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I currently have a number of research interests, both in Biomedical and well as in Teaching-Focussed Research.

Biomedical projects have traditionally been done with collaborators, and some of the projects have included:

• mechanisms of action of animal venoms and toxins, and we have used the organ bath laboratory and pharmacologoical techniques as bioassays
• study of bitter tasting compounds on pig digestive processes, to better understand activation of bitter taste receptors in vivo

Teaching-focussed interested are around university student behaviour with regard to learning activities and engagement. Universities around the world are grappling with shifts in effective and engaging educational strategies, as well as student expectations, in their delivery of content. In an age where students can do on-line courses at universities far from Australia, academics are carefully considering student engagement and success here at UQ.

• Lecture slots currently have the bulk of contact hours in most courses, with ~39 lectures per course across a semester. These are largely recorded and used as a teaching resource. Student attendance to the traditional lecture spaces has decreased significantly across all campuses, with a UQ average of ~60% across all courses. This type of analysis has recently led to UQ offering smaller venues for larger courses in which there have been patterns of partial attendance.
• My work seeks to better understand what motivates students to attend these spaces in their traditional sense and in the transition to an increasing number of flipped classroom models and blended learning, where the academics are less on the stage, and are instead facilitating activities for learning, while students will be engaged in learning content largely outside the lecture slots.
• "Embracing the Unknown" Experience in third year science courses is also an interest, in which research work and its associated uncertainties cause varying levels of anxiety in some students. Best understanding this process and supporting students through it is also an interest of mine.

I am a molecular biologist/biochemist and HFSP postdoctoral researcher at the School of School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences. My research bridges the fields of functional proteomics and evolutionary biology, with a particular focus on how proteins and their post-translational modifications have evolved to shape and enable the evolution of key animal traits. Using mass spectrometry as my main analytical tool, I study early-branching animals such as sponges, ctenophores, and cnidarians to uncover the post-translational innovations underlying the emergence of multicellularity, the nervous and immune systems, and symbiotic interactions.

My current focus is on the evolution of protein N-glycosylation, a modification central to protein stability, folding, cell-cell and cell-ECM adhesion, recognition and communication, and therefore pivotal to the evolution of animals.

I completed my PhD (2019-2023) at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Heidelberg, Germany in the group of Prof. Detlev Arendt, as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow within the ITN IGNITE network, where I combined functional proteomics with 3D imaging to uncover the molecular basis of coordinated contractions in nerveless sponges. This work revealed an ancient relaxant-inflammatory response underlying sponge deflation (Current Biology, 2024) and, in parallel, developed a protein structure-based framework for cross-phyla protein annotation in poorly annotated non-model species (Genome Biology, 2023).

I routinely work with mass spectrometry-based -omics (proteomics, glycoproteomics, glycomics) in non-model organisms in the Schulz lab. I welcome collaborations involving PTM discovery, glycoproteomics, and protein annotation in non-model species, as well as anyone simply interested in evolution and proteins.

Professor Pankaj Sah is Director of the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) at The University of Queensland (UQ). He is renowned for his work in understanding the neural circuitry of the amygdala, an area of the brain that plays a central role in learning and memory formation. Dysfunction of the amygdala leads to a host of anxiety-related disorders. His laboratory uses a combination of molecular tools, electrophysiology, anatomical reconstruction, calcium imaging and behavioural studies to examine the electrophysiological signatures of different brain regions and their impact on disease. Recently, his laboratory has been working with patients undergoing electrode implantation for deep brain stimulation, which is used to treat a variety of disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Tourette's syndrome and essential tremor. Professor Sah trained in medicine at The University of New South Wales and, after completing his internship, gained a PhD from the Australian National University. Following postdoctoral work at the University of California, San Francisco, and UQ, he established his own laboratory at the University of Newcastle in 1994. He then joined the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University as a group leader in 1997. He was recruited to QBI as a founding member in 2003, and has been Director since July 2015. Professor Sah has published over 110 papers in international peer-reviewed journals. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Nature Partner Journal npj Science of Learning, the first journal to bring together the findings of neuroscientists, psychologists, and education researchers to understand how the brain learns.

