Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Professor
School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert
Professor Phillips has a range of research interests in the historical and contemporary dimensions of sport. He has written on the historical and contemporary aspects of sport and war, sport and gender, sports' coaching, golf, rugby league, rugby union, sport structures as well as the ontological, epistemological and methodological aspects of sport history.
With these interests in mind, Professor Phillips has received external funding from the Australian Research Council, Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Coaching Council, the Australian War Memorial, as well as internal funding from the Universities of Canberra, South Australia and Queensland. He was commissioned by the Women and Sport Unit at the Australian Sports Commission to write An Illusory Image: A Report on the Media Coverage and Portrayal of Women's Sport in Australia 1996, has written a history of coaching in Australia entitled From Sidelines to Centre Field for the Australian Coaching Council, and is currently writing the centennial history of swimming in Australia for the National Sporting Organisation, Australian Swimming. In addition, Professor Phillips has been contracted to edit a book on the ontological, epistemological and methodological dimensions of sport history that draws on the collective experience of twelve of the leading sport historians around the world.
Professor Phillips has been an associate editor and book reviews editor for the Journal of Football Studies and is also on the executive committee of the Australian Society for Sport Historians and is the book reviews editor for the national journal, Sporting Traditions.
Background
Murray Phillips is a senior lecturer in the School of Human Movement Studies. He joined the School in 2000 from the University of South Australia (1998-2000) and also from the University of Canberra (1990-1997). He gained his PhD in the field of Sport History in 1992 from the University of Queensland. Professor Phillips teaches in the socio-cultural dimensions of sport and physical activities.
Centre Director of The Remote Sensing Research Centre
Earth Observation Research Centre
Faculty of Science
Affiliate of Centre for Marine Science
Centre for Marine Science
Faculty of Science
Professor
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert
Stuart is a scientist, educator, and leader who builds and applies methods to measure and understand how our environments are changing at multiple scales (www.eorc.org.au ). He works across collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams and organisations to deliver quality science that draws upon field-work, satellite-image data, and modelling, through: founding directorships of Australia national earth observation coordination body (www.eoa.org.au) and collaborative research infrastructure (www.tern.org.au ) and a world-leading research to operational program that supports government environmental monitoring (www.jrsrp.org.au ); and program leadership of industry-driven research (www.smartsatcrc.com ). Stuart’s work provides solutions to support sustainable development and resource use for all levels of government, various industries, and communities.
Affiliate of Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science
Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Associate Professor
School of Public Health
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Availability:
Available for supervision
Dr. Dung Phung has a background in medicine and public health. He has experienced diverse roles in clinical practices, health policy and management, and research and teaching in epidemiology, research methods, and environmental health.
Dr. Phung’s research now focuses on the adverse health effects of occupational and environmental pollution, climate change, and health interventions. He has developed research expertise and skills in epidemiologic methods, systematic review and meta-analysis, health risk assessment, needs assessment, and policy evaluation. He has recently conducted a series of studies on the health effects of extreme weather events and adaptation interventions to reduce climate-sensitive health risks. He has a special interest in translating complex scientific evidence into health policy and practices.
Dr. Phung has been awarded several research, fellowship, and global partnership grants totaling> $20 million as a chief/associate investigator (approx. $8.5 million as the principal investigator). He has published over 130 peer-reviewed publications in highly reputable journals and has disseminated research findings at national and international scientific conferences. He has supervised 20 PhD students to conduct research projects on a wide range of public health topics worldwide.
Renee Piccolo is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Queensland and Wildlife Observatory of Australia (WildObs), where she focuses on ecological data management and analysis, contributing to large-scale biodiversity monitoring and conservation reporting, in partnership with researchers and government agencies.
Her PhD, completed through Griffith University and CSIRO, developed a decision-support framework to assess the feasibility of habitat restoration under complex biophysical, social, and governance constraints, using mangrove ecosystems as a case study. This interdisciplinary research integrated spatial modelling, conservation science, and applied ecology to support restoration decision-making.
Renee’s work spans species distribution modelling, land tenure analysis, and restoration prioritisation, and is published in Restoration Ecology, Ocean & Coastal Management, and Scientific Reports. She has contributed to Queensland’s State of the Environment Report and collaborates closely with academic institutions and government departments on biodiversity outcomes.
Before entering academia, Renee worked extensively in wildlife handling, ecological consultancy, and community engagement for over a decade. She brings practical field experience, strong analytical skills, and a policy-informed perspective to her work on complex environmental challenges.
Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Dr Giovanni Pietrogrande obtained his PhD from the University of Newcastle. Here he explored how different brain processes are affected by the activation of microglia, the immune cells resident within our brain. In particular his work shows that microglia mediated inflammation has a pivotal role in neuronal loss following brain ischemic injury. He has developed an entirely new method to recreate the human brain in vitro using organoid technology and is utilizing these advanced organoids to gain novel insights into the pathophysiology of neuroinflammatory diseases.
