When it comes to solving problems, Computer Science is remarkably effective. It’s the reason, for example, that any readily available navigation system can identify, almost instantly, the shortest path from A to B.

Particularly complex problems, however, can occasionally throw up roadblocks, and it’s in these cases that biology still holds the answers.

Mother Nature’s already developed creative solutions to many complex problems. So Computer Science researchers at the University of Adelaide have been taking a close look at her “notes”.

Their analysis of a wide range of biological systems has revealed some fascinating mechanisms and methods that they’ve been able to successfully translate into highly effective algorithms.

And in this engaging presentation, Dr Frank Neumann will explain how they were found, how they work, and how large – based on performance testing in wind farms and team track cycling – their impact promises to be.

Dr Frank Neumann is a Senior Lecturer in the University of Adelaide’s School of Computer Science, where he leads a research group on biologically inspired computing. He has also coordinated a similarly focused group at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Informatics.

We’ve all heard the bad news for biodiversity. Threats posed by climate change, habitat loss and invasive species are widely recognised as the most serious in the history of the earth.

Less well known is the positive story unfolding simultaneously in the field of biodiversity genomics. We now have unparalleled access to information on the genomes of species, and it’s revolutionising our ability to conserve life.

Genetic labels are being developed to counter the trade in illegally harvested species. Strategies are being refined to increase the adaptive potential and resilience of species and ecosystems. And genomics data is being used to identify conservation priorities.

In this hope-restoring presentation, the University of Adelaide’s Professor Andrew Lowe will bring the good news to light.

Professor Andrew Lowe is Chair in Plant Conservation Biology and Director of the Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity at the University of Adelaide. He is also Head of Science within the Science Resource Centre for the SA Dept of Environment and Natural Resources.

As globalisation continues apace, the resultant loss of cultural identity, including language, is a cause of increasing distress for peoples everywhere. It has been predicted that 90% of the world’s languages will disappear by 2100.

In response to this dire situation has emerged the “language revival” movement. Its greatest success story is Revived Hebrew, or “Israeli”, with other major projects including Hawaiian, and Kaurna, a South Australian Aboriginal language.

The reproductions aren’t perfect – today’s vernacular in urban Tel Aviv, for example, sounds quite unlike that of the Old Testament. But according to University of Adelaide Professor Ghil‘ad Zuckermann, this is no failing.

On the contrary, he argues, in any revival a degree of hybridization of the mother tongue is both inevitable and beneficial.

In this provocative session he will not only discuss this and other critical insights for the movement’s success, but present a passionate case for the establishment of a new discipline dedicated to its study:”Revival Linguistics”.

Professor Ghil’ad Zuckermann, D.Phil. (Oxford), is Chair of Linguistics/ Endangered Languages at the University of Adelaide. He is the author of the revolutionary bestseller Israeli – A Beautiful Language (Am Oved, 2008) and Language Contact and Lexical Enrichment in Israeli Hebrew.

The relationship between words and music has captivated and intrigued for centuries. In the right hands their combination creates art of great power, beauty, and subtlety. Yet interpreting the dynamics of their interplay has proved elusive.

Some maintain that instrumental music is the highest expressive art form, whilst others argue that music is powerless without words.

So to what extent do music and words influence each other in the collaborative process?

In this stimulating presentation, Professors Graeme Koehne, Peter Goldsworthy and Mark Carroll of the University of Adelaide’s J.M. Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice will cast new light on the relationship between words and music.

Discussing the topic in relation to Graeme and Peter’s collaboration in their eagerly anticipated one-act chamber opera, The Ring Tone Cycle, their insights will challenge assumptions and enhance artistic appreciation.

One of the most prevalent forms of chronic pain in Australia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) significantly impairs the quality of life of up to 20% of our population.

But thanks to the University of Adelaide’s Nerve-Gut research team, clinically effective relief may at last be in sight.

The group has been investigating the action of peppermint, anecdotally reported to ease the racking pain associated with IBS, yet previously medically unproven.

Employing a complex range of methodologies, the team has not only been able to show that peppermint does indeed soothe inflammatory pain in the gastrointestinal tract, but crucially has identified the specific mechanosensory channel through which it works.

In this important presentation, team leader Dr Stuart Brierley will present the findings and explain why IBS sufferers finally have cause for optimism.

