Dr Angelica Merlot
Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales
Research Field: Cancer Research
Angelica Merlot’s research is focused on developing new drugs and strategies to combat the deadliest cancers and prevent their growth, spread and adaptation to current drugs.
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with brain and pancreatic cancers two of the deadliest. Brain cancer in particular kills more children than any other disease and has a five-year survival rate of less than 20%. Even worse, pancreatic cancer has a 5-year survival rate of only ~9.8%, with the vast majority of patients succumbing to the disease within the first year of diagnosis. It is therefore of urgent importance to develop better treatment options and strategies for these patients.
Angelica’s research focuses on cancers that are almost always a death sentence, with her work to develop new anti-cancer drugs and to better understanding drug resistance and the tumour microenvironment.
Dr Angelica Merlot was awarded her PhD by the University of Sydney in 2013 and is currently is Scientia Research Fellow at the Children’s Cancer Institute, University of NSW.
Flinders University
Research Field: Psychology
People with delusions jump to conclusions, where they make hasty decisions based on very little information. Delusions can cause significant emotional and social distress. People with delusions disregard information
that does not support their beliefs, which could explain why delusions are resistant to change.
Dr Balzan’s research focuses on the role that cognitive biases play in the development and maintenance of delusions. His research is currently focused on the study of a metacognitive training programme that targets the underlying cognitive biases that foster and maintain delusions.
Ryan has worked with mental health advocacy organisations to promote greater understanding and acceptance of severe mental illnesses, as well as working with carers to provide up-to-date information on treatment of psychosis. Dr Balzan was awarded his PhD from The University of Adelaide in 2012, and is currently a Vice-Chancellor’s Early Career Research Fellow at Flinders University.
Flinders University
Research Field: Environmental Health
Water quality and food safety are important for maintaining public health. Diseases from contaminated food and water can be deadly, especially to people with chronic health conditions, infants, and pregnant women.
Dr Whiley’s main areas of research are water quality and food safety. Her water quality research is focused on the presence of opportunistic pathogens in potable and reuse water, while her food safety research utilises a multifocal approach to tackle emerging food safety issues.
Harriet has communicated her science to the media, including ABC News, The Advertiser, and The Sydney Morning Herald, appeared on Scope, and engaged with industry to translate her research into policy. Dr Whiley received her PhD from Flinders University in 2015, and is currently a Lecturer in Environmental Health at Flinders University.