Martin is an Associate Professor of Physiotherapy within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Science. He teaches into both the undergraduate and graduate entry masters programs. In addition, Martin coordinates the clinical placements across both programs.

Martin has a passion for supporting physiotherapy students throughout their journey, from preclinical studies to clinical placements. He has developed a series of strategies to help support the diverse cohort in thriving as student physiotherapists and gaining a sense of belonging to the profession. Martin has been involved in several curriculum reviews that have focussed on enhancing the student experience, and has initiated strategies that have proactively and reactively supported students (such as student mentoring, early observational placements and student-staff activities). He has a particular passion for supporting students from a culturally and linguistically diverse background.

In research, Martin leads a laboratory investigating neuroplasticity. The human nervous system is no longer thought of has hard-wired, and is in fact capable of rapid change throughout life. This plasticity is important for learning, memory and recovery from brain injury. Martin is interested in using emerging brain stimulation and imaging techniques to "artificially" induce plasticity in the human brain, to ultimately improve the treatment outcomes for various neurological conditions, particularly stroke. These stimulation techniques include transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). A key current focus of Martin's research is investigating the link between sleep and neuroplasticity, and whether the beneficial aspects of sleep (for promoting neuroplasticity) can be artificially induced with brain stimulation.

He completed a BSc in 1994 and received a First Class Honours in Physiology in 1995 from the University of Adelaide. He then completed a Bachelor of Physiotherapy Degree at the University of South Australia. Returning to research in 2005, he undertook a PhD at the University of Adelaide, which he completed in 2009. He was named "Young Scientist of the Year" in 2007 as a result of his PhD research. He was awarded a University of Queensland Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2010, and then a NHMRC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in 2011 to investigate more intensely how the brains of stroke patients rewire. He has been awarded ~$4M in funding, principally from the NHMRC and US Department of Defence.

Dr Steve Salisbury is an Associate Professor in the School of the Environment at The University of Queensland, where he is head of the UQ Dinosaur Lab and Director of Indigenous Engagement. He is also Research Associate at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, Associate Editor for the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, and a Scientific Board member of the Jurassic Foundation. He currently Chairs the Faculty of Science Indigenising Curriculum Working, and is the Faculty of Science represenative on the Indigenous Learning Sub-Committee of CAPP.

Steve is of Dutch-Indonesian and English descent, but was born and grew up in the cool, misty mountains of Dharug and Gandangarra Country. He studied biology and geology at the University of Sydney, receiving the Edgeworth David Award for Palaeontology in 1993. He then moved to the University of New South Wales (UNSW), where he completed his Honours thesis on fossil crocodilians from Murgon, south-eastern Queensland. Continuing at the UNSW, Steve travelled to Germany and the UK to complete a PhD on crocodilian locomotor evolution. He returned to Australia in 2000 to pursue a life-long dream of searching for Australian dinosaurs, and joined The University of Queensland in 2003 as a Postdoctoral Fellow. He currently lives in Tulmar (Ipswich) on Yagara/Ugarapul Country.

Steve's research focuses on the evolution of Gondwanan continental vertebrates, in particular dinosaurs and crocodilians. He is also interested in vertebrate biomechanics and using extant animals to better understand the anatomy, behaviour and evolution of extinct ones. His field-based research takes him to various parts of Queensland, the Kimberley, New Zealand and Antarctica.

For over 15 years, Steve has partnered with First Nations communities in the Saltwater Sundown Country of the West Kimberley to better understand the region’s natural and cultural heritage, in particular its dinosaur tracks. He is passionate about decolonising and transforming aspects of palaeontology and empowering First Nations voices in the natural sciences. He is now trying to use some of his experiences in palaeontology to help develop and implement teaching and research practices that are more respectful and understanding of First Nations sovereignty, perspectives and ways of knowing.

