The first half of my academic career was focused on neuroscience research. My PhD looked at the modification of processing of painful information in the spinal cord by analgesics. Following my PhD, I investigated the electrical activity and properties of neurons in the amygdala, a brain region attributed with processing and mediating emotions and emotional memories. In addition I became interested in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region that is important for emotion regulation. I studied mechanisms involved in synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, with a focus on the role of potassium channels, including SK channels.
For the second half of my career I have moved into a more teaching-focused role. This was first as a casual academic in the School of Biomedical Sciences, from 2014-2020, and since 2021 as a teaching-focused lecturer, with my current research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. My research interests are primarily now in looking at emotions, emotion regulation and motivation regulation during learning, and how these can be harnessed to improve student experiences and learning outcomes. I'm also extremely interested in the development of transferable skills in undergraduates, such as science communication, critical thinking, and cultural capability, in preparation for their future lives and careers.
Honours projects are currently available with myself and others in the SBMS Biomedical Education Research Group, looking at:
The use of motivation strategies to improve undergraduate student experiences and learning outcomes.
Effective emotion regulation strategies in first year undergraduate students.
My research interests include causes and detectability of extinction and decline, conservation ecology of threatened and declining marsupials (especially dasyurids and macropods), and tropical mammals, evolutionary ecology, mating systems and life history evolution, especially associations between life histories and seasonality, climate and sexual selection.
My long-term interest in conservation and evolutionary ecology of carnivorous marsupials started at The University of Sydney, where I was an Honours student of Chris Dickman. I did a PhD on ecology of bridled nailtail wallabies at The University of Queensland with Craig Moritz and Anne Goldizen. My research fellowships and programmes since then have investigated ecology and evolution of mammals: a Royal Society fellowship at the University of Aberdeen with Xavier Lambin, an ARC APD fellowship at ANU with Andrew Cockburn, and an ARF fellowship, and a Future Fellowship and UQ Fellowship at The University of Queensland School of Biological Sciences.
I have worked in state environment agencies and the Australian Museum at times before joining UQ in 2007. I am co-chair of the IUCN Marsupial and Monotreme Specialist Group (with Professor John Woinarski), chair of the Australasian Mammal Taxonomy Consortium (affiliated with the Australian Mammal Society), and winner of the 2020 ESA Australian Ecology Research Award.
History:
Principal Research Fellow / Deputy Academic Director UQ Hidden Vale Research Station/ Associate Professor, School of the Environment / Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, UQ. Jan 2022-
UQ Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland. Conservation and life history evolution of mammals in Australia and Melanesia. January 2016 – December 2018.
ARC Future Fellow / Senior Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland. Life history evolution, extinction and conservation ecology of carnivorous marsupials. January 2012 – December 2015.
ARC Australian Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland. Causes of animal extinction and rediscovery, detection of extinction and trajectories of decline in mammals with respect to the spread of invasive predators. January 2007 – December 2011.
Natural Heritage Trust, federal Department of Environment and Heritage, Canberra. Collating published data on threats to nationally endangered vertebrates under the EPBC Act, for the Species Profiles And Threats database. Part time, January- December 2006.
ARC Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Botany and Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra. Testing hypotheses to explain the evolution of polyandry, using antechinuses. April 2002 to February 2006 (maternity leave December 2004 – October 2005).
Royal Society Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Aberdeen. Behavioural mechanisms of density-dependent immigration and implications for population dynamics in the water vole. Jan 2000 - April 2001 (maternity leave April 2001 – April 2002).
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Queensland. Ecological correlates of marsupial life histories, behaviour and social organisation. 1999 - 2000.
PhD. The Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Queensland, supervised by Professor Craig Moritz and Dr Anne Goldizen: Behavioural ecology and demography of the bridled nailtail wallaby, Onychogalea fraenata 1994 - 1998.
My lab investigates the physiological and behavioural responses of fish, frogs and reptiles to changing environmental conditions including assessing and predicting the impact of human-induced environmental change. A major thrust of this research is within the emerging field of Conservation Physiology. We are particularly interested in the capacity and plasticity of physiological systems (e.g. respiratory, cardiovascular, osmoregulatory, digestive and musculo-skeletal) to compensate and maintain performance under changing environmental conditions.
