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Dr Gordon’s research is focused on the formation and maintenance of the blood and lymphatic vascular systems. Vessels form complex branched networks that supply oxygen and nutrients to all body tissues. The signals controlling blood vessel expansion, identity and migration are all downstream of a single, common complex at the cell surface, yet exactly how this diverse range of functions is differentially regulated, depending on the physiological need, remains unknown.

The specific focus of Dr Gordon’s research is to determine the precise molecular signals that control cell adhesion within the vessel wall the surrounding environment. If the signals controlling cell adhesion become deregulated, normal vessel growth and function is lost. This contributes to the progression of a wide range of human diseases, including cancer growth and metastasis, diabetic eye disease and stroke. Dr Gordon aims to use novel biological models, biochemical assays and imaging techniques to better understand vessel biology, which will enable improved treatment of disease and aid in the development of vascularised, bioengineered organs.

Dr Gordon received her Bachelor of Science (2005) and PhD (2011) from The University of Adelaide, after which she undertook six years of postdoctoral studies at Yale University in the USA and Uppsala University in Sweden. With the support of an ARC DECRA Fellowship, Dr Gordon relocated to IMB in 2017 to establish her independent research career as an IMB Fellow. In 2019, she was appointed as Group Leader of the Vessel Dynamics Laboratory.

Dr. Wenyi Gu’s early education was conducted in China which include his undergraduate and master’s degrees in veterinary medicine. In 1996, he migrated to Australia and pursued his PhD study in biochemistry & molecular biology at the Australian National University (ANU). After a short period of work at John Curtin Medical School ANU as a junior scientist, he moved to Brisbane in 2001 for his post-doc at the University of Queensland and currently a post-doctoral research fellow at AIBN. He held a Peter Doherty Fellowship (2006-2009) and was further supported by NHMRC to spend 7 months at Harvard University as a visiting fellow in 2008. Since his post-doctoral research he has been working in the area of using RNAi to treat viral diseases and cancers. He also has a strong background in immunology and vaccine development.

As Director of IMPACT (Immunocellular Manufacturing Platform for Advanced Cell Therapies), a MRFF-NCRI initiative, I lead a research program with extensive expertise in immunology, particularly in natural killer (NK) cells, focused on developing innovative approaches for treating hard-to-cure diseases like metastatic cancers. Our mission is to improve patient outcomes and extend lives. Recognized as an international leader in my field, I've been instrumental in identifying novel regulators of our immune functions, and developing NK cell-based immunotherapies.

My dedication to my field has been recognized through numerous peer-reviewed grants as sole-CI or CIA/Principal Investigator, including a NHMRC ECF Peter Doherty Fellowship, an NHMRC Project Grant, a US DoD grant, and a MRFF EMCR, among others. Since 2009, I've amassed a portfolio of >130 publications in renowned journals like JEM, Molecular Therapy, Nat Comms, and Nat Immunol. My body of work and contributions have been acknowledged with awards such as the 2019 Researcher of the Year by Cure Cancer Australia, 2020 QLD Young Tall Poppy Science, 2020 UQ Frazer Institute's Rising Star, 2022 Frazer Institute's Mentor of the Year, 2023 TRI – Connecting with the Clinic, and the 2025 Dr. Jian Zhou Foundation Award for Translational Medicine, among others. In addition, I currently serve as Deputy Editor of Immunology and Cell Biology.

Since 2024 I have served as Chair of Research and Non-Executive Director of Cure Cancer Australia, the national peak body for early- and mid-career cancer research funding, where I chair the research committee and oversee grant assessment panels. I also Co-Chair the Frazer Institute's Industry Engagement and Commercialisation Committee, shaping the Institute's approach to IP management, spin-out governance, and industry partnerships. Committed to translating fundamental discoveries into real-world therapies, I co-founded the venture-backed biotechnology company Sicario Tx, focused on advancing NK cell-based immunotherapies. I have also served as a scientific consultant and collaborator for national and international biotech companies, including Biotheus (now part of BioNTech's oncology pipeline), Prescient Therapeutics, and Microba Life Sciences, contributing to their development programs.

