Dr. Lord leads the Spectroscopy Lab at the School of the Environment, the University of Queensland. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on developing novel, rapid next-generation surveillance and diagnostic tools using infrared light and artificial intelligence. These tools are designed for detecting pathogens in humans and the environment and for characterizing disease-carrying vectors such as mosquitoes.
During the Zika epidemic, Dr. Lord pioneered the application of infrared spectroscopy for rapid Zika virus detection in mosquitoes, achieving results in less than 10 seconds. In 2022, in collaboration with the Australian Defence Force and Instituto Oswaldo Cruz in Brazil, she led a team that demonstrated for the first time that infrared light and AI could detect malaria through the skin—eliminating the need for blood samples.
As a Chief Investigator, Dr. Lord has secured research funding from several funding bodies including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, NHMRC, AQIRF, and Grand Challenges Canada to develop rapid tools for large-scale disease surveillance. With her recent funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, she is developing a smart trap for Ross River virus surveillance in partnership with Queensland Health.
Dr. Lord has published over 60 research works, and presented her findings at over 30 international conferences. Her groundbreaking research has been featured in hundreds of media outlets worldwide. Her contributions to global health have earned her numerous academic accolades, including being named a Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 2024.
Beyond research, Dr. Lord leads the STEM Spotlight program, a STEM mentorship initiative that provides a safe and engaging space for students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. The program encourages students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in STEM while providing them the opportunity to be part of the STEM community in a safe space. In recognition of this work, she was awarded the Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award (2023) by the Department of Multicultural Affairs. Dr Lord has served/serves on numerous committees including the Australian of the year selection Committee (2023), the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Scientific Committee, Young investigator award committee (ASTMH), Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee (UQ).Between 2021-2024 she served as the vice president of African Professionals of Australia (QLD).
Current Research interests:
Vectors that transmit diseases including but not limited to mosquitoes, Triatomine species, ticks
Large scale surveillance tools for Vector-borne disease
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert
Brian C. Lovell, born in Brisbane, Australia in 1960, received his BE in Electrical Engineering (Honours I) in 1982, BSc in Computer Science in 1983, and PhD in Signal Processing in 1991, all from the University of Queensland (UQ). Currently, he is the Project Leader of the Advanced Surveillance Group at UQ. Professor Lovell served as the President of the International Association of Pattern Recognition from 2008 to 2010, is a Senior Member of the IEEE, a Fellow of the IEAust, Fellow of the Asia-Pacific AI Association, and has been a voting member for Australia on the Governing Board of the International Association for Pattern Recognition since 1998.
He is an Honorary Professor at IIT Guwahati, India; an Associate Editor of the Pattern Recognition Journal; an Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Machine Learning Research Journal; a member of the IAPR TC4 on Biometrics; and a member of the Awards Committee and Education Committee of the IEEE Biometrics Council.
In addition, Professor Lovell has chaired and co-chaired numerous international conferences in the field of pattern recognition, including ICPR2008, ACPR2011, ICIP2013, ICPR2016, and ICPR2020. His Advanced Surveillance Group has collaborated with port, rail, and airport organizations, as well as several national and international agencies, to develop technology-based solutions for operational and security concerns.
His current research projects are in the fields of:
Artificial Intelligence
StyleGAN
Stable Diffusion
Deep Learning
Biometrics
Robust Face Recognition using Deep Learning
Masked Face Recognition for COVID-19 Pandemic
Adversarial Attacks on AI Systems
Digital Pathology
Neurofibroma Detection and Assessment
Object Detection with Deep Learning
I am actively recruiting PhD students in Artificial Intelligence to work with my team. If you are interested and have a strong record from a good university, with a publication in a good conference such as CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, or MICCAI please send your CV to me. Full Scholarships (Tuition and Living) can be awarded within one month for truly exceptional candidates.
Affiliate of Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science
Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science
Faculty of Science
ARC Laureate Fellow
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert
Professor Lovelock's research focusses on the influence of environmental change, including climate change, on the ecology of coastal and marine plant communities and in providing knowledge to underpin conservation and restoration of these ecosystems now and in the future.