We combine lab-based experimental studies with fieldwork, and take an integrative approach that utilises ecological, behavioural, physiological and genomic methodologies. In the field we utilise remote sensing technology (acoustic and satellite telemetry, archival tags) to investigate the movement patterns and behaviours of animals in relation to environmental conditions.
Current projects include:
assessing the effects of increasing temperatures on sharks, frogs, turtles and crocodiles;
determining the physiological basis for the impact of increasing UV-B radiation on frogs;
diving behaviour and physiology of freshwater turtles and crocodiles;
acoustic and satellite tracking of sharks, turtles and crocodiles in Queensland;
regulation of physiological function in aestivating frogs
Venoms play a range of adaptive roles in the animal kingdom from predation to defense to competitor deterrence. Remarkably, despite their biological importance and uniqueness, the evolution of venom systems is poorly understood. New insights into the evolution of venom systems and the importance of the associated toxins cannot be advanced without recognition of the true biochemical, ecological, morphological and pharmacological diversity of venoms and associated venom systems. A major limitation has been the very narrow taxonomical range studied. Entire groups of venomous animals remain virtually unstudied. My research is inherently interdisciplinary, integrating ecological, evolutionary, and functional genomics approaches in order to understand the evolution of venom systems. Studies range from discovering the shock-inducing hypotensive and anticoagulant venom of the iconic Komodo Dragon through to exploring the unique temperature specific adaptations of Antarctic octopus venoms.
The actions of people just like you and me have caused a massive biodiversity crisis, pushing many species to the brink of extinction and beyond. Doing something about this is one of the most important and urgent problems globally. I am interested in understanding how people have affected the natural world around them, and how some of their destructive effects can best be reversed. On the flip side, I am also keen to understand whether people can benefit positively from experiences of biodiversity.
To answer these questions I work on pure and applied topics in biodiversity and conservation. Much of my work is interdisciplinary, focusing on the interactions between people and nature, how these can be enhanced, and how these relationships can be shaped to converge on coherent solutions to the biodiversity crisis. Current research topics include the ecology and conservation of migratory species, understanding what drives some people to show stronger environmental concern than others, and strategies for designing efficient conservation plans. I enjoy working closely with all my wonderful colleagues in the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science.
My research focuses on the biological control and integrated management of insect pests. Understanding the ecological and biological relationships between insects and their natural enemies (pathogens, parasitoids and predators) and the interactions between these natural enemies is fundamental to effective biological control and is central to my research. Strategies which manipulate natural enemies to enhance their impact on pest populations are under development, examples include
Integration of biological stressors and fungal entomopathogens for improved control of insect pests
Reduced insecticide inputs combined with the provision of adult food sources to enhance endemic parasitoid performance
Utilizing inducible plant defences to manipulate pests and improve the effectiveness of natural enemies.
Externally funded research projects concentrate on the development of sustainable pest management strategies for insect pests in developing countries. In Indonesia the structure and function of the natural enemy complexes attacking the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) and the cabbage cluster caterpillar (Crocidolomia pavonana) are being determined. In Samoa the biology and ecology of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma chilonis is being investigated and the possibility of its release as a biological control agent of C. pavonana in Fiji, Tonga and Solomon Islands explored. Research in Fiji is focused on quantifying field resistance of the diamondback moth to commonly used insecticides. An insecticide resistance management strategy has been developed and will be implemented in collaboration with UN-FAO.
Frédéric Gachon received his PhD in 2001 from the University of Montpellier (France). Between 2001 and 2006, he performed his post-doctoral training with Prof. Ueli Schibler at the department of Molecular Biology of the University of Geneva (Switzerland), where he started to work on the regulation of physiology by the circadian clock. In 2006, he worked at the Institute of Human Genetic in Montpellier (France) as a junior group leader before continued his career in Switzerland as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology of the University of Lausanne (2009-2012) and as a group leader at the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Lausanne (2012-2018). He finally joined the Institute of Molecular Bioscience of the University of Queensland as an Associate Professor in 2019. During all these years, research of the Gachon group focussed on the understanding of the role of feeding and circadian rhythms on mouse and human physiology, contributing to the fundamental basis for chronopharmacology and chrononutrition.