At present, I am a Group Leader / Principal Research Fellow & Associate Professor with the University of Queensland's Frazer Institute, where I direct IMPACT — UQ's cell therapy manufacturing and translational platform, operating as an academic CRO for academic and industry partners, from cell engineering and manufacturing through to trial-enabling preclinical studies. My research group is based at the Translational Research Institute (TRI). Here, I lead a high-performing research team with a keen focus on developing and innovating immunotherapy approaches for a spectrum of diseases.

I am an academic and consultant working in global health with a focus on health technology assessment (HTA), health systems and services research, and the use of medicines in populations. I have a particular interest in the use of data and research for evidence-informed decision making and implementation science in the context of low and middle income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. I have worked on international health projects in Indonesia and am currently working on several projects in HTA and medicines use in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa. I work with an extensive network of clinicians and health professionals to investigate the use of medicines and adverse effects in general practice, cancer, psychiatry, neurology, and internal medicine. I have honorary or visiting appointments at the University of Queensland (UQ, Brisbane, Australia), Imperial College London (UK, International Decision Support Initiative) and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana). I have a BSc(Hons) and MPH from UQ and a PhD from Monash University. I have lived or worked in Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne), Canada (Toronto), Indonesia (Yogyakarta), UK (London), and Ghana (Accra, Kumasi). I worked as a consultant in HTA in Australia for many years evaluating submissions to subsidise medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). I am an experienced teacher having coordinated courses, lectured, and tutored in undergraduate and postgraduate programs. I was a Foundation Coordinator in the UQ Master of Pharmaceutical Industry Practice (from 2019). I am an advisor on diverse PhD and student research projects.

1991-94 BSc Honours I (Chemistry) University of Queensland, University Medal

1995-99 PhD (Cancer Pathology) University of Queensland

1999-00 Post-Doctoral Fellow, Queensland University of Technology

2001-03 NHMRC CJ Martin/RG Menzies Fellow, Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, CA, USA

2003-05 NHMRC CJ Martin/RG Menzies Fellow, Queensland University of Technology

2005-09 NHMRC RD Wright Fellow, Queensland University of Technology

2010-15 Associate Professor, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland

2012-16 ARC Future Fellow, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland

2016- Professor of Cancer Biology, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland

Dr Brett Hughes graduated from the University of NSW with a Bachelor of Medical Science and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 1997. He completed his postgraduate training in Canberra and Brisbane and was admitted as a Fellow of the Australian College of Physicians as a Specialist Medical Oncologist in 2005.

Dr Hughes is currently a Senior Staff Specialist Medical Oncologist at the RBWH and TPCH. He is also an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland since 2015. As the previous Clinical Director of Oncology (201-2017) and current Cancer Care Services Research lead at TPCH, Dr Hughes has established both an independent TPCH Oncology unit and continuing TPCH’s reputation as a lung cancer research centre of excellence.

Dr Hughes is an active senior member of the Thoracic Oncology Group Australasia (TOGA) and the Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG). He is also heavily involved in many pivotal multicentre trials of cancer therapy at both TPCH and RBWH with his principal research interests in Lung cancer, Head & Neck cancer, Mesothelioma, cutaneous SCC and Thyroid cancer. He has published over 100 peer review papers. Dr Hughes is also involved in undergraduate and post graduate teaching in his fields of research interest.

Professor Janda is a NHMRC Leadership Fellow (2025-29), and after leading the Centre of Health Services Research between 2023 and 2026, she now serves UQ as the Deputy Director, Frazer Institute, and Professor in Behavioural Science at the Faculty of Health, Medicine & Behavioural Sciences. Professor Janda leads the NHMRC Centre for Reserch Excellence in Skin Imaging and Precision Diagnosis (2021-2026) and the NHMRC funded Synergy Roadmap Towards Melanoma Screening (2022-2027). She trained as a health and clinical psychologist, and now is a behavioural scientist with a research background in cancer prevention and quality of life research. Prof Janda has strong clinical collaborations, and a passion for consumer-centered digital interventions that make self-management of health-related issues easier for people. Her work focuses on applied health and clinical research problems, making a difference to cancer prevention, early detection and treatment outcomes.

Previousely, until 2017, she led the Health Determinants and Health Systems Theme at The Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Before her NHMRC Leadership Fellowship, her research was funded through an NHMRC Translating Research into Precatice Fewllowhip (2018-2020), NHMRC Career Development Fellowship Level II (2013-2017), NHMRC Career Development Fellowship I (2009-12) and NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (2004-8). She was a research fellow for the Melanoma Screening trial with the Cancer Council Queensland before joining QUT in 2006.

