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Dr Bonu Ramesh Naidu (Member, IEEE) received the B.Tech. degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada, India, the M.Tech. degree in power and energy systems specialization from the National Institute of Technology, Shillong, India, and PhD from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India in 2013, 2017 and 2023 respectively. He worked as a research fellow in the UK-India Clean Energy Research Institute project at Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur from 2017 to 2022. He received both Institute and President's gold medals during his masters education. He is also a receipent of a travel grant from IEEE PES Singapore Chapter and an exchange grant from the Joint UK-India Clean Energy Centre, UK (funded jointly by the DST, India and the EPSRC, UK). He served as the organizing secretary for two IEEE international conferences.

Associate Professor Robert Boots is a member of the clinical team at the Burns, Trauma and Critical Care Research Centre.

Rob currently is a senior Thoracic and Sleep Physician in the Department of Thoracic Medicine, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and continues to practice intensive care medicine in Bundaberg. His current research interests relate to biologic circadian rhythm dysfunction particularly as it relates to recovery from critical illness in addition to applications of virtual reality distraction therapy to improve patient outcomes from complex illness. Previously Rob served as the Deputy Director of the Department of Intensive Care Medicineat RBWH for 20 years and has qualifications in both respiratory medicine and intensive care. He has a strong background in clinical epidemiology and research previslu researching the management of burns and prevention of ventilator associated pneumonia. He has served as Deputy Director of Clinical Training and Chairman of the Medical Emergency Response Training Program at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. Rob received training in clinical education from the Harvard Macy Program for Physician Educators in Boston USA and the Bulstrode and Hunt program of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edin). He was a key stakeholder in the development of the business case and the despite of the Queensland Health Clinical Skills Development Centre whoch opened in 2004. After serving for 6 years as the Chairman of the Queensland Regional Committee of the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care he was electived to the Board of the College of Intensive Care Medicine in 2010, serving as the Censor, Education Officer and Research Officer during the transition of the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine to the existing CICM. He previously served as the Deputy Chair of the Patholgy Primary Exmaination Committee of the RACS and is currently a senior member of the National Examiation Panel of the RACP. Rob is involved with many projects as a main investigator and supervises postgraduate students attached to the research unit.

Dr Samudragupta Bora is the Founding Director of the Health Services Research Center at University Hospitals Health System, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in the United States, and Honorary Associate Professor at The University of Queensland. He previously served as Director of Early Childhood Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital and Group Leader of Neurodevelopmental Follow-Up and Outcomes at Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland. He is the immediate past Chair of the Long-Term Outcomes of High-Risk Babies Subcommittee of the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand.

His research aims to improve the quality of life for high-risk neonates, particularly those born preterm, and their families. Research studies span two core themes: 1) develop a better understanding of the long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of high-risk neonates, and 2) discover the independent and interdependent roles of neurological and social factors underlying these outcomes. Furthermore, there is a growing emphasis on developing innovative care models to improve the delivery and accessibility of neurodevelopmental follow-up in low- and middle-income countries. In addition to research, he is committed to mentoring the next generation of clinician-scientists and scientists. He has extensive experience promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic medicine.

Dr Thierry Bore is a specialist of electromagnetic measurement methods for civil engineering purpose. He is currently working at the University of Queensland after having obtained a Ph.D. from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers of Paris in France. His past work was mostly related to moisture measurement in porous media such as concrete and clayrock. He has a large and diverse experience in field instrumentation of civil engineering structures such as bridge or nuclear waste repository. He has particular interest in developing electromagnetic monitoring system in combination with dielectric spectroscopy.

Dr. Borg is a translational scientist with a career spanning both Germany and Australia. She has amassed extensive expertise in cellular biology in regenerative therapies, as well as molecular biology, biochemical, and preclinical methodology in diabetes research. Her leadership in coordinating the newest Queensland longitudinal birth cohort has honed her skills in multidisciplinary teamwork, scientific communication, databank governance and epidemiological study design.

Passionate about innovation, Dr. Borg excels in leveraging communication, engagement, and partnerships to address persistent challenges in clinical research. As a Principal Research Fellow in the Women-Newborn-Children's Services at Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, she is dedicated to workforce capacity building and integrating clinical expertise with academic knowledge. Her efforts are focused on enhancing research implementation and improving health service evaluation within cross-disciplinary teams, to prioritise healthcare improvement.

At the age of 15 I thought that I would like to develop new treatments for diseases where there is a need. After studying Biology in Germany and while working as a post-doctoral fellow with Professor Raymond Dingledine at Emory University, I became passionate about epilepsy. When starting my own laboratory at Texas Tech University, I began to investigate impairments in energy metabolism in epilepsy and potential new treatments to address energetic deficiencies. In 2011, I moved to UQ and have since enjoyed the many opportunities working with many talented students and professionals and within the globally highly respected Australin epilepsy community.

