Twenty-seven projects receive over $25 million in ARC Discovery Project funding
Credit: Australian Research Council
Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences researchers have been awarded over $25 million for 27 projects funded under the Australian Research Council’s 2026 Discovery Project scheme.
Discovery Projects aim to contribute to the growth of Australia’s research and innovation capacity. Increasing Australia’s research and innovation capacity generates new knowledge and results in the development of new technologies, products and ideas, the creation of jobs, economic growth and an enhanced quality of life in Australia.
The 27 projects are among 78 projects worth $62.8 million awarded to Monash University researchers in the 2026 funding round - the highest number and value of awards nationally. Congratulations to all of our successful recipients.
Funded projects include:
Lead researcher: Dr Deepak Adhikari - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: Mitochondria, the energy producers in cells, are passed down only from mothers through their eggs. To understand how healthy and viable an organism will be, it's important to know how these mitochondria are set up during egg development. About 1,000 mitochondria in the juvenile egg multiply to over 200,000 in the mature egg. Eggs grow in structures called follicles, surrounded by supporting cells that contain their own mitochondria. Supporting cells communicate with the egg through tiny tunnels. This research aims to understand whether the eggs receive mitochondria from these surrounding cells and how this influences oocyte metabolism and embryo development. This new knowledge will provide insights into animal breeding and human health.
Amount: $928,037
Lead researcher: Associate Professor Farshad Alizadeh Mansouri - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: Transcranial Brain Stimulation (TBS) is a non-invasive technique in which low-intensity currents are delivered through electrodes positioned on the person’s scalp. Recently, TBS techniques have gained much attention for the management of various conditions such as age-related cognitive decline, overeating, gambling and alcoholism. However, we do not know 'where', ‘when’ and 'how' TBS modulates information encoding by neurons to lead to the behavioural outcome. We will examine the effects of TBS on the activity of single neurons (in frontal cortical and sub-cortical regions) and cognitive abilities, while monkeys perform cognitive tasks. This proposed study will elucidate the underlying neuronal mechanisms of TBS effects on cognitive functions.
Amount: $890,899
Lead researcher: Dr Senthil Arumugam - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: Just as cities rely on efficient supply chains to distribute goods, cells use complex delivery networks to transport vital cargo. This research will use advanced microscopy and artificial intelligence to explore how cells sort and move essential molecules within their internal transportation system. We aim to uncover how different cargoes are directed toward their correct destinations—or escape from the expected routes altogether. This project will provide fundamental insights into cellular cargo sorting, with the potential to improve treatments for diseases including cancer and Alzheimer’s, to develop more effective strategies for delivering mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, and to impede viral infections.
Amount: $599,674
Lead researcher: Associate Professor Susan Baidawi - School of Primary and Allied Health Care
Project summary: This project investigates the criminal justice system involvement of young people transitioning from foster, kinship or residential out-of-home care systems in early adulthood. Through strong Aboriginal leadership and governance, analyses of linked administrative data and consultations with young adults and professionals will be undertaken to develop knowledge of the characteristics and service system pathways of care leavers experiencing criminal justice system contact. Outcomes will include the identification of innovative strategies to prevent the criminalisation of young adult care leavers, enhancing their civic and social inclusion. Other project benefits include increasing community safety and reducing criminal justice expenditure.
Amount: $579,736
Lead researcher: Professor Mark Bellgrove - School of Psychological Sciences/Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health
Project summary: The transformation of sensory input into goal-directed action is central to cognitive function and is known as perceptual decision-making. This project will forge links between scales (network to synapse) and species (human to rodent) to understand how the dynamic equilibrium between excitatory and inhibitory inputs in the brain (known as E/I balance) shape fundamental properties of decision-making, such as evidence accumulation. We will employ a common behavioural paradigm across both species and leverage cutting-edge techniques in humans (MRS; EEG, computational modelling) and rodents (optogenetics, EEG, computational modelling). We will reveal the causal mechanisms by which manipulations of E/I balance impact evidence accumulation.
Amount: $1,216,724
Lead researcher: Professor John Boyce - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: The bacterium Pasteurella multocida can cause the rapidly fatal disease haemorrhagic septicaemia in cattle and other ungulates. This disease occurs in many countries, including one of our nearest neighbours, Indonesia. The importation of haemorrhagic septicaemia is a major food security and economic threat to the Australian cattle industry. Current vaccines are crude, locally made and offer only limited immunity; a commercial vaccine with increased efficacy would safeguard the Australian cattle industry and help control the disease worldwide. In this project, we aim to identify factors required for haemorrhagic septicaemia strains to cause disease and use this knowledge to generate novel vaccine strains that provide long-lasting immunity.
