Dr Andrew Chin
Ecology of marine predators James Cook University Despite popular belief, sharks are actually important animals that keep our marine ecosystems healthy by balancing out prey species. Also, as tourist attractions, they generate income for communities and tourism companies across the Pacific and the Great Barrier Reef. Sharks are also important in fisheries for food and…
Read More »Dr Bridie Scott-Parker
Adolescent Risk, Traffic and Transport Psychology University of the Sunshine Coast Far too many young drivers and their passengers are killed in car crashes. Much of the research in to this area has been haphazard, and is plagued by methodological difficulties, contributing to ineffective intervention in young driver road safety. Dr Scott-Parker’s research uses a…
Read More »Dr Cheryl McCarthy
Mechatronic engineering applied to agriculture University of Southern Queensland Dr McCarthy’s leads research projects that are focussed on developing new technologies to make Australian agriculture more sustainable, in particular for crop protection issues and biosecurity. Her research involves developing new robotic tools and technologies for agriculture, so that farmers can better manage their crops and…
Read More »Dr Christopher Brown
Marine ecology and fisheries Griffith University Healthy ocean ecosystems are critical to support fisheries, which provide incomes, jobs and food to millions of people worldwide. Yet ocean ecosystems are increasingly threatened by human impacts like over-fishing, pollution and climate change. Dr Brown uses mathematical models and statistical analyses to measure the benefits of better management…
Read More »Dr Dani Barrington
Humanitarian Engineering Monash University / International WaterCentre Dr Barrington is a Humanitarian Engineer who specialises in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) research, particularly investigating how appropriate technologies, community-led programs and public policy can improve health and well-being outcomes by increasing sustainable access to and use of adequate water resources, sanitation and hygiene facilities and services….
Read More »Dr Jack Clegg
Metallo-supramolecular Chemistry The University of Queensland Dr Clegg’s work is developing new materials that will assist with the separation and purification of complex mixtures, one of the most enduring and costly challenges in the chemical sciences. Through molecular engineering, his team are developing new substances that will function like sieves. By controlling the size, shape…
Read More »Dr Kate Hutson
Marine Parasitology James Cook University Parasitism is the most popular lifestyle on Earth, even fish get parasites on their scales, fins and gills. Parasites sucking, feeding and crawling on or in fish can make fish sick or even kill them. Parasites can be particularly problematic in fish farms, because the fish are confined and may…
Read More »Dr Matthew Thompson
Cognitive Science The University of Queensland People with genuine expertise can perform quickly and accurately, and with little information. Police fingerprint examiners place two fingerprints on a screen and simply look at them to decide whether they match or not. Medical doctors can accurately detect cancer in a breast scan within 250 milliseconds—literally, in the…
Read More »Dr Paul Pounds
Robotics University of Queensland Drones are becoming an increasingly powerful tool, with tremendous potential to benefit society for everything from agricultural surveying to taking real-estate pictures. This increase use has led to a growing demand for longer endurance, bigger payloads and smoother flight. Dr Pounds’ work focuses on designing better flying robots to meet this…
Read More »A/Professor Michael Milford
Robotics, Neuroscience Queensland University of Technology Associate Professor Milford’s expertise is modelling how the brain helps us navigate; unlocking how we store and access a map of the world in the brain, and how we can make robots do the same thing – but better. He is the primary creator of the RatSLAM model –…
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