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58 Discovery Project grants awarded to Sydney researchers

5 December 2019
More than $25 million in Australian Research Council (ARC) funding
Federal Education Dan Tehan announced the latest round of ARC Discovery Project grants, including funds for 58 research projects involving University of Sydney researchers and administered by the University.

"The research done by our universities can lead to the development of new products and innovations that drive job growth, business opportunities and productivity gains,” Mr Tehan said.

“This investment will help develop solutions to problems in areas such as health, infrastructure, economics and the environment.”

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Duncan Ivison welcomed the announcement and congratulated researchers whose projects had received funding under the 2020 Discovery Project grant scheme.

“These results are an outstanding achievement and the funding will help further knowledge across a range of disciplines,” said Professor Ivison.

“From determining the mechanisms responsible for the inheritance of acquired traits, to studying the way people’s self-control affects their economic behaviour and understanding the public acceptance of driverless cars – there’s a diverse range of Sydney-led projects which have received ARC funding.”

The University of Sydney researchers awarded grants in this round include:

  • Associate Professor Ainsley Newson from the Faculty of Medicine and Health and her team were awarded $279,000 to provide a better way to help people to think and reflect about new genetic tests in pregnancy.
  • Professor Chris Ling from the Faculty of Science and his team were awarded $510,000 to develop an economically viable design for ‘all-solid-state’ rechargeable batteries.
  • Associate Professor Shumi Akhtar from the University of Sydney Business School and her team were awarded $334,000 to find an optimal solution for the tax avoidance problem for both multinational companies and governments.
  • Professor Brian Uy from the Faculty of Engineering and his team were awarded $530,000 to develop a coupled composite steel-concrete shear wall and frame system which could improve the construction of multi-story buildings.
  • Associate Professor Lina Markauskaite from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and her team were awarded $592,000 to create a strong integrative research foundation to explain how university researchers and students develop the expertise needed to work in interdisciplinary teams.

All successful grant recipients and projects are listed on the ARC website.