Amount: $940,399
Lead researcher: Professor Max Cryle - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: This project aims to (1) understand the mechanism and control the specificity of peptide crosslinking by engineered enzymes and (2) to exploit these enzymes as biocatalysts to produce complex bioactive peptides. This project intends to generate new knowledge on the biocatalytic synthesis of peptides using a highly interdisciplinary approach and essential tools that have been developed. The anticipated outcomes of this project are an enhanced understanding of how to the control the function of biocatalysts for peptide synthesis and to use these biocatalysts to synthesis complex bioactive natural products. This knowledge is vital for future efforts to develop biocatalytic methods for peptide production.
Amount: $753,845
Lead researcher: Professor Chris Greening - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: Microbial chemosynthesis (i.e. carbon fixation using inorganic energy sources) is a critical but understudied process supporting life and nutrient cycling in the unlit ocean. This program will provide the first systematic assessment of the importance, processes, and mediators of chemosynthesis for ocean biodiversity and productivity. To do so, we will combine microbial and biogeochemical analyses of (i) depth transects in the open ocean, (ii) understudied unlit niches (sea caves, shipwrecks), and (iii) reef-building coral microbiomes. The project will provide wide-reaching benefits by increasing knowledge of marine ecology, microbiology, and biogeochemistry, including better understanding and constraining a key global carbon sink.
Amount: $910,778
Lead researcher: Dr Benjamin Gully - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: T cells play central roles in vertebrate immunity yet we lack molecular insight into how the T cell receptor complex triggers development and cellular activation. This project aims to establish how a cell-surface protein complex on T cells, orchestrates their development and function. Expected outcomes include the generation of fundamental knowledge in immunology and membrane receptor biology. This proposal uses advanced microscopy, including advancement of cryo-electron microscopy and single-molecule light microscopy capabilities, this will enable advanced postgraduate student training. Other outcomes include influential publications, building expertise at Australian universities and establishing international collaborations.
Amount: $899,596
Lead researcher: Professor Vincent Harley - Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Project summary: Animals and humans have different traits depending on sex, such as manes present only in male lions. Many sex differences are not visible, such as in internal organs. All human organs display robust sex differences in molecular profiles, but the reason for these differences is not known. To determine whether sex differences arise due to differing sex chromosomes or differing hormones, the team developed a highly innovative rat model that can answer this. This project will elucidate which factors, sex chromosomes or hormones, drive sex differences in molecular regulators across multiple tissues, and during development, revolutionising the fundamental understanding of the origin of sex differences in mammals.
Amount: $820,446
Lead researcher: Dr Jacki Heraud-Farlow - Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Project summary: Cytosolic recognition of viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is a highly conserved mechanism for sensing infection across organims. How the immune system effectively distinguishes between viral RNA and cellular RNA remain enigmatic. We have recently performed a genome-wide CRISPR screen which identified novel regulators of cellular dsRNA. This project will use our unique models to address the substantial knowledge gap that exists in understanding the pathways that control immune responses to RNA how dysregulation of these pathways disrupts cellular homeostasis. We bring together expertise with a strong record for impactful outcomes in RNA biology, inflammation and proteomics to address this fundamental biology.
Amount: $791,143
Lead researcher: Professor Nicole La Gruta - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: T cells develop in the thymus as a consequence of self-antigen recognition via their T cell receptor (TCR). During development, ~50% of T cells recognise self-antigen too strongly and are deleted via negative selection to prevent autoimmunity. This project aims to determine the impact of negative selection on responses to foreign antigens using mice deficient in negative selection and a range of sophisticated technologies to characterize and test antigen-specific TCRs that are normally deleted. Expected outcomes include a fundamental understanding of the balance between the competing demands of self-tolerance and protection from foreign threats. These knowledge advances will ultimately inform applications to optimize immune responses.
Amount: $1,260,807
Lead researcher: Professor Nicole La Gruta - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: This project seeks to elucidate the role of granzyme K, a serine protease markedly elevated in aged T cells, in driving immune and organismal aging. Leveraging a well-established colony of aged granzyme K knockout mice, a multidisciplinary network of collaborators, and extensive expertise in studying immune and organismal function both in vitro and in vivo, this research aims to uncover whether this 'hallmark of aging' actively contributes to the biological aging process. The anticipated outcomes include a deeper understanding of: (i) the mechanisms underlying aging, (ii) the connection between immune aging and organismal decline, and (iii) potential therapeutic avenues to reprogram or rejuvenate the biological decline that occurs with age.
