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Dr Yuriko Nagata’s research interests include: Japanese diaspora in Australia and Pacific, and culture in Japanese language studies.

Her current research projects include:

• Cultural and social diversity in Japanese language material
• The Japanese community of Torres Strait
• The Japanese Diaspora in Australia: Gendered perspective

She was a member of the Conference Organising

Dr Masnun Naher is specialising in metal-based and organic molecular design, with a particular emphasis on understanding the electronic properties of compounds, electrochemistry, and catalysis. She obtained her B.Sc. (Hons) and Master's in Chemistry from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) in Sylhet, Bangladesh. In 2014, she began as a Lecturer at SUST. In 2018, she received the prestigious Forrest Research Foundation Scholarship package which includes the Australian Government RTP Scholarship (success rate less than 5% globally), enabling her to pursue a PhD at The University of Western Australia (top 100, globally) under Professor Paul Low. She completed her PhD in 2022 and is now a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Queensland (top 50, globally). Her contributions have been recognised by the 2025 Outstanding Contribution to Research Achievement (ECR) Award, School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences and she is a top three finalist for the 2026 Royal Australian Chemical Institute Young Electrochemist Award, highlighting her leadership in research.

Dr. Pyi Naing is a dual-trained cardiologist and general physician with subspecialty expertise in Echocardiography. His clinical and academic interests include evaluation and management of breathlessness, pulmonary hypertension, chronic heart failure, cardiac risk assessment and valvular heart diseases.

His advanced cardiology training was at The Prince Charles Hospital, the premier cardiac hospital in Australia where he earned the fellowship of Royal Australian College of Physicians (FRACP) in cardiology. He continued his training as an echocardiography fellow at the same hospital and gained further skills in all aspects of echocardiography including transesophageal, transthoracic and stress echocardiography.

Dr Naing is also a well published clinical academic with an MPhil degree from University of Notre Dame, Australia. He is currently completing a Ph.D. degree by studying novel methods to improve the care for breathless patients. He holds a senior lecturer position at the School of Medicine, University of Queensland. He has public appointments in Caboolture Hospital and The Prince Charles Hospital as a consultant cardiologist. He is bilingual in Burmese and English.

Nyssa Nair is an expert in risk management and hazard identification for industrial processes, with a strong focus on advancing process safety education. Over the past 15 years, she has worked in academia and industry, specialising in risk management, process optimisation, process control and data-driven decision-making.

Nyssa has hands-on industry experience in a Major Hazard Facility processing hydrocarbons for polypropylene production, providing her with a practical foundation for her teaching and research. She currently lectures at The University of Queensland (UQ), with the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre (MISHC), delivering postgraduate coursework and industry short courses in process safety and system safety. Her academic work explores the integration of artificial intelligence in chemical engineering, with a particular interest in how emerging technologies can support safer, more resilient industrial operations. Nyssa is passionate about equipping the next generation of engineers with the tools and mindset needed to lead in safety-critical environments.

Dr Ebinazar Namdas is an Associate Professor in the School of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Queensland. Dr Namdas has a strong international track record in the field of organic optoelectronics materials and device research across several platforms including organic transistors, light emitting transistors, OLEDS, organic lasers, and photo-sensors. He has published more than 110 papers in top international journals including 15 x Advanced Materials; 4 x Nature Communications; 7 x Advanced Functional Materials; 11 x Advanced Optical Materials; Nature Materials; Nature Photonics; Science; 3 x Laser & Photonics Reviews; 2 x JACS; 5 x ACS Photonics and 10 x Applied Physics Letters. Additionally, he has co-authored the first ever academic textbook on semiconducting and metallic polymers with Nobel Laureate Professor Alan Heeger and Professor Serdar Sariciftci. The book, titled Semiconducting and Metallic Polymers was published by Oxford University Press. Currently, Dr Namdas is an Editorial board member of Communications Materials (nature.com).

For more information, visit the AMIO group website.

Dr. Morteza Namvar is a Senior Lecturer at the UQ Business School and a member of Future of health - Business School - University of Queensland. He specializes in Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Large Language Models (LLMs) in business contexts. With a foundation in computer science and IT engineering, he brings interdisciplinary expertise to his research, focusing on the application of ML-driven solutions in organizational and healthcare settings.

Morteza is deeply committed to advancing ML, NLP, and LLM research in business and healthcare, mentoring PhD and HDR students in leveraging these technologies to drive innovation, automation, and efficiency across various industries. He has successfully secured competitive funding for multiple ML and NLP projects and has published extensively in leading IS and computer science journals and conferences.

Beyond research, Morteza is passionate about educating the next generation of ML practitioners. His teaching focuses on hands-on ML development using Python, equipping students with the technical skills and confidence needed to excel in the rapidly evolving field of machine learning.

Ashok is a Professor of Energy Storage at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia, and an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland (UQ). As a nanomaterial (carbon) and energy expert, he previously served as the Chief Scientific Officer at a listed company specialising in graphene production and applications. Ashok has received prestigious fellowships, including Marie-Curie, JSPS-Japan, and UQ Fellowship, and has secured several million AUD in funding for his research.

He has authored over 100 published papers and holds seven filed patents in the fields of nanomaterials and energy. His work has been featured in esteemed journals such as Chemical Review, ACS Nano, Advanced Energy Materials, Energy & Environmental Science, Nature Protocols, and Chemical Communications. Ashok is also dedicated to mentoring young researchers and students to advance the frontiers of materials science and energy storage.

