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A/Prof Stephen Johnston is a Reader in Reproduction (40% Teaching; 40% Research and 20% Service) in the School of Environment at the University of Queensland, where he teaches animal reproduction and captive husbandry to Bachelor of Wildlife Science and Science undergraduate and postgraduate students. He is current program coordinator for the Bachelor of Wildlife Science Program. He is also a research affiliate in the School of Veterinary Science. Stephen was trained as a zoologist and specialises in the area of reproductive biology in a broad diversity of species ranging from prawns to tigers but with a major focus on Australian mammals. A/Prof Johnston has published 300 scientific works in basic and applied science disciplines including reproductive anatomy, physiology and behaviour. He was the first person in the world to produce a pouch young following artificial insemination in a marsupial, a task that he and his colleagues have now carried out successfully in the koala, a total of 34 times. Stephen is also a specialist in the cryopreservation of marsupial spermatozoa and in the assessment of sperm DNA fragmentation, including human and domestic animal spermatozoa. A/Prof Johnston’s recent research interests and grant success include studies aimed at a better understanding of the effect of chlamydia on male koala reproduction, heat stress in koalas, sociobiology of koalas, genetic and reproductive management of koalas, wombat captive reproduction, echidna captive breeding, crocodile artificial insemination and prawn aquaculture. He is a Fellow of the Society for Reproductive Biology (2019)

Associate Professor Kelly Johnstone is a certified occupational hygienist (COH) and occupational health and safety (OHS) generalist with a focus on the protection of worker health. She is the Director of the Master of Occupational Hygiene in the School of the Environment, Faculty of Science, UQ. Kelly has experience in various industries, including education, the energy and resource sectors, construction, transport, and agriculture. She plays an active role in the Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) and the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH). Kelly is currently Chair of the Rural Industry Sector Standing Committee for Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.

Kelly's research interests focus on occupational health hazards including evaluating worker exposures to pesticides, respirable crystalline silica dust, and other hazardous chemicals. She has previously worked on applied and academic projects in indoor air quality, exposure to waste anaesthetic gases, thermal risk assessment, dust characterisation, and a range of OHS management-related projects.

Operations Manager - National Biologics Facility

Deputy Director - ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation

Research Areas: Discovery and engineering of antibodies for diagnostic or therapeutic uses

BScApp (Biotech) Honours Class I (1998) The University of Queensland

PhD (2008) The University of Queensland

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.

The research focuses on the evaluation and management of neck pain from a physical therapy perspective

The research in the Cervical Spine and Whiplash Research Unit in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences has an applied clinical focus. Two models of neck pain are being investigated, idiopathic neck pain and neck pain following trauma. The research questions and investigates the possible physical and psychological processes underlying the pain and functional disturbances associated with neck disorders to better identify and quantify the impairments or disturbances in the sensory, muscle, sensorimotor and psychological systems.

Whiplash associated disorders

Processes associated with chronic whiplash associated disorders have been researched, identifying problems in the sensory, motor and postural control systems. A prospective study of prognostic indicators for whiplash from within 4 weeks of injury to recovery or chronicity (6 months post injury) identified sensory, motor and psychological processes associated with recovery and non recovery. A multicentre, international collaborative project is underway to test the sensitivity and specificity of these indicators. This research questions the current classification system for whiplash associated disorders. One RCT of management of chronic whiplash associated disorders has been completed. Currently an RCT is underway to test whether a pragmatic multi-professional management program for acute whiplash will lessen the incidence of transition to chronicity.

Cervicogenic headache

Research into cervicogenic headache has established the physical criteria which characterise cervicogenic headache. A specific pattern of articular and muscle impairment clearly identifies cervicogenic headache from other types of benign intermittent frequent headache with symptomatic overlap (eg tension-type headache and frequent migraine without aura). An RCT has been conducted to investigate the efficacy of physiotherapy treatment methods designed to address these impairments. Current research is investigating cervicogenic headache in the elderly.

