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Dr Sowmya Shetty is a teaching focussed academic at The University of Queensland. Currently she is Senior Lecturer and serves as Discipline Lead - Oral Biosciences and as Director for Teaching & Learning at the School of Dentistry.

In her most recent role as Lecturer in Interprofessional Education at Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, she coordinated a first year large cross faculty course called HLTH1000 (Professional, People and Healthcare) and led the HaBS faculty-based Interprofessional Education curriculum, embedded into approx. 40 undergraduate and postgraduate offerings,in 2024, within multiple programs at the faculty. This IPCP team recently won a HABS Teaching Award for Programs that Enhance Learning in 2024.

Sowmya led the Early Years Experiential Learning In Dentistry team that won a University Award for Programs that Enhance Learning (APEL) in 2023. Sowmya was part of the UQ Dental Clinical Simulation Team led by Dr Jessica Zachar which won a HABS Excellence in Clinical and Professional Skills Education (ECLiPSE) Award in 2022, for independantly designing and implementing a sustainable, novel dentally relevant emergency training module dental students at UQ. She also has a HABS Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (COCSL) for her teaching practice and the support of learning that influences, motivates and inspires students to learn, utilising authentic simulation and engagement strategies to foster critical thinking approaches and motivate dental students towards life-long learning.

She is currently focussed on student partnerships for improving course design, assessment and feedback, and is motivated to improve clinical and observational placement experiences for students especially in interprofessional education. She is currently working on creating open educational resources in collaboration with year 1-3 course coordinators with a view to co-design custom open access textbooks for UQ dentistry courses. These are being developed with student partner contribution and feedback, via Student Staff Partnership grants through UQ.

Her research interests stemming from her PhD primarily focussed on dental materials testing, especially methodology. She worked to understand dentine permeability and its relationship to both tooth sensitivity and dentine bonding effectiveness; virtual surface mapping in tooth wear; CAD/CAM, fatigue test design and evaluation; fracture surface analysis and failure forecasting. Dental Materials is a primary focus of her teaching portfolio in the early years of the dentistry curriculum.

Dr Lynda Shevellar joined The University of Queensland in 2009. Based in the School of Social Science, Lynda won an early career award for teaching excellence in 2011, a University of Queensland Award for Teaching Excellence in 2019 and an Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT) Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2019). She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, the Principal Practitioner - Participation and Engagement (Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation), and is currently one of the Deputy Associate Deans (Academic) for the HASS Faculty. Lynda has previously held roles in government and the community sector and is influenced by over thirty years of experience in community development, the disability sector, mental health, education, and psychology.

Lynda's research explores three closely aligned agendas: understanding the experience of people who live with heightened vulnerability; developing the awareness, agency and capacity of communities to respond to social disadvantage and inequality; and aligning community development theory and education to inform practice in working alongside people who live with heightened vulnerability. Lynda has a particular interest in the development of inclusive learning communities, through creative teaching practices, participative research strategies, and engaged citizenship.

Lynda coordinates the courses SOSC2288: Community Development - Local and International Practice; and SOCY1070: Inequality, Society and the Self.

Heather attained her Bachelor of Technology degree in food engineering from Massey University. She then spent 10 years in gelatine manufacture in various roles including quality assurance, production management and process improvement engineering. In 2015 she completed her PhD study into the rheology of biopolymer soft particle suspensions, supervised by Professor Jason Stokes at the University of Queensland. She has since continued at UQ in postdoctoral roles investigating the relationship between rheological properties, food structure and sensory perception of real food products and model soft particle suspensions with a focus on dairy protein systems. The key outcomes from the project have allowed our industry partner to move towards the rational design of food products.

With a strong foundation in food science, fermentation, analytical chemistry, and sustainable food systems, Jiahua’s work focuses on microbial transformation of natural food into high-value functional food products using advanced fermentation technologies, including food grade fermentation and solid-state fermentation. Her research helps address critical industry challenges such as food waste reduction, upcycling of processing residues, development of novel food ingredients, and improvement of nutritional profiles in food and beverage products. Another key focus of Jiahua’s role is developing innovative food products and conducting shelf life testing. She transforms novel ideas into market-ready products by carefully balancing functionality, nutrition, sensory quality, and commercial feasibility.