Dr Stuart Brierley is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian Biomedical Fellow. He is internationally recognised for his research into acute and chronic gastrointestinal pain, and was a 2011 South Australian Tall Poppy award winner.

The massive outbreak of Shiga toxigenic E. coli infection in Germany earlier this year highlighted the scale of human and economic damage that can occur when these bacteria enter the food chain. E. coli usually reside in the intestines of livestock, where they appear to cause little harm. However, the game changes when humans become infected, usually by consumption of foods contaminated with animal faeces. Once ingested the bacteria multiply in the human gut, releasing potent toxins that damage organs and tissues, causing life-threatening disease. Cases occur regularly in South Australia with Australia’s largest outbreak of E. coli disease (the “Garibaldi Outbreak”) occurring in Adelaide in 1995.

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have been attacking this disease from multiple perspectives, achieving major advances in molecular diagnosis of infection, as well as characterisation of the bacterial toxins responsible for disease symptoms. This knowledge has also enabled development of novel strategies for treatment and prevention of the life-threatening complications of E. coli disease.  Professor James Paton will provide an overview of their work on this potentially fatal disease and how to prevent it.

Professor James Paton holds a prestigious NHMRC Australia Fellowship and is the Director of the Research Centre for Infectious Diseases in the School of Molecular and Biomedical Science at the University of Adelaide. His research career has been focused on pathogenesis and prevention of bacterial infectious diseases, and he has published over 260 scientific papers in international journals, including landmark papers in Nature and Nature Medicine.

As all living things demonstrate, this is not just a pipe-dream. In fact, self-assembly is now being exploited in the manufacture of various products ranging from cosmetics to vaccines to solar panels.

Provided the fundamentals of ‘self-assembly’ are understood and can be exploited, it could form the basis of a new way to manufacture things that is competitive with the more traditional labour-intensive and even capital-intensive approaches. Researchers at the University of Adelaide are seeking to make this a reality.

In this presentation Professor Mark Biggs will provide an overview of the principles of self-assembly, highlight some examples of existing technologies built at least in part using self-assembly, and talk about the potential of self-assembly into the future.

Professor Mark Biggs holds the Chair of Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide where he is also the Head of the School of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Bio and Nanoengineering Faculty Research Group. Professor Biggs’ research looks at systems where interfaces – the boundary between two phases such as water and air – play an important role with application in designing, manufacturing and exploiting nanostructured materials and systems.  His work has been reported in more than 65 publications, including over 50 peer reviewed articles and seven invited contributions, and nearly 45 invited plenary, keynote and other lectures around the World.

If our cells are well coordinated factories, the proteins within are the machinery. They keep the factories running.

It follows then, that to better manage our body’s machinery – to treat and prevent disease – we need to better understand it structure and behaviour at the molecular level.

Researchers at the University of Adelaide are meeting the challenge by investigating three key questions. How does a protein’s architecture dictate its role? How do multi-component protein assemblies form? And what structural biology techniques can we use to better answer these questions?

Their progress is exciting; the potential health benefits enormous. And in this presentation, lead researcher Dr Tara Pukala will bring you up to speed on the latest developments

Dr Tara Pukala lectures in Chemistry at the University of Adelaide. She leads a research group focused on developing new tools to investigate the structure of biological molecules in order to understand and provide innovative approaches to the treatment of human diseases.

This forum – with contributions by Amanda Vanstone (former Howard Government Minister and former Australian Ambassador to Italy) and leading University of Adelaide academics – will explore some of the key policy debates that have dominated Australian politics over the past year.

Whether your interest is …

- how the debates over the proposed Carbon Tax will play out and how did the ALP find itself in this position;

- whether the ALP is alienating its ‘traditional’ core voters;

- will the balance of power make or break the Greens?;

- what would be the policy priorities of an Abbott led Coalition government;

- or in any of the other big questions that are shaping debates in Australia;

… you should not miss this important forum.

Come, ready with your own questions for the panellists, and join us in a discussion on how well the Gillard Government is performing, and what might happen in Australian politics over the next 12-24 months.

Participants :

Amanda Vanstone and University of Adelaide academics Carol Johnson, Wayne Errington and facilitator Clement Macintyre.

With a research career spanning more than 37 years, Professor Fincher has made a significant contribution to the University, the Waite Campus and Australian science.