Amount: $983,479
Lead researcher: Professor Trevor Lithgow - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: This project aims to investigate a peculiar class of what had long seemed rare microbes called telomere phages. We have discovered that they in fact mediate control over populations of bacteria and this project will investigate how they do so. The project expects to generate new knowledge on how proteins encoded by the telomere phage are secreted from its host bacterium, and how the proteins then enter and kill neighbouring bacteria. Expected outcomes from this project include knowledge gain as well as methods and technology development. This project should provide significant benefits in research training excellence as well as the potential means to decontaminate environments of specific bacteria.
Amount: $901,450
Lead researcher: Professor Trevor Lithgow - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: This project aims to investigate the fine-tuning mechanisms that modulate control over which molecules are displayed on the outermost surface of bacterial cells. The project expects to generate new knowledge on how the environment stimulates production of the bacterial surface features, and how rapidly bacteria can respond to the environment by remodelling their surface features. Expected outcomes from this project include knowledge gain as well as methods and technology development. This project should provide significant benefits in research training excellence as well as the means to better predict the behaviours of bacteria and better use bacteria in biotechnological applications.
Amount: $1,106,912
Lead researcher: Professor Elizabeth Manias - School of Nursing and Midwifery
Project summary: This project aims to investigate how engagement occurs in communication about medicines between older people living at home, family members and care providers. By developing and testing creative strategies, this project expects to generate new knowledge about interpersonal communication within a dynamic context of sociocultural, environmental and interpersonal challenges and opportunities. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced capacity to enable participation in bridging communication gaps. This should provide significant benefits, in terms of increased understandings about how and under what circumstances, communication and decision making about medicines occur with older people and families in diverse contextual situations.
Amount: $538,229
Lead researcher: Dr Stuart McDonald - School of Translational Medicine
Project summary: This project aims to define biomechanical thresholds for brain injury, overcoming limitations of prior efforts reliant on peak acceleration metrics and controlled lab tests that fail to capture the complexity of brain tissue mechanics. By integrating head kinematic data from instrumented mouthguards, MRI-based finite element modelling of brain strain, and brain injury-specific blood biomarkers, this project seeks to link mechanical strain with biological responses. Expected outcomes include identifying strain thresholds derived from wearable sensor data, facilitating timely detection of high-risk impacts. This approach promises significant benefits, enhancing injury detection and informing helmet design for sports, military, and transport.
Amount: $799,866
Lead researcher: Professor Jose Polo - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: This research aims to deepen our understanding of early human development by focusing on the hypoblast, a vital cell type that contributes to the formation of the yolk sac, a structure essential for early embryonic growth and development. Using innovative laboratory-grown embryo models and advanced molecular techniques, this study will explore how hypoblast cells form, maintain their identity, and interact with other embryonic cell types. By addressing fundamental questions about the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying early human development, this research will contribute to advancing the global understanding of developmental biology and reinforce Australia's leadership in cutting-edge scientific discovery.
Amount: $841,353
Lead researcher: Professor Adeel Razi - School of Psychological Sciences/Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health
Project summary: This project aims to understand how brain structure relates to brain function in order to process information. This project will generate new knowledge in brain sciences by using state of the art computational modelling and neuroimaging methods like functional and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. Expected outcomes of this project will provide novel technologies to study the communication between brain regions with wide ranging implications for how brain processes information, development of brain inspired artificial intelligence systems, and brain machine interfaces. The benefits of this project will be richer understanding of human brain functions, breakthrough new neuro-technologies and training of the next-generation of researchers.
Amount: $699,994
Lead researcher: Professor Marcello Rosa - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: This project is focused on understanding the process of natural (not disease-associated) ageing of the nervous system. We know that even healthy brains change with age but still lack comprehensive knowledge of what exactly these changes are, particularly at the level of single cells and the neural circuits they form. The project will capitalize on new technologies developed in our laboratories to create the first comprehensive map of the ageing primate brain, at resolution sufficient to allow detection of changes associated with specific cell types and functional areas. The combined structural and functional data will provide unique insight on the process of ageing of the nervous system.
