Stretching the Boundaries

Professor Mackenzie

From life-sustaining legumes, to life-saving disease control and life-changing medical and molecular discoveries, The University of Queensland's researchers continually stretch science's boundaries.

The University of Queensland's national reputation for research excellence is consistently recognised through success in competitive grant rounds.

When the Australian Research Council's Centres of Excellence (COEs) were announced late last year, The University shared in funding totalling more than $55 million out of the total $90 million pool.

UQ is lead partner in the new $10 million ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research.

The Centre will play a vital role in agricultural development as legumes such as peas, chickpeas, lupins and soybeans improve soils by introducing nitrogen.

Professor Peter Gresshoff, of the School of Life Sciences, will head the Centre.

UQ is also involved as a supporting partner in a further four COEs.

Dr Peter Koopman, from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), will join the COE for Biotechnology and Development ($9.5 million), examining the cellular mechanisms responsible for the specification and differentiation of male germ cells.

Dr Phil Pollett, from the School of Physical Sciences, will be part of the Mathematical and Statistical Modelling of Complex Systems COE ($11 million) examining the behaviour of complex systems.

Professor Peter Drummond, also from the School of Physical Sciences, leads a team of UQ researchers as part of the Centre for Quantum-Atom Optics ($11 million), which aims to build a quantum toolbox for applications such as the transfer and storage of photonics information and precision control of quantum atoms.

These COEs will be complemented by three new ARC Centres to be led by UQ researchers, including Professor Mark Ragan's Centre for Genome-Phenome Bioinformatics, Professor Max Lu's Centre for Functional Nanomaterials and Professor Peter Lindsay's Centre for Complex Systems.

Professor Ragan, from the IMB, will receive almost $4 million to examine, through advanced computing techniques, how the genome comes to life in the mammalian cell.

Professor Lu, from the School of Engineering, will receive more than $7 million to study new forms of sustainable energy that are both efficient and cheap, as well as the potential of biomaterials and engineering tissue for organ replacements.

Professor Peter Lindsay, from the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, will receive $4.5 million to examine applications in air-traffic control, genetic regulatory networks and the evolution of economic systems. This promises fundamental breakthroughs in control of such highly complex systems.

The University's involvement in Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) grew this year to a total of 29, 22 as core partner and another seven as a supporting partner.

With the international health crisis triggered by the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the funding of the Australian Biosecurity CRC: Emerging Infectious Diseases could not have been more timely.

Professor John Mackenzie, who acted as interim CEO of the CRC was part of a World Health Organisation (WHO) delegation sent to China to study the origins of SARS.

Professor Mackenzie, from the School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, will be joined in the CRC by Associate Professor Hamish McCallum, from the School of Life Sciences, who will conduct mathematical modelling on diseases and how they are spread.

The CRC will be a focal point for analysing bioterrorism data and will be at the frontline in developing new tools to prevent the introduction of diseases and pests that could have a major effect on the Australian and world economies.

Other CRCs where UQ is a core partner are: Aboriginal Health; Environmental Biotechnology; Interaction Design; Mining; Sustainable Resource Processing; Sustainable Tourism; and Sugar Industry Innovation through Biotechnology.

UQ will play a supporting role in the CRCs for Australian Poultry; Innovative Grain Products; Irrigation Futures; Molecular Plant Breeding; and Desert Knowledge. UQ researchers will also share in more than $34 million in funding as part of the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grants.

UQ will lead two grants and is a supporting partner in another two. Renowned neuroscientist Professor Perry Bartlett from the School of Biomedical Sciences will lead a team awarded $6.5 million over five years to continue work in the control of nerve cell production in adult brains.

Professor Neville Owen from the School of Population Health will lead a team awarded $4.4 million over five years to find ways to get people fit.

Professor Istvan Toth from the School of Pharmacy will join a Queensland Institute of Medical Research team that received $8.5 million to develop vaccines for malaria, scabies and streptococcal diseases.

Associate Professor Mike Jennings and Professor Alastair McEwan, from the School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, will join a team from Monash University who received $15.2 million to look at how bacteria cause disease.

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