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Susan Joy Beetson is a Ngemba computer science and information systems researcher, practitioner, and educator whose work advances Indigenous Knowledges through technology, data, AI, human-centred computing, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Indigenous Data Governance, social media network analysis, business process transformation, technology provenance, and Indigenous-informed automated decision-making. Susan grew up in the very remote Aboriginal communities of Brewarrina and Gongolgon and brings more than 30 years of corporate computer science, information technology management, and process transformation experience together with a decade of higher education teaching and research across information systems, interactive technologies, human-centred computing, Indigenous studies, and engineering curriculum. She is a Research Academic in the Indigenous Business Hub at The University of Queensland, a Chief Investigator with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures, and a Chief Investigator with the iSista Care research program with the Southern Cross University.

Susan’s Culture Hubs research develops community-owned digital infrastructure that enables Aboriginal families and communities to hold, govern, teach, and mobilise cultural and historical Knowledges on their own terms. This work brings together Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, data provenance, digital entrepreneurship, language, cultural learning, repatriation of Knowledges, and community-governed technology design. Rather than positioning Aboriginal Knowledges inside Western-designed systems, the Culture Hubs work begins from Aboriginal authority, Country, kinship, relational accountability, and the rights of Traditional Custodians to determine how Knowledges are stored, accessed, validated, and used across digital environments.

Susan’s PhD research, Ngemba Tracks and Networks, examines culturally different social media network phenomena through a Ngemba lens and extends dominant social network theories that were largely developed through Eurocentric assumptions about identity, connection, interaction, and community. Her doctoral work explores dyadic phenomena, Indigenous self-representation, culturally grounded networking practices, and the social, institutional, and political conditions shaping Aboriginal peoples’ lives online and offline. As a Ngemba researcher grounded in lived experience, Country, and community accountability, Susan critically and reflexively examines virtual, interactive, immersive, and emerging technological spaces, including AI, XR, and other data-driven systems.

A Chief Investigator in the $37.5 million Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures and the $2.46 million NHMRC-GACD SISTACARE Strengthening Health Systems grant, where Susan's leadership spans stakeholder engagement and co-design, digital clinical decision systems, implementation, and quality improvement. She was awarded the Science & Technology Australia's #SuperstarsOfStem program, was named a Women in Technology Australia First Nations Changemaker finalist, and was recognised by Cosmos as one of 52 Indigenous peoples changing the world. Susan is also an inaugural auIGF/Identity Digital Indigenous Fellow in internet policy and governance, a guest academic editor for Information Systems Journal and the Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues, and an invited national and international speaker on Indigenous Knowledges, AI, data governance, digital futures, and Indigenous-led technology design.

Dr Trish Gilholm is a Research Fellow (4.5 years post‑PhD) within the Children’s Intensive Care Research Program, Child Health Research Centre. Her emerging research programs explore 1) long‑term outcomes for critically ill children using data linkage and 2) adaptive trial designs in paediatric critical care. Dr Gilholm completed her PhD in statistics at the Australian Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, Queensland University of Technology (PhD conferral September 2021) and was awarded an Executive Dean Commendation for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award for her PhD thesis. Through her developing research programs in adaptive trial design and data linkage, she has established a unique research profile within paediatric critical care. She is currently supervising 1xHonours (Principal Advisor), 1xPhD (Associate Advisor) and regularly supervises undergraduate and medical school research projects. Her outstanding commitment to research and future potential as a researcher was recognised with the 2024 Child Health Research Centre Rising Star of the Year Award.