Dr Bushra Nasir is a Senior Research Fellow with expertise in Indigenous, rural, and remote health research. She leads and contributes to large-scale multidisciplinary research addressing Indigenous health, chronic disease, mental health, digital healthcare and health service delivery. Her research has achieved national and international reach, with strong academic, policy and community impact.

Her work is characterised by extensive collaboration with researchers, clinicians, health services and communities, alongside contributions to global health policy, including work informing World Health Organization recommendations. She is actively involved in research leadership, mentoring, peer review and professional service, and has held leadership roles within university research committees. Her research is strongly collaborative and community-engaged, with a particular focus on translating evidence into policy and practice. She is also committed to research leadership, mentoring and capacity building, supporting clinicians, students, educators and health professionals to strengthen research and improve health outcomes in regional and rural communities.

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Dr. Nasrallah is a neuroscientist with a background in magnetic resonance and interdisciplinary brain research. She graduated with a PhD in neurochemistry and NMR from the Neuroscience Research Australia Institute (NeurRA) at the University of New South Wales in 2009. In April 2009, She spent 3 years at the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (A*STAR) where she pioneered the use of magnetic resonance imaging as a tool in cognitive brain research in the rodent. In 2013, she was appointed as senior research fellow at the Clinical Imaging Research Center where she delved into the clinical realms of human imaging. In late 2015, she returned to Australia as a Motor Accident and Injury Commission fellow at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) at the University of Queensland (UQ) where she independently heads her own group. Her research spans basic and clinical brain research with the the overall aim of understanding how the brain functions in health and injury, specifically, developing methods for early diagnosis of primary biomarkers following injury and translating these findings.

Joseph's (Joe) research focuses on the characterisation and commercialisation of Australian native plants, particularly for applications in food, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and material science. He is especially interested in the bioactive properties of polyphenols and other phytochemicals/secondary metabolites found in traditionally used species, and how these compounds can be validated and applied in modern health, wellbeing, and biomaterial applications.

An expert in food metabolomics, Joseph employs advanced metabolomics platforms, particularly liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ToF-MS/MS), to comprehensively profile the complex chemical makeup of native plant species. He uses multivariate data analysis and chemometric modelling to correlate bioactivity and functional outcomes with specific compound profiles. This integrative approach allows for the identification of key bioactive markers and supports the development of high-value products derived from native flora, grounded in both traditional knowledge and cutting-edge analytical science.

Alongside his academic work, Joseph has collaborated with a range of industry partners across Australia and internationally, including companies in the cosmetics, personal care, and health and wellness sectors. His experience spans product development, extract standardisation, and the translation of scientific data into evidence-based formulation and design strategies. This applied perspective supports his ability to link laboratory findings with commercial and environmental relevance. His work contributes to safety assessments, quality assurance, and the development of ethical, traceable supply chains. He is particularly committed to ensuring that Traditional Knowledge is recognised, protected, and appropriately integrated into industry frameworks.

Active Projects:

• Restoring the Identity of Country with Cultural Fire building resilient Agricultural landscapes (Australian Government Climate-Smart Agriculture Program)
• Indigenous Innovation: Developing Jumbun’s Muyginy Cherry Fruit Products to Diversify Global Supply Chains (FaBA Industry Kickstarter Voucher)
• Optimizing Dehydration Techniques to Preserve Bioactive Nutrients in Native Fruits (FaBA Industry Kickstarter Voucher)

Previously Completed Projects:

• Exploration into the optimal storage and processing from the point of harvest through the whole supply chain of whole and extracted pearls of Australian native finger limes (UQ’s Agri-Food Innovation Alliance (AFIA) Industry Kickstarter Grant program)
• Identifying the desirable flavour, aroma, and sensory profiles of novel Australian native lime hybrids (UQ’s Agri-Food Innovation Alliance (AFIA) Industry Kickstarter Grant program)
• Explore and Validate the Therapeutic Benefits of Australian Aged Black Garlic (UQ’s Agri-Food Innovation Alliance (AFIA) Industry Kickstarter Grant program)
• Nutritional profiling and stability of fruit-based purees and powders of Australian Native Sour Fruits: Impact of processing and storage conditions (BIRRST Partner 2025 Scheme)
• Co-designing Assessment for ‘Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge of Australia’s Plants (UQ – Student–Staff Partnership Program)

Dr. Marina Naval-Sanchez is a NHMRC Research Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at The University of Queensland (Australia). She pursued postdoctoral studies in 2019-2024 in the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland (Australia) and as an Office Chief Executive (OCE) Fellow in 2015-2019 at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) (Australia). She received her PhD in Molecular Biosciences in 2014 from KULeuven (Belgium). She received her MSc in Applied Bioinformatics in 2009 from Cranfield University (UK) and MSc in Agriculture Engineering in 2008 from the Universitat de Lleida (Spain).

Marina’s research program applies state-of-the-art bioinformatic, machine learning, and genetic and genomic tools to unearth the master regulators and enhancer grammar governing development and ageing across species (mouse and human) and to decipher the genomic (regulatory) impact of evolution, domestication and human selection in farm species (sheep, cattle, salmon). Her research outcomes have been published in high-impact journals such as Cell Metabolism, Nature Communications, Genome Biology, Nucleic Acids Research, Genome Research and Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Her research efforts have been supported by domestic and international fellowships and grants, including the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC, EL1 2024 Recipient), Advance Queensland, UQ Innovation Connections, CSIRO Scientific Investment Projects, CSIRO OCE Fellowships, and Flanders Wetesnchappelijk Onderzoek (FWO) PhD Fellowship.