I am Professor, NHMRC Investigator Fellow (EL2) and group leader (Exosome Biology Laboratory) at UQ Centre for Clinical Research. I am nationally and internationally (>20 invitations to international meetings in the last 5 years) acknowledged key opinion leader on Extracellular Vesicle (rated 3th worldwide (Top 0.015%) and 1st in Australia in expertise for “Extracellular Vesicles and Exosomes” on Expertscape) and biomarker discovery (140 publications, and >8000 citations in the last 7 year). I have made a major conceptual contribution to EV biology with diagnostic and therapeutic implications. In the last 8 years, my primary research and commercialisation activities have focused on the identification and validation of biomarkers, and development of In Vitro Multivariate Index Assays for clinically relevant complications (including ovarian cancers, and obstetrical syndromes) and their translation into clinical applications. In Academia, I have pursued these objectives through the development and leadership of clinical translation research teams and facilities, both in Australia and overseas. For example, I had a leadership role in established the Centre for Clinical Diagnostics (CCD). Within the UQCCR, I established an exosome research team to evaluate the clinical utility of extracellular vesicles as liquid biopsies, IVDs and therapeutics. Much of our effort in this field of endeavour has involved optimising isolation methods for extracellular vesicles and their analytical analysis - including the use of protein solution array (e.g. Luminex), mass spectrometry profiling (using MS/MS SWATH) and more recently miRNA analysis.

Dr Jodi Saunus is a senior fellow who specialises in translational research on metastatic breast cancer. Based at Brisbane’s Translational Research Institute, she was recruited by Mater Research in 2022 to help facilitate patient-focused research at the interface of biomedical R&D and clinical practice.

Dr Saunus has an honours degree in biochemistry and biomedical science, a PhD in breast cancer molecular genetics, and broad post-doctoral experience in immunology, molecular cell biology, pathology informatics, and early-phase investigator-initiated clinical trials. Her current portfolio focuses finding new ways to improve the clinical management of aggressive breast cancer, with a focus on triple-negative breast cancer, and the prevention and treatment of brain metastases. This work spans across multiple disciplines and capabilities, and broadly involves:

• Molecular profiling of patient-donated blood and tumour tissue samples to identify features that can predict treatment response, or represent previously uncharacterised therapeutic targets.
• Using experimental models of breast cancer metastasis to learn about the molecular mechanisms exploited by cancer cells to survive and grow in brain tissue.
• Developing innovative treatment strategies that work differently to conventional cancer drugs, including alpha-particle endoradiotherapy and in-situ vaccination.

With an outstanding network of collaborators from academia and clinical practice, she has secured more than $6M to fund this work and has a track record of publishing in prominent biomedical research journals (e.g., Cancer Research, Nature, Science Translational Medicine, Nature Communications and The Journal of Pathology).

Peripherally, Jodi is a strong proponent of biospecimen banking, and clinician and consumer engagement in translational research.

Professor Mark Schembri is a prominent microbiologist with experience in combating the global health crisis presented by multi-drug resistant pathogens. Professor Schembri’s expertise on the virulence of bacterial pathogens and his innovative analysis of biofilm formation aims to improve the outcomes of the >400 million individuals that suffer from urinary tract infections each year across the globe.

Through the application of genetic, genomic and functional studies on uropathogenic E. coli, Professor Schembri has identified targets to reduce the virulence of this pathogen, and will pursue the development of life-saving therapeutic and preventative advances with the assistance of NHMRC, MRFF and ARC grants. Professor Schembri has tracked the rapid emergence and global spread of a virulent, drug-resistant E. coli clone and used genome sequencing to understand its evolution and virulence.

Links: Professor Schembri collaborates with national and international research leaders, including in Denmark, where he was a lecturer. Professor Schembri has strong links with other international experts in his field, including at the Pasteur Institute and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge. His research collaborations also span lead groups at UQ and other top Australian institutes, including Griffith and La Trobe Universities.

