Research Projects
Development of Microflow Photochemistry and its Application in the Synthesis of Platform Chemicals of Pharmaceutical Importance (Old ID 20071)
Michael Oelgemoeller
01 Aug 2013 - 31 Dec 2017
The proposal develops an innovative approach in organic synthesis. It combines organic photochemistry and microflow chemistry with novel lamp and LED technology. Advanced microflow reactor concepts based on microcapillaries or flow injection will be designed and applied in the synthesis of platform chemicals. LED-panels will be utilized as powerful, miniaturized light sources. Methods for parallel photochemistry and scale-up will be furthermore realized using important examples of pharmaceutical interest. The superiority of microflow photochemistry over conventional techniques will be demonstrated through comparison studies. Hence, microflow photochemistry will emerge as a concept, rapid and resource efficient synthesis tool.
Combined U-Pb zircon geochronology & Lu-Hf analysis of Jurassic-Cretaceous volcanics and sandstones from the Lord Howe Rise and Queensland Plateau, Australia (Old ID 22185)
Eric Roberts
01 Aug 2015 - 31 Dec 2016
We prosed to combine zircon geochronology on putative Cretaceous volcanics reported in the DSDP Leg 21-207 and combine this with more ambitious dual Lu-Hf isotope and U-Pb isotope analysis on detrital zircons collected from a suite of Cretaceous and Paleogene sedimentary rock samples in cores from DSDP Leg 21-206, 207, 208 and 209. This approach is designed to identify the distribution of ages and geochemical signatures associated with earlies Cretaceous-Jurassic age detrital zircons (and volcanics) in order to better understand the timing of Cretaceous-Jurassic volcanism, the possible provenance of Cretaceous-Jurassic volcanic sources and to glean a better understanding of the nature of the magmatism during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous along eastern Australia.
Mungalla Wetland System Repair (Old ID 22784)
Nathan Waltham
01 Oct 2015 - 30 May 2017
Coastal wetlands provide services important for aquatic wildlife. However, human need has contributed to modification and change to coastal wetland function. Government and community projects have commenced across the Great Barrier Reef catchment area to repair and revitalise coastal wetlands to, again, function as productive ecosystems, while still offering services for humans. A project has commenced, supported by Australian Government, to repair natural tidal flow and fisheries value to Mungalla wetland. This project herein will examine wetland aquatic ecology and water quality in response to broader system repair programs underway.
Re-Invigorating the Pesticide Working Group (PWG) (Old ID 22959)
Stephen Lewis
01 Jun 2016 - 30 Sep 2017
The project is designed to facilitate communication between industry, extension providers, scientists resource managers and regulators, and undertake activities to accelerate progress towards the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan target for pesticides.
A national facility for the analysis of pyrogenic carbon (Old ID 23352)
Michael Bird
01 Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2018
This project will develop a National Facility for Pyrogenic Carbon Analysis. Pyrogenic carbon (biochar, soot, charcoal, black carbon) is a poorly constrained, slow-cycling terrestrial carbon pool with significant carbon sequestration potential. It is also an important source of palaeoenvironmental and geochronological information. We will expand newly developed hydrogen pyrolysis analytical capability to provide high throughput, robust, measurement of the abundance and isotope (13C, 14C) composition of pyrogenic carbon in soils and sediments. The facility will advance multiple research agendas at nine participating institutions across palaeoecology, geomorphology, geochronology, archaeology and carbon cycle/ sequestration science
Mangrove Dieback in the Gulf of Carpentaria (Old ID 23655)
Norm Duke
08 Sep 2017 - 30 Jun 2021
Landsat and on-ground analysis showed that 7,400 hectares of mangrove forest along a 1,000km long front of the southern Gulf of Carpentaria coastline (from Karumba in the east to Limmen River in the west) suffered dieback over a relatively short and synchronous time period around November 2015. This is the largest event of natural dieback of mangroves ever recorded in the world. This project will provide a survey, description and analysis of the extent and patterns of the dieback across its range. The assessment will include mangrove assessment and monitoring methods, as well as providing recommendations for recovery, potential intervention, future monitoring and further studies.
Unravelling the correlates of protection against tuberculosis (Old ID 24781)
Andreas Kupz
01 Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2019
Tuberculosis is a major global public health problem and continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality due to the low efficiency of the only licensed anti-tuberculosis vaccine, BCG. This project aims to unravel the immunological correlates that mediate protection against tuberculosis. Using high-dimensional immune profiling and microbiome analyses we will compare immune responses to BCG vaccination with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in children in the Torres Strait.
Assessing the Gulf of Carpentaria mangrove dieback (Old ID 24998)
Norm Duke
01 Jan 2018 - 10 Mar 2020
In early 2016, extensive dieback of mangrove forests was recorded along the southern and western Gulf of Carpentaria coastline. Landsat analysis suggests that 7,400 hectares of mangrove forest suffered dieback over a relatively short and synchronous time period around November, 2015, along a >1,000km wide front from Karumba in the east to Limmen River in the west. Recent field visits to a limited range of affected sites suggest that a relatively low percentage of trees have recovered and most are dying/dead. This is the largest event of natural dieback of mangroves ever recorded in the world. This project will provide a survey, description and analysis of the extent of the dieback across its range, as well as examining patterns of dieback. The assessment will include training and participation of local Indigenous ranger groups in mangrove assessment and monitoring methods, as well as providing recommendations for recovery, potential intervention, future monitoring and further studies. A synthesis workshop will also be held to present the findings of the assessment to a wide audience.
Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Reef Corals (Old ID 25127)
Tom Bridge
30 Jun 2018 - 31 Dec 2022
Coral reefs are among the most threatened ecosystems on earth, and are strongly affected by comparative small changes in the environment. However, some coral populations have been shown to survive in habitats analogous to those predicted for later this century. This project will quantify how species diversity and their associated ecological traits vary along environmental gradients to understand how functional diversity varies among habitats. This information will enable better predictions of the functional composition of future coral reef ecosystems, and whether plasticity in functional traits may mediate the functional declines of reef ecosystems.
Port of Mackay - Tug Harbour Relocation - Benthic Habitat Surveys 2018 (Old ID 26231)
Skye McKenna
29 Oct 2018 - 01 Dec 2018
Conduct benthic habitat surveys in the Port of Mackay as part of application approval processes associated with relocating the tug harbour.