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I am a medicinal chemist and postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Queensland, Australia, where I obtained my BSc (Hons) with a major in organic chemistry in 2011. Following this, I worked at the Institute for Future Environments and later the Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities at QUT, where I gained experience in analytical chemistry, as well as molecular biology and genetics. In 2015, I returned to UQ to begin my PhD in the design and synthesis of novel antifungals targeting invasive infection under the supervision of Prof. Craig Williams and Prof. Luke Guddat, which I completed in 2019. My combined experience in synthetic chemistry - particularly in the synthesis of heterocyclic small molecules - and molecular biology has since led to my current position at UQ under the supervision of Prof. Avril Robertson, where my focus is once again on the design and synthesis of novel antifungals. Broadly, my research interests lie in the pursuit of drug design and development campaigns addressing difficult or under-researched clinical concerns, and in particular, the use of novel bioisosteric approaches to improve drugability and drug efficacy.

More recently, I have developed an interest in Australian mushroom species. Very little recorded knowledge on our endemic mushrooms species exists. My research in this space seeks to characterise the genetic and molecular features of Australian wood rot mushrooms, which are critical players in maintaining and restoring the health of our unique forests ecosystems. With this information we aim to better understand our fungal biodiversity and the ecological roles they play, and to explore their potential uses in several industries. We are also investigating the biological activity of extracts and molecules derived from these mushrooms against models of human diseases, such as Alzheimer's, cancer, and drug-resistant microbial infections.

Senior Research Fellow

Room 7048, Level 7, Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence Phone:+61 7 334-61898; Fax: +61 7 334-61999 Email: a.hewavitharana@pharmacy.uq.edu.au

Amitha obtained her B.Sc. from the University of Colombo (Sri Lanka), M.Sc. from the university of Victoria (B.C., Canada) and PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Alberta (Canada). Following that, she held brief research positions at the Massey University (New Zealand) and NZ Leather Research Institute. She then held a research scientist position at the NZ Dairy Research Institute (NZDRI, currently Fonterra Research) for 4 years before moving to Australia in 1997.

In Australia, she commenced her career as a lecturer in analytical chemistry at the University of Western Sydney, and then at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) until 2001. Following that, she held research positions in CSIRO (food science) and in QHSS (investigative chemistry) before joining the school of pharmacy in 2004.

Longbin Huang is a full professor and a Program leader in The University of Queensland, leading a research program of "Ecological Engineering in Mining". Driven by the passion to translate leading knowledge into industry solutions, Longbin has pioneered transformative concepts and approach to tackle rehabilitation of mine wastes (e.g., tailings, acidic and metalliferous waste rocks). Recent success includes the "ecological engineering of Fe-ore tailings and bauxite residue" into soil, for overcoming the topsoil deficit challenge facing the mining industry. Scaled up field trials have been going on to deliver the much-needed technology into field operations.

The program consists of a group of researchers with leading knowledge and research skills on: soil/geo-microbial ecology, environmental mineralogy, bioweathering of minerals, native plant rhizosphere (micro)biology, soil-plant relations, and environmental materials (such as biochar and environmental geopolymers). It aims to deliver transformative knowledge and practices (i.e., technologies/methdologies) in the rehabilitation of mine wastes (e.g., tailings, mineral residues, spoils, waste rocks) and mined landscapes for non-polluting and ecologically and financially sustainable outcomes.

In partnership with leading mining companies, Longbin and his team have been focusing on developing game-changing knowledge and technologies of tailings valorisation for achieving non-polluting and ecologically sustainable rehabilitation of, for example, coal mine spoils and tailings, Fe-ore tailings, bauxite residues (or red mud), and Cu/Pb-Zn tailings. Leading the global progress in bauxite rehabilitation, Longbin and his team are currently taking on field-scale research projects on bauxite residue rehabilitation technologies at alumina refineries in Queensland (QAL- and Yarwun refineries) and Northern Territory (Gove refinery).

Longbin's industry-partnered research was recognised in 2019 UQ’s Partners in Research Excellence Award (Resilient Environments) (Rio Tinto and QAL).

Membership of Board, Committee and Society

Professional associations and societies

2010 – Present Australian Soil Science Society.