Professor Robyn Gillies' major research interests are in the learning sciences, classroom discourses, small group processes, including co-regulated learning, classroom instruction, student behaviour, and students with disabilities. Professor Robyn Gillies has worked extensively in both primary and secondary schools to embed STEM education initiatives into the science curriculum. This includes helping teachers to embed inquiry skills into the science curricula so they capture students’ interests, provide opportunities for them to explore possible solutions to problems, explain phenomena, elaborate on potential outcomes, and evaluate findings. In short, through these investigations, students learn how to engage critically and constructively with others’ ideas, challenge and rebut proposals, and discuss alternative propositions. In so doing, they learn to talk and reason effectively together. These STEM education initiatives have been funded by research grants and contracts from the Australian Research Council, the Department of Education and Training (DET), the Queensland Museum Network (QMN), and the Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT). Professor Gillies is a Chief Investigator on the Science of Learning Research Centre (SLRC) where she has been instrumental in implementing two recent science-based research projects in primary and secondary schools to help teachers embed inquiry-science pedagogy into their science curricula. Her recommendations on how teachers can translate research into practice have been widely profiled in the international literature and on the website of the Smithsonian Science Education Center in Washington, DC.

Teacher Education

Dr. Simone Smala is a senior lecturer in teacher education, educational psychology and multilingualism in education. Drawing from a background as a middle years and secondary teacher, Simone now focuses her research on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in bilingual, immersion and TESOL settings, and the emerging world of Generative AI in K-12 education. Simone's research is based in socio-cultural learning theories, educational policy and blended learning.She publishes in both English and German and has extensive research connections in Europe and the USA.

Biography:

Ian Cameron is a professor at the School of Chemical Engineering, an inaugural Senior Fellow of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council and ALTC Discipline Scholar in Engineering & ICT. He is also a director and principal consultant at Daesim Technologies, Brisbane. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE).

He completed Chemical Engineering degrees at the University of NSW, and a masters degree at the University of Washington. He worked for 10 years for the CSR Group in diverse industry sectors such as sugar, building materials and industrial chemicals, having roles in process and control system design, plant commissioning, production management and environmental protection.

He obtained his PhD and DIC from Imperial College London in the area of Process Systems Engineering (PSE), and then worked full-time for 3 years as a United Nations (UNIDO) process engineering consultant in Argentina and a further 6 years in Turkey on a part-time basis. He has spent the last 25 years in research, consulting, teaching and learning innovation at The University of Queensland, having received numerous awards including the J.A. Brodie Medal of the Institution of Engineers Australia, the Australian Award for University Teaching in Physical Sciences 2003 and the Prime Minister’s Award for University Teacher of the Year. He was part of the team from UQ Chemical Engineering that won a national AAUT institutional award in 2005 for educational enhancement via project centred curriculum and course innovation.

He has held visiting appointments at Imperial College London, University College London, the Technical University of Denmark, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the University of Edinburgh.

Research:

Ian’s research interests are in Process Systems Engineering, granulation, risk management, intelligent systems and engineering education. He has published over 220 international journal and conference papers in these and related areas.

His current work focuses on innovative methodologies to detect and analyse failures in process systems, including human factors. He also applies systems thinking to innovative design and design tools for higher education curricula in engineering. He has created numerous 4D virtual systems in conjunction with industry that are now deployed and used globally.

He is the co-author of 4 books, including a process systems modelling book used in over 35 countries, as well as a widely used book giving a comprehensive treatment of industrial process risk management based on almost 30 years of research and consultancy work.

Teaching and Learning:

Since arriving at UQ, Ian has been deeply involved in course and curriculum design innovation, having established, and taught, numerous project based courses around process systems engineering. He consults widely to the national and international engineering sector on curriculum design issues. He has recently been involved in educational aspects of Skolkovo Tech, a joint venture between MIT and the Russian government.

Projects:

1. Blended hazard identification methodologies for advanced process diagnosis
2. Resilience engineering: theory and practice
3. Improved decision making via 4D+ virtual learning systems
4. Innovative curricula design tools for higher education

Natalie is a self-confessed pracademic. Her entire career has been in the pursuit of helping organisations get value from their technology investments. She started hacking code before it was fashionable, and climbed the slippery pole of technical and project leadership. She is now an Associate Professor of Practice at UQBS, conducting industry research and executive education on all things digital, data and AI governance and serves as a board member of UnitingCare Queensland and Queensland Treasury Corporation. Previously, Natalie was a partner in Deloitte’s Risk Advisory practice, was seconded as Chief Delivery Officer role for eHealth Queensland, and has been an inaugural member of several digital committees, including the National AI Centre Thinktank on Responsible AI.

