Monash researchers share in over $3.2m from ARC Discovery Indigenous grant scheme
Three Monash researchers have been announced as the successful recipients of over $3.2 million in total through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Indigenous grants scheme.
Projects in sustainable manufacturing, Indigenous cultural materials and cybersecurity led by Indigenous researchers have been rewarded in this latest funding round, spanning the faculties of Engineering, Art, Design and Architecture, and Information Technology.
Associate Professor Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch, Associate Dean (Indigenous) from the Faculty of Engineering, has been awarded more than $475,000 towards a research project investigating an ultra-low carbon concrete, conducted in partnership with a Victorian Indigenous Land Council.
“This project is about practical impact, working with community to provide feedstocks and show real world outcomes when it comes to low-carbon concrete,” said Associate Professor Kilmartin-Lynch. “It is a step in the right direction for real world applications of how Indigenous systems thinking can reimagine how we tackle current global problems."
Director of the Wominjeka Djeembana Indigenous Research Lab, Professor Brian Martin, has been awarded more than $1.1 million for his research project, which will develop frameworks for the return of Indigenous Cultural Materials, emphasising Indigenous understandings of relationality and practice-led research.
And Professor Christopher Lawrence, Associate Dean (Indigenous) of the Faculty of Information Technology, has been awarded more than $1.6 million for his research project, centred around cybersecurity for Indigenous communities.
“Cybersecurity too often privileges technical solutions over human factors. When people are considered, they are frequently treated as a homogeneous group, obscuring differences in risk, capacity and cultural differences,” said Professor Lawrence. “This one-size-fits-all lens marginalises vulnerable populations and leads to missed or poorly tailored protections, and what is needed are diverse, targeted interventions that reflect the realities of distinct user communities.
“Our project aims to investigate the impact of digital transformation, cyber risks and challenges for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations, and will co-design an evidence-based grassroots cyber capacity model and tool-kits for those communities and organisations.
“This work will empower Indigenous communities through the reduction of harm from financial, psychological and social perspectives, and build evidence for future national strategies in cyber resilience and data sovereignty, directly contributing to and informing the safeguarding of digital security nationwide.”
The scheme aims to support research programs led by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander researchers, in addition to building research capacity of higher degree students and early career researchers from the same backgrounds.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) and Senior Vice President, Professor Tristan Kennedy, congratulated the successful recipients. “This funding will support our outstanding researchers to advance their important work – ensuring Australian Indigenous research perspectives are embedded in projects that benefit not only the community, but enrich global knowledge."
“Congratulations to Professor Kilmartin-Lynch, Professor Martin and Professor Lawrence on what is a fantastic outcome for Indigenous research at Monash.”