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This is an automatically generated university page - my real website is https://people.smp.uq.edu.au/BenPowell/

My research interests centre on using quantitative genetics to drive genetic gain and efficiency in plant and animal breeding programmes.

Previous work in the UK focused on using genomic information prediction to demonstrate and exploit synergies between plant and animal breeding. Stochastic simulations were used to quantify the impact of new genomic breeding strategies in a wide variety of settings; from low to middle-income (LMIC) dairy cattle breeding programs to large, well-funded maize breeding programs.

My work at QAAFI and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture focuses on the development of prediction methods that combine biological, environmental and management information under a unifying framework, to enhance our ability to identify breeding parents, varieties and genotype-by-agronomic management (GxM) solutions that are best suited for future climates.

GRDC Project Press Release

I’m a researcher and lecturer at The University of Queensland Business School. My expertise is in critically evaluating how people and organisations use language to communicate about themselves and shape the world around them. I’m committed to doing research that promotes justice and equity, and helps government, the media, and industry communicate for the common good.

My recent research has explored sustainability in the arts and culture sector, news reporting on violence against women and girls, and COVID-19 crisis communication.

I’ve recently collaborated with various peak bodies in the Australian arts and culture sector such as Theatre Network Australia, and arts companies of various sizes (e.g., Queensland Ballet and La Boite Theatre) to develop a free peer coaching program known as “Creating out Loud.” This program builds networks of mutual support for artists and arts workers across all levels of the arts and culture sector.

Enriching the arts and culture sector is of high importance to me. In 2021, I was awarded an Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship to support arts workers recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

To find out how I can help your organisation, email me at k.power@business.uq.edu.au. You can also follow me on LinkedIn.

Dr Luis Silva is an Associate Professor at QAAFI, University of Queensland, leading research in ruminant nutrition. Luis comes from a coffee and dairy farm and brings perspective from another major producer of beef, Brazil, where he had a previous appointment at the University of Sao Paulo. With large international experience, Luis has spent a sabbatical year at AgriBio, Melbourne, and has completed his PhD at Michigan State University, working with the nutritional/physiological modulation of ruminant development. Luis has considerable research linking cattle nutrition with physiological mechanisms and genomic tools and has coordinated several research projects investigating mechanisms to improve the efficiency of tropical cattle production. His work is published in 51 peer-reviewed scientific articles and several book chapters. Luis has also acted as the main advisor for 7 PhD students and 16 Master students.

I am an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland with over a decade of experience in research focused on food processing and complex food systems' oral and gastrointestinal dynamics. My experimental approaches include using advanced processing devices such as 3D food printers, ultra-high-temperature processing plants, and homogenisers; mechanical measurements like tribology and rheology; imaging techniques such as confocal laser scanning microscopy and electron microscopy; and electrophoresis. I also employ an in vitro oral-gastrointestinal model, extending to in vivo human trials (sensory), to understand changes during food processing from the nano-scale to the human scale.

Carlo Prato is Professor in Transport Engineering at the School of Civil Engineering of The University of Queensland. He has a PhD from the Politecnico di Torino in Italy where he approached the study of travel behaviour by focusing on route choices of car drivers. It is his natural curiosity and passion for behavioural modelling that drives his research into understanding what makes people behave the way they do as pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users, and car drivers.

His research also looks at how people value congestion and reliability of transport systems, react to legislation trying to make their journeys safer, and accept and/or adapt (or not) to novel technologies and mobility solutions. Carlo contributes to the advancement of science in a cross-disciplinary environment by presenting his work in international conferences and publishing his contributions in prestigious journals as well as serving as a reviewer and editorial board member of journals spanning from engineering to psychology and medicine. Recently, Carlo has been named Associate Editor of Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, the journal of the International Association of Applied Psychology.

Prior to joining UQ’s School of Civil Engineering at the beginning of 2016, Carlo worked at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology – and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) where he became Professor in 2013. During his time at DTU, he received the 2014 Pyke Johnson Award from the Transportation Research Board of the U.S. National Academies for the best paper in planning and environment at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board: “Estimating value of congestion and value of reliability from the observation of route choice behavior of car drivers” with Thomas K. Rasmussen and Otto A. Nielsen.

Most recently, Carlo was the recipient of the 2017 Partners in Research Excellence Award from The University of Queensland for his work in the partnership with the Port of Brisbane that aims at developing port growth. Awardees for the partnership were also Dr. Alistair Grinham from the School of Civil Engineering, Dr. Peggy Schrobback from the School of Economics, and Mr Rob Nave, General Manager of Infrastructure and Environment of the Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd. The project is to futureproof Brisbane’s largest multi-cargo port in terms of sustainability, transport and economy, regionally and globally.