2016 – Present Soil Science Society of America

2015 – Present American Society of Mining and Reclamation (ASMR)

Editorial boards/services

2018 - present: Member of Editorial Board, BIOCHAR

2013 – present: coordinating editor, Environmental Geochemistry and Health

Awards & Patent

2019 UQ’s Partners in Research Excellence Award (Resilient Environments) (Rio Tinto and QAL)

2017 SMI-Industry Engagement Award, University of Queensland

2015 SMI-Inaugural Bright Research Ideas Forum Award, University of Queensland

2014 SMI-RHD Supervision Award, University of Queensland

2015 Foliar fertilizer US 20150266786. In. (Google Patents). Huang L, Nguyen AV, Rudolph V, Xu G (equal contribution)

Dr Natasha Hungerford is an organic chemist and has extensive experience in natural products chemistry. She is a Senior Research Fellow in the Natural Toxin group within the Centre for Animal Science, Queensland Alliance for Agricultural and Food Innovation (QAAFI) and is based at the Health and Food Sciences Precinct (Cooper's Plains). She joined QAAFI in 2016 and is utilising analytical techniques such as liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify, evaluate and minimise risks associated with natural toxins found in certain plants. This research focuses on minimising risks to Australian livestock production and to the consumer of certain food products.

Work on honey analysing for toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, pesticides, herbicides and PAHs, and mineral and trace elements has been conducted in collaboration with Queensland Health.Work on stingless bee (Meliponini) honey has extended to the analyses of beneficial components in this honey, including novel sugars, leading to projects funded by AgriFutures Australia and Queensland Health, as well as collaborations with Malaysian researchers.

Poisoning of cattle in pastures by Pimelea plant species is a problem in semi-arid regions of Australia and research work funded by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has focussed on minimising the impacts of the Pimelea toxin on Australian cattle production. MLA now fund a collaborative UQ-DAF project that applies novel technologies to progress the industry ambition of a carbon neutral beef industry by 2030.

Dr. Hungerford achieved her PhD in 1998, through the UQ School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research in natural products chemistry and in synthetic organic chemistry, at the University of Oxford, Australian National University, The University of Sydney, Griffith University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Dr Kevin M. Koo is currently a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Fellow and Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) Future Leader Fellow at The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR). Dr Koo was awarded his PhD (Dean’s Award for Outstanding Thesis) from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering & Nanotechnology (AIBN), UQ in 2018. His PhD research was on the molecular analysis of nucleic acid biomarkers in prostate cancer liquid biopsies (with a particular interest in fusion genes), and the development of associated nanotechnology-based biosensors to facilitate precision cancer treatment.

Post-PhD, he begun a productive postdoctoral career with dual industry/academia appointments: as the Head of Assay Development/Lab Director in XING Technologies Pty Ltd (a Brisbane-based biotech start-up) to undertake product development projects for commercialization of disease in vitro diagnostics, and as an Honorary Fellow/Principal Research Scientist at UQCCR to continue his academic research in precision cancer nanodiagnostics. His research skills and experiences are honed through dedicated career time spent in both academic research and regulated industry environments.

Dr Koo's research encompasses multi-disciplinary fields of molecular biomarker and nanobiosensor development, translation, and commercialization for precision disease management applications. Presently, he is working on the design and development of integrated multi-bioanalyte sensing technologies to resolve the various challenges around holistic disease pathway understanding and clinical biomarker profiling.

Dr Koo's research endeavours have been recognized by a Metrohm Australia-New Zealand Young Chemist Award (2018), Springer Thesis Award (2019) and Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Award (2023).

Junxian Lim is an accomplished molecular biologist at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience. With a strong background in cell biology, protein biochemistry, and pharmacology, he has established himself in the field. Collaborating with researchers at universities, institutions, as well as international industry partners like AstraZeneca and Sosei Heptares, he has contributed significantly to advancing scientific knowledge.

Throughout his doctoral studies, Junxian authored seven ground-breaking studies focused on the development of novel bioactive inhibitors targeting immune cells and inflammatory diseases. These contributions have paved the way for innovative approaches to drug development. Utilizing his expertise, he has successfully developed and characterized a diverse range of protein and cellular assays that enable in-depth investigations into immunity and inflammation. His research findings have been published in prestigious scientific journals, including Nature Communications, Cell Reports, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Diabetes, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, and the British Journal of Pharmacology. His work has been highly cited, reflecting its impact and significance within the scientific community.

Recognized for his outstanding mentoring abilities, Junxian has supervised or co-supervised the research of two completed PhD students, six completed MPhil students, and three completed Honours students. The success of his former students is a testament to his dedication and guidance. They continue to excel and actively contribute to research endeavours around the world, spanning countries such as Australia, Singapore, Korea, India, Japan, and China.

