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Professor Kris Thurecht has appointments at AIBN and UQ’s Centre for Advanced Imaging where he is the Deputy Director of Imaging Technologies. Professor Thurecht has been recognised for scientific excellence with a 2012 Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Award and a 2010 UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award for his work in developing polymer ‘theranostics’. In 2015 he was recognised by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute Polymer Division through award of the David Sangster Polymer Science and Technology Award for scientific excellence for a mid-career researcher. Since obtaining his PhD in 2005, he has been the recipient of five competitive national and international fellowships, the latest being an NHMRC CDF, and prior to that award an ARC Future Fellowship. He has contributed scientific and review articles to various leading journals in his field, including invited articles in the Emerging Young Investigator issue of Chemical Communications and a Young Talent article in Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics. Professor Thurecht has been chief investigator on grants from various funding bodies, including ARC Discovery grants; ARC Linkage Grants, with both national and international companies; National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grants; and funding from various cancer foundations. He is co-inventor on 8 patents. He is CI on the ARC Training Centre for Innovation in BioMedical Imaging Technology in which he is theme leader, and is Director of the ARC Research Hub for Advanced Manufacture of Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals.

Moe Thuzar (MBBS, FRCP UK, FRACP, PhD) is a Senior Endocrinologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH), the Director of Translational Engagement at the Translational Research Institute (TRI, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane. She is the clinical & research Lead in Adrenal Endocrinology in the Endocrinology Department at the PAH, and has a strong research interest in the Neuroendocrine Regulation of Metabolism and Cardiovascular Health in Humans, particularly the Adrenal Endocrine System and Primary Aldosteronsim.

After completing her specialist training and receiving FRACP (Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians) in early 2014, she undertook her PhD study (2014-2018, UQ) investigating the role of adrenal neuroendocrine system in the regulation of human brown adipose tissue and energy metabolism under the primary supervision of Professor Ken Ho. Moe then joined the Endocrine Hypertension Unit of Professor Michael Stowasser, pursuing further research in Cardiovascular Endocrinology, in particular, elucidating the role of the mineralocorticoid system in the regulation of cardiometabolic health and its interplay with other systems in humans, and investigating optimal diagnostic and management strategies for primary aldosteronism. She joined the Executive Leadership Team of the TRI as the Director of Translational Engagement in 2026, providing strategic leadship for programs fostering partnerships between scientists, clinicians, industry and consumers, and an innovative ecosystem acclerating discoveries into clinical solutions.

Her research has informed a number of National and International Clinical Practice Guidelines including the US Endocrine Society's Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Primary Aldosteronism (2025), Lipid Management in Patients with Endocrine Disorders (2020), the Chinese Society of Cardiology/Chinese Medical Association's Joint Guideline for Management of Hypertension (2024), Australian & New Zealand Guideline for Adrenal Venous Sampling in Primary Aldosteronism (2025), the Endocrine Society of Australia/Australian Association of Clinical Biochemist/Royal Australasian College of Pathologists' Joint Guideline for Endocrine Dynamic Testing (2021), QLD Statewide Protocol for Management of Diabetes Ketoacidosis (2014).

She has received numerous awards for her work including US Endocrine Society’s Presidential Awards for Excellence in Cardiovascular Endocrinology Research (2017) and in Adipocyte Biology Research (2017), Early Career Researcher Award from the Australian & New Zealand Obesity Society (2016), Australasian Women in Endocrinology Young Investigator Award (2017), Queensland Health & Medical Research Award (Previously “Premier’s award”, finalist, 2017), Young Investigator Award, International Aldosterone Conference (runner-up, 2019), Endocrine Society of Australia's Paul Lee Award (2023). She is a Principal Investigator (PI) or Chief Investigator (CI) of a number of successful competitive grants, totalling ~4 millions to date, which include Royal Australasian College of Physicians-Australian Diabetes Society Research Establishment Fellowship (2023), MRFF Clinician Researchers Project Grant (CI, 2022-2025), Metro South Research Support Scheme Program Grant (PI, 2021-2023), Diabetes Australia Project Grant (PI, 2019-2021), Metro South Research Support Scheme Early Career Researcher Grant (PI, 2019-2022), Endocrine Society of Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship (2019). She has served as an expert reviewer for Grant review panels including UK Research & Innovation Grants Scheme, NHMRC Project Grants Scheme and for top journals in the field, and held editorial roles for a number of journals including the Frontiers in Endocrinology, Metabolites.

I graduated in 2013 with a MBBS from the University of Queensland. Currently, I work as a Junior Registrar in General Surgery (Pre-training position) at the Logan Hospital in Queensland, Australia. I love teaching medical students and involve myself in meaningful research during my spare time. I am committed to practicing evidence based, safe and honest medicine in the field of Surgery.

I grew up on the Devon coast hunting among the fucoids for crabs and shrimp. I undertook research while at school on the diet of blennies. At university in Swansea, south Wales, and as a marine Biology student I investigated informally the behaviour of intertidal pool dwelling organisms andmore formally (Hons) the ecology of benthic invertebrates. My PhD at the University of Queensland delved into the ecology and evolution of halfbeaks (Hemiramphidae) . My research track-record since reflects both my early interests and those developed subsequent to my PhD. I have published in diverse fields reflecting my general curiosity about marine life, and in particular the dynamic between evolution and action addressing challenges to extant paradigms that my extensive time in the field have prompted.