Dr Gratten completed his undergraduate studies and PhD at The University of Queensland, before undertaking postdoctoral training in evolutionary and quantitative genetics at the University of Sheffield. He then returned to Australia and shifted research focus to psychiatric and neurological genetics, taking up a position as research fellow at the Queensland Brain Institute. In 2013, he was recruited to UQ's Centre for Neurogenetics and Statistical Genomics, and in 2017 was awarded an NHMRC Career Development Fellowship (Level 2). He established the Cognitive Health Genomics group at Mater Research Institute in 2018, with the goal to improve understanding of the etiology of psychiatric and neurological disorders through analysis and integration of whole genome datasets. He has received >$5M in research funding from the NHMRC, Autism Cooperative Research Centre and both Australian (BICARE) and international (Brain & Behavior Research Foundation) philanthropic funders.
Dr. Laura Grogan is a qualified veterinarian, Senior Lecturer in Wildlife Science, Chair of the Wildlife Disease Association Australasian section, and Leader of the Biodiversity Health Research Team (https://www.biodiversity-health.org/) - a collaborative multiple-university research group focused on finding sustainable solutions for the most challenging threatening processes currently affecting biodiversity.
Dr. Grogan has a background in research on wildlife diseases, ecology and conservation. She's particularly interested in investigating the dynamics, relative importance, and impacts of infectious diseases among other threats affecting wildlife across both individual and population scales, to improve conservation management. While she works across taxa and methodological approaches, her main study system currently involves the devastating amphibian fungal skin disease, chytridiomycosis, where at the individual scale she focuses on the pathogenesis and amphibian immune response to the disease, untangling the roles of resistance and tolerance in defense against infection. At the population and landscape scale she explores mechanisms underlying persistence in the face of endemic infection, focused on the endangered Fleay's barred frog. She also studies population and infection dynamics of chlamydiosis in koala using a mathematical modelling approach, exploring the relative benefits of different management approaches. In addition to working on amphibian and koala diseases, Laura is a keen birdwatcher and wildlife photographer, and supervises projects in other wildlife-related fields.
You can find out more about her research team here: www.biodiversity-health.org. Dr. Grogan has been awarded around $1.3 million in research funding since 2018. In late 2019 she was awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA; DE200100490), worth $426,742. This project, titled "Understanding infection tolerance to improve management of wildlife disease", commenced in late 2020. Dr. Grogan was identified as one of the four top-ranked science DECRA awardees by the Australian Academy of Science’s 2020 J G Russell Award, and was also recipient of the highest award of the Wildlife Disease Association Australasia Section with their 2019 Barry L Munday Recognition Award.
PhD and Honours projects are now available in the following areas (plus many more areas - please get in touch if you have an idea):
Can frogs be ‘vaccinated’ by antifungal treatment of active infections to develop protective immunity to the devastating chytrid fungus? (Principal Supervisor)
Establishing the conservation status of south-east Queensland’s amphibians - occupancy surveys and species distribution models (Principal Supervisor)
Tadpoles as a reservoir of the lethal frog chytrid fungal disease – measuring sublethal effects on growth, time to metamorphosis and ability to forage (mouthpart loss) (Principal Supervisor)
Impacts of chytrid fungus on the survival of juvenile endangered Fleay’s barred frogs, Mixophyes fleayi, and importance for population recruitment (Principal Supervisor)
Measuring the infection resistance versus tolerance of barred frogs to the devastating chytrid fungal disease to improve management outcomes (Principal Supervisor)
Mapping the impacts of fire-fighting chemicals on endangered frog habitats (Co-Supervisor)
Bowra birds: what do long-term monitoring data reveal about bird communities in the semi-arid region? (Co-Supervisor)
Impacts of fire-fighting chemicals on endangered frogs: Implications for conservation and management (Co-Supervisor)
My research interests are in coral reef ecology and marine parasitology.
I also incorporate other fields in my research including evolutionary biology, molecular biology, parasitology, and animal behaviour. I use field observations to generate hypotheses which are tested using field and laboratory experiments.
Currently, I have research programmes at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef and on campus.