In 2016, Carlo was invited to join the UQ Self-Assessment Team for the SAGE pilot of the Athena SWAN program, which The University of Queensland is part of in order to address and improve gender equity in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) disciplines. He is also a member of the equity and diversity group at the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology (EAIT).

Carlo has about 90 peer-reviewed journal papers and over 130 reviewed conference contributions and a coming book with publisher Taylor & Francis Group that will bring him back to his initial interests in traffic: “Route Choice Behaviour and Traffic Assignment Models”.

Biography:

Associate Professor Steven Pratt is known internationally for his work on the development of polyhdroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics, and their associated wood-fibre composites, and nationally for his delivery of training courses to environmental professionals.

He has authored over 150 scientific publications, with his major contribution to the field of environmental biotechnology being the invention of the TOGA® Sensor for examination and control of biotech/bioprocess systems.

He leads the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Bioplastics and Biocomposites at UQ, and has won awards for his outstanding contribution to supervision and enhancing the research supervision culture.

Research:

Assocaite Professor Pratt is a research and education leader in environmental engineering, known internationally for his work on the development of polyhdroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics, and their associated wood-fibre composites, and nationally for his delivery of training courses to environmental professionals. His research is industrially relevant; he has published on models for effective industry-education partnerships.

He is now Director of the new ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Bioplastics and Biocomposites. ARC Centre for Bioplastics and Biocomposites

Plastics are now ubiquitous in our lives, and the systems within our modern society could not function without these light weight, easily formable, strong, cheap, durable, and readily available materials. However, our success at engineering such useful materials has created a systemic problem, with more than 10 million tonnes of plastic leaking into the global environment annually. Urgent change is needed to address this ‘plastic crisis’, and biodegradable bioplastics, along with their natural fibre composites, will play a pivotal role in this transition to a more sustainable plastics economy. Already, we are witnessing unprecedented growth in the global bioplastics industry – the projected annual growth to 2030 is 16-30%, leading to an estimated global market value of US$40B. As the world transitions towards the integration of bioplastics into a more sustainable plastics economy, there is a real opportunity for Australia to transform our existing plastics industry. Australia is uniquely positioned to become a global leader in the emerging bioplastic and biocomposite industry this decade, supported by our abundance of the raw natural materials needed for their manufacture. The ARC Training Centre for Bioplastics and Biocomposites will capitalise on Australia’s abundant natural bioresources to drive advances in technology for the development of bioplastic and biocomposite products for the new bioeconomy.

Teaching and Learning:

Dr Pratt has taught a variety of courses in process engineering, including Environmental Systems Engineering, Wastewater Treatment, Clean Technology and Environmental Biotechnology.

Additionally, he has run the IWES Principles of Wastewater Treatment course, which has an intake of about 100 professionals each year.

Projects:

ARC ITTC for Bioplastics and Biocomposties.

Sarah is an occupational therapist with over 20 years clinical experience delivering specialised brain injury and complex neurological intervention across the continuum of care in Australia and the UK. Sarah is passionate about conducting research which enables improved rehabilitation outcomes and quality of life for people with brain injury. Her PhD, completed in 2018, investigated client-centred goal setting in the rehabilitation of community dwelling clients with acquired brain injury. The PhD provides insight into how clinicians may implement the client-centred goal setting process in practice to ensure that the meaningful and personally relevant goals of people with brain injury can be formulated, despite known barriers such as memory and self-awareness impairment.

Sarah is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in Brain Injury Rehabilitation, Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) Education and Research Alliance, the University of Queensland. She also works in her private practice, to provide specialised brain injury rehabilitation services in Queensland, Australia.

Dr Josephine Previte’s research focuses on issues related to the use of qualitative and digital methodologies in marketing and health service research, gender and embodiment issues in social marketing practice and social technology influences on consumer behaviour.

She has worked on a broad range of social marketing projects including alcohol consumption, breastfeeding, breastscreening, blood donation and new technology use to deliver social marketing services. Her research interests in social marketing, technology and consumption contexts has led to publications in academic journals, book chapters and conference papers, and delivered findings to invited speaking engagements.

Gilbert Price is a Senior Lecturer in Palaeontology at The University of Queensland. He is a vertebrate palaeoecologist and geochronologist, particularly interested in the evolution and emergence of our planet’s unique ecosystems and fauna, and their response to prehistoric climatic changes. His major research focus has been on the development of palaeoecological models for Australia’s Cenozoic, especially the Quaternary megafauna. Critically, this also involves the production of reliably-dated records for the fossils that he studies. You can follow Gilbert on Twitter (@TheFatWombat) and read his reserach blog at www.diprotodon.com.