From space food to quantum biotech

From investigations of space food to quantum biotechnology, Flinders University researchers are taking part in major new Australian Research Council projects in the $384.9 million Centres of Excellence scheme round, announced recently.

The Australian Government ARC Centres of Excellence, which are each funded over a seven-year period, play an important role in supporting partnerships between universities, industry, community and government to produce transformative research outcomes, thanks to the support of matching funds from key partners.

The new ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, led by Professor Matthew Gilliham at the University of Adelaide, will involveĀ Professor of Digital Technology, Security and Governance Melissa de Zwart and Professor of Psychology Eva Kemps, both from Flinders University.

Seeking to “address grand challenges in sustainability for Space and on Earth”, this research will cover advances in plant, food and sensory science; process and systems engineering; law and policy; and psychology, aiming to create enhanced plant-derived food and bio-resources for future use.

Professor of Social Work Sarah Wendt, a Matthew Flinders Fellow in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, will collaborate in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, led by Monash University.

Matthew Flinders Fellow in Global Ecology Professor Corey Bradshaw and Dr Frederik Saltre, from the College of Science and Engineering, will lead Flinders research as part of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures. Led by Distinguished Professor Sean Ulm at James Cook University, this new centre aims to “generate a new direction in knowledge creation based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led approaches to managing Land and Sea Country”.

The new ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology, led by the University of Queensland, will have a local node led by Flinders University Professor in Chemistry Michelle Coote. This Centre’s research aims to develop “paradigm-shifting quantum technologies to observe biological processes and transform our understanding of life”.

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