Recent research:

Among many other projects, my lab has characterized several metabolic alterations and impairments in energy metabolism in epilepsy (1, 2) and Motor Neuron Disease (1). In brain areas that can generate seizures, cytosolic and mitochondrial metabolism of glucose is impaired (1), which can lead to energy deficits and may trigger seizures. From a biochemical standpoint, auxiliary fuels such as ketone bodies and medium chain fatty acids derived from medium chain triglyceride (MCTs) are well suited to improve energy levels. We have also shown that different MCTs, including triheptanoin, when added to normal diets can prevent seizure generation in seizure models (reviewed here 1, 2) and prevent motor neuron death in an MND model (1).

Our latest research aims to increase glucose transport into brain cells for glucose transporter 1 deficiency and epilepsy.

The focus of my research is on the oceanography and paleoceanography. I use stable isotopes (oxygen, carbon), geochemical tracers, sedimentology and microfossils to understand the present and past changes in ocean chemistry to reconstruct ocean circulation (changes in ocean currents and fronts) and its relationship to global climate. I am particularly interested in understanding past changes in the Great Barrier Reef, and at the other extreme past changes in processe at the Antarctic Margin. I am also interested in mapping marine sediment distribution, sediment transport processes, marine geomorphology, and multidisciplinary topics such as ocean acidification (the uptake of CO2 by the oceans) and climate change in the oceans (marine heat waves, sea level rise), and paleoseismicity (using sedimentary records to reconstruct the history of past earthquakes). My research has focussed on the southwest Pacific (Coral Sea, Tasman Sea and South Pacific) and Southern Ocean. I have participated in a number of research voyages on open ocean vessels including the RV Tangaroa and RV Investigator, including several as lead or co-lead scientist.

Helen Bostock joined the University of Queensland in July 2019 from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand (2006-2019). Prior to this she worked as a researcher in the Coastal CRC at Geoscience Australia in Canberra (2004-2006).

Dr Botella's research interests are in genetic engineering, molecular biology and signal transduction in plants.

Dr. Jimmy Botella is Professor of Plant Biotechnology at the University of Queensland. He obtained a degree in Quantum Chemistry from the University of Madrid (Spain) and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Malaga (Spain). After postdoctoral positions at Michigan State University and Pennsylvania State University he joined the University of Queensland in 1995. At UQ he founded the Plant Genetic Engineering Laboratory (PGEL) specialising in the fields of tropical and subtropical agricultural biotechnology for almost 15 years. J. Botella has eleven international patents in the field of Plant Biotechnology and is a founding member of two biotechnology companies (Coridon Ltd. and Origo Biotech).

Dr Botella is a member of the Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology research group.

Some highlights of the Plant Genetic Engineering Laboratory’s research:

• Production and field trial of the world’s first genetically modified pineapples with genetic constructs to control flowering time. These pineapples will allow farmer control over harvesting times.
• Development of a new technology to confer protection against nematode infestation.
• Discovery of a gene that can confer resistance to the devastating fungus Fusarium oxysporum in plants.
• Development of a new technology to confer protection against pathogenic fungi in plants.

Research interests

Dr. Botella’s research has two major foci: basic cell biology and applied biotechnology. In cell biology he is interested in studying the function of the Heterotrimeric G proteins in plants. This family of proteins is extremely important in humans but their role in pant systems is still largely unknown. Dr. Botella’s research has strongly contributed to the current body of knowledge available in plants with critical contributions such as the discovery and characterization of the first plant gamma subunits and the establishment of these subunits as the critical element conferring function specificity to all plant G proteins. Dr. Botella’s team has also discovered the important role that these proteins play in defense against pathogens. New and unpublished data has now revealed that G proteins are important yield enhancing factors in crops such as rice. Another research interest resides in the communication between plants and insects. There is plenty of knowledge of how important smell, volatiles emitted by the plant, is for foraging insects in order to determine their host preferences. Nevertheless, most of the available studies have been performed using synthetic chemicals in artificial experimental settings. Dr. Botella’s team and collaborators have genetically engineered plants to produce different volatile mixes in the flowers in order to perform in vivo behavioral studies in insects.

Biotechnology research at the Plant Genetic Engineering Laboratory mostly arises from discoveries made in basic research. The PGEL focuses in tropical and subtropical crops. These crops have attracted little attention in terms of biotechnology but are essential sources of food and energy for a large part of the world’s population, especially in Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The PGEL has developed a number of platform technologies that can be applied to multiple crops in order to confer resistance to pathogens, modify plant architecture and control flowering time.