Beyond his research and mentoring achievements, Junxian actively participates in the scientific community. He serves on the editorial boards of esteemed journals like Journal of Translational Medicine, Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences and Biology. This involvement allows him to stay at the forefront of scientific advancements and contribute to the dissemination of knowledge within his field.

Professor Mobli is a structural biologist and a group leader at the University of Queensland's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN). He is well known internationally for his contributions to the basic theory of multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance and its applications to resolving the molecular structure of peptides and proteins, as well as studying their physiochemical properties and function. Mehdi's contributions to the field has been recognised by being appointed an Executive Editor of the AMPERE society's journal "Magnetic Resonance", and to the advisory board of the international Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank (BMRB) as well as serving on the board of directors of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Magnetic Resonance (ANZMAG). He is a former ARC Future Fellow and recipient of the ASBMB MERCK medal, the Australia Peptide Society's Tregear Award, the ANZMAG Sir Paul Callaghan medal and the Lorne Proteins Young Investigator Award (now Robin Anders Award).

Prof. Mobli's research group focuses on characterising the structure and function of receptors involved in neuronal signalling, with a particular focus on developing new approaches for the discovery and characterisation of modulators of these receptors through innovations in bioinformatics, biochemistry and and biophysics. This work has led to publication of more than 100 research articles attracting over 6,000 citations.

Jochen’s research focusses on monitoring of trace organic pollutants, including pioneering work on sources, fate, monitoring techniques (including development of passive sampling techniques) and trends in human exposure to trace contaminants. More recently his group has been leading research in the field of wastewater epidemiology.

Jochen joined QAEHS in 1997 and was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship in 2012 to understand changes in chemical exposure through integrative sampling and systematic archiving. As part of his research program at QAEHS he has lead numerous national and international studies, such as Australia's National Dioxin Program, the Brominated Flame Retardant Program and a major study to investigate bush-fire emissions (the results of which are included in the UNEP Toolkit). He works closely with governments (state, federal and international including UNEP) on the development of systematic monitoring strategies, including for protection of the Great Barrier Reef. As part of his Future Fellowship, he has established an extensive sample archive, the Australian Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB), to allow retrospective analysis of changes in pollutant exposure in Australia.

Jochen’s work on passive samplers, bioanalytical techniques for emerging chemicals and wastewater epidemiology has received support from ARC and numerous industry partners.

Doctor Jake O’Brien is Senior Research Fellow and NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS). His main field of interest is in wastewater-based epidemiology, but he also has interest in developing analytical methods for chemicals of emerging concern within biological and environmental samples. Doctor O'Brien is a strong advocate for collaborative research having co-authored with more than 300 collaborators worldwide on over 150 publications. Jake is strongly supportive of early career researcher development and is currently the chair of the EMCR@UQ Committee. He is also a Chief Investigator of the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program since its establishment in 2016.

Cassandra is a Research Fellow at QAEHS, joining the group in 2019. She completed her PhD at the University of Birmingham in 2014 where her research focussed on determining how humans are exposed to flame retardants from their indoor environments. Following her PhD she completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Environment and Climate Change Canada where she was the principal researcher for the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling (GAPS) Network, researching chemicals of concern in the atmosphere. Following her Postdoctoral Fellowship she worked for the Oil Sands Monitoring Program in Canada, assisting with facilitating a multi-stakeholder funding program for assessing environmental impact of Oil Sands operations, before returning to Australia in 2019.

At QAEHS she is the project lead investigating human exposure to microplastics and developing new methods for detecting micro and nanoplastics in human matrices. Her other research interests include the impact of tyre road wear particles and the chemical additives they contain on urban water ways, and developing novel biomonitoring methods for assessing human exposure to chemicals of concern (e.g. silicone wristbands and breast implants).

Dr Narottam Saha is specialized in the area of environmental analytical chemistry and geochemistry, with Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Applied Chemistry and Chemical Technology, a second Masters Degree (Distinction) in Environmental Sciences ( University of East Anglia, UEA, UK), and PhD in geochemistry (The University of Queensland). In his Masters study, Saha received a commonwealth scholarship, one of the most prestigious international scholarship schemes, for Master Degree in Environmental Sciences, with special emphasis on Clumped Isotope geochemistry and climate science. In 2014, Saha received Australia’s federal government scholarship (IPRS) for undertaking his PhD degree. Saha’s research achievements were well recognised with awards of Stanley Gray Fellowship from Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST, UK) for coral reef research and National Science and Information & Communication Technology (NSICT) Fellowship (2010) from Government of Bangladesh for heavy metal pollution research.