Dr Morris Low’s research interests include the history of Japanese science and technology, history of Australia-Japan relations, Japanese visual culture, and issues relating to identity.
His current research projects include: the history of nuclear power in Japan; and the history of Japan’s participation in international expositions and Olympic Games.
He is Editor of the East Asia Series of research monographs published by Routledge for the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA).
Rand Low is Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Queensland and an Associate Professor of Quantitative Finance at Bond Business School.
Assoc. Professor Rand Low’s research areas are in asset and investments management, specifically correlation/dependence modelling, portfolio optimization, risk management, systematic trading strategies and commodities investing strategies. His work has been published in leading academic and industry journals such as Journal of Banking & Finance, Quantitative Finance, Journal of Empirical Finance, Journal of Investing, Journal of Commodities Markets, Resource Policy, and Journal of Risk. Rand is an avid supporter of Open Access Journals and multi-disciplinary research. He is an Editor of the Special Issue of Mathematics: Mathematical Models and Applications in Finance (Impact Factor: 2.6; Q1 Journal Ranking)
Prior to his PhD studies, Assoc Prof. Professor Low worked in control systems engineering and management roles for Honeywell for landmark engineering projects such as GOMA, SLQ, Brisbane Square, Mater Mothers' Hospital, St Andrews Hospital, and more where he achieved the Chartered Engineer designation from Engineers Australia. During his PhD studies, he won the GSITA Award and 3MT competitions. Upon completing his PhD, he received the Dean's Award for Research Higher Degree Excellence, a research fellowship on portfolio optimization & risk management techniques for financial crises and an Australia Awards - Endeavour fellow. He has been a visiting research fellow at the New York University - Stern School of Business, and an Australian Institute of Business and Economis (AIBE) Scholar He has also had Visiting Research Fellow appointments at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK and Sunway University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Assoc. Prof Low research expertise has allowed him to successfully transition into industry as he has worked at the global headquarters of Bank of America Merrill Lynch and BlackRock in New York City. He led teams of quantitative researchers in building mathematical models for market/credit/operational risk, securities lending, structured products, asset-backed securities, and portfolio management. He has also defended quantitative model development practices on behalf of these institutions to US regulators such as the Federal Reserve (FED) and the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC). He is worked on quantiative model stress-testing, model risk management practices, and model risk governance for major global financial institutions.
Assoc. Professor Low’s is interested in applying statistical and machine learning techniques in automating business processes and investments management in areas such as corporate credit ratings, robo-advisors, digital assets (i.e., cryptocurrencies, blockchain), commodities, and systematic active investment strategies.
My research interests involve integrating interdisciplinary methods with particular emphasis on archaeological geophysics, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) and geoarchaeology in archaeological research. Recent work explores the potential use and comparability of soil magnetic susceptibility with other techniques like soil chemistry and geochronology, to understand the nature and persistence of Pleistocene human occupation in Australia. Outside Australia, I have been involved in several international projects in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Indonesia, North and South America, Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia.
I also have significant relevant industry experience as a consultant in cultural heritage management in Australia and the U.S. I have worked casually as a Senior Heritage Advisor in Australia since 2011 and started my own cultural heritage business specialising in geophysics during the COVID pandemic. Before commencing my PhD, I was a full-time Project Manager at Coastal Environments Incorporated in the U.S. after completing my M.A. at the University of Mississippi. My role involved the management of cultural resources for both federal (e.g. Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Coast Guard) and state (e.g. Mississippi Department of Transportation and Mississippi Department of Archives and History) agencies along the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Higher Degree by Research Scholar
Medical School
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Availability:
Available for supervision
As a researcher with experience in multiple facets of medical science, my current focus revolves around the fields of critical care and surgery. Building upon a solid background in fundamental science, pre-clinical investigations, and clinical research, I am well-equipped to address the demanding issues encountered by healthcare practitioners. Moreover, I am enthusiastic about exploring further opportunities in medical education and surgical innovation, as these domains have perpetually captivated my interest.
