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Elize has a broad interested in avian biology and conservation. Here at UQ, as an affiliated research with the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, she is developing a comprehensive conservation action database for shorebirds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway to support conservation strategies and inform effective management for these migratory species.

With a background in population and evolutionary genomics, Elize’s research has explored how major drivers such as the captive trade, habitat fragmentation, and climate change shape avian species across diverse ecosystems, from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia to the icy landscapes of Antarctica. Through her current research in applied conservation, she leverages her genomic expertise to develop more targeted strategies for biodiversity preservation. Her aim is to bridge the gap between foundational genomic research and practical conservation strategies, addressing critical challenges in wildlife management and ecosystem sustainability.

Elize completed her BSc (Hons) at the National University of Singapore, where she studied the genomic impacts of the illegal songbird trade on local populations of the White-rumped Shama. Following this, she worked as a research assistant with the Avian Evolution Lab, focusing on the landscape and conservation genomics of birds, using Singapore as a case study. For her PhD at the University of Tasmania, Elize investigated how climate influences Antarctic seabirds, using genomic and modeling approaches to explore their responses to environmental change.

Associate Professor Son Nghiem is the Head of the Health Economics Research and Modelling Unit, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland. A/Prof Nghiem has a background in applied econometrics and has 18 years of experience in health services research, health economics, and health technology assessment. He has been a chief investigator on 18 research grants, including ten grants as a chief investigator A, with a total funding of more than $15 million. A/Prof Nghiem successfully led a multidisciplinary team to develop the Queensland Cardiovascular Disease Cohort Linkage Study, the first data linkage cohort study for cardiovascular disease in Australia. A/Prof Nghiem has an excellent publication track record with 150 peer-reviewed articles, three book chapters and one book. His publications have been cited over 4000 times, resulting in an average H-index 36.

I completed a PhD in Neuroscience with Jack Pettigrew (FRS) at Vision, Touch & Hearing Research Centre followed by an NHMRC Clinical Research Fellowship at Alfred Health & Monash University.

Back in QLD I'm continuing a transdisciplinary research & innovation program to Bring Discoveries of the Brain to Life!

I'm currently focused on developing novel MedTech Biotech diagnostics & therapeutics for enhancing human performance, recovery & resilience with the following projects:

[1] Precision Pain Medicine — the largest genetic study of persistent (chronic) pain in Australia, in collaboration with QIMR Berghofer & Monash University, aims to identify pharmacogenomics causal pathways for the design of personalised therapeutics & effective early intervention approaches (e.g., screening, education, prevention).

[2] Brain Switcha — A digital transdiagnostic biomarker and cloud-based large-scale population phenotyping & analytics platform to improve early intervention strategies in sleep & mental health conditions (esp. at-risk youth cohorts) and recruitment screening for Defence forces.

[3] VCS — vestibulocortical stimulation: A simple, inexpensive, non-invasive & non-pharmacologic neurotherapeutic treatment technique for fibromyalgia (with US colleagues) and other centralised pain syndromes, sleep apnoea, dementia & mental health conditions (e.g., depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder).

I also have >5 years professional services experience providing specialist research performance evaluation, consultation, reporting & training workshops that successfully delivered several major strategic priorities to a large internal & external client base — such as organisational unit leaders/managers at multiple levels (e.g., Centre/Department) and senior executive business missions for national/international strategic partnerships. This work includes mapping, monitoring & benchmarking of research capacity, capabilities/strengths, gaps & collaboration networks (e.g., clinical, corporate & government) across diverse disciplines for Annual & Septennial Departmental Reviews (e.g., patent, policy & clinical guideline citations; external stakeholder engagement including media); ARC Engagement & Impact assessments; and workforce capability development (e.g., recruitment for senior leadership positions and ranking of NHMRC/ARC funding applicants).

In particular, I enjoy meeting & connecting people with a shared vision & commitment towards building innovative & sustainable public-private partnerships to deliver meaningful solutions for the wider community.

Dr Ngo is a highly successful recent PhD graduate from The University of Queensland who has led a project examining outcomes of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation at a nationwide scale in Australia and New Zealand. Throughout her PhD study, Dr Ngo has excelled in outcomes research and her work has been selected as finalist for prize competitions at local and international conferences, most notably, the Young Investigator Award competition at Heart Rhythm Society Scientific Meeting 2020. Besides her success in academia, she is also a passionate young doctor who graduated from one of the best medical schools in Vietnam with multiple prizes and awards achieved, including the prestigious Australia Awards Fellowship. She is now working as a RMO at The Prince Charles Hospital.

