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Rehabilitating Bare Ground in the Southern Gulf Region to Improve Drought Resilience (Old ID 27902)
The project will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of bare ground rehabilitation techniques on improving drought resilience on cattle grazing properties throughout the Southern Gulf region of north-west Queensland. Detailed on-ground measurement, coupled with remote sensing techniques, will be used to evaluate changes in soil and vegetation condition as a result of rehabilitation approaches trialled. The project will be underpinned by extensive communication and engagement activities. Ultimately, the project will deliver new knowledge to support more drought resilient, sustainable and profitable cattle production in tropical north Queensland, and other parts of northern Australia.
Benthic monitoring and demersal fish surveys in Limmen Marine Park. (Old ID 29022)
This project's requirements are for field work, data analysis and reporting on benthic habitat monitorings and demersal fish communities in, and connected to, Limmen Marine Park, in the South-West Gulf of Carpentaria. The objectives are: 1. Increase understanding of traditional knowledge and collaborate with Indigenous rangers and Traditional Owners to undertake marine park management, such as monitoring, including the development of bilingual maps where possible. 2. Identify any changes/trends in the condition of benthic habitats in the marine park, including seagrass, algal, sponge and coral habitats. 3. Identify demersal fish communities in and adjacent to the marine park, including consideration of key pressures on these communities and any potential management actions for mitigating impacts.
How does the “stand-back” requirement improve risk assessment? The use of root cause analysis (Old ID 30042)
The “stand-back” requirement is a newly added provision found in global audit standards such as Australian auditing standard ASA 220 (Revised), ISA (UK) 240 and international auditing standard ISA 315 (Revised) (FRC 2022; IAASB 2019; AUASB 2021a; AUASB 2021b). The standards require an auditor to reconsider and re-evaluate whether all significant transactions, balances and disclosures have been identified once the risk assessment has been completed (AICPA 2020; KPMG 2020). We experimentally investigate whether the presence of “stand-back” requirement and the types of learning examples in root cause analysis can jointly influence auditors’ fraud risk assessment decisions.
Can species interactions drive diversification? (Old ID 20158)
How new species arise from an existing species remains a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. Particularly intriguing is the widely-observed pattern that related species, in some cases highly speciose groups, often differ primarily in mating traits. Understanding the processes that generate mating trait divergence among populations therefore lies at the core of speciation research. I will examine how male signals and female mating preferences for male signals evolve due to species interactions among a closely related species group, the Drosophila serrata species complex, which co-occur in the rainforests of northeast Queensland. Using laboratory experiments, I will test whether species interactions can drive diversification.
Microwave Assisted Pyrolysis of Biosolids (Old ID 20736)
This project will be a scoping study of the application of microwave energy for pyrolytic decomposition and chemical and nutrient recovery from biosolids and food processing waste streams. By using the collaborative expertise and facilities of a number of research institutions, the following objectives are embodied in this project: 1) Perform a detailed investigation of the existing knowledge in this area of study and thus formulate techniques to bridge the knowledge gap; 2) Perform microwave assisted characterization of biosolid materials; 3) Design and fabrication of a 3 kW microwave assisted pyrolysis system; 4) Perform a chemical and nutritional content study of the pyrolytic products; 5) Compare the operational economics and products of microwave-assisted pyrolysis with those of conventional high temperature pyrolytic processes.
Gamba Grass Effects on Savanna Carbon and Fire (Old ID 22227)
To provide soil analysis and data.
Light thresholds for seagrasses of the GBR: a synthesis and guiding document for managing seagrass (Old ID 22235)
Light levels (ie water quality/turbidity) can be managed to minimise seagrass losses. Recent attempts to define threshold levels of light required to maintain GBR seagrass state has resulted in a spectrum of recommendations with no single definitive source document to guide regulation. We will compile the available information on light thresholds into a guiding document, which will become a key reference for managers and regulators to use in generating relevant water quality guidelines and conditions for developments such as dredging programs. It will also highlight research information needs and provide interim guidelines for immediate management application.
Principal Research Fellowship #1023636 (Old ID 22478)
Vaccine development against malaria and other complex diseases remains a challenge for the scientific community. A rational approach to vaccine development is to identify the target antigens and epitopes of protective immunity, characterise the mechanisms of protective immunity in animal models and humans, develop and refine vaccine platforms and formulations that induce the desired immune responses against the identified antigenic targets, and down-select candidate vaccines for testing in human clinical trials. My research program encompasses core themes of basic research on immune mechanisms and host-parasite interactions as well as antigen and epitope discovery from genomic sequence data using immunomic approaches, using malaria as a model.
Asian House Gecko Research (Old ID 22520)
Research o the calling behaviour and movements of Asian House Geckos. This project will use experiments and field data to assess the determinants of calling behaviour in the Asian House Geckos. The results will be used to refine methods for detecting this invasive species. The research will also include a mark-recapture field study to understand the scalel of movements of Asian House Geckos in urban and bushland areas.
A smartphone-based decision tool to stimulate cyclone mitigation. (Old ID 22537)
Issues surrounding losses to the community from cyclone damage and associated premium affordability in Queensland have been highlighted with the advent of the Northern Australia Insurance Premiums Taskforce, a Productivity Commission review and a number of Australian Government Actuary reports. Their findings based on consultation with communities, governments and industry show benefits to be achieved from mitigation (e.g., to improve structural aspects of buildings to reduce damage from future severe wind events). The goal of this project is to develop and actionable, research-based approach to mitigation in Queensland and other wind-prone regions of Australia. However, engineering solutions to vulnerability are only effective if widely implemented, requiring an appreciation of factors that homeowners reflect on when considering mitigation. Therefore, this project will also identify drivers of homeowner engagement. Coupling engineering analysis with effective methods of incentivising homeowner engagement, a vehicle for risk communication will be developed in the form of a mobile application. An alpha version of the decision-support tool will be constructed and tested for effectiveness. The benefits to Queensland include simulation of mitigation action among homeowners, reduction of loss and suffering from severe wind events and insurance premium reductions from enhanced housing resilience.