In late 2019 he joined the Stem Cell Engineering lab at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Queensland. Now he uses and improves cutting-edge techniques for CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene editing to modify the genome of induced pluripotent stem cells and generate brain and spinal cord organoids to model neurological diseases and evaluate potential treatments.
Dr. Pietrogrande has also established collaborations with biotechs and startups, employing genetic engineering to modify cells for product development and organoid-based compound screening. Additionally, he provides consultancy services for Stemcore and Phenomics Australia, both UQ-based facilities, driving advancements in stem cell research.
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Availability:
Available for supervision
Amanda Pigott (BOccThy, PhD) is an occupational therapist with over 25 years’ experience in oedema and lymphoedema management. Amanda has a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy and a PhD obtained studying the side effects of cancer treatment. Amanda is passionate about improving oedema management. To progress this passion, she works as a specialist clinician, is a key researcher in the field of lymphoedema and delivers education through training and conference presentations.
As a clinician, Amanda works in the public sector as a clinical specialist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital cancer-related lymphoedema clinic.
As a researcher, Amanda holds a position as an honorary research fellow at the University of Queensland. She has been involved in research projects securing over $650, 000 in research funding through competitive grants. As a researcher, Amanda ranks in the top 2.5% of published authors worldwide on lymphoedema (May 2024; expertscape.com)
As an educator, Amanda has been trainign occupational therapists in oedema management since for 15 years. She has provided training to public and private organisations. Her training is regularly delivered via Occupational Therapy Australia. Amanda also delivers lectures and tutorials to undergraduate Occupational Therapy students addressing the occupational therapy role in cancer care, palliative care and management of complex conditions.
Amanda was awarded the Contribution to Lymphology Research award from the Australasian Lymphology Association in recognition of conducting, publishing and presenting lymphoedema related research to promote or support evidence based practice in the prevention, detection, diagnosis and management of lymphoedema. She was awarded the Dr Dorothea Sandars and Irene Lee Churchill Fellowship to study techniques in head and neck lymphoedema assessment and treatment methods.
Amanda is an active member of the Australasian Lymphology Association through her roles on the research committee and conference scientific committees.
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert
Ilje Pikaar received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science (2004) and Master of Science in Environmental Technology (2006) from the Wageningen University, the Netherlands. He received his PhD degree in Environmental Engineering in 2012 from The University of Queensland, Australia.
Ilje Pikaar expertise involve the areas of environmental electrochemistry, the global nitrogen cycle, sewer corrosion, next generation sludge management, metal recovery, integrated urban water management and resource recovery with a special focus on nitrogen recovery and production of microbial proteins. Central theme in his international oriented research approach is to conduct high-quality research and extrapolate fundamental knowledge and scientific discoveries to real life applications and development of innovative technologies.
In the past 8 years, Ilje Pikaar has obtained signification funding, including 7 ARC projects as chief investigator. He also played an important role in the development in the CRC Blue Economy, a 10-year AUS$50 million dollar project (https://blueeconomycrc.com.au/). Equally important, his work on integrated urban water management led to a first author publication in the prestigious journal Science. In 2018, his work on the re-engineering the global nitrogen cycle was awarded the prize of best feature article of 2017 in the esteemed journal Environmental Science and Technology. He has also published in other prestigious journals such as Nature Food and The Lancet Planetary Health. Overall, he has published over 40 peer reviewed articles with an average impact factor of his publications of 8.51, which is quite uniquely considering his field of research.
From 2015 to 2019, Ilje Pikaar was the secretary of the International Water Association (IWA) Cluster of Resource Recovery from Water. As the secretary of the cluster for resource recovery from water of the IWA, Ilje Pikaar has been very active in organizing international conferences and workshops and other IWA related activities. Since 2019 he is the co-chair of the cluster. He was the co-chair of the 3rd IWA Resource Recovery from Water Conference in Venice (8-12 September 2019).
Since January 2018, Ilje Pikaar is board member of the International Waste Working Group (IWWG). The IWWG is the leading organisation in the field of solid waste management globally. Since September 2018 joined the editorial board of Waste Management, the leading scientific journal dedicated to solid waste management, as Associate Editor, handling over 100 manuscripts annually. In 2020, he was the handling guest editor of a special edition on 'Resource Recovery from Water' in Water Research. Moreover, in October 2020 he joined the Early Career Editorial Advisory Board of Environmental Science and Technology. Lastly, Dr. Pikaar has signed a book contract with the IWA publishing for the development of a graduate entry masters textbook on Resource Recovery from Water. The expected publication date of this book will be mid 2021. Finally, he is a managing program committee member for the bi-annual Resource Recovery from Water conferences of the International Water Association.