Clara Jiang is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland. Clara’s research focuses on using genomic and transcriptomic analysis to investigate the genetic basis of cardiovascular and psychiatric disorders, with a particular focus on female health, as well as using statistical genomic approaches to explore possible opportunities for drug repurposing. Clara graduated from the University of Queensland with Bachelor of Advanced Science (First Class Honours) in 2017, and was awarded the University Medal. Clara was awarded her PhD at the University of Queensland in 2021, where she utilised bioinformatic approaches and molecular experiments to decipher the genetic aetiology of breast cancer, specifically the regulatory role of transposons or ‘jumping genes’ in modulating the transcriptional landscape in the cancer state. Clara is also a UQ Wellness ambassador and an advocate for promoting equity, diversity and inclusion in academia.

Dr Jordan is a medically trained cancer epidemiologist who is currently Professor of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health. Before starting her PhD, she worked in rural and urban general practice for over 10 years and brings that clinical experience to her research. She is currently a NHMRC Leadership Fellow and leads projects on ovarian and thyroid cancers, examining aetiology, patterns of care and survival. Her research employs a broad range of methods including individual patient and clinician surveys, molecular epidemiology and pooling of consortia data, but she has particular expertise in large-scale data linkage.

Dr. Vaibhavi Joshi is a postdoctoral research fellow at The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research. She is part of the Molecular Breast Pathology Lab alongside Prof. Sunil Lakhani, A/Prof Amy McCart Reed, and A/Prof Peter Simpson. Currently, she is working with with A/Prof Peter Simpson to investigate the molecular basis of breast cancer in young women, focusing on identifying novel biomarkers and potential targets to improve outcomes for this high-risk group.

Her research explores the hallmarks of metastasis, including tumor invasion,colonisation, and the tumor microenvironment. Dr. Joshi employs advanced molecular biology techniques to study cancer progression and uncover clinically relevant targets.

Dr. Joshi welcomes students and collaborators interested in cancer biology, metastasis, and innovative therapeutic strategies to join her in exploring cutting-edge projects.

Professor Bradley Kendall is a clinical academic Gastroenterologist and Cancer Epidemiologist. He is currently a Senior Staff Gastroenterologist (Eminent) at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane with over 30 years of experience in clinical practice. His clinical training included Fellowships in the United States at the University of Virginia and the University of California – Los Angeles. Mid clinical career he commenced higher degree studies and in 2014 was awarded a PhD in Cancer Epidemiology from The University of Queensland for his work on Barrett’s oesophagus and obesity. He is actively involved in ongoing research into the epidemiology of pre-malignant and malignant gastrointestinal diseases via his clinical appointment and appointment as a Professor in the School of Medicine at The University of Queensland.

Professor Kendall is involved with national and international collaborations, including projects with the US National Cancer Institute supported International Barrett’s and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Consortium and the NHMRC supported multicentre Australian Progression of Barrett’s Esophagus to Cancer Network. Currently, he is a Chief investigator in a Cancer Australia funded multicentre Australian collaborative study of the impact of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program on colorectal cancer outcomes for people with severe mental illness.

Professor Khosrotehrani is a clinical scientist, dircetor of the Frazer institute, the university of Queensalnd, sharing his passion for academic medicine and translation of science discorveries into real world solutions for patients. Prof Khosrotehrani is a dermatologist, interested in skin biology, regenerative medicine and skin cancer. He leads the Experimental Dermatology Group at the University of Queensland Frazer Institute within the Translational Research Institute in Brisbane, Australia. Dr Khosrotehrani obtained his MD from the Cochin-Port Royal School of Medicine at René Descartes University, Paris, France, where he specialized in Dermatology. He is a former graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and the Institut Pasteur of Paris (Université Paris VI, Pierre et Marie Curie) where he obtained a PhD in Physiology and Physiopathology. He is a fellow of the Australian College of Dermatologists and a practising dermatologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Prince Charles Hospital and the Skin and Cancer Foundation’s Queensland Institute of Dermatology.