Over the past six years alone he has helped to establish more than $100 million in state-of-the-art research facilities at the campus, such as the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) and the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility  (Plant Accelerator). He is also the leader of a new CSIRO Food Futures Flagship Cluster on High-Fibre Grains .

The cell walls of plants are quite remarkable. Not only are they incredibly strong, in some species stronger than steel, but in the case of cereal crops they also hold enormous promise in the areas of human health and renewable energy.

Constituents of the cell wall have been shown to greatly reduce the risk of contracting many serious diet-related conditions, including Type II Diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer. Their use for the production of bioethanol has attracted much interest from the biofuels sector.

Previously, a major barrier to realising these benefits has been an incomplete understanding of how cell wall fine structure is biologically defined and modified. Research at the University of Adelaide is helping to change that and in this presentation Professor Geoff Fincher will explain how.

About the Speaker

Professor Geoff Fincher is the Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus. He is a former winner of the F.B Guthrie Award, the highest honour of the Royal Australian Chemistry Institute’s Division of Cereal Chemistry.

His work over the past 20 years has been directed to the geology and mineralogy of sulphide ore deposits. In particular to analyse and interpret mineral assemblages, mineral chemistry and textural evidence to understand the genetic history of mineral deposits, and to discover controls on element partitioning, paragenesis and mineral stabilities. The approach has encompassed major, refractory mineral phases (e.g. pyrite), as well as the trace components such as sulphosalts and tellurides. Studies have been applied to deposits ranging from volcanic-hosted and SEDEX-type massive sulphides, epithermal precious metal, porphyry and skarns, and even liquid-magmatic Cu-Ni-PGE deposits. 

He is also President of the International Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits and Editor-in-Chief of Ore Geology Reviews.

Mineral resources are absolutely pivotal to human society. Our ability to continue extracting them drives industrial development, and expanding our understanding of their formation reveals the geological history of our planet.

TRaX is contributing to the development of advanced new deposit locating techniques unaffected by dense covering rock.

It’s also at the cutting-edge of Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy, bridging existing atomic-scale observations of ore formation with new ones at the nanoscale, where the processes actually take place.

Associate Professor Nigel Cook will discuss TRaX’s fascinating work and their most exciting findings.

About the Speaker

Nigel Cook is Director of the Centre for Tectonics, Resources and Exploration, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide.  He is also President of the International Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits and Editor-in-Chief of Ore Geology Reviews.

As a PhD or Masters student at Adelaide you will be an important part of a culture that promotes excellence, fosters creativity and is conducive to success.

Considering a Research Degree?

The Research Degrees website contains everything you need to know about starting a postgraduate research degree at the University of Adelaide, including the advantages of studying at our University, the process for applying and enroling, the huge range of research areas available to investigate, and all contact details of supervisors and coordinators.

The Adelaide Graduate Centre

Postgraduate research students who are already enrolled can find information and support about enrollment, candidature, Annual Review, scholarships, supervisor issues and thesis submission.

Looking for a Scholarship?

Postgraduate Research scholarships are for applicants who wish to undertake full time study in a Masters or Doctorate degree by research.

Assistance for International Students

The Adelaide Graduate Centre offers a 12-week program designed to help international research students gain access quickly and effectively to the academic, linguistic and cultural conventions of postgraduate study.

Zalina Shari is a PhD candidate at the School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture & Urban Design at the University of Adelaide.  Zalina commenced her studies in February 2008 and is due to complete in 2011. She is an international student from Malaysia, fully sponsored by the Malaysian Government.

Prior to commencing her studies, Zalina spent 6 years working as an academic at the Universiti Putra Malaysia, specialising in architectural history and suataibnable architecture studies.

Her thesis title is :’Towards achieving Sustainable Development in Developing Countries: A mix-method approach in developing Malaysian office building sustainability assessment framework’

Research Interests:

• Materials for Energy Applications: One aspect of our work is the synthesis and study of novel organic dyes and metal complexes of those dyes.  Studies into the potential applications of these materials for energy applications are undertaken.
• Porous Materials: The synthesis of porous materials as scaffolds for heterogenous catalysts, sieving and selective capture of gases, e.g. carbon dioxide.  Our research is focused on the synthesis of novel linkers and the incorporation of these into porous materials. We have two areas of focus:- Azolium linkers that can be used to liberate an N-heterocyclic carbene within a framework.- Linear links with masked donor functionality.
• Supramolecular Chemistry (of Anions): Our research in this area is directed toward materials that display novel interactions with anions and utilisation of such interactions to develop sensors or sequestration agents.
• Sensor Architectures for MOFs (Microstructured Optical Fibres): We work as part of the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) on materials that interface the fibres to analytes.