His multidisciplinary research experiences include biogeochemistry of heavy metals, assessment of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks for the population exposed to heavy metals, clumped isotopes geochemistry in recovering palaeo-climate history and developing trace element proxies in coral carbonate skeleton to trace historical gradients of inshore coastal water quality. His PhD research highlights the potential of self-referencing rare earth elements over traditional trace elemental proxies for reconstructing marine water quality, degradation of which is considered as one of the major threats in declining the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) coral community. He has been the first to have discovered a noble V/Ca proxy, which is decoupled from other commonly used runoff proxies, for monitoring historical catchment clearing and firing in coastal areas. His discovery has direct relevance to environmental protection for reefs in the GBR through promoting better land management with improved water quality.

Nick Shaw was appointed to the School as Professor in January 2004 and undertook the role of Head of School of Pharmacy at UQ from 1st July 2004 until 31st December 2014. Nick is a pharmacist, graduating PhD from the University of Manchester in 1985 and was a member of the academic staff of the University of Nottingham from 1985-2003. He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1994 and a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in 2010. He previously founded and chaired the Council of Pharmacy Schools (Australia and New Zealand); he is the chair of the APC Accreditation Committee and was the chair of the Australian Pharmacy Liaison Forum in 2011. He has taught across a range of subjects to the second and third years of the BPharm (Hons) course at UQ. Nick has supervised and co-supervised over 45 PhD and research Masters students.

In 2013 Nick was awarded the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Bowl of Hygeia for services to the profession.

Dr Abu Sina is currently an NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow at the Center for Personalized Nanomedicine, Australian Institute for Bioengineering & Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Australia. Prior to this, he served as a Visiting Scientist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University, and as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Irving Cancer Research Center, Columbia University, NY, USA.

Dr. Sina has earned both national and international acclaim for his notable contributions to advancing translational-focused nano-diagnostic technologies with a focus on early cancer detection from liquid biopsies. He is one of the few leaders in the world who is driving the liquid biopsy-based multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test program. He has had several media appearances so far which include interviews on national (Channel 9, Channel 7, ABC News, Fox News, etc.) and international Television (CBC News, CTV News Canada, etc.) and Radio (4EB, 4BC, ABC Perth, ABC Sunshine coast, SBS) outlets.

Actively participating in scholarly discussions, Dr. Sina has served as a Keynote Speaker, Invited Speaker, and Session Chair at various national and international conferences and seminars. His commitment to excellence has resulted in several prestigious awards, including the Metrohm-EDRACI Young Electrochemist Award 2021, the Queensland Health and Medical Research Award 2019 from the Queensland State Government of Australia, and recognition as a Fellow of the International Association of Advanced Materials.

Central to his aspirations is a vision to develop point-of-care diagnostic technologies with the potential to revolutionize early disease detection, thereby enhancing overall quality of life.

Update Profile

Emeritus Professor Maree Smith AC FTSE FAHMS is a full-time researcher and Director, CIPDD, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland.

In the 12 years prior to her current appointment, Professor Smith led a high-performing team in building the CIPDD and its commercial interface TetraQ, recognized as a unique, GLP-accredited drug development Centre in Australia. Professor Smith has considerable expertise in biomedical discovery/translation with specialist expertise in the novel pain therapeutics discovery/translation field encompassing a portfolio of 16 rodent pain models that mimic individual human pain conditions. This portfolio of models conducted in a purpose-built facility operated in accordance with the requirements of our Quality Management System, making the CIPDD unique in Australia and rare internationally.

In the 15 years prior to establishing the CIPDD, Professor Maree Smith was a full-time academic in the School of Pharmacy. In brief, she joined the School of Pharmacy as a Lecturer in 1989 and was successively promoted through the academic ranks to Professor in 2004. Prior to that she undertook a PhD and early postdoctoral training in clinical pharmacology with specialist expertise in bioanalytical method development, bioanalysis of human plasma samples, drug metabolism and clinical pharmacokinetics. Her second postdoc was in the field of pain management and pain pharmacology.