Jiahua has led and contributed to numerous nationally and internationally funded research projects, collaborating with food industry partners, government agencies, and research institutions across Australia, China, Singapore, and Denmark. Her translational research supports industry needs in product innovation, ingredient development, and sustainable processing. Since 2015, Jiahua has attracted 6 research grants (>1.2 million) as chief investigator (lead CI and/or co-CI).

Jiahua recently secured a $5.6 million research project in May 2025 as the Lead Chief Investigator for “Premium Oat Innovations: Developing High-Value Oat-Based Food Products for Emerging Markets.” This project aims to create innovative, oat-based solutions tailored to evolving global consumer needs, with a strong focus on nutrition, sensory quality, and market differentiation.

As Head of the School of Education at the University of Queensland, I have overall responsibility for leadership, strategy, and development of a leading center of educational research and teaching in Australia and beyond. The School plays an important role in educating pre-service teachers in Queensland, developing educational researchers through doctoral study, and engaging with educational professionals through our highly international master's program. We have a strong commitment to social justice and inclusion of Indigenous knowledge and peoples, which are key priorities in my work as head of School.

As an educational researcher, my research has focused on globalisation and education, in particular looking at innovative ways that data can be used to understand educational change at the global level. I am particularly interested in social network analysis and statistical modelling, and have investigated issues and questions such as:

* Changing patterns of migration of international students around the world * The impact of international higher education on climate change through air travel * Whether private schooling adds to students' learning in South Asia * Networks between donors and recipients in international aid

I have held grants from the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council, the European Commission, the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, and other funders. I have has also served as co-editor of the journal Comparative Education Review, the executive committee of the British Association for International Education, and undertaken consultancies for national and international NGOs and UNESCO. I undertook my doctoral studies at UCLA, and have held roles at the University of Bath and Bristol in the UK.

I am a committed teacher, and have taught diverse students at all levels of study. I am particularly interested in technological innovation in my teaching practice and experimenting with gamification and simulation-based learning. In recognition of this approach to my work, I received the University of Bristol’s Inspiring and Innovative Teaching Award in 2021 and served as the School Education Director. At the University of Bath, I directed the doctoral program in higher education management.

Dr Desalegn Markos Shifti (PhD, MSc, BSc) is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Child Health Research Centre (CHRC) at the University of Queensland. He is currently engaged in the comprehensive investigation of the prevalence, natural history, causes and consequences of allergic diseases.

Desalegn obtained his PhD in Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Statistics from the University of Newcastle, Australia, in 2022. Before pursuing his PhD, Desalegn worked as an Assistant Professor, Lecturer, and Graduate Assistant at various universities in Ethiopia, where he held both academic and research roles.

Desalegn has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed research articles published in high-impact journals, such as the Lancet, JAMA Paediatrics, JAMA Oncology, and the International Journal of Public Health. He has expertise in several epidemiological and statistical skills, including generalised linear modelling, multilevel modelling, causal inferences for observational studies, mediation analysis, socio-economic assessment, geospatial analysis, big data analysis, systematic review, meta-analysis, and network meta-analysis.

Desalegn collaborates widely with public and clinical health researchers within Australia, low and middle-income countries, and internationally, across epidemiological studies. Key areas of interest and collaboration include allergies, maternal and child health, Indigenous health and well-being, reproductive health, health services research, chronic disease, and public health.

Dr Shim's research revolves around developing computational methods to understand determinants of cell identity by analysing various genomic data. Trained in bioinformatics, pharmacy and biomedical science (majoring in biochemistry and immunology), Dr Shim incorporates inter-disciplinary knowledge to solve research questions in both basic science and translational medicine.

Dr Sally Shrapnel is an internationally recognised interdisciplinary scientist whose research spans quantum physics, artificial intelligence, digital medicine, and philosophy. With a unique career trajectory bridging clinical medicine and cutting-edge quantum technologies, Dr Shrapnel is committed to solving foundational and applied problems that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.

A registered medical practitioner and Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, she brings over two decades of clinical experience in Tasmania, Queensland, and the UK. After earning an MSc in Bioengineering from Imperial College London, she pursued a PhD in Quantum Artificial Intelligence—focusing on quantum causal inference—which launched her second career as a quantum physicist.

Currently, Dr Shrapnel is Associate Professor of Physics at The University of Queensland and Deputy Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS). Her research addresses two fundamental questions:

• What does quantum theory reveal about the nature of reality?
• Can quantum resources be harnessed to design faster, more efficient AI algorithms?

