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Mehdi Serati completed his PhD at The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) through The University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia in Geotechnical Engineering. His core research expertise is in the design and setup of advanced equipment and experiments to test rocks and brittle composites. His area of work is analytical and experimental methods of geotechnical problems, materials testing, rock mechanics, and rock fracture mechanics. He is also the Deputy Manager of the internationally-recognized Large Open Pit Project, which is a collaboration funded by mining companies worldwide aimed at addressing critical gaps in the current understanding of rock slope failures and landslides in large open pit mines (see also https://www.lopproject.com/).

My research covers some of the basic properties of attention, learning, memory, and decision-making. Much of my work involves the development and testing of formal mathematical models of human cognition.

Dr Jessica Sexton (PhD, MAS, MPH) is a clinical epidemiologist and researcher with over eleven years of field experience and training in healthcare systems, public health, epidemiology, and biostatistics with a special focus on maternal, child, and population health. Dr Sexton is a Senior Research Fellow at the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth (CRE), program lead for Data to Drive Change, and the Principal Investigator for a national perinatal data project. Dr Sexton’s expertise in epidemiology is internationally recognized through thirteen peer-reviewed publications, six conference posters, and gave fifteen oral presentations. Dr Sexton is actively engaged in professional networks including the Australasian Epidemiological Association, Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand, Australian Society for Medical Research, and Statistical Society of Australia. As a senior researcher at the CRE, Dr Sexton leads data capture and research and risk prediction and prevention while contributing to improving parent experiences and Safer Baby Bundle expansion.

Dr Abbas Shafiee is a tissue engineering & regenerative medicine scientist interested in translational cell-based and tissue engineering strategies to treat human diseases.

Dr Shafiee completed his PhD in Professor Kiarash Khosrotehrani’s laboratory on stem cell biology. His research career during his PhD had key contributions to delineating endothelial niche and vascular stem cells in the human placental tissues, including the seminal discovery of an entirely new stem cell population, coined as ‘Meso-Endothelial Bipotent Progenitor’ and the identification of key driver signatures for endothelial and bipotential progenitor function (Stem Cell Reports 2018; The FASEB Journal 2017; Stem Cells 2016; Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2015).

In 2016, he joined Distinguished Professor Dietmar Hutmacher’s team and conducted multiple projects on cancer and bone tissue engineering. Dr Shafiee has developed innovative tissue engineered models intersecting concepts from stem cell biology, cancer, and tissue engineering to study species-specific cancer bone metastasis at an unprecedented level of detail. The results of his research have been published in: International Journal of Cancer 2018; Cancers 2018; Biomaterials 2018; Bone Research 2019; Biomaterials 2019; Applied Materials Today 2020; Biomaterials 2020; and Advanced Therapeutics 2020. Utilizing the tissue engineering concept, he was able to better understand the mechanisms of human cancer bone metastasis. Additionally, he was successful in obtaining project grants, including a project grants from Cooperative Research Centers (CRC), and developed a biomimetically designed scaffolds and investigated the interactions of multipotent mesenchymal stem/stromal cell and skin progenitors with 3D printed scaffolds. The application of 3D printed constructs in acute wound models decreased wound contracture and led to a significantly improved skin regeneration.

Dr Shafiee joined Metro North Health (MNH, Queensland Health) in 2020 and started a research program to develop, implement, and evaluate the applications of 3D printing, scanning, cell therapies, and biofabrication technologies in skin wound settings, and dermatology research. Using the 3D printing and organoid technologies he could develop new approaches to enhances physiological wound closure with reduced scar tissue formation (Biomaterials 2021, Small 2021, Advanced Healthcare Materials 2021, Advanced Healthcare Materials 2022) and advance the deramtology research (Advanced healthcare materials 2022, and Small 2024). Dr Shafiee is part of a national program, aiming to develop biofabrication technology to treat skin wounds (funded by MRFF, NHMRC). His groundbreaking organoid research resulted in establishing an international Consortium of Organoid Research in Dermatology, leveraging organoid technology to advance the understanding and treatment of genetic skin diseases. Dr Shafiee has supervised over 10 Masters and PhD students. Honours, Masters and PhD projects are available, please feel free to contact him.

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. I currently hold a National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship.

Recognition:

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. K. M. Shahunja is a clinical and public health researcher specializing in quantitative research on child health. He is passionate about conducting clinical research, particularly trials and intervention studies. Dr. Shahunja’s research focuses on the social determinants of health, disease epidemiology, hospital-based healthcare interventions, community-based healthcare interventions, Indigenous health, and the prevention of non-communicable diseases through life-course approaches. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine, a Postgraduate Diploma in Pediatrics and Child Health, and a PhD in Medicine. His doctoral research explored the impact of familial and neighborhood dynamics, as well as psychosocial environmental changes, on the trajectories of asthma symptoms in Australian children, following a life-course approach.