In the years, 1990-2005, Maree Smith taught in the Drug Discovery stream of the 2nd, 3rd & 4th years of the undergraduate Pharmacy program and she was instrumental in developing innovative courses for the final year of the undergraduate Pharmacy curriculum. She was also instrumental in the development of a course for the M Biotech program at UQ entitled “Quality Systems in Biotechnology” which continues to this day and is a compulsory course in the Program. Maree has successfully advised/co-advised to completion 33 PhD students, 2 Research Masters students and ~50 Honours students. She also served for 14 years as an external evaluator for the TGA.

Maree's Current Research Interests are as follows:

1. Subtle differences in the pathobiology of individual chronic pain conditions

2. Improving preclinical to clinical translation in novel analgesics development

3. Preclinical drug development of novel pain therapeutics

4. Preclinical drug development

Awards

2021 UQ Fellowship

2019 Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List

2018 Honorary Bragg Membership (The Royal Institution of Australia)

2016 Bowl of Hygeia Award (Pharmaceutical Society of Australia)

2016 Clunies Ross Knowledge Commercialisation Award (ATSE)

2015 Honoured to be included in inaugural list of Australia's top Innovators; viz Knowledge Nation 100

2015 Inaugural Inductee into the Life Sciences Queensland (LSQ) Hall of Fame

2015 Johnson and Johnson Innovaton AusBiotech Industry Excellen Award - Outstanding Leader category.

2015 Elected Fellow, Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS)

2015 Australian Pain Society Distinguished Member Award - For services to the promotion, treatment and science of pain management and lifelong contribution to the Australian Pain Society

2013 UQ Top 5 Inventor - Award by Thomson Reuters and UQ at inaugural Awards

2013 UQ Top 5 Innovator - Award by UniQuest Pty Ltd and UQ at inaugural Awards

2012 Queensland Life Sciences Industry Excellence Award jointly with Dr Jim Aylward

2011 Elected Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (ATSE)

2009 Honorary Fellowship, Faculty of Pain Medicine, ANZCA (Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists).

2008 WiT (Women in Technology): Biotech Outstanding Achievement Award

2002 Meritorious Mention for Sustained Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision

2001 Meritorious Mention for Sustained Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision

Professor Heather Smyth is a flavour chemist and sensory scientist who has been working with premium food and beverage products for more than twenty years. With a background in wine flavour chemistry, her expertise is in understanding consumer enjoyment of foods and beverages in terms of both sensory properties and composition.

Smyth has a special interest in describing and articulating food quality, understanding regional flavours of locally grown Australian produce, and modelling food flavour and textural properties using instrumental measurements. Smyth also specialises in researching how human physiology and psychology can impact sensory perception and therefore food choice.

I embarked on my scientific journey with a Bachelor of Science, dual major in Biochemistry and Chemistry, followed by a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Chemistry at Massey University (New Zealand). My honours project centered on the innovative development of hydrogels for the controlled release of bioactive peptides into the gut. Driven by a passion for discovery, I pursued a PhD at Massey University, where I focused on developing synthetic anti-cancer drugs based on cyclodextrins, a fascinating class of cyclic sugars.

After earning my PhD, I served as a Research Officer at the New Zealand Veterinary Pathology Epicentre, Massey University, where I honed my skills in diagnostic research. My journey then took me to the Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology at Kansas State University (USA) where I contributed as a Postdoctoral Fellow to the detection and surveillance of zoonotic diseases impacting the swine industry.

Fuelled by a desire to merge my expertise in synthetic peptides with my passion for vaccine development, I transitioned to the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences at the University of Queensland (Australia). Here, my research is at the blended edge of health and medical research, leading to the development of new adjuvants and vaccines across fields of medicinal chemistry, nanotechnoloy, immunology, and medical and agricultural biotechnology.

Dr Phong Thai has a keen interest in environmental health and monitoring. Phong joined Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS) in 2018 after his Vice Chancellor Senior Research Fellowship at the International Laboratory of Air Quality and Health at Queensland University of Technology. His research focus at QAEHS involves the expansion of wastewater-based epidemiological approach to determine community consumption and exposure to a range of illicit and licit substances including alcohol and tobacco, pharmaceuticals and personal care products and lately on community level of infection to Covid-19 during the last pandemic. Additionally, Phong is working on projects monitoring emerging environmental pollutants in different matrices.

Phong has been awarded several competitive fellowships for his research and has led or contributed to several exciting projects totalling > A$ 10 millions in funding besides being a member of the team who manage the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program.