I completed my PhD in Neuroscience at UQ in 2009. After this, I undertook postdoctoral training in motor neuron disease/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (MND/ALS) under the mentorship of neurologists at Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital. In 2012, I received a MND Research Australia Bill Gole Fellowship to develop a research focus to study metabolic dysfunction in MND/ALS. I started my independent research group at UQ in 2015, after receiving the Scott Sullivan MND Research Fellowship to lead a translational program to define the contribution of altered metabolic homeostasis to MND/ALS pathophysiology. In 2017, I relocated my laboratory to the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology to introduce the use of human stem cells for disease modelling into my reserach program. In 2020, I was awarded a FightMND Mid-Career Research Fellowship to transition into clinical trials.

My current research integrates studies in MND/ALS patients with studies in human-derived cell models (stem cell-derived neurons, human primary myosatellite cells, human myotubes) and mouse models of MND/ALS. I have served as lead investigator or co-investigator on several projects aimed at defining the mechanisms that drive MND/ALS and identifying therapeutic strategies for the disease. Projects have led to the expediting of clinical trials (NCT03506425; NCT04788745, NCT05959850). In 2021, I established the MND at UQ Collective to enhance national and international collaboration, and to facilitate community consultation to drive scientific and clinical discoveries in ALS and FTD (www.uq.edu.au/mnd-collective).

I have received invitations to contribute to high impact review articles (i.e., Brain, Nat Rev Neurol), and have received >20 invitations to speak at conferences including: 33rd International ALS/MND Symposium (2022, Plenary), 64th Japanese Society of Neurology Meeting (2023, Tokyo; Plenary), 3rd International Pan-Asian Consortium for Treatment and Research in ALS (PACTALS) Congress (2023, Kuala Lumpur), 18th International Congress on Neuromuscular Diseases (2024, Perth).

Dr. Nguyen is an expert in applying long-read Oxford Nanopore Sequencing Technologies (ONT) in agriculture, particularly livestock and other sectors. Her groundbreaking contributions include being the pioneer in sequencing the genomes of Brahman and Wagyu cattle, developing an innovative epigenetic clock for age prediction in cattle, and successfully implementing ONT portable sequencers for Blockchain traceability systems in Australia.

As a leader in the field, Dr. Nguyen spearheads the use of ONT long-read technology to scaffold genome assemblies in livestock, plants, protists, and insects. Her multidisciplinary expertise in molecular biology, advanced genomics, and animal sciences also empowers her to explore causative markers for commercial SNP arrays and identify significant DNA variants from low-coverage sequencing data sets.

Dr. Nguyen's exceptional achievements and expertise have been acknowledged through the prestigious ARC Industry Fellowship, recognising her as a promising early career researcher. Her work has significantly contributed to advancing genomic research in agriculture and has opened new avenues for utilising ONT sequencing technologies across diverse domains.

Dr. Tuan Nguyen is a Senior Research Fellow at the School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland. He has worked on a diverse range of multidisciplinary research projects, focusing primarily on advancing fundamental knowledge and developing environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions for minerals, oil, and gas processing, as well as environmental pollution management. Over the past five years, his research has closely aligned with the needs of the mineral resource sector, particularly in addressing engineering and environmental challenges associated with the clean energy transition, using both experimental and modeling approaches.

Dr. Nguyen’s current work emphasizes the secondary prospectivity of mineral residues, rare earth elements (REE), biomining, carbon-locking methods, and innovative technologies aimed at minimizing water-, waste-, and carbon-footprints. His research also covers “green” and sustainable solutions for agriculture, including pesticides, fertilizers, peptides, nanofibers, gas hydrates, and geopolymers as cement alternatives. Additionally, he has expertise in molecular dynamics simulations (GROMACS, LAMMPS, Reactive FF, Coarse-grained Force Fields, Organo- & Mineral-associated simulations, Materials Studio), applied to various aspects of mineral, oil, and gas processing.

Tuan has secured over $1.9 million in research funding from ARC, QLD, ACARP, ANSTO, UQ-ECR, and various industry partners. His research has received multiple recognitions, including being named among the “Top 25 Most Cited Papers Published 2012-2016” by Chemical Engineering Science (2016), “Top Cited Papers for 2011 and 2012” (2013). Other accolades include Best Journal Papers in Chemical Engineering (UQ, 2013), the Best Poster Prize “The IUPAC Poster Award at the World Polymer Congress MACRO” (2018), and the EUREKA Student Science Research Award (2006).