Transporters for Catecholamines and Serotonin. Science Education.

The overall theme of Lesley Lluka's research over 3 decades has been the structure and function of the noradrenaline transporter (NET) and the serotonin transporter (SERT). These transporters are important sites of action of drugs such as antidepressants.

More recently, Lesley Lluka's work has increasingly moved to Science Education, with a focus on areas such as student engagement in practical classes, innovative assessment practices to drive deep learning, and internationalization of the curriculum.

Associate Professor Sally Shrapnel is an internationally recognised theoretical physicist whose research lies at the intersection of quantum physics, artificial intelligence, digital health and philosophy of science. Her work seeks to answer a single overarching question: how can we understand and model causation, from the quantum world to complex healthcare systems?

Originally trained as a medical practitioner, Sally worked clinically for more than twenty years in Australia and the United Kingdom before undertaking a PhD in quantum artificial intelligence at The University of Queensland. This unusual combination of clinical medicine, mathematics and theoretical physics now underpins an interdisciplinary research program that connects fundamental science with real-world applications.

Sally is internationally recognised for pioneering Quantum Causal Modelling, the first mathematical framework for representing and discovering causal relationships between quantum systems. Her work has helped establish quantum causality as an internationally active research field, with contributions spanning quantum foundations, quantum information theory and the philosophy of science. She is also developing new quantum algorithms for machine learning and causal inference, with the aim of enabling future quantum computers to solve problems beyond the reach of classical approaches.

Alongside her fundamental research, Sally leads a program developing Quantum Technologies for Digital Health at the Queensland Digital Health Centre. Working with Queensland Health, IBM Quantum and international collaborators, her group investigates how advances in quantum computing, optimisation and artificial intelligence can improve healthcare delivery, patient flow and clinical decision-making. This research reflects her long-standing commitment to translating fundamental discoveries into technologies that deliver public benefit.

Sally has held senior leadership roles across Australia's quantum ecosystem, including Deputy Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS), where she helped shape national research strategy, governance and researcher development. She also contributes to international policy, research governance and data stewardship through leadership roles spanning quantum technologies, artificial intelligence and global health.

Her research has been recognised through invited keynote lectures, highly cited publications, international collaborations and leadership of major interdisciplinary research initiatives. She is particularly interested in building intellectual bridges between disciplines and mentoring researchers who combine deep technical expertise with a willingness to tackle important real-world problems.

Beyond research, Sally is passionate about educating the next generation of scientists, engineers and healthcare professionals. She leads the development of AI and digital health education at UQ and is committed to ensuring that emerging technologies are adopted responsibly, ethically and for the public good.

Since returning to academia from industry in 1998, Professor Lydia Kavanagh has become a leader in engineering education and has used her background as a professional engineer to design both curricula and courses for active learning by combining real-world projects and specialist knowledge. She has had a significant impact on the delivery of UQ’s undergraduate engineering program through creative new teaching pedagogies including the Flipped Classroom, innovative authentic approaches to assessment, and the introduction of multi-disciplinary courses. As Director of First Year Engineering for almost a decade, Lydia was responsible for a significant program of extra-curricular transition support for first year students and she co-coordinated two compulsory courses that delivered what could arguably be the world's largest flipped classroom for 600 students. Recently, she has set up a Leadership and Mentoring Program for all EAIT faculty students (undergraduate and postgraduates), and continued this into a Leaders@EAIT, an ongoing academy for these students to continue to develop leadership competencies.