Specific projects include:
Cleaning symbiosis as a model system for developing and testing models of non-kin cooperation in multispecies mutualisms
The ecological significance of cleaning behaviour in reef fishes
The direct and indirect effects of cleaner fish on the coral reef community
Interactions between larval coral reef fish and parasites
The effects of parasites on fish physiology
The taxonomy of gnathiid isopods and their identification using DNA
The role of colour and pattern in communication among animals
The molecular and colour pattern biogeography of cleaner fish
· Senior Staff Specialist (Public Health Medicine), Queensland Health
· Principal Research Fellow, Centre for Clinical Research - University of Queensland
· Adjunct Professor, Griffith University Medical School
RECENT POSITIONS
· General Practitioner, Indooroopilly General Practice
· Senior Staff Specialist (Public Health Medicine), Metro South, Metro North, Central Queensland, and West Moreton Public Health Units (January 2021 to July 2022)
· Director, Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability (to January 2021)
· Senior Medical Officer, Mater Intellectual Disability and Autism Service (to November 2020)
· General Practitioner, Cornwall Street Medical Centre (to November 2020)
Introduction
I am a public health physician, zoologist, epidemiologist, and general practitioner. I commenced my clinical career in Far North Queensland in the early 1990s. I gained experience in Indigenous health, remote health, obstetrics and other areas of medicine. I also completed my specialist training in Public Health Medicine in Cairns in the early 2000s. From 2002 to 2008 I combined clinical work in adult developmental disability medicine at Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability Medicine (QCIDD) with general practice and travel medicine. While working as Senior Fellow at The National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH), Australian National University (ANU) I managed patients at Interchange General Practice, a clinic specialising in the health of people who use drugs, refugee health, and blood-borne viruses, among other areas. Until the end of 2020 I consulted clinically at the Mater Intellectual Disability and Autism Service and in general practice. I practiced at Indooroopilly General Practice until October 2022.
I've maintained a strong interest in the biological world since my first degree in zoology and via study of vector associations of Ross River virus during my PhD. The biological factors involved in the transmission of arboviruses has remained a particular interest, especially for Ross River virus and dengue. In the case of the former I have published a highly cited review detailing vector associations and reservoir hosts (Harley, Sleigh and Ritchie, Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 2001) and original research on vector associations in Far North Queensland (Harley et al., American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2001). More recently I have published on rainfall cut-points for outbreak prediction in the Northern Territory (Jacups et al., Journal of Medical Entomology, 2011), and modelling incorporating vegetation and macropod populations (Ng et al., Vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, 2014). I have published modelled projections for populations of Aedes aegypti, the vector of dengue, with climate change (Williams et al., Parasites and Vectors, 2014).
My research scope is broad. My four most highly cited publications (one with over 400 and one over 300 citations, Google Scholar) span arbovirology (Harley, Sleigh and Ritchie, Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 2001), psychiatry (Tyrer et al, Lancet, 2008), disability (Palmer and Harley, Health Policy and Planning, 2011) and climate change and health (Butler and Harley, Postgraduate Medical Journal, 2010).
Qualifications
I hold general and specialist registration as a medical practitioner. I am a Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (Royal Australasian College of Physicians) and the Australian College of Tropical Medicine.
I have a PhD in Tropical Health from the University of Queensland and a Master of Medical Science in Clinical Epidemiology from The University of Newcastle. I have a first class honours degree in zoology from the University of Queensland.
Advocacy, lobbying and consultancies
I've contributed actively to my college, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), and faculty, The Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine. I have joined working parties on Indigenous health, the health of disabled people (deputy chair), and most recently climate change and health. The work on the second and third working parties resulted in production of RACP position papers. In 2016 I represented the college in meetings with parliamentarians in Canberra on climate change and health. I'm currently a member of college reference groups on the NDIS and on global heating and health.
I represented the Royal Australasian College of Physicians at roundtable meetings on the health of people with intellectual disability, the first on 2 August 2019 (see Microsoft Word - D19-1158817 Roundtable on the Health of People with Intellectual Disability - Summary and Recommendations(2)). The roundtable was convened by the former Commonwealth Minister for Health, Mr Greg Hunt. Subsequent to the roundtable Minister Hunt released a National Roadmap for Improving Health Services for People with Intellectual Disability (see https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/national-roadmap-for-improving-the-health-of-people-with-intellectual-disability).
The Roadmap includes a wide range of measures including short-term measures focused on:
· Programs in Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to improve the capacity and skills of GPs and other primary health services to meet the needs of people with intellectual disability. This will initially be in four PHN lead sites with a view to national rollout after four years.
· Better use of existing Medicare items, including those for annual health assessments of people with intellectual disability.
· Better coordination between the health sector and other sectors such as disability and education.
· Support for people with intellectual disability and their families so that they can make informed decisions about health care and navigate the health care system.
