Nine University of Newcastle research teams will spearhead projects to advance Australia's knowledge in key priority areas, supported by more than $5.4 million in Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project 2026 grants.
The nine grants are among 520 new projects awarded more than $370 million in ARC funding to create new knowledge that provides economic, environmental, commercial, cultural and social benefits to Australia.
From bioengineering salt tolerance into crops; to generating new knowledge to 'optimise' sport and enhance wellbeing in youth; to advancing geotechnical strategies for safeguarding coastal cliffs, the University of Newcastle ARC Discovery Projects will contribute significantly to the nation's advancement.
University of Newcastle Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation, Professor Zee Upton, congratulated the nine teams, acknowledging the grants were fitting recognition of the range and depth of research expertise in the Hunter region.
"Our researchers are leaders in their respective fields. I am constantly impressed with their passion and unwavering commitment to leading fundamental research that will lead to long-term national benefit and better lives for our communities.
"From developing better tools to manage decisions in aviation, automotive, and cybersecurity industries; to improving our understanding of the impacts of rising temperatures and sea levels, helping to enhance disaster preparedness and climate resilience, these projects will contribute greatly to the nation and its future.
"We look forward to witnessing the real-world impact our research teams achieve," Professor Upton said.
ARC Chief Executive Officer Professor Ute Roessner said the projects highlighted the breadth and ambition of Australia's research community.
"By funding projects across many different disciplinary areas, the ARC is empowering researchers in the science and technology fields, social sciences and humanities, to pursue bold ideas, foster collaboration, and generate knowledge that strengthens Australia's prosperity, resilience and wellbeing,' Professor Roessner said.
Advanced geotechnical strategies for safeguarding coastal cliffs
Professor Anna Giacomini
$831,224
Recent impacts on infrastructure, properties and public safety along Australia's densely populated coasts has resulted in substantial economic costs.
Professor Anna Giacomini and her team aims to integrate advanced slope monitoring and ocean measurements using experimental and numerical methods to advance understanding of coastal cliff processes; and forecast retreat rates under climate change. The team will develop a framework to quantify and predict coastal cliff hazards and retreat rates with variability in geological, structural, weather and ocean conditions. The goal is to enable practitioners and governments to enhance community safety by proactively informing mitigation and control designs.
Research team: Professor Anna Giacomini; Dr Davide Guccione; Dr Michael Kinsela; Professor John Carter; Professor Jidong Zhao.
Is bad stronger than good when it comes to youth experiences in sport?
Professor David Lubans
$779,768
'Bad is stronger than good' reflects a broader psychological phenomenon where negative events or experiences have a stronger impact on individuals than positive ones. This concept has been explored in various contexts, including education, relationships, and media consumption.
Professor David Lubans and his team will aim to investigate these phenomena in the context of youth sport and explore strategies used by sport coaches that may support or thwart young people's wellbeing. Expected outcomes of this multidisciplinary project include a tool for measuring the observable characteristics of sport that influence wellbeing. It will also generate new knowledge to inform international guidelines about how to 'optimise' sport to enhance wellbeing in youth. University of Newcastle Professor Lubans is a member of the HMRI Active Living and Learning Research program.
Research team: Professor David Lubans; Associate Professor Stewart Vella; Professor Mark Beauchamp; Dr Jordan Smith; Professor Russell Jago; Associate Professor Timo Jaakkola; Associate Professor Arja Sääkslahti; Dr Rhiannon White.
Bioengineering salt tolerant proteins: crop solutions from wild plants
Dr Vanessa Melino
$701,118
Rising soil salinity threatens nearly a third of the world's agricultural land. Dr Vanessa Melino and her team will explore how wild plants like Salicornia (Samphire) thrive in salty conditions, with a focus on understanding a newly identified RNA-binding protein.
By uncovering the species unique mechanisms, the team aims to bioengineer salt tolerance into crops. These outcomes could enable sustainable farming on degraded lands, allow irrigation with saline water, and provide high-value crop options for farmers, addressing both economic and environmental challenges.