Dr Taylor Pini is a lecturer in veterinary reproduction within the School of Veterinary Science. Taylor graduated with a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience (Hons) and a PhD in reproductive biology from The University of Sydney. After her PhD, Taylor undertook postdocs at the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (USA), and with the Gametic Epigenetics Consortium against Obesity (GECKO) at The University of Sydney. Taylor has worked across various aspects of male reproduction using a range of species, including sheep, mice and humans.
Taylor's research focuses on sperm biology and better understanding how both physiological processes and applied interventions impact sperm function, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes of applied reproductive technologies.
Taylor is a co-host and producer of the science communication podcast Repro Radio.
Looking for a research project? Taylor is currently taking on Summer and Winter Scholarship Students (undergraduate) and Science Honours Students. If you are interested in pursuing a Masters or PhD degree with Taylor as a supervisor, please get in touch by email to discuss current opportunities and scholarship options.
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Affiliate Professor of Queensland Brain Institute
Queensland Brain Institute
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Availability:
Available for supervision
I graduated from The University of Tasmania, and received my PhD in Developmental Biology from The University of Queensland in 2003. My PhD, performed at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience with Prof. Melissa Little, centred on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying embryonic kidney development. My first postdoc was performed with Prof. Christine Holt at The University of Cambridge, UK, where I studied the mechanisms by which axonal growth cones navigate to their targets in the brain, using the frog Xenopus laevis as a model system. In my second postdoctoral position, with Prof. Linda Richards at the Queensland Brain Institute at The University of Queensland, my work focussed on understanding the molecular mechanisms of neural progenitor cell specification in the developing cerebral cortex. In late 2010, I took up a joint position with the Queensland Brain Institute and The School of Biomedical Sciences (SBMS) to continue my research into the mechanisms underlying neural stem cell differentiation. I have held numerous fellowships during my career, including an NHMRC Howard Florey Fellowship, an NHMRC CDF and an ARC Future Fellowship. I currently hold a continuing Teaching and Research position within SBMS, and am currently the Director for Higher Degree Research Training at SBMS.
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Availability:
Available for supervision
Dr Erin Pitt is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the area of Childhood Allergy and Epidemiology within the Child Health Research Centre (CHRC). Erin possesses a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition); a Master of Public Health (Epidemiology and Research Methods); and a PhD, which was conferred in March, 2020. Her doctoral research investigated the influence of local food environment and socio-ecological determinants on early childhood dietary intake using a mixed methods research approach, which had a strong focus on nutritional epidemiology in the context of public health nutrition.
Prior to pursuing an academic career, Erin worked as a Public Health Nutritionist with Queensland Health where she managed, designed, implemented, and evaluated community-based public health nutrition interventions in a range of settings and locations including rural/remote and metropolitan regions. Erin collaborated and engaged with a range of diverse government and non-government organisations and industry bodies to address priority areas including rural and remote food supply issues, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and nutrition, children’s food literacy and local government nutrition-related policy and planning.
Erin is currently working on a diverse range of projects including determinants of developing cow’s milk allergy in infancy; the role of migration in allergy prevalence; and the potential co-occurrence of allergy with neurodevelopmental conditions. She has a particular interest in the role of maternal and child dietary diversity as well as socio-economic determinants and their association with the development of allergy in children.
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Engagement and Partnerships Manager
School of Public Health
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert
Dr Stacey Pizzino is a global health expert specialising in the intersection of conflict, disasters, and climate change. Her research investigates the health impacts of armed conflict, explosive ordnance and climate-driven extreme events - issues that increasingly shape the global public health landscape.
She led the world’s largest epidemiological study on casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war, analysing data from over 100,000 individuals across 17 countries. This landmark research contributes to global strategies aimed at mitigating the health consequences of explosive ordnance.
Dr Pizzino brings a unique perspective shaped by frontline experience as a paramedic alongside her academic expertise. She is the co-editor of a textbook on Disaster Health Management, contributing to the education and training of the next generation of disaster health professionals.
She has extensive experience in public health partnerships and policy translation, working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to inform research and transform findings into actionable policies that enhance population health outcomes.
Dr Pizzino is a skilled communicator and advocate. In 2023, she was invited to present at the United Nations where she chaired a panel on the rights of survivors of explosive ordnance. Her ability to engage policymakers, humanitarian agencies and global audiences ensures that her research drives real-world impact.