Membership, Funding and patents: Since 2014, Professor Schembri has been awarded over $15 million in funding from competitive national research funding bodies. He holds provisional patents for the development of novel therapeutic agents and vaccine antigens. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and is regularly invited to speak at international conferences in his field.

Awards and Communication: Professor Schembri was the recipient of the Frank Fenner Award (2010) and the ASM BacPath Oration Award (2019) for his outstanding original research contribution to the study of Infectious Disease. He was an Australian Research Council Future Fellow (2011-2015) a National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellow (2016-2020). Professor Schembri is the author of >240 peer-reviewed research manuscripts. He is President of the Australian Society for Microbiology (2022-2026).

I obtained a Diploma in Chemistry from the University of Bern in Switzerland in 1992. Upon receiving the award of an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) I joined The University of Queensland (UQ) in 1993 to carry out research towards a PhD in Biochemistry(supervisors: Assoc. Profs. Peter Nixon and Ron Duggleby). I graduated in 1997 and continued postdoctoral research at UQ under the guidance of Profs John de Jersey, Susan Hamilton and Graeme Hanson. During this period, I was awarded Fellowships from both the Wellcome Trust and UQ. In 2000 I spent several months in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, collaborating with Prof. Geoff Sykes, and later that year I commenced a Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Chemistry Department at Stanford University (advisor: Prof. Edward Solomon). In 2003 I was appointed to a Lectureship in (Bio)Physical Chemistry at UQ. In 2006 I was promoted to Senior Lecturer. Following the award of a UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award (in 2007) I was promoted to Associate Professor (in 2008), and between 2011 and 2013 I was also on a fractional professorial appointment (50%) at Maynooth University, Ireland. From 2013 to 2017 I held a Future Fellowship from the Australian Research Council, and during this period I was promoted to Full Professor at UQ (2015). I also hold affiliate professorships in the Sustainable Minerals Institute and the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, both located at UQ.

I have successfully focused my research on the investigation of enzyme-catalysed reactions, their optimisation for applications in biotechnology and the synthesis of small molecules that mimic their structure and catalytic function (i.e. biomimetics). I advanced understanding of the contribution of metals to enzyme-catalysed reactions and employed state-of-the-art technologies (e.g. cryo-EM, ancestral gene reconstruction) to develop enzyme inhibitors as leads for novel biocides (herbicides, fungicides, antibacterial compounds) and engineer enzymes with enhanced catalytic properties for industrial applications in the advanced manufacturing sector (i.e. cell-free enzyme cascades, next-gen fertilisers). My work into enzyme mechanisms, regulation and engineering received international acclaim evidenced by invitations to provide plenary and keynote lectures and review articles in prestigious journals. I have published over 250 peer-reviewed articles, including over 40 papers in the ACS staple (J. Am. Chem. Soc, ACS Catalysis, ACS Sus. Chem. Eng., Inorg. Chem, Chem. Rev., Acc. Chem. Rev.) as well as landmark studies in Nature, Nature Catalysis, Nature Communications and Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA). For my leadership in enzymology I was awarded a Future Fellowship by the Australian Research Council, a Foundation Research Excellence Award by UQ and, most recently, the prestigious role as Ambassador for the Technical University of Munich (TUM), an honour bestowed upon me also for my leading role in building an extensive network of collaborations between UQ and TUM in the areas of bioengineering and bioeconomy. The network has since evolved into the Global Bioeconomy Alliance.

Professor Kate Schroder heads the Inflammasome Laboratory and is Director of the Centre for Inflammation and Disease Research at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), University of Queensland, as an NHMRC Leadership Fellow. Kate’s graduate studies defined novel macrophage activation mechanisms and her subsequent postdoctoral research identified surprising inter-species divergence in the inflammatory programs of human versus mouse macrophages. As an NHMRC CJ Martin Fellow in Switzerland, Kate trained with the pioneer of inflammasome biology, Jürg Tschopp. The IMB Inflammasome Laboratory, which Kate heads, investigates the molecular mechanisms governing inflammasome activity and caspase activation, the cellular mediators of inflammasome-dependent inflammation, and mechanisms of inflammasome inhibition by cellular pathways and small molecule inhibitors.