Impairment in the neck muscle system and sensorimotor control

The nature of impairments in the cervical muscle system associated with neck pain is being researched. Impairments in the motor control of the deep and superficial neck muscles have been identified in cognitive, functional and automatic tasks. The changes appear to be generic reactions to neck pain syndromes regardless of aetiology. Two randomised controlled trials have been conducted testing the effectiveness of a specific exercise regime developed from this research. The possible physiological mechanisms underlying the effectives of different therapeutic exercise strategies are currently being researched to ensure best evidence-based practice in the field of therapeutic exercise for cervical disorders.

Dr Aleksandr Kakinen is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow (EL1) at AIBN, UQ. His research investigates how protein aggregation, inflammation, and infection contribute to neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

His work focuses on amyloid proteins — misfolded proteins that assemble into toxic aggregates in the brain — and how these assemblies interact with inflammatory and microbial factors to influence disease progression. He combines approaches from biophysics, structural biology, molecular neuroscience, neuroinflammation, and nanomedicine to understand disease mechanisms and identify new therapeutic opportunities.

Dr Kakinen’s research program includes:

• amyloid aggregation and cross-seeding mechanisms
• infection- and inflammation-driven neurodegeneration
• structural and biological diversity of amyloid assemblies
• neuroinflammatory responses in neuronal and microglial models
• brain-targeted delivery of neuroprotective molecules and peptides

He has authored over 65 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, including Nature Communications, Advanced Science, ACS Nano, and Chemical Reviews. His current work aims to link fundamental mechanisms of protein aggregation with translational strategies for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr Shamshad Karatela is an environmental epidemiologist and a public health researcher. From being a molecular microbiologist, she further developed her skills in public health, environmental epidemiology, exposure science, bio-monitoring, infectious diseases, microbiome and intellectual disability. She has also developed skills in program monitoring and evaluation, survey design, curricula development/training, supervision, management and data analysis. Her particular research interest focuses on understanding the long-term impacts of developmental exposures (from gestation, early life, into adolescence) to environmental chemicals/pollutants/contaminants.

Dibesh Karmacharya has a Conservation Biology degree from Wayne State College, USA and a PhD on Conservation and Microbiome Genetics from Griffith University, Australia. He worked extensively in the US for Caliper Lifesciences in New Jersey as a research scientist (transgenic animal models). He promoted Genomics and Proteomics technology platforms for GE Healthcare Lifesciences in the US and Canada. He founded the Center for Molecular Dynamics Nepal (CMDN), a wildlife genetics and clinical epidemiology research center and is the Chairman and Executive Director of the Organization. He also founded Intrepid Nepal Pvt. Ltd.-a molecular diagnostics-based Biotechnology Company, and Intrepid Cancer Diagnostics-a leading cancer diagnostic laboratory. He leads several innovative researches in Nepal including building Nepal’s first genetic database of wild tigers through Nepal Tiger Genome Project. He was the Principal Investigator of PREDICT Nepal project-an emerging pandemic threat project. He also founded BIOVAC Nepal Pvt. Ltd. - a vaccine research, development and manufacturing company. He was the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Regional Project Coordinator of Pandemic Prevention Leadership Initiative (PPLI). He specializes in One Health and Conservation Genetics.

Dr Kassianos is a Senior Scientist at the Conjoint Internal Medical Laboratory, Queensland Health. Dr Kassianos has made significant contributions to understanding the cell-cell communication between discrete kidney cell and immune cell populations and the therapeutic potential of targeting this cross-talk in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dr Kassianos has been integral in the development of innovative tools for CKD analytics: (i) in situ/ex vivo profiling for integrating CKD molecular profiles with histopathology; and (ii) preclinical models for screening novel CKD therapeutics. His research is internationally recognised in the field of CKD pathobiology.

Dr Kassianos has contributed to the fields of nephrology and immunology with 41 publications, >2000 career citations (~48 citations/paper) and invited international keynote lectures. Dr Kassianos has a continued record of success in attracting competitive research funding (>$2M as CI), including an NHMRC Dora Lush Scholarship (2007-2010), an RBWH Foundation Fellowship (2012-2014) and two NHMRC Project Grants as CIA (2016-2019; 2019-2022). Dr Kassianos has publications in high-ranking specialist (nephrology, immunology) and generalist journals, including five editorial commentaries in publication issues. These include 21 publications (~50% of his papers) as first or senior author/co-author – of which, 19 (90%) are in top field-weighted journals (Q1, top 10%), including Kidney Int, J Am Soc Nephrol, Cell Death Dis and J Extracell Vesicles. During this time, Dr Kassianos has supervised 5 Early Career Researchers, 5 PhD students (3 to completion) and 2 Masters students (both to completion). Dr Kassianos is also an Editor at Frontiers in Physiology and has contributed to 3 NHMRC grant review panels (2019-2021).

