Dr Connie Wong
Inflammation Monash University It has been recognised for many years that stroke patients are prone to infections, but very little is known about where these infections come from. Traditionally, infections were assumed to come about because of the patient’s immobility and the hospital environment they are in. Research from Dr Wong’s laboratory has shown that…
Read More »Dr Eric Chow
Public Health Monash University Gonorrhoea is a common sexually transmitted infection in Australia. Many people do not realise that saliva can carry gonorrhoea, and that you can contract it through kissing and oral sex. However, almost no one uses condoms or other protective barriers during oral sex (or when kissing) increasing the spread of the…
Read More »Associate Professor Alan Duffy
Astrophysics Swinburne University Associate Professor Duffy uses supercomputers as a virtual laboratory, creating baby universes, watching as galaxies like our own Milky Way form from basic ingredients like atoms, using simple ‘recipes’ (or laws) like gravity. From these simulations though it’s clear we need something extra, a special ingredient to hold the galaxies together. This…
Read More »Dr Jess Frith
Tissue-engineering Monash University Dr Frith’s research aims to understand how biomaterial signals are sensed by cells and how this tells them what tissue to form. To engineer a tissue, stem cells must be combined with a biomaterial which act as ‘bricks and mortar’ to form the tissue. Stem cells can turn into multiple tissue types,…
Read More »Dr Enrico Della Gaspera
Nanomaterials and nanotechnology RMIT University We live in a society where electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, solar panels, LED screens) are deeply integrated within our lives. These devices rely on either expensive materials or costly fabrication processes, and sometimes both, which are the main bottlenecks for the widespread adoption of these devices. Dr Della Gaspera’s research…
Read More »Dr Catherine Granger
Physiotherapy University of Melbourne Physical activity is important for health of all people across the lifespan including children, adults and the elderly. It is also extremely important for people with cancer. Dr Granger’s research mainly focuses on people with lung cancer who experience terrible symptoms including pain, fatigue, and breathlessness, which makes it hard for…
Read More »Dr Dominic Hare
Neurochemistry Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health Parkinson’s disease is a complex illness that involves many proteins, genes and enzymes. Dr Hare has applied new ways of imaging brain chemistry to develop a new theory as to why specific brain cells die in Parkinson’s disease. He has found that cells which die off in…
Read More »Associate Professor Luke Henderson
Organic Chemistry Deakin University Sometimes, treating cancer is as painful and crippling as the cancer itself because cancer treatments don’t differentiate between cancer cells and healthy cells. Associate Professor Henderson’s research focuses on using the destructive nature of cancer cells against themselves. Cancer cells divide very quickly they are unable to manage simple processes like…
Read More »Dr David Scott
Musculoskeletal ageing Monash University “Sarcopenia” is the term used to describe the loss of muscle mass and strength that occurs as we age, which can weaken our bones and increase the chance of falls, both of which increase our risk of fractures. Fractures in older adults often result in serious long-term disability. As Australia’s population…
Read More »Dr Sumeet Walia
Nanoelectronics RMIT University Dr Walia’s research aims to directly tackle issues in electronics with have prevented many technological advancements. He has created small electronic chips that can store and recall information in a manner similar to the human brain helping to better understand neurological disorders as well as progress artificial intelligence. He devised technology that…
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