He has been actively involved in organizing national and international conferences and leading roundtable discussions. Notable events include TMS 2025 – Energy Technologies and CO2 Management, TMS 2025 – Innovations in Energy Materials, the Australian Mine Waste Symposium, and the 26th World Mining Congress. Dr. Nguyen has also served on the TMS Energy Committee since 2022.

Mai Nguyen is a Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Queensland. She also holds an honorary academic position at Thuongmai University, Vietnam. Her research interest is sustainable behaviour change, online knowledge sharing, and artificial intelligence.

Mai Nguyen has published more than 30 journal articles in Journal of Business Research, British Journal of Management, Journal of Knowledge Management, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, International Marketing Review, Journal of Consumer Behavior, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Knowledge Management and Practice, Transactions on Engineering Management, and Tourism Geographies, among others.

Her contribution has been recoginsed with multiple awards for teaching, research and industry engagement, including: Outstanding Research Award (2021), Excellence in Industry Engagement Award (2021), Outstanding Leadership Award (2021), Outstanding Paper Award in the 5th International Conference on Hospitality and Tourism (2020), Outstanding Master Thesis Award (2012).

Find her at:

Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=R-G2tX0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao‪

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuyetmainguyen/

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mai-Nguyen-313

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mai__Nguyen

Biography:

Anh Nguyen is a professor at the School of Chemical Engineering where he held the BMA (BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance) Chair from 2007 till 2017. He previously held academic positions at the University of Newcastle (Australia), the University of Utah (USA) and the Technical University of Kosice (Czechoslovakia). He was awarded an ARC (Australian Research Council) Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (Germany). His relevant publications include a research book on the colloidal science of flotation, 3 edited volumes, 15 book chapters (invited) and over 350 papers in refereed journals. He has an editorial role on Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, and International Journal of Mineral Processing.

Research:

Professor Nguyen’s research interests embrace various colloid and interfacial science and engineering aspects. His current research focuses on colloid and interface science of particles, bubbles and drops in surfactant solutions and saline water. The ultimate applications include coal and minerals processing, saline water usage and treatment, foliar fertilisers, smart self-cleaning materials, hydrophobic hydration and hydrates of natural gas, and particle separation. His research funding has come from industry partners (BMA, BHP Billiton, Xstrata, Rio Tinto, OneSteel, Agrichem) and agencies (ARC and ACARP). He is the Leader of the Mineral Processing and Interfacial Processes group.

Teaching and Learning:

Professor Nguyen aims to encourage critical thinking, understanding and application of fundamental principles. The objective is to engage students by providing a stimulating learning process and environment at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, relevant to the changing focus of national and global economic importance. He has taught a number of courses, including colloid and surface chemistry, particle processing and technology, unit operation, coal and mineral processing, flotation, computing and design laboratory, process modelling and simulation. He is currently an academic and international advisor for chemical and metallurgical engineering.

Projects:

1. Saline Water: molecular phenomena and engineering of saline water-air interfaces, water desalination, salt flotation, coal flotation in sea water and tailings processing. Foliar Fertilizers and Pesticides: self-assembly of colloids from evaporating droplets on leaf surfaces.
2. Gas Hydrates: role of hydrophobic hydration and additives in gas hydrate formation for storage and transportation.
3. Nanomaterials: surface self-assembly of surfactants and nanobubbles
4. Hydrometallurgy: role of colloidal forces and surface chemistry in bacteria attachment in bioleaching, and leaching of minerals in brine solutions.
5. Mineral Processing: role of microhydrodynamics and colloidal forces in bubble-particle collection in flotation, surface electrochemistry of sulfide flotation, flotation of ultrafine particles, flotation of coarse particles and composite particles.
6. Foam and Froth: drainage and stability of thin films of saline water, role of particle shape and hydrophobicity in foam drainage and stability, foamed cements.
7. Molecular (MC and MD) modeling and validation by VSFG spectroscopy of the partition of salt ions and surfactants at the interfaces of liquid films relevant to flotation, bubble columns and oil processing.

Dr Kim-Huong Nguyen is a Senior Lecturer in Health Economics at the University of Queensland. Her research centres on the efficient and equitable allocation of resources to support brain health in disadvantaged populations. She applies economic methods and theories to evaluate interventions, programmes and public policies for neurodegenerative diseases, brain injuries, and mental disorders. As a Global Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health with the Global Brain Health Institute (Trinity College Dublin and University of California, San Francisco), she collaborates closely with multidisciplinary teams—including artists, medical professionals, engineers, industry partners, advocates, and health and social care consumers—to advance knowledge and transform practices for brain health.