The former LNP Government also committed $19.3 million in initial funding for the first actions in the Roadmap, including:
· $6.6 million to develop a Primary Care Enhancement Program for People with Intellectual Disability
· $6.7 million to improve implementation of annual health assessments for people with intellectual disability
· $4.7 million for curriculum development in intellectual disability health
· $1.4 million to scope and co-design a National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health
A report from the Roundtable and the outline of the proposed national Roadmap at https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/national-roadmap-for-improving-the-health-of-Australians-with-intellectual-disability and the Roadmap itself is abvailable at National Roadmap for Improving the Health of people with Intellectual Disability. The RACGP overview of the budget also lists a commitment for intellectual disability (RACGP | Overview of the Federal Budget 2021-22 (Health) | May 2021). I’ve been invited by the Commonwealth Department of Health to support the scoping and co‑design of models for a national centre of excellence in intellectual disability health (‘national centre’) and have been nominated by my college, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), to represent the college through the process.
I've held various consultancies and panel memberships, including with AusAid and WHO.
Supervision
In my time working at The Australian National University (2008-2016) five honours students completed projects under my supervision. All obtained first class degrees. My first student, Melanie Bannister-Tyrrell was awarded a university medal, published her honours research (Bannister-Tyrrell et al., American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2013), and is now a Senior Epidemiology Consultant to AusVet. Other students completed projects on tuberculosis management in the Torres Strait (Ellen Hart), tuberculosis diagnosis in Thailand (Eileen Baker), hypertension among Thai caregivers (Laura Saville), and mapping of renal disease risk in South Australia (Scott Pearce). I also supervised Ritwika Vinayagam's honours project at the University of Queensland, on diabetes and autism, in 2020.
Current PhD Supervision
· Semira Hailu - The burden of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis in Africa (UQ, associate advisor)
· Wei Qian - Ross River virus in Queensland (UQ, associate advisor)
· Tam Tranh - Road trauma in Vietnam (ANU, associate advisor)
· Cynthia Parayiwa - “Birth outcomes following maternal exposure to severe tropical cyclones in Queensland, Australia” (ANU, associate advisor)
Current Masters Supervision
· Suhasini Sumithra - Modelling Ross River virus in NSW (MPhil, ANU)
Completed PhDs
· Menghuan Song - Psychotropic prescribing to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (UQ, principal advisor)
· Sifat Sharmin - Dengue and climate in Bangladesh (ANU, Chair of Panel)
· Ray Lovett - Screening for drug and alcohol use in Indigenous community controlled health organisations (ANU, Chair of Panel)
· Philipa Dossetor - Children's health in Fitzroy Crossing, WA, with a focus on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (ANU, Chair of Panel initially, then panel member)
· Kerri Viney - Tuberculosis in the South Pacific (ANU, Panel member)
· Lachlan McIver - Climate change and health in the South Pacific (ANU, Panel member, Chair of Panel for completion of PhD)
· Kazi Rahman - Visceral Leishmaniasis in Bangladesh (ANU, Panel member)
· Yani Sun - Tuberculosis in Henan Province, China (ANU, Panel member, awarded ANU "Top Supervisor" award)
· Vicky Ng - Modelling of Ross River virus in NSW (ANU, Panel member)
· Michael Palmer - Disability in rural Vietnam (ANU, Panel member)
Completed Masters
· Tran Tuan Anh Le - Health of Australian adolescents with intellectual disability (MPhil, UQ)
· Alexandra Marmor - MPhil (App Epi; ANU)
· Anna Gibbs - Gram negative sepsis in Queensland children (MPH, UNSW)
Research
I was chief investigator on two NHMRC project grants worth over $2 million while with the ANU. I was CIA for one of these grants, to research weather and dengue virus epidemiology in Far North Queensland. The second grant funded the Thai Health-Risk transition project, a longitudinal study of the health of Thai people living throughout the country. Both projects have produced important publications in my areas of interest including dengue and climate (e.g. Williams et al., Epidemiology and Infection, 2016; Viennet et al., Parasites and Vectors, 2014), disability and health (Yiengprugsawan et al., Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 2010), and the health of carers (Yiengprugsawan et al., BMC Public Health, 2012). Fruitful collaborations have arisen from both grants including co-supervision of my PhD student Sifat Sharmin with my NHMRC-funded post-doctoral researcher Elvina Viennet and honours student projects related to the Thai study (Eileen Baker and Laura Saville). Before commencing at ANU I gained research funding from The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Rotary, The University of Queensland, and James Cook University.
