Research Projects
Lobster Aquaculture Groote Eylandt Phase 1 (Old ID 27052)
Clive Jones
01 Nov 2020 - 30 Apr 2022
The project follows a preliminary activity completed in September 2020, seeking to assess and develop tropical rock lobster aquaculture on Groote Eylandt. This project represents Phase 1 of 3 phases, that will quantitatively assess the local resource of naturally settling post-larval lobsters. If the seed lobsters are available, Phase 2 will comprise development of nursery and Phase 3 the growout of the lobsters. The project includes aspects of resource assessment, training, production technology extension, social science, economics and marketing.
Understanding Babesia Pathogenesis (Old ID 27083)
Brian Cooke
01 Jan 2020 - 31 Dec 2024
This project aims at gaining a deep understanding of the biology of Babesia parasites and how they cause disease (bovine babesiosis) in cattle. The project expects to discover novel parasite proteins involved in the development and persistence of bovine babesiosis and identify their functional role in infection. The main expected outcome is the discovery of parasite proteins that are critical for infection and pathogenesis of bovine babesiosis. The outputs from this project will aid in the development of novel vaccines to control bovine babesiosis and such vaccines would significantly improve beef and dairy production worldwide.
Age-associated properties of intraepithelial lymphocytes, and their relation to intestinal diseases (Old ID 27181)
Roland Ruscher
01 Jan 2022 - 31 Dec 2026
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer are a severe burden to those affected. While the peak onset age of IBD lies in early adulthood, colorectal cancer predominantly affects people over 50 years of age. How gut immunity fails in the context of age is poorly understood. This program will establish cornerstones of the intestinal immune system over different stages in life, and thereby help to design better treatment strategies that are adjusted to an individual’s age.
IUCN Maldives Ecosystems. (Old ID 27183)
Nicholas Murray
29 Mar 2021 - 16 Dec 2021
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Maldives requires an expert to assist in the development of an ecosystem classification scheme for the terrestrial and marine ecosystems of Maldives. This project will conduct the necessary research and leadership to develop a list of terrestrial and marine ecosystems for Maldives, building on considerable recent work to develop an international Global Ecosystem Typology. The outcomes will support conservation planning, natural resource management and environmental legislation development in the Maldives, and contribute new knowledge about the diversity and distribution of Maldive's ecosystems.
Influences on inshore marine water quality in the dry season (Old ID 27285)
Caroline Petus
17 Jun 2021 - 30 Nov 2021
In this discreet pilot study, we will build on significant investment in the Great Barrier Reef MMP. We will build on the existing wet season mapping approaches developed through the MMP to investigate the application of these for the development of dry season water type maps using Sentinel satellite imagery. Ultimately, the aim is to understand: 1) the magnitude, duration and extent of poor water quality in the dry season, when the Reef is not affected by catchment run-off in river discharge; and 2) how this compares to the affects we can attribute to run-off in the wet season.
Understanding the experience of women in a tuberculosis hot spot in Solomon Islands to effectively find, treat and care for people with tuberculosis. (Old ID 28952)
Michelle Redman-MacLaren
01 Nov 2022 - 15 Aug 2024
• TB remains at unacceptable rates in East Kwaio, Malaita, Solomon Islands. There still are many more undiagnosed cases, or new cases, known to occur amongst people living in mountainous areas. • Women are central to the care of children and family members, including being responsible for growing food. They experience tuberculosis, and care of people with tuberculosis, differently to men and children because of these responsibilities. • Barriers to finding, testing and treating TB remain due to social and cultural challenges faced by women, health system exclusion and geographic isolation. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore and describe women's experience of tuberculosis in East Kwaio, Solomon Islands to determine how to effectively test, treat and support people with tuberculosis.
Entrainment and mixing in turbulent negatively buoyant jets and fountains (Old ID 22048)
Wenxian Lin
05 Apr 2016 - 04 Apr 2019
Volcanic eruptions, building ventilation and brine discharge from desalination plants are all examples of the occurrence of turbulent fountains and negatively buoyant jets. Management and design of these processes requires the ability to accurately predict these flows and, in particular, entrainment and mixing with the ambient fluid. We will conduct the first detailed investigation into the turbulent structure of fountains and negatively buoyant jets using numerical simulation and laboratory experiments, assess the accuracy of the commonly used integral models and test the effect of the use of more accurate entrainment relations.
Improving the resilience of existing housing to severe wind events (Old ID 23502)
John Ginger
01 Jul 2017 - 30 Jun 2021
This research is to develop cost-effective strategies for mitigating damage to housing from severe windstorms across Australia. These evidence-based strategies will be (a) tailored to aid policy formulation and decision making in government and industry, and (b) provide guidelines detailing various options and benefits to homeowners and the building community for retrofitting typical at-risk houses in Australian communities.
X-ray fluorescence microscopy of Archean macro and microfossils (Old ID 23649)
Ioan Sanislav
01 Sep 2017 - 30 Nov 2017
The 2700 Ma metasediments from the Archean Tanzania Craton contain centimeter size “concretionary” structures that resemble Phanerozoic trace fossils and unusually large and complexly shaped microfossils. Thin section studies and EPMA elemental mapping revealed that the grain size and composition of the “concretions” are very different from the surrounding matrix. They contain a complex internal structure, which is inconsistent with an inorganic origin suggesting the existence of complex life forms 2700 Ma ago. Herein we ask for beam-time to collect detailed high resolution and high sensitivity compositional data for the macrofossils and the microfossils.
Unravelling the correlates of protection against tuberculosis (Old ID 25064)
Andreas Kupz
01 Jul 2018 - 31 Dec 2018
Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health problem and causes significant mortality, due to the low efficiency of the only licensed tuberculosis vaccine, BCG. Despite decades of intense research, the correlates of either natural or BCG-induced protection against TB are still not understood. My research program aims to unravel these correlates, to design an effective vaccine against TB. To bring my research to the next level, I intend to use the Rising Stars Program to gain highly sophisticated skills in live imaging of the immune system, and to strengthen partnerships with international collaborators to become more competitive for international research funding.