Amount: $1,697,115
Lead researcher: Professor Jamie Rossjohn - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: This project aims to investigate the role of lipid antigen presentation in T cell mediated immunity, an area of research for which there is a very limited understanding. Using X-ray crystallography, biophysical measurements and cellular immunology, the project will provide structural data on how the lipid antigen-presenting molecule, CD1a, can bind an array of lipid classes, and how these CD1a-lipid complexes are subsequently recognised by the responding T cell repertoire. This project will generate new knowledge in the burgeoning field of lipid-mediated T cell immunity. This basic discovery project will lay the foundations for new therapies targeting the CD1a lipid display molecule.
Amount: $1,065,592
Lead researcher: Dr Romana Stark - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: This project investigates how the sense of smell influences food-seeking behaviour and physiologic responses. While it is well known that smells like freshly baked bread can increase the "desire for eating", how the brain uses smell to control appetite, food preferences and even influences physiology is not fully understood. This research will explore how smell interacts with brain circuits that regulate hunger and fullness, aiming to uncover new insights into the links between the olfactory sense, feeding behaviour, and physiology. The findings could lead to new strategies for managing animal welfare, reproduction, pest control, human conditions related to unhealthy eating habits, improving health and quality of life of various species.
Amount: $1,279,687
Lead researcher: Professor Carl Walkley - Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Project summary: Cellular RNAs traverse the cytoplasm during their lifecycle and must be distinguishable from pathogenic RNA (e.g. virus) by the innate immune sensing system. A-to-I RNA editing of cellular RNA by ADAR1 is a critical mechanism in establishing and maintaining self-tolerance to cellular double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). However, despite a detailed understanding of the pathway mediating sensing and response to unedited cellular dsRNA, we lack definitive experimental evidence of the identity of the immunogenic dsRNA. This project directly addresses this by bringing together world-leading fundamental knowledge and tools to define and experimentally validate the identity, features and characteristics of immunogenic cellular dsRNA.
Amount: $924,094
Lead researcher: Professor James Whisstock - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: Immune cells form synapses to kill malignant and pathogen-infected cells. The formation of the immunological synapse is underpinned by a complex array of biological macromolecules that collectively influence immune and target cell destiny. To understand the organisation of molecules within the immune synapse, we need to directly visualise the immune synapse in situ and in sufficient detail to identify the major protein components. To achieve this, we will use cryogenic electron tomography and proteomics to identify and understand the spatial arrangement of key molecules present in the synapse. The work will provide new and long-sought-after insights into an immunity-related process that is required for life.
Amount: $1,032,986
Lead researcher: Professor Stephen Williams - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Project summary: The neocortex is the most evolved part of the mammalian brain, exhibiting massive expansion of neuronal number in non-human primates (NHPs) and humans. Are the enhanced cognitive abilities of humans and NHPs formed by a complexification of neocortical neuronal networks, which operate with evolutionary conserved principles? We aim to address this fundamental question by investigating the functional properties of molecularly and anatomically defined neocortical neurons—the computational elements of the neocortex—using high-resolution electrophysiological and optical techniques in acute ex vivo preparations of the living human, NHP, and rodent neocortex. The results will herald a new computational understanding of the evolution of the neocortex.
Amount: $1,161,200
Lead researcher: Dr Kelly Wyres - School of Translational Medicine
Project summary: This project aims to use systems biology approaches to define the metabolic and competitive diversity of Klebsiella oxytoca, a bacterium relevant to the veterinary, medical and biotech industries, and a coloniser of the mammalian gut where it can inhibit key pathogens. Expected outcomes include; 1) the first systematic evaluation of the impact of metabolic diversity on inter-species competition, which should change the way researchers study and understand bacterial communities; 2) knowledge and resources that should vastly improve our understanding of K. oxytoca to optimise industrial processes and prevent disease. It will also contribute to training Australia’s future biology data analysts, who are key to a thriving new age economy.
Amount: $802,297
Lead researcher: Associate Professor Jennifer Zenker - Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute
Project summary: This project will use real-time live imaging techniques to study how pluripotent cells localise RNAs in single cells of living embryos to maintain their capacity to produce any type of specialised cell of the body. This work is anticipated to reveal definitive RNAs and proteins that drive pluripotency, and lead a paradigm shift in our approach to studying pluripotency and embryogenesis using less invasive molecular and cellular techniques. The benefits of this research include new knowledge on animal reproductive traits leveraged to optimise the breeding of endangered species and livestock, as well as findings that will support work on Australia’s declining fertility rates and on pluripotency in adult tissue regeneration as Australians age.
Amount: $860,456
View the full list of 2026 Discovery Projects.
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
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