Dr Peter Macreadie
Dr Peter Macreadie University of Technology, Sydney Marine Ecology Australian seagrass ecosystems are among the most powerful carbon (C) sinks in the world, which means that they can capture and store C from the atmosphere in the seabed at a rate 35x faster than tropical rainforests. However, seagrass beds are declining at an alarming rate,…
Read More »Dr Sarah Perkins
Dr Sarah Perkins University Of NSW Climate Extremes Despite their adverse impacts, definitions and measurements of heatwaves are ambiguous and inconsistent. Dr Perkins’ research has addressed this issue by developing a framework that incorporates three heatwave definitions, measuring intensity, frequency and duration that can be consistently measured across many types of climatological data. This framework…
Read More »Dr Vanessa Peterson
Dr Vanessa Peterson Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation – ANSTO Physical and Materials Chemistry Dr Peterson’s research centres on how materials work at the atomic scale and uses this information to improve important technologies and discover new materials. She utilizes a specialist analysis tool “neutron scattering” to reveal the motions and arrangements of atoms…
Read More »Dr Alexander Argyros
Dr Alexander Argyros University of Sydney Photonics Dr Argyros’ research is focused on understanding how light interacts with microscopic structures in materials. The main platform of his research has been in optical fibres with micron-sized holes running the length of the fibre to make them more transparent, to allow faster connections, or for medical applications,…
Read More »Dr Belinda Liddell
Dr Belinda Liddell University of NSW Neurobiological mechanisms of traumatic stress The plight of refugees affects over 25 million people globally but we know little about how these experiences impact on the mental health of those affected. Dr Liddell is using brain imaging techniques to understand the impact of traumas such as torture in refugees…
Read More »Dr Dennis Stello
Dr Dennis Stello (OTY) University of Sydney Astrophysics: asteroseismology Dr Stello studies the sounds of stars, a new field capable of probing the intricate inner workings of stars. The Sun and most other stars experience a continuous rumble from massive internal quakes, making them ring like big vibrating bells in the sky. Each star `plays’…
Read More »Dr Jessica Grisham
Dr Jessica Grisham University of NSW Psychology Dr Grisham’s research aims to better understand what causes obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as the cognitive (thought) and emotional factors that maintain it. She has identified risk factors for OCD in a large community sample (followed from birth to age 40). Her research centres on hoarding behaviours…
Read More »Dr Julian Berengut
Dr Julian Berengut University of NSW Theoretical Physics Dr Berengut’s research centres on the ‘Goldilocks’ riddle: Why is the Universe ‘just right’ for life to exist? He seeks to test whether the laws of physics are fixed everywhere in the Universe, or whether they change over space or time. One way of testing this is…
Read More »Dr Neeraj Sharma
Dr Neeraj Sharma University of NSW Solid State and Materials Chemistry We currently use vast amounts of resources to power our lives; from electricity and batteries to petrol. Dr Sharma’s research aims at creating new materials that can increase the amount of energy that we can extract from resources, whether renewable like solar, or non-renewable…
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