Major themes in my research are infectious diseases epidemiology, environment and health, and the health of disabled people.
In the first of these I have focussed on arboviruses, particularly Ross River and dengue viruses, but have also published on Chikungunya, Zika, Adenovirus, tuberculosis, and invasive meningococcal disease. Since the publication of my highly cited and wide ranging review on the first of these (Harley, Sleigh and Ritchie, Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 2001; 346 citations, Google Scholar, 16/1/2019) I have remained an authority on this virus. I am first author on the chapter on Ross River virus in the authoritative textbook Hunter's Tropical Medicine and Emerging Infectious Diseases (Harley and Suhrbier, Hunter's Tropical Medicine, 2019). I have also published on vector associations (Harley et al., American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2001), clinical manifestations (Harley et al., Medical Journal of Australia, 2002), and behavioural risks (Harley et al., International Journal of Epidemiology, 2005). More recently I have published on environmental determinants of risk (Jacups et al., Journal of Medical Entomology, 2011; Ng et al., Vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, 2014). I also have a major interest in dengue and have published on the epidemiology of this important virus in Australia (e.g. Viennet et al., PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2016; Williams et al., Epidemiology and Infection, 2016) and Bangladesh (Sharmin et al., Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2015; PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2015; Statistical Methods in Medical Research, 2016). I have also published on the epidemiology of tuberculosis in China (e.g. Sun et al., PLoS One, 2017) and the Pacific (e.g. Viney et al., Tropical Medicine and International Health, 2015).
I have a particular focus on environment and infectious diseases (see dengue research in paragraph above; Harley et al., Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 2011; Harley et al., Infectious diseases: a geographic guide, 2010). I was an invited speaker on climate change and infectious diseases at the International Congress on Infectious Diseases in Hyderabad, India, during March 2016. I also co-authored, with Colin Butler, a conceptual paper on levels of impact from climate change on health (Butler and Harley, Postgraduate Medical Journal, 2010), and have written on the education of medical students on climate change and health (Green et al., Australian Family Physician, 2009) and impacts of climate change on immune function (Swaminathan et al., Children, 2014). I was invited to, and chaired the Infectious disease ecology and epidemiology stream, for the 2014 Theo Murphy High Flyers think tank, convened by the Australian Academy of Science, on Climate Change Challenges to Health.
When working at QCIDD ealier I led the Australian arm for an international multi-centre RCT on antipsychotic medication for aggressive behaviour in adults with developmental disabilities (Tyrer et al., Lancet, 2008; cited 365 times, Google Scholar, 19/8/2021). I have also researched the economic impact of disability in Vietnam (Palmer et al., International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 2011) and the asssociations of hearing impairment in Thailand (Yiengprugsawan et al., Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 2010) and co-authored an international review on models and measurement of disability (Palmer and Harley, Health Policy and Planning, 2011).
Editing and reviewing
I am a section editor for PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. I guest edited, with Shamshad Karatela, a special edition of The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health entitled "Environmental and Social Influences on Cognitive Development and Function" (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph/special_issues/cognitive_development). Journals I have reviewed for include Lancet Infectious Diseases, BMC Infectious Diseases, Science, The Medical Journal of Australia, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, and Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities.
Teaching
I taught epidemiology and evidence based medicine to medical students at The University of Queensland and ANU from 2002 to 2016. I was invited annually from 2012 to 2015 to teach epidemiology and outbreak control at Institut Pasteur and The Oxford University Clinical Research in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I was a foundation member of the teaching team for the ANU Master of Public Health (MPH) core subject, Fundamentals of Epidemiology, and have also instructed students on global health and climate change and health in the ANU MPH. In addition I've provided clinical teaching for ANU medical students in general practice and do so currently for third year UQ medicine students rotating to Cornwall Street Medical Centre in their general practice rotation.
I have contributed to building capacity internationally through strong engagement in supervision and teaching. I have supervised students from China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. I have also taught epidemiology and outbreak control to many students from low income countries in South East Asia as an invited instructor with Institut Pasteur and Oxford University in Ho Chi Minh City annually from 2012 to 2015.
