Dr Ailie Gallant
Monash University Research Field: Climatology The extremes of weather and climate are where society faces the nasty side of nature. Although there is evidence that human-induced climate change is already affecting some extremes like heatwaves but for other types such as drought, the connection is far less clear. Dr. Gallant’s research aims to better understand…
Read More »Dr Elisha Riggs
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Research field: Public Health Dr. Riggs’ program for refugee and migrant health research has grown to span multiple health sectors including dental, maternal and child health and maternity services [[as well as the education and settlement settings.]] Her work focuses on refugees who have been forced to leave their homes to…
Read More »Dr Misty Jenkins
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Research Field: Immunology Dr. Jenkins’ work focuses on the area of cytotoxic T lymphocyte biology and she has made a number of critical discoveries on how the immune system controls cancer and rids us of malignant cells. She uses highly innovative live cell imaging and confocal microscopy to define how the…
Read More »Dr Pascal Molenberghs
Monash University Research Field: Psychology Our brain as the most complex of human organs, is involved in everything we think, feel and do. But as usual, it is only when things go wrong – for example, as a result of a brain injury – that we appreciate the magic of our brain and what it…
Read More »Dr Qiaoliang Bao
Monash University Research Field: Optical Nano-Materials Dr. Bao is developing ultra-thin materials and semi-transparent devices that will have the ability to harvest solar power, detect and tune light, and display pictures. Imagine having a huge smart window at home that you can control by remote to let in various amounts of light or view the…
Read More »Dr Suresh Mathivanan
La Trobe University Research Field: Cancer Biology As part of Dr. Mathivanan’s research he is developing medical kits where small amounts of blood samples from individuals can be used to test whether a person has cancer, particularly colorectal cancer. It is the second most common cancer in Australia after lung cancer and the chances of…
Read More »Dr Tamsyn Van Rheenen
University of Melbourne Research Field: Clinical Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Dr. Van Rheenen’s research is focused on understanding the characteristics of bipolar disorder. She looks at the everyday social activities people engage in and how they respond when confronted with an emotionally evocative situation. This relates to the ability to rapidly use attention and memory to…
Read More »Dr Tracy Heng
Monash University Research Field: Immunology The immune system is crucial for protecting us from infections, but in older people, the immune system’s ability to fight off infection weakens with age. This weakening occurs as a result of T cells – infection fighting white blood cells – undergoing changes that make them less able to recognise…
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