Kate is a co-inventor on patents for small molecule inhibitors of the NLRP3 inflammasome, currently under commercialisation by Inflazome Ltd. Inflazome Ltd was recently acquired by Roche in a landmark deal – one of the largest in Australian and Irish biotech history. The acquisition gives Roche full rights to Inflazome’s portfolio of inflammasome inhibitors. Two of the company’s drug candidates are in clinical trials for the treatment of debilitating conditions such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and motor neuron disease.

Kate has authored more than 140 publications, featuring in journals such as Science, Cell, Nature Genetics, Nature Medicine, Nature Chemical Biology, Journal of Experimental Medicine and PNAS USA, and her work has been cited more than 35,000 times. Kate is an Editorial Board Member for international journals including Science Signaling, Clinical and Translational Immunology and Cell Death Disease. She is the recipient of the 2022 Women in Technology Excellence in Science Award, 2020 Nancy Mills Award for Women in Science, 2019 ANZSCDB Emerging Leader Award, 2019 Merck Research Medal, 2014 Milstein Young Investigator Award, 2013 Tall Poppy Award, 2012 Gordon Ada Career Award, 2010 QLD Premier’s Postdoctoral Award, and the 2008 Society for Leukocyte Biology’s Dolph Adams Award.

INFLAMMASOME LABORATORY RESEARCH

During injury or infection, our body’s immune system protects us by launching inflammation. But uncontrolled inflammation drives diseases such as gout, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease and cancer. The Inflammasome Lab is defining the molecular and cellular processes of inflammation. We seek to unravel the secrets of inflammasomes – protein complexes at the heart of inflammation and disease – to allow for new therapies to fight human diseases.

The Inflammasome Laboratory integrates molecular and cell biology approaches with in vivo studies to gain a holistic understanding of inflammasome function during infection, and inflammasome dysfunction in human inflammatory disease. Current research interests include the molecular mechanisms governing inflammasome activity and caspase activation, the cellular mediators of inflammasome-dependent inflammation, and inflammasome suppression by autophagy and small molecule inhibitors.

I graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering and Science in 2000 from The University of Queensland, after which I joined Proteome Systems, an Australian biotechnology company. In 2004 I moved to the ETH Zurich in Switzerland for my doctoral studies. I joined the School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences as a University of Queensland Postdoctoral Research Fellow in 2008 and NHMRC Career Development Fellow in 2012. I am now Associate Professor in Biochemistry.

Dr Anuj Sehgal completed his at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh (UK) (2013-2017), where he developed a long-term research passion for investigating the development and function of the immune system. In 2018, Dr Sehgal joined the Mater Research Institute as a Research Officer. Some key highlights of Anuj's work has identified unique associations between macrophages and stem cell niches across the body, including intestinal stem cells (Sehgal et al., 2018, Nat. Comms) and HSC-niches in the bone marrow and peripheral lymphoid organs (Kaur*, Sehgal* et al. 2021 J. Hem. Onco). In 2022, Anuj diverted from academic research to contract clinical trials at the Wesley Research Institute. More recently, Anuj has rejoined UQ as a Flow Cytometry research fellow in the Chappell Lab under the ViceBio team, working on cell mediated immune responses in RSV preclinical and clinical trials.

Dr Maral Seididamyeh is a food scientist whose research focuses on utilising natural metabolites to develop antimicrobial and preservation technologies, including photodynamic treatment and edible coatings, to enhance food safety, quality, and shelf life.

Her research also explores the valorisation of agricultural and food industry by-products through bioactive extraction, fermentation, and micro/nano-delivery systems to develop functional ingredients and nutraceuticals for healthier food products.

Dr Tanuka Sen is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, where her research focuses on understanding bacterial pathogenesis and developing innovative strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance.

