2014 South Australian Award Winner

Dr Margarita Tsiros

University of South Australia Childhood Obesity Margarita’s research provides a platform for innovative approaches to explore the impact of obesity on physical functioning, disability and well-being in children, and identify potential targets for interventions to improve day-to-day physical functioning. Her comparisons of obese and healthy-weight children from around Australia show that obese children have lower…

Read More »


Dr Michael Short

University of South Australia Multidisciplinary Environmental Sciences Michael’s research broadly revolves around a central theme of seeking to improve the environmental performance of industrial processes, in particular those of the urban water industry and to develop better environmental policies for more sustainable outcomes. Overall, his research has enabled better environmental management practices in the water…

Read More »


Dr Ramiz Boulos

Flinders University Novel Antibiotics Development In Australia, multi-drug resistant (MDR) infections claim the lives of over 3,000 people annually. The burden from MDR bacteria in the US costs between $17 billion and $26 billion each year. Dr Boulos’ research involves the development of a new class of antibiotics that are effective against MDR bacteria, including…

Read More »


Dr Stephanie Reuter Lange

University of South Australia Pharmacology The ability of a drug to work effectively is dependent on doses being given at the right level to adequately treat the condition whilst avoiding toxic side effects. In infectious diseases, the right dose is critical as overdosing may produce toxicity, whereas under-dosing inadequately kills the bacteria and allows the…

Read More »


Dr Bradley Simpson

Flinders University Indigenous-guided Drug Discovery Bradley conducts collaborative scientific research with Aboriginal people and their communities from the Cape York Peninsula and South Australia to research the health benefits and medicine properties of native plants which are used traditionally. Currently he is studying the plants for their ability to destroy cancer cells while preserving healthy…

Read More »


Dr Cristian Birzer

The University of Adelaide  Fluid Mechanics, Laser Diagnostics and Combustion In the developing world, people are reliant on solid fuels, such as dung and wood, to cook their food. Harmful emissions that come from these primitive cooking systems kill over 4 million people every year, most of these are women and children. Additionally, over 780…

Read More »


Dr Deirdre Zander-Fox

The University of Adelaide Obstetrics and Gynaecology Current rates of infertility in Australia are high with approximately 1 in 6 couples requiring medical intervention to help them have a baby. Pregnancy rates from in vitro fertilisation (IVF) are low (approximately 30%) meaning that a large proportion of couples require multiple treatment cycles to fall pregnant…

Read More »


Dr Hannah Brown

The University of Adelaide Reproductive Epigenetics Hannah’s research focuses on understanding the origins of diabetes and related disorders in very early life, as early as conception. Her studies are aimed at defining the mechanism by which the embryo responds to high glucose which accompanies diabetes during the earliest stages of pregnancy.  She has shown that…

Read More »