Dr Emma Baker is a Senior Research Fellow in the University of Adelaide’s newly formed Centre for Housing Urban and Regional Planning, where she leads the Housing and Health Research Cluster.  A geographer, her work examines the impact of housing and location in urban and regional environments, producing academic, as well as policy-relevant research.        

Dr Baker’s recent major publications include analysis of the housing implications of economic, social, and spatial change in Australia, work quantifying health effects of housing tenure and affordability, research on precarious and vulnerable housing, and a spatial analysis of housing need in Australia.   

Dr Luke Harrald is a lecturer in Music Technology at the Elder Conservatorium of Music.

He is a composer who specialises in interdisciplinary work, creating music based on non-linear dynamical systems. Known for his research connecting Game Theory with improvisational behaviour, Luke’s live electronics work aims to embody aspects of improvised music in the interactive computer music systems. Recently he has been applying aspects from this research to create innovative public art installations.

Originally from the mid-north of South Australia. Luke completed his PhD at the University of Adelaid ein 2008.

Dr. Simon Holford is an ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer at the Australian School of Petroleum and is Deputy Director of the Centre for Tectonics, Resources and Exploration (TRaX) at the University of Adelaide.

Simon graduated BSc (Hons) from Keele University (2001) and PhD from the University of Birmingham (2006). His research interests are in the deformation, uplift and volcanic histories of rifted margins, sedimentary basins and continental interiors. He is currently investigating the tectonic evolution of Australia over the past 65 million years and the impacts of tectonic processes on Australia’s energy-rich sedimentary basins.

Research Interests

Bioinorganic Chemistry / Metals in Biology
Metabolism and benefits of dietary selenium
Heavy metal toxicology in mammals )As, Se, Hg, Cd)
Metalloprotein active site structures and mechanisms
Application of X-ray absorption and X-ray fluroescence techniques to inftact tissues

Density Functional Theory Calculations
Electron density distribution in complexes with ‘non-innocent’ ligands
Calculation of XANES spectra
Metalloprotein active site structures and mechanisms

Professor John Carver is a Professor of Chemistry and Head of the School of Chemistry & Physics. In 2008, he became the Deputy Executive Dean of the Faculty of Sciences and, for all of 2009, he was also Acting Head of the School of Molecular and Biomedical Science.

Professor Carver undertook his undergraduate (Honours) degree in Chemistry at the University of Adelaide. In 1983, he was awarded his PhD in Biological Chemistry from the Australian National University (ANU) and subsequently undertook post-doctoral studies in Biochemistry at the Universities of Oxford and Adelaide.  In 1988, John took up a position as Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Wollongong where he subsequently became an Associate Professor.

Throughout John’s career, his research has been in the area of peptide and protein structure, function and interactions. Of late, he has been concentrating on molecular chaperone proteins and their mechanism of stabilizing other proteins, particularly those involved in diseases of protein aggregation, e.g. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and cataract. In particular, John has received international acclaim for his work on the major eye lens protein (and related proteins). He utilises a diversity of spectroscopic, biophysical and protein chemical techniques for his research, with NMR spectroscopy being at the forefront.  He has co-authored over 130 research publications.

John has received a variety of international awards for his research including a Menzies Bicentennial Fellowship, an Italian Government Fellowship and the British Council Partnership for Excellence award. John has been a Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College, Oxford, a Visiting Fellow at the Research School of Chemistry, ANU and an Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

Dr Jiang was selected as one of the 100 outstanding young Chinese leaders in the world by Hong Kong Dragon Foundation in 2008. Ying’s research activities are centred on blogs and participatory online media in China. With a background in International Studies, Ying is interested in the nationalism in China, with a focus on the relationships and tensions between the West and China’s Generation Y. Her new book Dissecting Chinese bloggers anger towards Western media is coming out later this year.