Dr Stefanie Plage is a Research Fellow with the Life Course Centre at the School of Social Science at UQ. Her expertise is in qualitative research methods, including longitudinal and visual methods. Her research interests span the sociology of emotions, disadvantage and health and illness. Stefanie has taught introductory and advanced courses in sociology and medical sociology, research design and qualitative inquiry, including the use of software for qualitative research (i.e. NVivo). Her work is multi-disciplinary. She completed her PhD at the Centre for Social Research in Health at The University of New South Wales. In her study she employed a mix of longitudinal qualitative interviews and visual elicitation methods to explore the lived experience of people with cancer. Currently, her research seeks to understand and improve the interactions of families experiencing social disadvantage with the social and health care systems.
Prof. Nicola M. Pless is an expert in Sustainability, Leadership, Leadership Development & Executive Education and a pioneer and thought leader in responsible leadership. She is listed in the Stanford University Ranking of Top 2% of World Scientists and has been recognized for outstanding performance internationally by TOP-ScholarGPS (lifetime) listed among the top 0.5% of all scholars worldwide, in leadership ranked #135 globally and #10 in Australia; in ethics ranked #58 globally and #3 in Australia.
She is a Chaired Professor of Management at the University of South Australia / Adelaide Univeristy, Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland and served on the faculties of INSEAD, EASDE and University of St. Gallen. She also held honorary positions at EBS University in Germany and at the University of Antwerp. She serves as an Advisor to the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (partnership of EFMD, AACSB and UNGC). She sits on the editorial boards of the Academy of Management Perspectices and Academy of Management Collections (2023 AOM Best Reviewer Award). In additiion, she has substantial executive experience in board functions and as former Vice President International Leadership Development working for a global Fortune 100 companies in Switzerland. She also served at the World Bank Group in Washington DC.
She has published several books and over 90 academic papers, among them 18 articles classified as A/A* on the Australian ABDC-list, 15 articles on the FT50 list. Her research on responsible leadership, sustainability, global governance, ethics, diversity & inclusion, and neuroscience appeared in leading academic journals (e.g., Academy of Management Learning & Education, Academy of Management Perspectives, Human Resource Management, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Management Studies, Organizational Research Methods), received numerous awards (among them four Academy of Management Awards), and has been featured in the media (e.g., BBC, Boston Globe, Business Week, CEO Magazine, EL PAIS, Fortune, Psychology Today). She has mentored numerous PhD students and early career researchers to success. Her teaching was honoured with the Aspen Institute’s Faculty Pioneer Award. She is a certified executive coach by INSEAD and IECL, and a Fellow of the Institute of Coaching at McClean Hospital / Harvard Medical School Affiliate.
Her mission is to contribute through research, teaching and collaboration to the development of responsible global leaders.
Maak, T., M., Pless, N.M., Orlitzky, M., & Sandhu, S. (Eds.) (2023). The Routledge Companion to Corporate Social Responsibility. New York and London: Routledge.
Pless, N.M. & Maak, T. (Eds.; 2nd revised edition) (2022). Responsible Leadership. London, New York: Routledge.
Articles
Javed, M.**, Pless, N. Waldman, A. E., et al. (2024). What, When, and How of Responsible Leadership: Taking Stock of Eighteen Years of Research and Future Agenda. Journal of Management Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.13157 [FT50/BW20 list; ABDC: A*; 2022: 5y IF: 10,5]
Yildiz, M.*, Pless N. M., Ceyhan, S. & Hallak, R. (2023). Responsible Leadership and Innovation during COVID-19: Evidence from the Australian Tourism and Hospitatlity Sector, Sustainability, 15(6), 1-22. [Q1 journal]
Pless, N. M., Sengupta, A.**, Wheeler, M., & Maak, T. (2022). Responsible Leadership and the reflective CEO: Resolving stakeholder conflict by imagining what could be done. Journal of Business Ethics, 180(1), 313-337. [FT50/BW20 list; ABDC: A, 5y IF: 8,086]
Wang, D.*, Waldman, Balthazard, P. A., Stikic, M., Pless, N. M., Maak, T., Berka, C. & Richardson, T. (2021). Applying Neuroscience to Emergent Processes in Teams. Organizational Research Methods. 24(3), 595-615. [ABDC list: A*, JCR 12/194 in Management, 18/226 Psychology, IF 2020: 5-year IF 9,289] *PhD at project start. **Early Career Researcher
AWARDS
2023 Academy of Management Best Reviewer Award 2023 Academy of Management Award Finalist, Honour by the League of Leadership (Division: MED, Management Education) 2022 Academy of Management Best Paper Award (Division: NEU, Neuroscience) 2011 Academy of Management Best Paper Award (Division: MED, Management Education) 2010 Academy of Management Caroly Dexter Finalist Award (all Academy of Management Award)
Aspen Institute, Aspen Faculty Pioneer Award Winner for Teaching Innovation & Excellence, NYC