As the inaugural St Baker-Soyer chair of Dermatology at the University of Queensland, Professor Khosrotehrani is a national leader in the discipline of Dermatology. He is a board director at the Australasian College of Dermatologists and the Queensland Skin and Cancer Foundation and the director of the Dermatology Department at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. He has held multiple leadership roles as past-President of the Australasian Society for Dermatology Research, Editor in chief of the Australasian Journal of Dermatology and board member of the International Society of investigative Dermatology.

During his post-doctoral training at Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, USA, Dr. Khosrotehrani helped establish the contribution of fetal stem cells to tissue repair by demonstrating their multipotent capacity with a specific potency towards the endothelial lineage. The originality of this work was acknowledged by the NHMRC through an achievement award (2011) and an NHMRC excellence award (2016). The main focus of his laboratory is on regenerative medicine and stem cell biology in particular in injury response in skin wounds and skin cancer and how these responses contribute to cancer initiation and progression. Translating his laboratory findings, Dr Khosrotehrani is leading innovative clinical trials in wound healing, keratinocyte cancers and melanoma.

Associate Professor Srinivas Kondalsamy Chennakesavan is Head of Research at The University of Queensland Rural Clinical School and an internationally recognised researcher in rural health, Indigenous health, public health, epidemiology and health services research. With a background in medicine and public health, his research focuses on improving health outcomes for rural, remote and underserved populations through innovative, community-centred and translational research.

His work addresses major health challenges affecting rural and remote communities, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with a focus on chronic disease prevention and management, health service innovation, population health surveillance, digital health, workforce development, healthy ageing and implementation science. He is widely recognised for developing practical models of care that translate research evidence into measurable improvements in health outcomes, service delivery and policy.

Associate Professor Chennakesavan has secured more than A$11.3 million in National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) funding, and over A$12 million in total competitive research income from national and international funding agencies. He has served as Chief Investigator, Associate Investigator and collaborator on major research programs spanning chronic disease prevention, Indigenous health, cardiovascular disease, digital health, healthy ageing, frailty and rural health service redesign. His research has directly informed policy, clinical practice and health service planning across Australia.

A defining feature of his work is the development and evaluation of community-based screening, surveillance and chronic disease management programs for Indigenous and other underserved populations living in rural and remote settings. These models have improved the early detection and management of chronic disease while strengthening local healthcare capacity. Through international collaborations, elements of this work have been adapted and implemented in resource-constrained settings in South Africa and India.

His interdisciplinary approach combines clinical medicine, epidemiology, biostatistics, health informatics and digital technologies to address complex healthcare challenges. He has expertise in designing technology-enabled models of care that improve access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and long-term disease management for geographically dispersed populations.

Associate Professor Chennakesavan's research has achieved significant international impact. His publications have been cited extensively by leading organisations including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, reflecting the global relevance of his work in primary healthcare, chronic disease management, rural health and health system strengthening.

He is committed to collaborative and community-engaged research and works closely with health services, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, governments, clinicians, consumers and academic partners. His work has contributed to the development of sustainable, culturally safe and evidence-based models of care that advance health equity and improve healthcare access.

Associate Professor Chennakesavan is a globally recognised rural health researcher and thought leader whose work has influenced research, policy, and healthcare delivery both nationally and internationally. As a Council Member of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) Rural Health Working Party, he contributes to shaping the global rural health agenda, advancing strategies to strengthen healthcare access, workforce capacity, and research impact across underserved populations. He also serves as Chair of the Queensland Rural Health Innovation and Research Collaborative (QRHIRC), leading one of Australia's largest rural health research networks and bringing together universities, health services, policymakers, and communities to drive innovation, build research capacity, and translate evidence into meaningful improvements in rural and remote healthcare outcomes.

An experienced mentor and supervisor, Associate Professor Chennakesavan has supported the development of numerous higher degree research candidates, medical students, clinicians and early-career researchers. He regularly serves on NHMRC, MRFF and international peer-review panels, contributing to the assessment of major competitive funding schemes and helping shape future directions in health and medical research.

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 (UQ). Dr Koo was awarded his PhD (Dean’s Award for Outstanding Thesis & Springer Thesis Prize) from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering & Nanotechnology (AIBN), UQ in 2018.

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 UQ Centre for Clinical Research (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), Australian Institute of Policy & Science (AIPS) Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Award (2023) and UQ Faculty of Medicine "Rising Star of the Year" Excellence Award (2024).