These inquiries drive her leading contributions in Quantum Foundations and Quantum Machine Learning, where she develops novel theoretical frameworks and algorithms that aim to unlock the quantum advantage in emerging technologies. As Program Lead for Quantum Technologies for Health at the Queensland Digital Health Centre, Dr Shrapnel is also preparing the state’s healthcare ecosystem for the next technological revolution—bringing quantum tools into real-world applications in health and medicine.

A passionate advocate for interdisciplinary research, Dr Shrapnel continues to publish widely across quantum physics, computer science, digital health, and the philosophy of science. Her work exemplifies the power of rigorous, cross-disciplinary thinking to address some of the most profound and practical challenges of our time.

Dr Shakti Shrestha is a Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice and Medicines Management at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Queensland (UQ) and undertakes course coordination for the First Year Bachelor of Pharmacy program - PHRM1101 in Sem 1 and Sem 3. Shakti shifted to this full time academic role from a Research Fellow position that mainly involved conducting and supporting an Australian Government funded (Dementia Ageing and Aged Care Mission Medical Research Future Fund) research on improving the Quality Use of Medicine in Australian Residential Aged Care via the role of knowledge broker pharmacist (the EMBRACE project). Within his Research Fellow role, Shakti course coordinated Second Year teachout courses for UQ's Bachelor of Pharmacy program.

Shakti obtained his PhD at UQ School of Pharmacy, which focused on optimising medication use in older adults with limited life expectancy, drawing his extensive experience working and researching in a clinical medicine and aged care environment. He was a recipient of the 2018 Australian Research Training Scholarship at UQ for his doctoral degree. He also received the 2022 Career Development Scholarship from UQ that allowed him to develop clinical trial skills at Queensland Health, Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Townsville University Hospital and Gold Coast Private Hospital.

Shakti received his Master's degree in Clinical Pharmacology from the University of Aberdeen (UK) in 2010 and had an opportunity to work with the International Stroke Registry data called SITS-ISTR (Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-International Stroke Thrombolysis Registry) in the National Health Service (NHS) Grampian Hospital, UK. He received his undergraduate Pharmacy degree from Pokhara University (Nepal) in 2007 and is registered as a Pharmacist both in Nepal and Australia.

Shakti has supervised nine pharmacy undergraduate thesis (4-years BPharm program) to completion in Nepal, and supervised several undergraduate and masters research project students. He continues to supervise a number of independent research projects mainly with the intention to support the capacity building of health professionals in research; these research often make into publications.

Shakti has research expertise in the field of geriatric and palliative medication use and safety, quality use of medicine, pharmacy practice and health services. He has research methodology expertise on systematic review, clinical research design, predictive model development, meta-analysis, medical statistics and qualitative research. He has more than 10 years of experience working in research, academic and clinical roles nationally and internationally.

Dr Kirstine Shrubsole is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at the Queensland Aphasia Research Centre. She holds a Bachelor of Speech Pathology (First Class Honours) from The University of Queensland, and completed her PhD in 2018. Kirstine has a research focus on improving implementation of evidence into practice in speech pathology and multidisciplinary services, with a special interest in stroke and aphasia rehabilitation. She has demonstrated that practice change is achievable for healthcare teams working in aphasia, leading to positive outcomes for patients, clinicians, and organisations.

Kirstine has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, and has been awarded over $11 million in competitive research funding. Kirstine previously worked as the Conjoint Research Fellow in Speech Pathology (Princess Alexandra Hospital and The University of Queensland), providing research capacity building and mentoring to speech pathologists and supporting multidisciplinary research. Kirstine is the co-founder and Deputy Lead of the Collaboration of Aphasia Triallists’ Implementation Science in Aphasia working group, and a research affiliate of the Centre for Research Excellence in Aphasia Rehabilitation and Recovery.

Kirstine is completing a NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellowship on the following topic:

• The Aphasia Implementation Toolkit Project: Developing an implementation intervention to improve services for stroke survivors with aphasia

She is a chief investigator on three MRFF grants, including:

• Unspoken, Unheard, Unmet: Improving Access to Preventative Health Care through Better Conversations about Care

• Bridging the Digital Divide: Building Health Self-Efficacy through Communication-Accessible Online Environments

• Enhancing utility of neuropsychological evaluation for earlier and effective diagnosis of dementia in Parkinson's disease