Research team: Dr Vanessa Melino; Dr Benedict Long; Dr Reimo Zoschke; Dr Magdalena Julkowska.
Fingerprinting the Eemian as an analogue for future climate change
Associate Professor Danielle Verdon-Kidd
$628,909
The Eemian interglacial – around 120,000 years ago – offers vital clues to how our climate may change. Associate Professor Danielle Verdon-Kidd and her team will analyse South Pacific cave stalagmites and uses advance climate models to uncover how the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), a key driver of regional rainfall, responded to past warming.
The findings will improve understanding of the impacts of rising temperatures and sea levels, helping to enhance disaster preparedness and climate resilience for Australia and the South Pacific.
Research team: Dr Danielle Verdon-Kidd; Dr Josephine Brown; Emeritus Professor Silvia Frisia; Professor Dr Norbert Marwan; Dr Pauline Treble.
A new framework for decision making under internal and external demands
Associate Professor Guy Hawkins
$590,108
Associate Professor Guy Hawkins and his team aim to develop and test a theory explaining how people allocate cognitive resources between internal demands, like thoughts, and external demands, like tasks. It will investigate how individuals balance decision priorities under real-world pressures, creating a framework for understanding decision making and resource allocation in dynamic environments.
Expected outcomes include a validated model to improve decision making, safety, and performance across high-demand settings; and better tools for managing decisions in aviation, automotive, and cybersecurity industries. University of Newcastle Associate Professor Guy Hawkins is a member of HMRI's Healthy Minds Research Program.
Research team: Associate Professor Guy Hawkins; Professor Ami Eidels; Dr Rachael Wynne.
Theory-based solutions for the pervasive problem of response bias
Professor Scott Brown
$588,746
What does 'strongly agree' really mean? Professor Scott Brown and his team will address the challenge of bias in self-report data, which is relied on to inform research data across many fields. Researchers will develop psychological theory to understand and measure response biases in self-report.
By understanding the decision-making process of how people turn inner thoughts into survey responses, this project represents a significant advance in improving the truthfulness of self-report data.
Research team: Professor Scott Brown; Dr Quentin Gronau; Associate Professor Guy Hawkins.
Error correction for free-space quantum communications
Professor Sarah Johnson
$516,399
The introduction of 6G technology is set to revolutionise wireless telecommunications with unprecedented speed, latency, and connectivity. However, the increased reach, integration into critical infrastructure, and extensive data collection pose significant security threats.
By integrating quantum communications into future networks, Professor Sarah Johnson aims to create a secure communication infrastructure capable of withstanding current and future cyber threats, even those from quantum computers.
Research team: University of Newcastle Professor Sarah Johnson, a member of HMRI's Heart & Stroke Research Program.
My Mother's Polio: Australian Experiences of Poliomyelitis, 1950s to 1960s
Professor Catharine Coleborne
$381,613
Professor Catharine Coleborne will reveal the hidden history of poliomyelitis (polio) in Australia in the mid-twentieth century, focusing on the experiences of families and regional communities.
By combining oral memories with archival records such as welfare records, memoirs, fiction, and medical writing, the project will explore how Australians lived through and remembered polio. The project will draw valuable connections between cultural and historical collections held in libraries, archives, and museums to raise awareness of the public memory of polio.
Research team: Professor Catharine Coleborne.
Asia-Pacific perspectives on homelessness and climate change
Professor Simon Springer
$371,813
Amid ongoing climate disasters, this project examines how homelessness deepens vulnerability in the Asia-Pacific, focusing on Cambodia and India.
Offering a rare comparative regional lens, Professor Simon Springer and his team will explore lived experiences of homeless people during times of acute and systemic vulnerability. The study will explore how and why people continue to slip through the cracks, particularly during climate crisis scenarios, and into life on the streets because of inadequate social supports that could be afforded to secure livelihoods.
Research team: Professor Simon Springer; Dr Kunaljeet Roy.
