Four Griffith University researchers have been announced as 2018 Australian Research Council Future Fellows. The University has also been awarded funding for one 2018 ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub.

The projects form part of the $180.4 million worth of national funding announced today by Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham.

Associate Professor Mirko Lobino

Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Ned Pankhurst said the grants were a great honour for the researchers and the University.

“I congratulate the researchers for winning this support against tough national and international competition,” Professor Pankhurst said.

“The research projects are providing solutions to major national challenges and we are delighted to receive this major funding support from the Federal Government.”

Dr Eric Cavalcanti was granted $878,125 for the project Fine-tuning the Quantum: Foundations and Applications of Quantum Causality, which will be hosted by the Centre for Quantum Dynamics. The project aims to investigate the nature of causality in the quantum world.

Associate Professor Mirko Lobino was granted $878,125 for the project The internet of the future: towards an intercontinental quantum network, which will be hosted by the Centre for Quantum Dynamics. This project aims to address the security vulnerabilities of online data transmission.

Professor Tina Murphy

Professor Tina Murphy was granted $970,917 for the project Engaging Muslims in the fight against terrorism, which will be hosted by the Griffith Criminology Institute. The project aims to investigate engagement between the Australian police and Muslim communities by emphasising mutual fairness, voice, neutrality and respect.

Dr Michael Westaway was granted $936,468 for the project New bioarchaeological perspectives on pre-contact lifeways in Sahul, which will be hosted by the Environmental Futures Research Institute. This project aims to establish a new bioarchaeology research program to study socio-economic changes in the Australia-New Guinea continent Sahul and provide new insights into the complexity of societies from diverse environments.

2018 ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub

Professor Yongsheng Gao, Dr Jun Zhou, Dr Andrew Busch, Professor Jin Song Dong, Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen, Associate Professor Qin Li, Associate Professor Rebecca Ford and Dr Say Hwa Tan, with colleagues from The University of Sydney, The University of Adelaide, The University of Western Australia and Deakin University were granted $5,000,000 for the ARC Research Hub for Driving Farming Productivity and Disease Prevention.

The project will be undertaken in collaboration with the following Partner Organisations:

  • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
  • Australian Bay Lobster Producers Limited
  • Davco Agriculture
  • Sunray Strawberries
  • Next VPU
  • Aquarius Technologies Pty Ltd

The ARC Research Hub for Driving Farming Productivity and Disease Preventionaims to increase farm production and disease prevention through advancing and transferring new artificial intelligence technologies into industrial deployment.

The Hub will combine machine vision, machine learning, software quality control, engineering, biology, and farming industries to develop technologies to build more intelligent systems.

These dynamic systems will help determine what goal to achieve and the most efficient plan to achieve it. The Hub is expected to contribute to higher farming efficiency, lower production costs and fewer disease risks, giving the Australian industry new business opportunities and an international competitive advantage.