Teaching

UQ School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences (SCMB)

BIOT7018 Biologics: Course Coordinator 2025-Present

BIOC7001 Advanced Molecular Biology Laboratory: Guest Lecturer 2024-Present

BIOC6001 Introduction to Molecular Biology Laboratory: Guest Lecturer 2024

Associate Professor Arutha Kulasinghe leads the Clinical-oMx Lab at the Frazer Institute, University of Queensland, is the inaugural Founding Scientific Director of the Queensland Spatial Biology Centre (QSBC) at the Wesley Research Institute, and holds the Inaugural Brazil Family Chair in Spatial Medicine. A/Prof Kulasinghe has pioneered spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, and interactomics in the Asia-Pacific region, contributing to world-first studies in lung cancer, head and neck cancer, and tissue atlasing studies of infectious diseases across pandemics. His research aims to understand the underlying pathobiology by using an integrative multi-omics approach. A/Prof Kulasinghe has authored over 120 peer-reviewed publications, including in The Lancet Microbe, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Nature Genetics. He is the recipient of the Cure Cancer "Researcher of the Year (2023)," named in the "Top Innovators Award (2024)" by the Australian, Research Australia UNSW Frontiers Award (2026), and InDaily Queensland "40 under 40" (2026) by Solstice Media. He has also been recognised on The Courier-Mail's Queensland Power Lists for Technology and Medicine, named among the scientists and CEOs shaping Queensland's technology future, and among the state's most influential figures in health. A/Prof Kulasinghe is supported by the MRFF, NHMRC, US DoD, Cancer Australia, Cure Cancer, pharma, and numerous hospital and philanthropic organisations.

Dr Snehlata Kumari is a group leader and the head of the Skin Inflammation and Immunity Laboratory at the Frazer Institute, University of Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia. Her international career and academic training spanned Germany, India, and Australia. She is a board member of the Australasian Society for Dermatology Research (ASDR) and a councillor on the International Psoriasis Council.

She has discovered novel signalling mechanisms that regulate the balance between homeostasis and inflammation in the skin. These findings highlight new mechanisms by which inflammatory diseases are initiated and propagated via NF-κB, TNF, IL-20 family cytokines, and necroptotic and apoptotic signalling pathways. Her research work has been published in top-tier journals, including Nature (3x), Nature Communications, Cell Metabolism, and Immunity.

Her scientific contributions have received international recognitions and honours, including the German National Academy of Sciences, the German Research Foundation (DFG), the European Society for Dermatological Research, the Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology, and the Young Women Investigators Award from the International Cytokine and Interferon Society.

Overall aims and research focus

- Immunomodulatory mechanisms regulating inflammation and immunity.

- Cellular and cell-soluble factor interactions in inflammatory diseases, including Psoriasis, Hidradenitis Suppurative, and Atopic Dermatitis.

Sunil Lakhani is Executive Director Research and Senior Staff Specialist, Pathology Queensland, and Head of the Molecular Breast Group at the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR) at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

Prior to his move to Australia in 2004, he was Professor of Breast Pathology at The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK

His current research interests include lobular carcinoma and its variants, normal and stem cells, tumours with a basal phenotype, familial breast cancer and biology and therapeutic development for brain and distant metastases.

He was series editor for the 4th Edition WHO Tumour Classification Books and volume editor for the 4th Ed WHO Classification of Tumours of the Breast (2012). He is currently Standing member of the Board for the 5th Ed WHO Tumour Classification Books. He is also on the editorial board of a number of pathology and experimental research journals.

Dr Yoo Young (Dominique) Lee is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Queensland and a consultant radiation oncologist at Princess Alexandra Hospital. A specialist in hepatobiliary malignancies, she is nationally recognised for her leadership in physician wellbeing and professional culture.

Her work spans research, education, coaching, and system-level engagement, examining burnout, moral distress, and organisational drivers of clinician distress, and delivering evidence-informed programs that support doctors to navigate workplace challenges and build sustainable, values-aligned careers.

She is also a leader in stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) research, focused on advanced technologies for liver and pancreatic cancers, and is deeply committed to advancing both precision cancer care and healthier medical workplaces.

She is deeply committed to medical education, supervision, and leadership, and to advancing both precision cancer care and healthier, more sustainable medical workplaces. Her work in physician wellbeing and coaching can be found at www.heyboss.org