Find an expert

I am an Associate Professor in Finance and the Program Convenor for the Commerce Programs at UQ Business School.

My research interests are in empirical corporate finance and climate finance. I have published in international peer-reviewed finance journals including Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Journal of Corporate Finance, Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of Financial Markets, and Financial Management. I have so far received one Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery research grant and several AFAANZ research grants. I am currently an associate editor at International Review of Financial Analysis and was a guest editor for Pacific-Basin Finance Journal.

I am available for supervising research students. I am particularly proud that some of my former PhD students had their first placements at some UK and Australian universities. Also, all of my former honours students have so far received their first-class honours, some awarded the University Medals.

Dr Ngoc N. Nguyen is a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) and a Discovery Early-Career Researcher Award recipient (DECRA Fellow) granted by Australian Research Council (ARC), at School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. Prior to the current position, he was awarded an Australia Award Scholarship by the Australian Government for studying at UQ and attained a PhD in Chemical Engineering at UQ in 2018. After completing his PhD, he was awarded a world-renowned Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Fellowship by the AvH Foundation (the German Government) and worked as an AvH fellow at the Department of Physics at Interfaces, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Germany) for three years (2019-2021). Dr Nguyen used to work as a visiting scholar to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in USA and a lecturer at Hanoi University of Science and Technology in Vietnam. He is also an associate investigator within the ARC Centre of Excellence for Eco-enabling Beneficiation of Minerals.

His research strives for creating cutting-edge knowledge and innovations in three inter-related pillars of the low-carbon economy:

(1) sustainable energy,

(2) natural resources including critical metals,

(3) innovative approaches for tackling environmental issues such as CO2 emissions and mine waste.

He is working concurrently in these pillars. In particular, he is leading an ARC DECRA project about unconventional energy storage by locking fuel gases (e.g., hydrogen, methane) in the solid lattice of water, taking the intrinsic advantages of water as the cheapest, safest and most sustainable feedstock on Earth. Besides, he is working actively in eco-efficient extraction and separation of valuable resources from the Earth's crust toward a sustainable mineral processing industry for supplying sufficient commodities (e.g., metals) for the energy transition. In addition, Dr Nguyen has enduring interest in creating innovations for tackling pressing environment problems such as CO2 emissions, with special interest in carbon capture and storage and utilisation, as well as addressing the mine waste in the mineral processing industry and the recylcing of critical metal-containing waste.

• Dr Nguyen is a Lecturer in Robotics at the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland. His research focuses on advancing autonomous robot capabilities in complex, large-scale environments through 1) principled and scalable fusion of complementary sensing modalities with distilled prior knowledge from learning processes for localisation & mapping, and 2) cooperative strategies for multi-robot systems. These research directions address challenging scenarios such as inspection, exploration, and manipulation, where robust localisation & mapping form a solid foundation upon which collaborative schemes can unlock new levels of efficiency and scalability.
• Dr Nguyen was previously a Research Assistant Professor at the Centre for Advanced Robotics Technology Innovation (CARTIN), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), following the Wallenberg–NTU Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship, where he led collaborative research efforts between NTU and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. He received his PhD from the School of EEE, NTU, with the best thesis (Doctoral Innovation Award) in 2020. He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) from Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology in 2014. He is an active member of IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS), and is currently an Associate Editor of IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L) in the area of Localisation & Mapping.

Dr. Nguyen’s research interests are in the areas of ocean energy converters and large floating structures. He has developed numerical methods for analysing the interaction between ocean waves and several marine structures (large floating platforms, wave energy converters and floating breakwaters). He is working on: (i) attaching perforated/porous elements (such as perforated plates) to floating structures for increased safety and cost-effectiveness; and (ii) developing floating platforms for farming seaweeds.

Dr Ai Nguyen is a geochemist specialising in trace element and isotope analysis, laboratory operations, and geochemical method development. He manages the Environmental Geochemistry Laboratory at The University of Queensland, supporting research across Earth and environmental sciences with high-precision elemental analyses.

Dr Nguyen has supported a wide range of research across geoscience, environmental science, and interdisciplinary fields. His analytical expertise contributes to projects involving resource exploration, environmental monitoring, materials science, and the development of new technologies. He collaborates with researchers from diverse disciplines, including Earth sciences, biomedical research, and energy and resources, to provide high-quality geochemical analyses that underpins innovative and impactful research

As a senior scientist and laboratory manager, he plays a key role in mentoring HDR students and early-career researchers, and in maintaining quality assurance systems that underpin reliable data and safe operations. His work enhances UQ’s analytical capabilities and contributes to sustainable resource and environmental management.