Lydia is now the Deputy Associate Dean Academic (Curriculum Review and Teaching Innovation) for the Faculty of Science where she has overseen a faculty-wide overview of curriculum resulting in streamlined undergraduate and postgraduate offerings. She holds a concurrent fractional position with the Institute of Teaching and Learning Innovations, where she has developed frameworks and systems for UQ shorter form credentials.

Lydia is also heavily involved institutionally with training and mentoring academics and professional staff with teaching responsibilities through the development and implementation of the Graduate Teaching Assistant program (for PhD scholars and postdocs), Teaching@UQ (for staff new to teaching), and TeachingPlus@UQ (for emerging leaders in Teaching and Learning).

Lydia’s work was recognised with a Principal Fellowship of the HEA, an ALTC Excellence in teaching award in 2011 and she has lead and participated in Carrick/ ALTC/ OLT projects on teamwork, online learning, curriculum innovation (2x), preparing students for first year engineering, and Flipped Classrooms.

Dr Naydenova is an emerging early-career researcher in the field of quantum biotechnology with a rare cross-disciplinary expertise in quantum biotechnology and molecular biology. She specialises in single-molecule detection and optical trapping of proteins using biomolecular optomechanics approaches at the University of Queensland’s Quantum Optics Lab led by Prof. Warwick Bowen. She is interested in fundamental research questions such as the relationship between function-dynamics-structure in proteins, as well as applications of biomolecular optomechanics for sensing in sport (e.g. anti-doping) and in biosecurity contexts (e.g. plant pathogens).

Dr Naydenova holds a PhD in Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry by the Medical University-Sofia, Bulgaria, where her research focused on plant biotechnology, epigenetics and plant-derived chiral metabolites with anti-cancer properties. Chiral metabolites have a property called chirality, also known as handedness, that underpins many interactions between molecules, including drugs binding to molecular targets such as proteins and enzymes to modulate activity. Her work was recognised with the Medical University – Sofia’s Award for best research in pharmacy, an annual distinction for outstanding doctoral and early-career researchers.

In 2023, she was awarded a Postdoctoral Research Grant to investigate protein dynamics using molecular optomechanics approaches. She joined Prof. Bowen's lab and successfully transitioned to the field of quantum biotechnology, securing over $1.2M in external research funding from Australian and Queensland Governments in the past two years. Previous experience in industry engagement and program management in Australia's higher education sector further provides a strong foundation for translating cutting-edge science into real-world applications, bridging academic innovation with practical impact.

In addition to her research development, Dr Naydenova is also committed to her leadership development. Through her affiliation with the Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology (QUBIC), she served as the inaugural co-Chair of the centre's EMCR Committee and is an active member of the centre's Outreach and Engagement Portfolio, engaging in STEM outreach to school students.

Dr Naydenova's goal is to harness and continue building skills and expertise to drive impactful cross-disciplinary research that can drive both applied and cutting-edge fundamental research.

I am an Associate Professor in the School of Languages and Cultures at UQ (since 2017), having formerly been an assistant professor at the Centre for Applied English Studies (CAES), University of Hong Kong (since 2014). I hold an MA TESOL from the University of London and an M.Phil/Ph.D in applied linguistics from the University of Cambridge.

My areas of research and supervisory expertise include generative AI, corpus linguistics and the use of AI/corpora for language learning (known as 'data-driven learning'), as well as L2 writing research and English for General and Specific Academic Purposes. I have featured in Stanford's Top 2% Scientists lists for 2023 and 2024.

I am currently Co-Editor in Chief of Language Learning & Technology (SSCI, Q1); Editor in Chief of the Australian Review of Applied Linguistics (SCOPUS, Q1), have served as Associate Editor for the Journal of English for Academic Purposes (Q1), sit on the editorial boards of JSLW, IRAL, System, Applied Corpus Linguistics, Research Syntheses in Applied Linguistics, Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, and the book series Studies in Corpus Linguistics.

