Four Macquarie University researchers will lead projects backed by a combined $4,558,276 in ARC funding, developing new approaches to some of the major technological and economic challenges facing Australia.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius said the projects demonstrated the breadth of Macquarie’s research expertise and its focus on delivering practical benefits for Australia.
“These projects highlight the strength and diversity of Macquarie University’s research, from advancing the next generation of artificial intelligence and robotics to improving our understanding of financial markets and economic resilience,” Professor Pretorius said.
“By tackling complex challenges in areas such as automation, housing affordability, investment decision-making and sustainable AI, our researchers are generating knowledge and technologies that can deliver significant benefits for Australia’s economy, industries and communities.”
Successful Macquarie University projects
Towards Generalisable, Self-Improving Vision-Language-Action Robot Agents
Investigator: Dr Yuankai Qi, Faculty of Science and Engineering
Funding awarded: $904,603
Summary: This project will develop advanced AI systems that allow robots to learn by watching videos, imagining possible actions and improving through experience. By enabling robots to adapt beyond the situations they were originally trained for, the research aims to create safer, more versatile and efficient robotic systems for applications including healthcare, manufacturing and everyday life.
Risk into Resilience: Mitigating Housing Bubbles and Navigating Turbulence
Investigator: Professor Shuping Shi, Macquarie Business School
Funding awarded: $1,317,633
Summary: This project will develop new methods to better identify and respond to speculative housing bubbles and financial market turbulence. It will provide regulators with tools to assess the effectiveness of policies designed to curb housing bubbles, while developing high-frequency techniques to detect changes in market direction and support investors and superannuation funds in managing financial risk.
Scaling Intelligence: Ultra-Efficient Adaptation for the Next-Gen AI Models
Investigator: Dr Yipeng Zhou, Faculty of Science and Engineering
Funding awarded: $1,168,361
Summary: This project will develop more efficient ways to adapt large AI models for specialised applications such as healthcare, where models may need to learn from sensitive data distributed across multiple systems. The research aims to dramatically reduce the computing and communication resources required while maintaining accuracy and reliability, making advanced AI cheaper, more sustainable and easier to deploy securely.
Asset Pricing under Complex Historical Dependence: A New Framework
Investigator: Dr Kai Li, Macquarie Business School
Funding awarded: $1,167,679
Summary: This project will develop a new framework for understanding how the historical paths of economic variables influence financial markets, investor decisions and future asset prices. The research is expected to deliver more accurate investment and risk-management tools, with potential applications across Australia’s $4 trillion superannuation sector, financial regulation, policymaking and business investment.
Total funding awarded across these projects: $4,558,276