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. 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 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.

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.

Dr Quan Nguyen is a Group Leader at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), The University of Queensland. He is leading the Genomics and Machine Learning (GML) lab to study neuroinflammation and cancer-immune cells at single-cell resolution and within spatial morphological tissue context. His research interest is about revealing gene and cell regulators that determine the states of the complex cancer and neuronal ecosystems. Particularly, he is interested in quantifying cellular diversity and the dynamics of cell-cell interactions within the tissues to find ways to improve cancer diagnosis or cell-type specific treatments or the immunoinflammation responses that cause neuronal disease.

Using machine learning and genomic approaches, his group are integrating single-cell spatiotemporal sequencing data with tissue imaging data to find causal links between cellular genotypes, tissue microenvironment, and disease phenotypes. GML lab is also developing experimental technologies that enable large-scale profiling of spatial gene and protein expression (spatial omics) in a range of cancer tissues (focusing on brain and skin cancer) and in mouse brain and spinal cord.

Dr Quan Nguyen completed a PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Queensland in 2013, postdoctoral training in Bioinformatics at RIKEN institute in Japan in 2015, a CSIRO Office of Chief Executive (OCE) Research Fellowship in 2016, an IMB Fellow in 2018, an Australian Research Council DECRA fellowship (2019-2021), and is currently a National Health and Medical Research Council leadership fellow (EL2). He has published in top-tier journals, including Cell, Cell Stem Cell, Nature Methods, Nature Protocols, Nature Communications, Genome Research, Genome Biology and a prize-winning paper in GigaScience. In the past three years, he has contributed to the development of x8 open-source software, x2 web applications, and x4 databases for analysis of single-cell data and spatial transcriptomics. He is looking for enthusiastic research students and research staff to join his group.

Dr Giang Nguyen-Thu is a Senior Lecturer and a DECRA Research Fellow at the School of Communication and Arts, University of Queensland. She is affiliated with the Center for Digital Cultures and Societies, UQ.

Dr Nguyen-Thu is currently working on her DECRA project “Too quick or too slow: Digital temporalities in networked Vietnam” (2024-2027). For this project, she explores the multiple, tangled, and contesting temporalities, or the lived experiences of time, on the ground of digital development in Vietnam. Through various case studies, she will investigate digital temporalities as plotted on the interstices of social habits, historical burdens, infrastructural layers, and human subjectivities to challenge the illusion of frictionless technological expansion.

Dr Nguyen-Thu’s interest in the cultural politics of digital time-making stems from her lasting curiosity about the interplay between media and the rapid process of economic development in Vietnam after the Reform (Đổi Mới) in 1986. Her first monograph, Television in Post-Reform Vietnam: Nation, Media, Market (Routledge 2019), explores how the advent of popular television reshapes the sense of national belonging in Vietnam. This monograph is the first scholarly book about contemporary Vietnamese media in the English language.

In addition to her independent research, Dr Nguyen-Thu serves as a chief investigator of the collaborative ARC Discover Project “Digital Transaction Platforms in Asia” (2022-2026), led by Assoc. Prof Adrian Athique. For this DP project, she investigates the gendered dimensions of digital transactions in Vietnam, focusing on the experiences of male delivery workers and female online retailers.

A/Prof Wayne Nicholls is a highly regarded paediatric oncologist who currently holds the position of Director of the Oncology Services Group at Queensland Children’s Hospital. Additionally, he serves as the Clinical Director of the Ian Frazer Centre for Children’s Immunotherapy Research (IFCCIR) at the University of Queensland. A/Prof Nicholls is committed to supporting the translation of research into clinical practice, with a particular emphasis on the treatment of paediatric, adolescent, and young adult (AYA) brain tumours and sarcomas.

He is a strong advocate for the advancement of immunotherapy research and treatment options for children with cancer. Under his leadership at the IFCCIR, efforts are focused on the development of novel and innovative immunotherapies that address the unique challenges associated with high-risk paediatric cancers and other immune-related diseases. His work is driven by a deep commitment to improving outcomes for young patients and their families.

Dr Mansoureh Nickbakht is a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland Centre for Hearing Research (CHEAR). She is a qualitative researcher and her research mainly focuses on improving hearing services. Currently, she is working on a NHMRC-funded project to improve access to the hearing services program for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in Australia.