Dr. Sen completed her PhD in Biochemistry and Biomedical Science at the Australian National University before undertaking postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford, where she developed single-cell microscopy approaches to visualise the dynamics of bacterial virulence plasmids in real time. She has contributed to research on bacterial toxin-antitoxin systems, plasmid biology, antimicrobial resistance, and genome analysis.

Her research integrates microbiology, molecular biology, bacterial genetics, advanced fluorescence microscopy, bioinformatics, and antimicrobial drug discovery to investigate bacterial virulence, plasmid biology, host-pathogen interactions, and the mechanisms of action of novel antimicrobial compounds. She is particularly interested in translating fundamental discoveries into new approaches to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

Research expertise includes:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
• Antimicrobial drug discovery and mode of action
• Bacterial pathogenesis and virulence
• Infection biology
• Fluorescence and confocal microscopy
• Single-cell and live-cell imaging
• Functional genomics and bioinformatics
• Plasmid biology and horizontal gene transfer
• Bacterial genetics and molecular microbiology

She welcomes opportunities for interdisciplinary research, student supervision, industry engagement, and collaborations that advance antimicrobial innovation and improve global health.

Dr. Jaya Seneviratne is a Senior Lecturer in Periodontology affiliated to the School of Dentistry, University of Queensland, Australia. Currently he serves as the Director of Higher Degree Research. Dr. Seneviratne is an internationally recognized academic and a researcher in the field of dentistry. His track record encompasses over 100 publications in renowned international journals, including all top journals in dental research, 12 book chapters and an edited book “Microbial Biofilms: OMICS Biology, Antimicrobials and Clinical Implications” Taylor & Francis CRC Press, 2017. He has successfully secured over US$ 7.11 million from competitive grants for his research and development work. Dr. Seneviratne served as the Secretary of the IADR-Asia Pacific Region (APR) from 2019-2022. He was also the Chairman of the Session Committee for the 2023 IADR General Meeting in Bogota, Colombia. Previously, he held the key positions as the Chairman of the IADR Constitution Committee and a member of the IADR Fellowship and Membership Committees. Currently, he is an Editorial board member of the Journal of Dental Research and Critical Reviews in Microbiology. Dr. Seneviratne has supervised both undergraduate and postgraduate students, mentoring them excel in their research work. His research mentees have received numerous prestigious awards from the IADR. His primary research interests include oral microbiome, oral biofilms, oral-systemic link and infection control.

Dr Abbas Shafiee is leading a multidisciplinary program in Regenerative Dermatology and Biofabrication. His research integrates stem cell biology, organoid technology, and bioengineering to develop advanced human models and regenerative therapies for skin repair and disease.

Dr Shafiee completed his PhD in stem cell biology, discovering a previously unknown vascular stem cell population, termed the Meso-Endothelial Bipotent Progenitor, and mapping its molecular signatures (Stem Cell Reports 2018). This seminal discovery advanced the understanding of human vascular development and regeneration.

He subsequently joined Distinguished Professor Dietmar Hutmacher’s group, where he developed humanised tissue-engineered bone and tumour models that mimic cancer metastasis and tumor–stroma interactions. These models (International Journal of Cancer (2018), Biomaterials (2018, 2020), and Bone Research (2019), Acta Biomaterialia (2020), Bone (2022)) provided unprecedented insights into human-specific cancer biology and preclinical drug testing.

Dr Shafiee joined Metro North Health (MNH) in 2020 to lead a research program and develop, implement, and evaluate the applications of 3D printing, scanning, cell therapies, and biofabrication technologies in skin wound settings, and dermatology research. His team has developed vascularised and immune-integrated skin organoids and 3D-printed bioengineered grafts that accelerate wound closure with minimal scarring (Biomaterials 2021; Advanced Healthcare Materials (2022; 2025); Small 2024; Burns & Trauma 2025). These breakthroughs underpin new patient-specific skin disease models, and drug screening platforms (Acta Biomaterialia 2025). He is the lead inventor on an international patent protecting an Optimized Method for Generating Human Skin Organoids (WO/2025/097221), which forms the foundation for emerging commercial and translational partnerships. This body of work led to the establishment of the International Consortium for Organoid Research in Dermatology, a global network accelerating discovery and translation in skin biology, rare genetic skin diseases, and regenerative dermatology.