Research Interests
· Infectious disease epidemiology
· Adult developmental disability medicine
· Indigenous health
· Public Health Medicine
Qualifications
· Bachelor of Science, The University of Queensland
· BSc (Hons I Zoology), The University of Queensland
· Bachelor of Medicine and Bachlor of Surgery, The University of Queensland
Dr Peta Harvey was appointed to the Institute of Molecular Bioscience NMR Facility in January 2009. Dr Harvey is an instrumental specialist with more than 25 years of experience in the use of NMR techniques as well as the operation, systems management, training and supervision of spectrometer usage. Having applied multinuclear NMR methods during her PhD studies in mechanistic organic chemistry, she has diversified her interests from liver dysfunction and altered drug metabolism in the cirrhotic and aged liver (Canberra Clinical School of University of Sydney) to structural studies of muscle related proteins (Australian National University). More recently whilst at IMB, her particular expertise has extended to the structural and functional characterization of peptides and small proteins with complex cross-linked topologies and the use of such bioactive peptides in drug design.
Dr Massimo A. Hilliard received his PhD in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Biology in 2001 from the University of Naples, Italy. His experimental work, performed at the Institute of Genetics and Biophysics of the CNR (Italian National Council of Research), was aimed at understanding the neuronal and genetic basis of aversive taste behavior (bitter taste) in C. elegans.
During his first postdoc at the University of California, San Diego, using the Ca2+ indicator Cameleon he published the first direct visualisation of chemosensory activity in C. elegans neurons. In his second postdoctoral work at the University of California, San Francisco and at The Rockefeller University, he switched from neuronal function to neuronal development, focusing in particular on how neurons establish and orient their polarity with respect to extracellular cues.
From September 2007, he is at the Queensland Brain Institute where he established an independent laboratory.
Coen is a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary biologist researching and teaching at the interface of western and Indigenous sciences. Coen has broad interests and expertise in anticolonial research agendas which center Indigenous priorities and Indigenous sovereignty, and emphasise environmental rights and respectful engagement with Indigenous communities in scientific research. Coen has scientific expertise in ecological and evolutionary biology, molecular biology and animal physiology and has published academic works across disciplines.
Coen's work bridges cultural and scientific gaps, fostering a deeper understanding of Indigenous knowledges and their role in contemporary scientific thought. His research contributes to ecological and conservation efforts and champions Indigenous voices and perspectives in scientific discourse. Coen is willing to take on students across a broad range of topics especially those interested in contributing to anticolonial research.
Coen is a trawlwoolway pakana related to northeast lutruwita Tasmania through Hearps, Briggs family. Coen grew up across so-called Australia including on lutruwita, Woiworrung Country and Gubbi Gubbi Country, and now lives on Yuggera lands and Turrbal lands connected to Magandjin Brisbane. Coen did his Bachelors degree at The University of Queensland and completed his PhD on the ecological physiology of amphibians.
Paul W. Hodges DSc MedDr PhD BPhty(Hons) FAA FACP APAM(Hon) is an National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Senior Principal Research Fellow, Professor and Director of the NHMRC Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health at The University of Queensland (UQ). He is lead chief investigator on an NHMRC Program Grant that includes colleagues from the Universities of Melbourne and Sydney. Paul is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, which is a Fellowship of the nation’s most distinguished scientists, elected by their peers for outstanding research that has pushed back the frontiers of knowledge. He is also a Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists and was made an Honoured member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, their highest honour.
Paul is a recognised world leader in movement control, pain and rehabilitation. His unique comprehensive research approach from molecular biology to brain physiology and human function has led to discoveries that have transformed understanding of why people move differently in pain. His innovative research has also led to discoveries of changes in neuromuscular function across a diverse range of conditions from incontinence to breathing disorders. These observations have been translated into effective treatments that have been tested and implemented internationally.
Paul has received numerous national and international research awards that span basic and clinical science. These include the premier international award for spine research (ISSLS Prize) on four occasions; three times in Basic Science (2006, 2011, 2019) and once in Clinical Science (2018). International awards in basic science include the SusanneKlein-Vogelbach Award (2010) and the Delsys Prize for Innovation in Electromyography (2009). National medical research awards include the NHMRC Achievement Award (2011). He has also received national community-based leadership awards including the Young Australian of the Year Award in Science and Technology (1997), Future Summit Australian Leadership Award (2010), and Emerging Leader Award (Next 100 Awards, 2009).