Associate Professor Lauren Kearney is a registered midwife and nurse and is employed as a Conjoint Associate Professor in Midwifery between the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, UQ and the Women's and Newborn Services, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. Lauren’s teaching expertise is within the postgraduate and higher degree by research areas. Her research track record is strongly focused upon maternal and child health; specifically, within the domains of evaluation of models of care (relating to the perinatal period and early years), intravenous fluid management and access during labour and birth, and facilitators to promote a positive and physiological spontaneous vaginal birth. She is also committed to enhancing women's opportunity to breastfeed and thrive in the postpartum period. Lauren has strong industry collaborations. The recipient of several competitive research grants, Lauren is passionate about improving the experience of health care for women and children through translation of high-quality evidence into practice.

Associate Professor Shelley Keating is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) and an Associate Professor in Clinical Exercise Physiology at the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, University of Queensland. With a strong grounding in exercise metabolism and body composition, Shelley leads a program of research aimed at changing the way we prioritise, access and deliver lifestyle intervention for people with obesity, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), type 2 diabetes and liver cirrhosis. She leads a multidisciplinary research program advancing the integration of exercise into standard cardiometabolic and hepatology care pathways. Her program is co-designed with clinicians, health services, and people living with MASLD to develop sustainable, meaningful exercise solutions that can be embedded into routine hepatology care. A/Prof Keating is also a member of the Global NASH/MASH Council and the EASL Global Liver Advocacy Network, contributing to international advocacy and multidisciplinary collaboration in steatotic liver disease.

A/Prof Keating is the Director of the Exercise Physiology and Liver Disease Translation Group (EP-Liver), which is advanding liver health through exercise, implementation and partnership. The Exercise Physiology and Liver Disease Translation Group conducts clinical trials and implementation research to integrate exercise physiology into the prevention, assessment and management of steatotic liver disease and cirrhosis, with the goal of advancing liver health across the disease spectrum.

The Exercise Physiology and Liver Disease Translation Group (EP-Liver) has three core pillars:

Transforming Workforce: Builds workforce capacity and implementation frameworks that embed exercise physiology within multidiciplinary care for steatotic liver disease and cirrhosis.

Translating Evidence: Generates and translates clinical trial evidence on exercise as a therapeutic intervention for steatotic liver disease and cirrhosis into guidelines and models of care.

Amplifying Voices: Centres the perspectives of people living with steatotic liver disease and cirrhosis through co-design and engagement, ensuring models of care are equity-informed.

I am the Founder and Director of the Hearing Research Unit for Children, leading three research teams investigating (1) middle ear assessments in neonates and infants, (2) hearing screening and diagnostic assessment of school-aged children, and (3) assessment of auditory function of adults and children using electrophysiologic measures including otoacoustic emissions, auditory brainstem response, steady-state evoked potentials, wideband absorbance and wideband tympanometry. My special interest in technological advances and my mission to improve hearing health services through the use of cutting-edge technologies have inspired me to become a world leader in detecting ear diseases in newborns, infants and children. As a world leader in the field of tympanometry and advanced middle ear assessments for children, I have been invited to present on the use of wideband tympanometry with infants and children at international seminars and institutions.

As of July 2024, I have a career total of 249 publications - consisting of 1 book, 4 book chapters, 2 chapters in the Encyclopedia of Human Communication Sciences and Disorders, 132 peer-reviewed journal papers and 110 conference abstracts. Internationally, I am ranked as the most productive author in the world in the field of Tympanometry (a test of middle ear function) and advanced middle ear assessments for all years (1994-2024) and for the last 5 years (Web of Science, February 2024). My work has been cited in 25 different subject categories including Medicine, Health Professions, Neuroscience, Physics, Astronomy, Engineering and Computer Science (Scopus, February 2024). Furthermore, my work has been widely cited internationally by authors in 83 countries ranging from the United States to Europe, Asia and the Middle East (Scopus, February 2024).