Dr Shafiee has secured >AUD $2.4M as Chief Investigator (>AUD $1.1M as CIA) in competitive research funding from national, international, philanthropic, and industry-supported schemes. Dr Shafiee has supervised more than ten PhD, Masters, honours students and contributed to multiple professional, editorial, and scientific leadership roles. He has authored over 88 peer-reviewed publications (>5,500 citations, h-index 40) and delivered more than 50 invited, keynote, and plenary presentations internationally. He serves on multiple professional and editorial boards, including Australian Wound & Tissue Repair Society (AWTRS), Burns & Trauma, and Engineered Regeneration. In recognition of his pioneering contributions to regenerative medicine and science communication, he has received multiple honours, including the 2024 Frazer Institute Rising Star Award, the 2025 AWTRS EMCR Award, and the 2025 Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Award, and selection as a 2026 TEDx speaker, recognising his leadership in translating complex science to global audiences.

He actively engages with the media, schools, and community programs to inspire future scientists and raise public awareness of regenerative medicine and organoid technologies. His outreach has reached millions nationwide through major media coverage (e.g., The Australian, 7NEWS, ABC NEWS) .

Research areas:

• Human iPSC-derived skin organoids and skin-on-chip models
• Vascularization and immune integration in skin tissue engineering
• Rare genetic skin diseases and personalized regenerative therapies
• Translational biofabrication and wound healing technologies
• Organoid-based preclinical drug discovery platforms

Honours, Masters, and PhD opportunities are available for motivated students interested in regenerative dermatology, biofabrication, and organoid biology.

My group's research uses large-scale genomic data to address knowledge gaps in disease, with a particular focus on cardiovascular disease.

Research programme

1. Cardiovascular disease research using big-data and genomics: with the goal of improving prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. By focusing on underrepresented groups, including women, my research aims to also address inequity in cardiovascular outcomes. I am the lead of the South Asian Genes and Health in Australia (SAGHA) study, which aims to increase representation of Australian South Asians in cardiovascular and genomics research. See saghaus.org for further details.

2. Drug genomics: I'm interested in using genomic approaches to predict drug effects, including identification of drug repurposing opportunities as well as identifying unknown adverse effects of medication.

3. Liver transplant research: In this collaboration with the QLD Liver Transplant Unit, we are using genomics to understand the effect of normo-thermic perfusion (a new organ storage method) on liver function, with the long-term goal of improving our ability to predict transplant outcomes.

Career summary: I was awarded my PhD from University College London (UK) in cardiovascular genetics. I began my post-doctoral fellowship under the mentorship of Prof Peter Visscher at the Queensland Brain Institute in 2013. Between 2016-2018, I was the lead analyst for the International Heart Failure Genetics Consortium (HERMES). In 2018, I was awarded an NHMRC Early Career Researcher Fellowship to investigate the relationship between cardiovascular and brain-related disorders using large-scale genetic and genomic data, under the mentorship of Prof Naomi Wray, and subsequently two consecutive National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowships, establishing the Genomics in Health lab in 2023.

Recognition:

2025 UQ Research Culture Award for Advancing Inclusive Research Environments

2024 Australian Academy of Science Ruth Stephens Gani Medal for outstanding contribution to genetics research

2023 1 of 5 global finalists for the Nature Inspiring Women in Science (Scientific Achievement Award)