Paul is a past president of the International Society for Electrophysiology and Kinesiology and has been the Chair/Co-Chair for several major international conferences. He has led major international consortia to bring together leaders from multiple disciplines to understand pain.
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg FAA; ARC Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and School of Biological Sciences.
Research Publications (>440 publications, see list and impact Google Scholar). For full Curriculum vitae, click here.
BIOGRAPHY
Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is Professor of Marine Studies at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia Over the past 10 years he was Founding Director of the Global Change Institute (details here) and is Deputy Director of the Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies (www.coralcoe.org.au, since 2006) and Affiliated Professor in Tropical Marine Biology at the University of Copenhagen (2016-present). Ove’s research focuses on the impacts of global change on marine ecosystems and is one of the most cited authors on climate change. In addition to pursuing scientific discovery, Ove has had a 20-year history in leading research organisations such as the Centre for Marine Studies (including 3 major research stations over 2000-2009) and the Global Change Institute, both at the University of Queensland. These roles have seen him raise more than $150 million for research and infrastructure. He has also been a dedicated communicator of the threat posed by ocean warming and acidification to marine ecosystems, being one of the first scientists to identify the serious threat posed by climate change for coral reefs in a landmark paper published in 1999 (Mar.Freshwater Res 50:839-866), which predicted the loss of coral reefs by 2050. Since that time, Ove led global discussions and action on the science and solutions to rapid climate change via high profile international roles such as the Coordinating Lead Author for the ‘Oceans’ chapter for the Fifth Assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Coordinating Lead Author on the Impacts chapter of the IPCC Special report on 1.5oC. In addition to this work, Ove conceived and led the scientific XL-Catlin Seaview Survey (details here) which has surveyed over 1000 km of coral reefs across 25 countries (details here) and which captured and analysed over 1 million survey images of coral reefs. These images and data are available to the scientific community and others via an online database: (details here).
Developing these resources is part of Ove’s current push to understand and support solutions to global change with partners such as WWF International: (details here). As scientific lead, Ove has been steering a global response to the identification of 50 sites globally that are less exposed to climate change (Beyer et al 2018, Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2018), working with WWF International to assemble a global partnership across seven countries (Indonesia, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Cuba, East Africa, Madagascar and Fiji; Coral Reef Rescue Initiative). Scientific papers published by Ove cover significant contributions to the physiology, ecology, environmental politics, and climate change. Some of Ove’s most significant scientific contributions have been recognised by leading journals such as Science and Nature (Hoegh-Guldberg and Bruno 2010; Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2007; Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2019a,b), scores of invited talks and plenaries over the past 20 years, plus his appointment as significant international roles e.g. Coordinating Lead Author of Chapter 30 (“The Oceans”) for the 5th Assessment Report, as well as Coordinating Lead Author for Chapter 3 (Impacts) on the special report on the implications of 1.5oC (for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC).
Listen to a recent interview of Ove by Jonica Newby for the ABC Science Show.
Nick is interested in fostering efficient, environmentally friendly animal production enterprises. He uses the data and capabilities provided by modern 'omics technologies to help improve breeding decisions and to inform other types of 'on farm' intervention.
Nick has a parallel interest in the development, physiology, metabolism and conservation of native Australian species, particularly frogs and butterflies.
Nick is a metabolic biochemist by training with research expertise in a) the handling and biological interpretation of large, complex data sets b) molecular technologies c) mitochondrial physiology and d) metabolic flux.
Nick enjoys teaching various aspects of biochemistry and molecular biology to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. He highlights the main themes using the comparative method and illustrates their importance through applied examples from agriculture and other areas of human endeavour.
Before taking his current position as a Teaching and Research academic in the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability (AGFS) Nick worked for the CSIRO in a research intensive multi-disciplinary Systems Biology group.
Through this group he helped develop and apply bioinformatic methods that used metabolite, protein, RNA and DNA biotech to understand, model and predict phenotypes of commercial importance in cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens.
A research highlight from this time was the co-invention of a universal method for inferring causal molecules from genome-wide gene expression data (Hudson et al 2009. PLoS Comp Biol e1000382). This method has been applied across a diverse range of model systems including human kidney cancer and commercial traits in various agricultural species.
Following an undergraduate degree in Animal Biology at the University of St.Andrews, Nick was awarded his PhD through what was then the Zoology department of the University of Queensland, after travelling from England on a Britain-Australia Society funded Northcote Scholarship.
