[Aqualist] ARC Future Fellowships 2020 announced

[Simon Haberle]

Dear Colleagues,

The ARC have just announced this years Future Fellowship recipients. Below is the list of FF recipients in disciplines related to the Quaternary Sciences (including archaeology).
see https://www.arc.gov.au/grants/grant-outcomes/selection-outcome-reports/selection-report-future-fellowships-2020

Congratulations to Kathy Allen (UTas), Martina Demuro (UAdel), Jen Aitchison (UoW), Mark Moore (UNE), Pat Faulkner (USydney), Alison Crowther (UQ) and Tanya Smith (GriffUni).

Regards, Simon


University of Tasmania

Dr Kathryn Allen (FT200100102)
Using past climate extremes to guide infrastructure planning for the future.
This project aims to analyse a 2000-year palaeoclimate record of single event and complex climate extremes to provide a long-term context for observed changes in climate extremes over recent decades. This project expects to generate new knowledge about long-term variability in the frequency and magnitude of climate extremes that occur on seasonal - decades time-scales. It also expects to provide information about complex extremes that involve multiple types of impacts (e.g. drought followed by flood, simultaneous drought and fire). Expected benefits of the project include improved understanding of climate extremes and improved risk estimates for the impacts of climate extremes on Australian government and industry infrastructure. ($794k)


The University of Adelaide

Dr Martina Demuro (FT200100816)
Shedding light on Neanderthal histories using luminescence chronologies.
This project aims to develop unprecedented reconstructions of Neanderthal evolution, cultural and extinction histories at previously undatable or understudied European archaeology sites using a versatile luminescence dating toolkit. It will integrate multiple dating methods, palaeoclimate proxies and palaeoecological data to provide comprehensive knowledge of the timing, context and nature of Neanderthal evolution. Expected outcomes include unravelling past human responses to climate change, elucidating regional occupation patterns, emergence of complex behaviours, and causes of Neanderthal demise; with benefits for refining our own species deep-time evolutionary trajectory and global expansion across different regions, including Australia. ($866k)


University of Wollongong

Dr Jennifer Atchison (FT200100006)
Transforming invasive plant management in northern Australia.
This project aims to investigate how rapid socio-ecological transformation in northern Australia is reconfiguring invasive plant management, and evaluate the social and cultural factors and development context that contributes to its effectiveness. Through innovative qualitative research, the project will generate new knowledge of plant introductions, the emerging assemblages of people and practices that are facilitating or disrupting change, and the consequences for Indigenous people dealing with land-use change. Expected outcomes include enhancing Australia's environmental management capacity by identifying opportunities for more effective invasive plant management, and more equitable and sustainable sharing of the benefits it brings. ($934k)


The University of New England

A/Prof Mark Moore (FT200100372)
The origin of cumulative culture in human evolution.
Humans accumulate knowledge and use cumulative culture to transfer it across generations, and identifying the origin of this unique ability is a significant research priority for the study of archaeology and human evolution. This project aims to discover the emergence of cumulative culture by using experiments to evaluate stone tool-making, a technology passed between humans for 3.3 million years. Expected outcomes include international collaborations that improve our evolutionary understanding of teaching and learning, and produce new data on early stone artefacts in Indonesia and Australia. This should provide significant benefits for collaborative research and scholarly insight into human evolution and Indigenous knowledge in our region.           ($998k)


The University of Sydney

Dr Patrick Faulkner (FT200100464)
Understanding long-term human-environmental interactions in South Asia.
How did humans adapt to environmental change in the past? This project aims to address this question by examining the evidence provided by archaeological shell assemblages, a frequently overlooked residue of human habitation patterns. Deploying a range of high-resolution ecological and chemical techniques, this project aims to investigate changes in human behaviour, diet and landscape in one region through time and space. The expected outcomes of this project will enhance our understanding of early human movement through South Asia into Australasia and generate new knowledge regarding the course of human adaptation to environmental change. ($956k)


The University of Queensland

Dr Alison Crowther (FT200100179)
Indian Ocean globalisation and the westward Austronesian expansion.
This project aims to apply a multi-analytical archaeological science approach to investigate how cross-cultural interaction transformed peoples, societies and environments in the Indian Ocean. It plans to trace the movement of people, plants, animals, goods and practices to Madagascar and the Comoros over 1000 years ago in order to critically assess evidence for early long-distance contacts between Southeast Asia and Africa. The project seeks to enhance Australia’s capacity for archaeological science and deliver significant social and cultural benefits by shedding light on the history of the diverse but interconnected Indo-Pacific world in which Australia now occupies a central geopolitical position. ($841k)


Griffith University

Prof Tanya Smith (FT200100390)
Illuminating behavioural and environmental influences on human development.
This project aims to investigate prehistoric human population growth by documenting nursing behaviour, developmental stress, and fine-scaled climate variation directly from the teeth of ancient children. Knowledge of the nexus of early childhood growth and ecological variation will shed light on modern human health and fertility, which in turn impact planetary health. Outcomes will provide further insight into humanity’s unprecedented evolutionary success while augmenting multidisciplinary collaborative networks. This will further strengthen Australia’s pioneering role in the development of innovative technologies, and build key workforce capabilities of benefit for diverse fields such as public health and environmental science. ($1,076k)



Prof Simon Haberle
Director, School of Culture, History & Language
Professor of Natural History and ANU-node Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage

ANU College of Asia & the Pacific
Baldessin Precinct Building
CHL Administration Office
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 2600
+61 2 6125 5125 (ph)  0424453861 (mob)