Dr Jaimon Kelly is a consultant Accredited Practising Dietitian and Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Online Health, and one of Australia's and the world's leading experts in digital and telehealth-delivered nutrition care for chronic disease.

He holds a PhD in technology-supported lifestyle interventions and leads a research program that established the international evidence standard for telehealth-delivered nutrition care. His work has changed what is recommended internationally, what is funded and practised nationally, and how equitably digital nutrition care reaches the community.

Dr Kelly led the dietetics profession's first national telehealth position statement for Dietitians Australia and the national evaluation of dietetic telehealth under Medicare, and his research has been embedded in routine care, professional guidance and health policy in Australia and internationally. He was recognised with a University of Queensland Vice-Chancellor's Award for Early Career Research Excellence and, in 2024, a UQ Foundation for Research Excellence Award for promoting telehealth equity and innovation.

He works in private practice, primarily providing professional consultancy services for kidney nutrition, and also consults in cardiovascular disease and diabetes. You can learn more about his private practice here - https://www.mynutritionclinic.com.au/home/jaimon-kelly/

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research sits at the intersection of nutrition, health service delivery and digital health, and asks how technology can make high-quality, patient-centred nutrition care both effective and equitable for people living with complex chronic conditions.

My interests are in 1) Nutrition and dietetics, primarily diet quality and methods to improve it in people with chronic kidney disease and other complex chronic conditions; 2) Health service delivery, focused on models of care that move evidence into routine practice and funding; and 3) Digital health, specifically preparing the workforce, co-designing and testing technology-assisted lifestyle interventions, and building digital health trust, literacy and equity of access. A consistent thread across this work is simplifying nutrition communication for clinicians and for people living with chronic conditions, so that digital nutrition care reaches everyone, including culturally and linguistically diverse communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Emeritus Professor Justin Kenardy AO is a clinical psychologist whose work has helped establish the psychological consequences of injury and medical treatment as an essential part of healthcare. Across more than three decades, he has led research and service innovation in child and adult medical trauma, burns and injury, post-traumatic stress, rehabilitation and digital mental health. His work is distinguished by translating evidence into practical early interventions for patients and families and by building collaborations across psychology, medicine, hospitals and community services. In 2026, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to clinical psychology.

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.

I am interested in ion channels in health and disease. Improved technologies for genetic screening is revealing an expanding catalogue of genetic variants to ion channels that give rise neurological disorders, such as epilespy syndromes, autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders. My main research focus is on neurotransmitter-activated receptor ion channels that are found at neuronal synapses. These include GABA-A, glycine and glutamate (NMDA) receptors. I also work on other ion channesl such as voltage-gated sodium channels and synaptic receptors expressed in invertebrate nervous systems.

I am an expert at recording single ion channel, synaptic and conventional whole-cell currents for functional and pharmacological analyisis.

I collaborate with biophysicists, molecular biologists, geneticists, electrophysiologists and clinicians that specialise in genetic neurological disorders. I have active projects in collaboration with research groups in Australia, USA and Europe.

Cognitive and decision-making problems associated with psychotic disorders like schizophrenia are considered the largest burden for these individuals. They also predict poor functional outcomes, such as maintaining work, social networks, and independent living. I am particularly interested in the relationship between decision-making problems and psychotic symptoms in these disorders; will improving decision-making also reduce psychotic symptoms? To that end, I focus on decision-making tasks that are reliant on brain areas and networks that are implicated in psychosis.

My work aims to understand how corticostriatal circuitry drives decision-making processes, and how this is altered in those with schizophrenia and psychosis. I have taken advantage of my collaborations with basic scientists and clinical researchers with a broad range of expertise to establish a cross-species program of research focussed on decision-making. My research is guided by two fundamental questions:

1. Do decision-making problems in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders contribute to psychotic symptoms?
2. How can we leverage the mechanistic tools available in rodent neuroscience to identify causative common substrates underlying decision-making problems (and by proxy psychotic symptoms)?