Uni welcomes major national research grants
Published on 17 October, 2008
CQUniversity has welcomed major national research grants in the areas of agri-food networks, networked control systems and strategies to combat lung infections.
Associate Professor Stewart Lockie has gained $147,000 from the Australian Research Council (ARC) to fund work on the social and environmental implications of privately-regulated food quality standards for agri-food networks in the Asia-Pacific.
Associate Professor Stewart Lockie
Dr Lockie said the international regulatory terrain of food production and trade is undergoing profound change.
"Non-government institutions are imposing a host of food safety, social and environmental standards and certification procedures on suppliers which have the potential to become significant non-tariff barriers to trade," he said. This project will assess:
(1) the changing role of quality standards, auditing and certification in international food politics and trade with particular emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region; and
(2) the impacts of food quality standards on the social fabric and environmental management practices of the fruit and vegetable farming sectors of Australia and the Philippines.
Professor Qing-Long Han is collaborating with a project led by RMIT which has received $220,000 in ARC funding for Variable Structure Control Systems in Networked Environments.
"This project will be the first in the world to lay the foundation for a new theory for understanding and designing new variable structure control systems in the networked environments, which is in great need due to increasing use of shared communication networks in modern industrial systems," he said.
"It will firmly place Australia at the forefront of this research by developing a cutting-edge technology for improving reliability and efficiency of industrial variable structure control systems in the networked environments, hence resulting in cost-saving and improved productivity for industry. It will provide training for new leading researchers specialised in this new theory and technology."
Professor Jennelle Kyd has confirmed $434,000 in National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding for a novel strategy targeting quorum sensing molecules and catalase function to block Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection.
Professor Kyd said Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes serious infections, particularly in those with Cystic Fibrosis, serious burns or long term catheters or in those who are immunocompromised.
"We will use a unique strategy to target virulence factors that will assist in clearing acute infection, prevent establishment of new chronic infections, and potentially reduce the severity of established chronic infections," she said.
It has the potential to make both antibiotic therapy more effective and at the same time lessen the extent of antibiotic therapy required.