Current research projects include:

• Plant heterotrimeric G proteins: New roles in defence, stomatal control and ABA perception.
• Putting smells into context: using in vivo technologies to understand plant-insect odour communication.
• Use of host-derived RNA interference technology to control plant pathogens (especially pathogenic fungi and nematodes).
• Control of Fusarium wilt disease.
• Genetic improvement of grain crops.
• Genetic engineering research projects

Dr Amanda Bourgeois is a postdoctoral researcher in the UQ Learning Lab: a group of multi-disciplinary researchers, educators, and industry partners who collaborate to transform learning, teaching, and training in diverse school and post-school contexts through the science of learning. In this role, Amanda is investigating the proposed adolescent ‘dip’ across a range of social, emotional and cognitive skills and dispositions, predominantly around the age of 15. This dip has appeared in research projects looking at diverse, but related phenomena such as academic wellbeing, learning regulation, emotion regulation, engagement, curiosity, creativity, and self-esteem. Amanda is developing a comprehensive literature review of the adolescent dip with the aim to better understand what is happening, when, and the potential causes, with the aim of working with education stakeholders to co-design possible interventions and resources to support positive growth and development through the adolescent period.

Amanda has experience as a teacher and counsellor working with disadvantaged adolescents in both the United States and Australia. Her research activities span the topics of adolescence, wellbeing, classroom emotions, student-teacher relationships, and student self-efficacy, particularly with a focus on those from a low socioeconomic background. Amanda is interested in incorporating innovative, real-time forms of measurement in classroom research and she recently developed the S2* emotion application, which captures real-time emotions and causes for emotions.

Dr Matthew Bourke is a Research Fellow working on the Health Research Accelerator 360-Kids Community Network program. His research uses several contemporary techniques including Ecological Momentary Assessment and compositional data analysis to better understand the antecedents and outcomes of 24-hour movement behaviours in children and youth, and especially how engaging in different combinations of movement behaviours can help support optimal development in young people. Matthew's research also aims to develop and evaluate interventions that target multiple levels of influence to improve the composition of young people's 24-hour movement behaviours and support healthy development.

Professor Bowen is Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology, and leads the Quantum Optics Laboratory at UQ. He is recognised both nationally and internationally for research at the interface of quantum science and nanotechnology; including bioimaging, biotechnology, nanophotonics, nanomechanics, quantum optomechanics and photonic/quantum sensing. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Physics.

Professor Bowen's research spans from the very fundamental, e.g. how does quantum physics transition into our everyday world at large scales?, to applied, e.g. developing next generation sensors for medical diagnostics and navigation. To pursue this research, his lab works in close partnership with industry and uses state-of-the-art facilities for nanofabrication, nanoanalysis, precision optical measurement and deep cryogenic refrigeration available in-house or on campus at UQ.

Professor Bowen has supervised more than thirty postgraduate students, who have been recognised with prizes such as Fulbright Scholarships, an Australian Youth Science Ambassadorship, a Springer PhD theses prize, the Queensland nomination for the Australian Institute of Physics Bragg Medal, the Australian Optical Society Postgraduate Student Prize and UQ Graduate of the Year. He regularly has projects available, both for postgraduate students and for postdoctoral researchers. Please check his website, above, or contact him directly for details (w.bowen@uq.edu.au).

Julie's research interests include: strengths-based case management in adolescence; prevention and intervention approaches; assessment of risk and protection in vulnerable youth; social and emotional well-being in adolescence; evidence-based resources for adolescent development; positive youth development; teacher well-being and innovative measures of emotional states of teachers and students in the classroom.

Dr Julie Bower is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Education. She conducts applied research in secondary schools to understand the social and emotional processes that keep students at school and engaged in learning. Her work is based in a positive youth development framework, focusing on the strengths of adolescents at risk and working in close partnership with schools to assist these students to reach their potential. She is interested in developing real-time measures of emotion in a classroom setting, assessment of both risk and protection in vulnerable youth; prevention and intervention approaches; social and emotional well-being in adolescence; evidence-based resources for adolescent development; and school-wide approaches for social and emotional well-being of students and teachers.

Julie Bower has over 29 years experience in the education sector, 21 of those in educational research and more recently, over the past 12 years in the development of the Mindfields® Program, The CAT-RPM, the t* (Teacher Emotions App) and the Mindful Practice for Teachers Program. She is now an educational consultant in Emotional Health in Schools. Julie’s experience in the field of education encompasses the areas of research project management, development of evidence-based resources, social and emotional wellbeing, cognitive behavioural interventions and strengths-based strategies for teacher and student well-being.