Dr. Travis Mitchell is a Lecturer within the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at The University of Queensland (UQ). Travis completed his PhD in multiphase computational fluid dynamics at UQ, as well as a dual degree including a BE(Hons) in mechanical engineering and BSc in Mathematics. During his PhD, he interned at the Helmholtz Institue for Renewable Energy Production in Nuremberg (Germany), presented invited talks at the Warsaw University of Technology, Massachusetts Institutte of Technology, and stayed with collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania. His doctoral research focused on the development of a simulation methodology for capturing liquid-gas interactions, which he applied in the context of resource extraction.

Dr Mitchell's research is focused on the development, implementation, and application of numerical models to study complex fluid flows, with a particular interest in porous media, multiphase, and multiphysics problems. Travis was recognised at the 18th International Conference for Mesoscopic Methods in Engineering and Science with the ICMMES-CSRC Award for his work in multiphase lattice Boltzmann methods. His current research applications include the development of gas diffusion electrodes for CO2 electrolysis, bubble-particle interaction in hydrogen formation for methane pyrolysis, particle propagation in the upper respiratory system, and multiphase transport in fractured media.

Within the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, Dr. Mitchell coordinates the second year course on Computational Engineering and Data Analysis (MECH2700) and lectures into Computational Mechanics (MECH3780) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (MECH6480). Travis is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and received an EAIT Citation for Excellence in Student Learning in 2023.

Denis Collins is a world authority on the history of compositional techniques, especially counterpoint, in Western art music from the late Middle Ages to the time of J.S. Bach. He is also an expert on the history of music theory, including the legacy of the Russian composer and theorist Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev. Denis's research draws upon digital applications to music, musical iconography, and mathematics. He has been Lead Chief Investigator on two Discovery Projects awarded by the Australian Research Council: "Canonic techniques and musical change from c.1330 to c.1530" (2015-17) and "The art and science of canon in the music of early 17th-century Rome" (2018-21). He was an Associate Investigator at the ARC's Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions in Europe, 1100-1800. Together with Artem Pulemotov (UQ School of Mathematics and Physics), he has launched a cross-faculty research and engagement initiative, the Sound of Symmetry, that draws together expertise in mathematics, musicology, composition and music performance to explore creative musical responses to mathematical theories of symmetry. Denis has published extensively in Australian and international music journals and edited volumes and he presents the results of his research regularly at international conferences and symposia. He is Editor-in-Chief of Musicology Australia, the official journal of the Musicological Society of Australia.

Professor Wojtek Tomaszewski is Professorial Research Fellow and a Research Group Leader at the Institute for Social Science Research. He is the Director of the Social Science Research Infrastructure Network (SSRIN), and is also Chief Investigator and Program Leader in the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (the Life Course Centre).

Wojtek holds a BSc and MSc in Mathematics, as well as an MA in Sociology from the University of Warsaw, Poland and a PhD in Social Sciences from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. Prior to joining UQ, Wojtek worked at the National Centre for Social Research in London. He has specialist expertise in quantitative research methods and advanced statistical analysis.

Wojtek has a strong research interest in the impact of disadvantage on educational and labour market outcomes in young people. He has undertaken a number of research projects for the State and Commonwealth Governments in Australia, and previously for the British Government. He has published in high-profile international academic journals across the fields of social sciences, education, and beyond.

I am a speech pathology and hearing researcher specialising in equitable access to early communication intervention. My work focuses on improving how services are designed, delivered, and experienced to support better outcomes for children, families, and underserved communities.

My research sits within health services research and implementation science, with a strong emphasis on real-world impact. I am particularly interested in understanding and addressing disparities in access and engagement across diverse populations.

Key areas of expertise include:

• Early intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and/or other communicaiton disability
• Access to services and service engagement
• Health equity for culturally and linguistically diverse and rural populations
• Communication participation and inclusion
• Stigma in hearing loss and communication disability
• Telehealth and innovative models of care

I use a range of approaches, including mixed methods research, co-design, and large-scale data analysis, to work collaboratively with communities, clinicians, and service providers. My goal is to generate evidence that informs policy and practice, leading to more accessible, inclusive, and effective communication services across the lifespan.