At the UQ Poche Centre, Dr. Shahunja is a member of the Implementing Life Course Interventions research team, led by NHMRC Leadership Fellow A/Professor Abdullah Mamun. He is also affiliated with the Life Course Centre at UQ and is actively involved in a collaborative project with the World Health Organization. This project examines longitudinal studies and linked data sources across Australia to explore health and well-being over different life stages, with a focus on healthy ageing. Since his postdoctoral period, Dr. Shahunja has worked extensively in Indigenous health, developing life-course interventions to improve the health of First Nations peoples in Australia. He is currently engaged in an NHMRC-GACD Non-Communicable Disease Prevention project aimed at preventing non-communicable diseases among Indigenous children and youth in major Australian cities, following a life-course approach.

Professor Anthony Shakeshaft is an expert in health behaviour and health services research. He is currently Professor of Indigenous health services research at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, University of Queensland.

His primary interest is in partnering with health services, communities and governments to co-design, implement and evaluate the impact of services that are both best-evidence and highly adaptable to the characteristics of different service delivery ecosystems. He is interested in the development of research methods and processes that can be embedded into the routine delivery of services, with the aim of improving client and population-level outcomes in close to real-time. He has a particular focus on engaging with Indigenous services and developing Indigenous research capacity through active support of Indigenous higher degree researchers.

Professor Shakeshaft has previously been Deputy Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of NSW, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Universities of London, Verona, Nijmegen, British Columbia, James Cook and Newcastle. He served on the Council of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for the 2012-2015 triennium and was the International Assessor for the establishment of Scotland’s Drug Research Network Collaboration. He has been a member of the Executive Committee for the Drug and Alcohol Network of the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation, a member of the public health grant review panel for New Zealand’s Health Research Council and a member of the Expert Advisory Network for the NSW Government’s Family and Community Services.

Selected current and research projects

1. Centre of research excellence in Indigenous health and alcohol CRE: Indigenous Health and Alcohol (gathering.edu.au)
2. Improving the cultural competence of non-Aboriginal alcohol and other drug treatment services when delivering care to Aboriginal clients.
3. Strengthening the evidence base for Aboriginal drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation services.
4. Improving alcohol treatment outcomes: the impact of client, treatment and system variables.
5. Evidence to inform policy and practice that promotes child health, development and wellbeing: the NSW Child E-Cohort Project.
6. Development of a Clinical Outcome and Quality Indicator (COQI) Framework.
7. The adaptation and pilot testing of Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) for Indigenous Health and Family Workers.
8. Reducing smoking rates among low-SES smokers.
9. Integrating substance abuse and mental health treatment through improved co-ordination of services and utilisation of medical records.
10. Monitoring and evaluation of the Australian Government’s kava importation pilot program.
11. Increasing our understanding of alcohol and other drug use and harms on Norfolk Island.
12. Prevention of harms from alcohol and other drugs in rural NSW.
13. Evaluation of Psychoeducation Modules for a Drug and Alcohol Support Service in South-West Sydney.
14. Using research to support Smart Recovery Australia.
15. The co-design of a system of care for Indigenous drug and alcohol services

Current PhD Supervision

1. Youth At-Risk Research Network (YARRN): integrating research into community-based youth services
2. An evaluation of the implementation of family-based therapy programs to enhance government responses to child physical abuse and neglect in New South Wales, Australia
3. Inclusion of Self-Determination By First Nations Australian Communities in Alcohol Related Policy Development In The Northern Territory
4. Evaluation of the Western NSW Youth Drug & Alcohol Clinical Support Network.
5. Improving the evidence for supported accommodation services working with people released from prison
6. A retrospective analysis of treatment provision and needs for incarcerated patients with Alcohol Use Disorders in NSW.
7. Exploring the influence of public policy on Aboriginal women’s health in NSW.

Dr Qi Shao is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC), where his primary research focus is on modelling mineral separation processes using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. His recent work has applied CFD to a range of mineral separation equipment, including the Teeter Bed Separator, CrossFlow, HydroFloat, conventional mechanical flotation cells, and the Jameson Cell. By examining hydrodynamics and performance across varying operating conditions and equipment designs, his research aims to enhance separation efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and boost productivity.

Dr Shao earned his PhD in Environmental Engineering from The University of Queensland, where he developed numerical models using Cellular Automata to simulate hydrological processes in mining landforms. Following his PhD, he continued at UQ as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, investigating fluid-particle interactions in hydraulic erosion of granular structures through coupled CFD and Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations.

Prior to his current role, Dr Shao conducted research at the University of Melbourne, focusing on numerical simulations of solute transport and multiphase flows in heterogeneous porous media. His work addressed critical environmental and engineering challenges, including contaminant transport, geological CO₂ sequestration, and groundwater flow dynamics.

Dr Shao’s expertise spans a wide array of numerical methods, including Finite Element Method (FEM), Finite Volume Method (FVM), DEM, Cellular Automata, and Discrete Event Simulation, which he applies to solve complex problems across environmental and mineral engineering domains.

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.