Projects
Building Capacity for Periodontal Disease Management in the Kingdom of Tonga (Old ID 27558)
Mohammed Shorab
01 Apr 2022 - 31 Dec 2026
Periodontitis is an inflammation of the bone supporting teeth. It destroys the jawbone and is prevalent globally. Left untreated, it will lead to tooth loss and internal toxicity. It affects heart disease and diabetes. There is a lack of clinical capacity in Tonga to treat this. Local Dentists will be trained to assess, treat, and monitor this disease. The community will be screened, patients with the disease identified and then treated. Patients will be monitored by their dentists. The study findings will be shared with the local dental health administration and published in relevant journals for the global community.
Deep Learning for Waste Management (Old ID 27687)
Mostafa Rahimi Azghadi
12 Aug 2022 - 30 Jun 2027
To keep our planet safe and healthy, new techniques for managing and recycling waste should be devised. This project aims to use the latest advances in deep learning and computer vision technologies to better manage waste by developing a fast and accurate waste analysis system.
Fishboneviz: Developing a best-practice methodology for fish CT scan segmentation and an associated open access 3D virtual bone database to support ichthyoarchaeological research and teaching efforts globally (Old ID 27831)
Ariana Lambrides
01 Oct 2022 - 31 May 2024
Fish remains are ubiquitous in the coastal and inland Australian and Pacific archaeological record. This project aims to (1) develop a best-practice methodology for fish CT scan segmentation to support taxonomic identifications of archaeological bone, (2) publish these outcomes open access to facilitate equitable reuse of the methodology and retention of these expertise into the future, and (3) establish an open access virtual fish bone reference collection, using the MorphoSource platform. The outcomes of this project with directly support ongoing archaeological and paleontological research and teaching efforts through the establishment of an open access virtual fish bone reference collection.
Research Design Development for FST-2022-123 Sundarban Ecosystem Management. (Old ID 28925)
Norm Duke
16 Jan 2023 - 15 Apr 2023
A contract for Dr Duke to develop a large research project for ACIAR. The tasks include a preliminary analysis of change in mangrove forest and habitat condition in the Sundarban Reserve Forest, meetings with potential project collaborators and stakeholders in Bangladesh, and a report with recommendations for ACIAR forestry research design plus water SRA, FST 2022 123.
Field-Deployable Chemical Sensors for Water Quality Monitoring in the Great Barrier Reef (Old ID 30054)
Yang Liu
17 Jul 2023 - 01 Sep 2024
Field-deployable chemical sensors are increasingly necessary for high resolution in situ monitoring of water pollutants across the freshwater and marine ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) - the world’s largest coral reef system. Currently, the chemical sensors deployed in the GBR regions rely heavily on optical principles that encounter reliability and robustness issues when used in complex aquatic environments. This project will establish a collaboration with the world-leading research group in chemical sensor design and field deployment to address this current scientific challenge in Australia. The collaboration proposed here will provide significant benefits for better management of the GBR.
Coastal Communities Adapting to Change in the Asia-Pacific (Old ID 31090)
Jacqueline Lau
12 Jun 2023 - 13 Nov 2023
This project aims to better understand equitable pathways to supporting adaptation to environmental change in coastal communities the Asia-Pacific. It seeks to identify the limits and opportunities for people to cope with and adapting to cases of environmental change, and explore how to better account for people’s moral values. This particular part of the project focuses on human-wildlife conflict at sea—increasing rates of shark depredation—in Niue. Outcomes include increased understanding of local perspectives on the issue of shark depredation and recommendations to equitably govern this growing conservation issue.
Deciphering the molecular and environmental determinants of sex-change in barramundi (Old ID 20663)
Dean Jerry
19 Nov 2013 - 31 Dec 2017
Barramundi breeding programs to boost productivity and international competitiveness are hindered by a lack of reproductive control. Barramundi change sex from male to emale at 3-5 years of age, requiring hatcheries to maintain male broodstock for several years before they can be bred as females. This increases required infrastructure and decreases the rate of genetic improvement that can be achieved. This project will elucidate genetic mechanisms regulating barramundi sex change and will develop approaches allowing hatcheries to efficiently control broodstock sex. The ability to obtain reproductive control
Mitigation of Losses in Community from Extreme Wind Events (Old ID 22387)
David Henderson
01 Jul 2015 - 30 Jun 2016
The objective of the project is to investigate and inform on aspects of building codes/standards and implementation to mitigate losses from extreme wind events including Cyclones.
Next generation systematics for Nepenthes Pitcher Plants (Old ID 22790)
Darren Crayn
01 Jul 2016 - 01 Jan 2020
The carnivorous pitcher plant genus Nepenthes comprises c.160 species distributed throughout the Southeast Asia and Oceania. Species have traditionally been distinguished using morphological characteristics, but many recently described species have been distinguished on the basis of minor differences, whose stability has been questioned. To date, no taxonomically informative molecular phylogeny of Nepenthes has been published. The lack of an objective taxonomic framework has hindered efforts of biologists who seek to study and conserve threatened Nepenthes. This study seeks to eliminate this problem using next generation sequencing methods to construct a robust, informative phylogeny of Nepenthes based on c. 100 species.
The impact of increasing ocean temperatures on the movement and behaviour of the iconic Indo-Pacific fisheries species, coral trout (Old ID 22898)
Morgan Pratchett
01 Jan 2017 - 30 Sep 2019
Ocean warming is the most pervasive aspect of climate change, which impacts directly on the distribution, abundance, and population structure of fishes, as well as the viability and sustainability of fisheries. Tropical marine fishes are particularly vulnerable to ocean warming, because species are already exposed to summer temperatures that may have negative consequences for individual condition and fitness. Coral trout are among the most important tropical marine fisheries species, targeted by commercial and artisanal fishers throughout the Indo-Pacific. This study will explore if, and how coral trout mediate or acclimate to extreme temperatures, with a view to better understand the impacts of climate change on wild stocks of these important fishes.