Swinburne researchers share in $221 million for ARC Discovery Projects

More than $221 million of funding for 2023 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Projects has been announced by ARC Chief Executive Officer, Ms Judi Zielke PSM.

Six Swinburne projects were among the individuals and research teams supported to innovate and build new knowledge.

The scheme provides funding of between $30,000 and $500,000 each year for up to five years.

Swinburne’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Professor Karen Hapgood, was among the first to celebrate the success.

“Congratulations to the talented Swinburne researchers who have been funded for ARC Discovery Projects to commence in 2023,” said Professor Hapgood.

“I have no doubt that these important Swinburne projects will deliver significant outcomes in space, Internet of things, cybersecurity, health technology and – all in all – people and technology working together to build a better world.

“I look forward to seeing what they can achieve.”

Unveiling the “dead and dusty” universe

Researchers from Swinburne – led by astrophysicist Associate Professor Ivo Labbe – will join researchers from leading institutes in the USA, Europe and Israel to discover the first mature galaxies formed after the Big Bang by revealing galaxies previously obscured by dust. Decades in the making, the James Webb Space Telescope marks a watershed moment in astronomy discovery. One of the few research projects granted access to the revolutionary space telescope, the team is aiming to discover the first dead galaxies and unveil the previously hidden "dusty" galaxies and shed light on their suspected evolutionary link.

Australia’s 5G transition to get a boost

Almost half a million dollars will go to the world's first attempt to systematically tackle the challenges of enabling cost-effective last-mile service of 5G mobile edge computing. Led by software engineering and cloud computing expert Associate Professor Qiang He, the project will drive Australia's 5G transition and innovations and promote national post-COVID economic recovery. We’ll see an improvement to real-time mobile and Internet of Things applications, such as telehealth, remote learning/working, industry 4.0, and ensure Australia’s pioneering position in the global 5G research.

Revealing the unseen universe

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a larger and more advanced data set than ever before, promising the possibility for new scientific breakthroughs. Swinburne astronomer Distinguished Professor Karl Glazebrook and his team is developing advanced physical models and statistical techniques to observe how light is bent around massive galaxies by gravity. Their analysis will give us highly magnified views of early galaxy evolution, revealing physical details otherwise impossible to see. It will also allow us to better understand invisible dark matter and probe the expansion of the universe, testing whether the unseen dark energy is evolving in time.

Stopping extremist violence before it starts

Despite intense interest in extremist violence, we don’t yet understand it or how to respond to it. Expert in violence risk assessment, Associate Professor Stephane Shepherd, has received almost one million dollars to uncover the factors that lead to violence, the needs of people who might commit such acts and the effectiveness of intervention. Once we know how to identify risk factors and how to prevent people from becoming extremists, these findings can inform health, national security, social welfare and justice agencies.

Australian data to be made safer on the cloud

Data auditing is a promising way to prevent information being modified or lost on the cloud. It could give us timely warnings, meaning we could take precautions and avoid potential data loss. But current auditing approaches are lacking in efficiency and security. Swinburne’s Deputy Director of the Swinburne Data Science Research Institute, Professor Jinjun Chen, will undertake innovative research into the challenges of data auditing and aim to establish solutions for enabling efficient and secure data integrity auditing on the cloud. The project will help safeguard Australians in a fast-growing cyber connected world.

The future of high-tech aged care

Technology isn’t just for the young. Older adults would benefit from more and better technology in aged care. Lead of the Swinburne living Lab, Professor Sonja Pedell, is shepherding a project on meaningful experiences and tech skill development of people in aged care. It’s important to introduce technologies that support agency and confidence – instead of making older Australians frustrated, confused or dependent on the help of others. This project takes the interests, abilities and everyday experiences of people in aged care and uses their wants and needs to inform how to boost technology uptake in residential settings.