Dr Angela Crean
The University of Sydney Evolutionary Biology Dr Crean’s research deciphers the role the environment plays in influencing which traits are passed on to the next generation. Using marine invertebrates, insects and mammals she is looking to explain how a male’s environment influences the quality of his sperm, and whether this, in turn influences the growth…
Read More »Dr Bridianne O’Dea
Mental Health, suicide prevention Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales Dr O’Dea looks at how we can improve access to mental healthcare through digital technologies like the Internet, mobile phones, and social media. In Australia, one in five people have a mental health issue. However, many people don’t seek help because they feel…
Read More »Dr Emma Barrett
Mental health and substance use treatment University of New South Wales Over 7 million Australians are exposed to trauma before 18yrs of age. These young Australians are 4 times more likely to develop debilitating mental health and substance use disorders, creating a critical need to intervene early to prevent long-lasting psychological and physical health problems. …
Read More »Dr Emma Beckett
Nutrition (Gene-nutrient interactions) University of Newcastle Dr Beckett studies gene-nutrient-environment interactions, investigating how what we eat changes the way our genes are switched on and off, and how the genes we have change what we eat, and how we respond to food. She also considers these interactions in the context of our environments; for example,…
Read More »Dr Ivan Kassal
Chemistry University of Sydney Current methods for collecting the vast amounts of energy from the sun are expensive and inefficient. Plants, on the other hand, have had billions of years to perfect cheap and efficient light harvesting. Dr Kassal is a theorist working at the intersection of chemistry, biophysics, energy science, and materials science whose…
Read More »Dr Jemma Geoghegan
Virus evolution and emergence Macquarie University Most infectious diseases arise in humans because a virus has jumped from an animal host into the human population. These include the devastating West African Ebola virus outbreak. With increased urbanisation and climate change, we can expect this to happen more frequently, but to trigger an epidemic, the disease…
Read More »Dr Louis Wang
Cardiology Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute Heart failure is a serious condition where the pumping ability of the heart is impaired and cannot maintain the body’s metabolic needs. Dr Wang’s clinical research focuses on identifying factors which may assist early detection, as well as risk factors which may precipitate early onset of this disease. Recently…
Read More »Dr Louise Mewton
Mental Health University of New South Wales Dr Mewton’s research has shown that problematic alcohol use usually develops during the critical teenage years. She is looking at why this is happening and focuses on ways in which we can stop problematic alcohol use occurring before it has the chance to have a major impact on…
Read More »Dr Matthew Baker
Biophysics and Bacteriology University of New South Wales Dr Baker focuses on one of the pinnacles of evolution: the bacteria flagellar motor, an electric motor a millionth the size of a grain of sand can build itself, rotate five times faster than a Formula1 engine. His project uses pioneering methods in synthetic biology to template…
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