The University of Notre Dame Australia has achieved a standout result in the latest Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award round, securing a 60 per cent success rate compared to the national average of 13.1 per cent.
Three early career researchers were awarded more than $1.5 million in a highly competitive round for projects tackling climate threatened Indigenous heritage, public trust and water security.
Notre Dame's result highlights the strength of targeted investment in early career researchers and high impact research.
Notre Dame's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Francis Campbell, said this outcome demonstrates what is possible when universities invest in people and ideas that address Australia's most pressing national challenges
"These projects will strengthen accountability and trust in public life, protect cultural heritage under increasing climate pressure and improve how we govern essential water resources into the future," he said.
The result reflects Notre Dame's commitment to undertaking research that addresses real world challenges, improves the lives of people in our communities and impacts society for the common good.
Associate Professor Stephen Kinnane, Chair of Indigenous Research at Nulungu believes that the grant success reflects the strength of the Notre Dame research culture and our shared vision for impact that changes lives. "We are very proud of the success of our staff who have a strong focus on excellence in research through valuing community-based Indigenous knowledge."
Professor David Bronstein, Director of the Institute for Ethics and Society and Co-Director of the Centre for the History of Philosophy, noted that this is the third ARC philosophy related fellowship we have received. "We are building a very strong research culture at Notre Dame and these early career successes bode very well for the future."
Notre Dame congratulates its outstanding researchers on their career-defining achievement.
Notre Dame's Discovery Early Career Research Award Fellows
The blame game: culpability, co-operation and cultural change
Dr Adam Piovarchy, Institute for Ethics & Society
Blaming is ubiquitous in modern society, and there are frequent calls to reduce our collective outrage. This project aims to develop a new theory of what blame is, what it is for, and how it can be used for both good and bad. Using findings from game theory and psychology, the project expects to generate new knowledge of blame's primary function—upholding community norms. It does this in three ways: signalling our expectations to others, sanctioning norm-violators, and sensitising agents to norms via psychological internalisation. The project will fill a significant gap in our understanding of the moral emotions and how blame can be abused. It will benefit society by answering when blame in the public sphere should be fostered or forsworn.
Conserving rock art: collaborative innovation for climate-changed futures
Dr Melissa Marshall, Nulungu Research Institute
The project aims to address limitations in existing rock art conservation and management techniques by evaluating practice and advancing collaborative innovation of improvements to mitigate environmental and human impacts. As our changing climate affects preservation and use of heritage places in unexpected ways, strategic investment of potential alternate methods and technologies collectively developed by First Nations people and academics is imperative to preserve these significant places. Research at select World Heritage and Nationally-heritage listed places will contribute substantially to future foundations, developing conservation outcomes for heritage places of national and international benefit in design, application and impact.
Rethinking water governance: forever economies and industries of wellbeing
Dr Kat Taylor, Nulungu Research Institute
The project aims to address significant gaps in Australia's water governance by linking water reform to the development of sustainable, locally grounded economies known as forever economies. The research will evaluate the water needs of these economies and propose innovative policy reforms for equitable water access for regional and remote communities. Expected outcomes include tailored policy recommendations that support healthy ecosystems, economic diversification, and social equity. Ultimately, the project enhances national water governance, promoting a holistic approach that benefits communities and fosters environmental stewardship.