2023 Lifesciences QLD Rose-Anne Kelso Award

2023: Named in Australia's Top 25 Women in Science by Newscorp

2022 Queensland Young Tall Poppy Award

2022 UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award

2021/2022 Australian Superstar of STEM,

2020 Genetic Society of Australasia Early Career Award

2020 Women in Technology Rising Star Science Award

Dr Shapter's background was originally in Agricultural Science and higher education which evolved to the completion of her PhD in molecular genetics in 2008. Prior to her current appointments she was the senior researcher on ARC linkage, Australian Flora Foundation and RIRDC research grants looking at the genetic foundations of domestication and adaptation in Australian native grasses. She supervised two HDR students and has a strong publication record in this field. Her research interests centre on identifying and developing practical applications for gene sequencing. Fran is passionate about teaching and has worked as a facilitator commercially and trained early career researchers and PhD candidates in Project Management, IP and commercialisation and Leadership. She was a participant in the 2020 summit and was appointed to the federal advisory Rural R&D Council in 2009. Dr Shapter was also a sitting member of the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator's Ethics and Community Consultative Committee, 2016-2020.

Fran began tutoring at the UQ School of Veterinary Science in 2011, in large animal production, parasitology and microbiology. Since then she has held a variety of teaching, research and professional roles based around project management, curriculum design and blended learning design. She was the project manager for a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) grant which developed 40 vertically and horizontally integrated, online, adaptive tutorials for veterinary science students and was co-author on the manual developed by this project. She assisted with the development of a new flexible delivery laboratory animal science course in 2015 and delivers 5 weeks of online learning units into this course currently. She has been part of the SoTL research and evaluation associated with both these projects and has reported outcomes at University showcases annually since 2016.

In 2017 Fran became the new Student Clinical Skills Hub Coordinator, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art self-directed learning facility for students of veterinary science. Whilst undertaking this role student usage, resource availability and online support for the Hub has increased more than tenfold. Fran's aim is to provide a safe, authentic, self-directed learning environment where students can practice their clinical skills in accordance with individual competences, beyond the scheduled contact hours of their programs and further enhance their capacity for self-directed, lifelong learning whilst acknowledging the vast array of qualifications, previous training, life experience and cultural backgrounds each student brings with them to the Hub.In 2020 Fran recieved a UQ Teaching Excellence Award due to the demonstarted impact of the SVS Student Clinical Skills Hub.

In 2019 Fran was appointed as a Lecturer in Veterinary Science, while continuing her role as the Hub's coordinator. She continues to maintain her teaching roles into the veterinary program in animal handling, animal production, reproduction, microbiology, parasitology and plant identification. Fran has an additional role in the School with regard to asissting with the design, development and integration of blended learning resources, after working with the Science faculties blended learning design team in 2018. However her SoTL portfolio is best showcased by the development of the online learning community and training resources she has developed for the Student Clinical Skills Hub. As of June 2021, Fran has also taken on the role of the School of Veterinary Science Honours Program Coordinator.

Peter Simpson is a recognised expert in the molecular and pathological characterisation of breast and lung cancers. His research is based at the UQ Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), where he is the Head of the Cancer Theme and is a Research Group Leader in Cancer Genomics. He has published >150 articles (>12,000 citations, H-index 52; Scopus, May2025) including in Nature, Nature Medicine, Annals of Oncology and the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. He co-manages the Brisbane Breast Bank (BBB), a tissue bank created to facilitate clinical breast cancer research, and the Debutant lung cancer Program.

Pete also holds a teaching appointment in UQ, where he is passionate about the science and clinical applications of Pathology. He teaches into the UQ Medical Program (Year 1 and 2), as well as to undergraduates. He has co-authored a chapter ‘Breast Diseases’ in the latest edition (11th) of the internationally acclaimed Medical text book Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease.

Outside UQ, Pete is a Fellow of the Faculty of Science in the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (FFSc RCPA), a member of the kConFab Executive (https://www.kconfab.org/), a member of the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance Scientific Advisory Board (https://lobularbreastcancer.org/), and a member of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (Breast Cancer group).

Pete enjoys supervising students at all levels in their careers and collaborating within multidisciplinary teams spanning clinical (e.g. pathology, oncology) and science teams (e.g. in ‘omics, bioinformatics and machine learning).