Stephen is a physiologist with expertise in endocrinology whose research examines how hormones regulate metabolism, growth, appetite, and reproduction. He works closely with animal nutritionists and veterinary clinicians on challenges in animal health and production, with current research focused on phosphorus deficiency in Australian cattle.

Alongside his scientific work, Stephen is a recognised educational leader with strengths in teaching strategy, curriculum renewal, and student success. As Director of Teaching and Learning in the School of Biomedical Sciences (2019–2024), he led the School’s response to COVID-19, receiving a UQ Service Excellence commendation and the Faculty of Medicine Academic Leader of the Year award. He has guided the renewal of the UQ Bachelor of Biomedical Science, shaping a future-focused program that strengthens student engagement, belonging, and graduate capability. His leadership has also influenced biomedical science education nationally and internationally through school–university pathways, curriculum reviews, science communication projects, and the development of physiology MOOCs. He was recently awarded a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.

Stephen’s educational leadership is grounded in extensive teaching experience. He has taught physiology to more than 40,000 students across biomedical, health, animal, and veterinary programs, earning multiple teaching awards including a national ALTC Citation. His educational research focuses on how students learn complex concepts in physiology, particularly in contexts involving uncertainty and integration. Reappointed in 2025 as Director of Teaching and Learning in Biomedical Sciences, he also serves as interim Deputy Associate Dean (Academic) for Student Experience and Success in the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences.

Rebecca is a Senior Lecturer in Speech Pathology at the University of Queensland, and she has a particular clinical and research interest in paediatric populations. Clinically, Rebecca has experience working with school-age children, and she is passionate about sharing her interest and expertise in this area through her teaching and research aspirations. Rebecca’s teaching and research focuses on a range of paediatric areas of speech pathology practice, including speech, language, literacy and special needs in communication (including children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Developmental Language Disorders). To date, Rebecca has presented at national and international conferences and also has published in peer-reviewed journals published in the areas of Autism Spectrum Disorders, and also population-based research examining the early life predictors and long-term outcomes of language impairment.

Len Coote holds the rank of Associate Professor in The University of Queensland Business School. His primary academic contribution is to the study of economic choices, which are ubiquitous in marketing (e.g., consider the decisions to install solar panels, purchase private health insurance, and use toll roads—to name just a few). Together with his academic collaborators, he developed a very general and flexible model for studying decision making and choice. The model integrates the mathematics of Daniel McFadden’s (UC Berkeley) conditional logistic regression and Karl Joreskog’s (Uppsala) linear structural relations models.

Len’s primary teaching interests are in quantitative marketing, which is a precursor to the new discipline of business analytics. In his opinion, today’s business school students need greater “data literacy” and business schools must place greater emphasis on equipping students to succeed in a world of artificial intelligence and big data. The methods of business analytics—data visualisation, machine learning, optimisation methods, predictive analytics, text mining, and web analytics—have much application to solving business and marketing problems. Len is passionate about bringing these methods to a new generation of business school students.

For the past 10 years, Len has performed several valued service roles at the University of Queensland. He served as Acting Dean of the UQ Business School for 1.5 years through to December, 2017. Before that he served as Deputy Dean of the Business School (1.5 years) and Head of the Marketing Discipline (7 years). As Acting Dean, Len was committed to understanding the needs of business and responding to those needs by introducing advanced and innovative programs. The introduction of the Bachelor of Advanced Business (Honours) program reflects this commitment.

Len is an active participant in community service roles. For example, he is the Vice-Chair of the Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research, Inc. ACSPRI is a non-profit consortium of Australian universities. Its mission is to improve the quality of research in the social and behavioural sciences and encourage Australian governments to take an evidence-based approach to policymaking. Before serving in the role of Vice-Chair, he was an instructor on ACSPRI’s summer and winter programs for circa 10 years (teaching courses on structural equations with latent variables).