Dr Lee Hickey
Genetics and plant breeding University of Queensland We need more productive crops to feed a rapidly growing human population, and in the face of a changing climate and rapidly evolving pests and diseases. But traditional plant breeding is slow: it can take up to 20 years to develop an improved variety! Dr Hickey has developed…
Read More »Dr Mostafa Rahimi Azghadi
Electrical and Electronic Engineering James Cook University How does the brain, which consumes less power than a light bulb and occupies the volume of a grapefruit, enable humans to perform challenging tasks such as driving, while it takes a supercomputer to carry out the same task, not nearly as accurately or efficiently? To reach brain-like…
Read More »Dr Sandip Kamath
Allergy and Clinical Immunology James Cook University Food allergy affects 1 in every 10 kids in Australia. Allergies to peanuts, shellfish and fish are not outgrown by children and continues into adulthood often causing severe allergic reactions. Currently there are no vaccines or treatments available for allergies, and avoidance of the offending food is the…
Read More »Dr Alison Calear
Centre for Mental Health Research, ANU Research Field: Mental Health Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems in adolescents and can severely affect a young person’s life. Preventing it is critical to reducing mental health problems in the community and to ensuring that young people reach their full potential. Dr Calear’s current project, the…
Read More »Dr Alienor Chauvenet
Conservation Science University of Queensland Biodiversity is disappearing at an alarming rate worldwide and with it the benefits humans derive from protecting animal and plant species, including clean water, flood and cyclone protection and tourism revenue. Dr Chauvenet’s research focuses on finding the most cost-efficient, solutions to biodiversity conservation problems by developing statistical and computer…
Read More »Dr Anjali Jaiprakash
Robotics Queensland University of Technology Dr Jaiprakash works at the intersection of medicine, engineering and design, helping people to see and walk by designing devices that translate robotics and vision technologies into affordable systems that can be used to improve healthcare outcomes. Firstly, the development of a vision-based robotic leg-manipulation system to be used for…
Read More »Dr Christopher Doropoulos
Marine and Estuarine Ecology, Ecological impacts of climate changes CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Dr Doropoulos focuses on how ecological interactions, including competition and predation, are altered by climate change, and how such changes can alter the ability of tropical corals and algae to recolonize reefs. He conducts experiments in the laboratory and also on the…
Read More »Dr Emily Callander
Health Economics James Cook University Dr Callander’s research uses microsimulation techniques to look at the current distribution of healthcare and ensure there is a good match between the needs of patients and the care that is delivered in the future. She uses economic models to determine whether proposed new medical treatments benefit poorer people, equally…
Read More »Dr Ian McLeod
Coastal restoration, specialising in shellfish restoration James Cook University Vast shellfish reefs were once common in Australia. These reefs were made up of oysters and mussels growing on top of one another until they reached meters above the sea floor. Harvesting these reefs for food and to burn their shells for lime production was once…
Read More »Dr Indira Prasadam
Musculoskeletal Research Queensland University of Technology Osteoarthritis (OA) impacts 1 in 4 Australians, and there are currently no treatments to stop the disease, and its prevalence will continue to rise in the coming decades. Joint replacement surgeries are highly invasive, expensive and not a permanent solution. Dr Prasadam’s research work will accelerate delivery of an…
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