Professor Alan Tilbrook is nationally and internationally recognised for leading scientific research in animal science and biomedical science (endocrinology, neuroendocrinology, behaviour, stress, and reproduction). He is a global leader in animal welfare science. Professor Tilbrook has an outstanding balanced portfolio in leadership, strategic planning, research, academia, education and government. He is Professor of Animal Welfare in the School of Veterinary Science and has an affiliate appointment in the Centre for Animal Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation at The University of Queensland. Professor Tilbrook is one of three expert members of a Strategy Advisory Group to provide expert strategic advice to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to assist the development of the renewed Australian Animal Welfare Strategy. He represents Universities Australia on the Board of the Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching, represents The University of Queensland on the World Organisation for Animal Health and is a member of the Australian Government’s Live Export Animal Welfare Advisory Group. Professor Tilbrook was Chair and Research Champion of the National Primary Industries Animal Welfare Research, Development and Extension Strategy from 2013 to 2025. He established The Animal Welfare Collaborative, a university-facilitated network of individuals, companies, and organisations working together to make evidence-based improvements in animal welfare. This was a collaborative venture with The University of Newcastle, The University of Western Australia and The University of Adelaide. He was a founder, Deputy Director and Co-Director of the Animal Welfare Science Centre, was the Research Chief of Livestock and Farming Systems at the South Australian Research and Development Institute and was Deputy Head of the Department of Physiology at Monash University. He has held numerous national and local leadership roles. Professor Tilbrook's research is conceptually driven with a multidisciplinary and integrative approach. He has developed cutting edge research programs across a range of species including sheep, pigs, poultry, cattle, goats, rodents, horses, buffalo and humans. Professor Tilbrook places a huge emphasis on collaboration, training and professional development.

Dr Barbra Timmer is a Senior Lecturer in Audiology (Teaching & Research) at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland and Senior Scientist at Sonova AG. Her research focuses on understanding real-world hearing challenges, promoting engagement with hearing care, and improving audiological rehabilitation outcomes. She employs innovative methods, such as ecological momentary assessment, to capture real-time data on the listening experiences of individuals with hearing loss. Her work has significantly contributed to highlighting the importance of addressing the emotional and social aspects of hearing loss in clinical practice.

Dr. Timmer's extensive clinical experience includes roles at Hearing Australia and the Free University of Amsterdam, as well as industry experience with Sonova AG in Australia and Switzerland. She holds an MBA and a PhD in Audiology, aiming to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice.

As Board Director and immediate past president of Audiology Australia, Dr. Timmer leads efforts to advance the profession, ensuring high standards of practice and advocating for individuals with hearing loss. Her leadership and research have significantly influenced clinical approaches and public awareness of hearing health, improving the quality of life for individuals with hearing loss worldwide.

Dr Aaron Tkaczynski is a Senior Lecturer in both tourism and events in the School of Business in the Faculty of Business, Economics & Law. He has been employed at the University of Queensland in a research capacity since 2009. Since 2021 he has also had an extra-ordinary Associate Professor position in the Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society (TREES) department at North-West University in Potchefstroom in South Africa. Aaron's research expertise and experience stems from market segmentation modelling. He publishes within journals such as Tourism Management, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Annals of Tourism Research and the Journal of Travel Research. Dr Tkaczynski is also very interested in tourism seasonality, eco-certification, nature-based tourism, social marketing and small-scale festivals. Aaron is also a Christian and actively researches and volunteers for many Christian orientated events such as festivals and leadership conferences. Prior to academia, Aaron was employed in local government (Hervey Bay City Council, Redland Shire Council and the Local Government Association of Queensland).

Professor Wojtek Tomaszewski is Professorial Research Fellow and a Research Group Leader at the Institute for Social Science Research. He is the Director of the Social Science Research Infrastructure Network (SSRIN), and is also Chief Investigator and Program Leader in the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (the Life Course Centre).

Wojtek holds a BSc and MSc in Mathematics, as well as an MA in Sociology from the University of Warsaw, Poland and a PhD in Social Sciences from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. Prior to joining UQ, Wojtek worked at the National Centre for Social Research in London. He has specialist expertise in quantitative research methods and advanced statistical analysis.

Wojtek has a strong research interest in the impact of disadvantage on educational and labour market outcomes in young people. He has undertaken a number of research projects for the State and Commonwealth Governments in Australia, and previously for the British Government. He has published in high-profile international academic journals across the fields of social sciences, education, and beyond.

Professor Joanne Tompkins is now retired but she continues to research and consult on research and research strategy.

She served a three year term seconded to the Australian Research Council as Executive Director of the Humanities and Creative Arts panel, concluding in 2020. She currently sits on the executive/advisory board of several organisations including the Academy of Humanities, the International Federation for Theatre Research, and two ARC Centres of Excellence.

Her research interests include spatial theories and virtual reality; post-colonial, intercultural, and multicultural drama, literature, and theory; performance theories; and feminist performance.

Her current research includes 3D visualisation and modelling of theatre spaces; the spatial theory of heterotopia; space in Australian and Canadian theatre; database of Australian performance; multicultural theories and drama, and intercultural performance.

She is the author of articles on: Spatial theory and virtual reality; post-colonial, multicultural, and intercultural drama and theory; Australian drama and literature and Canadian drama;

She is author of: Theatre’s Heterotopias: Space and the Analysis of Performance. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014; and Unsettling Space: Contestations in Contemporary Australian Theatre. Basingstoke: Palgrave/Macmillan, 2006.

She is co-author of: A Global Doll's House: Ibsen and Distant Visions. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016 (with Julie Holledge, Frode Helland and Jonathan Bollen); Women's Intercultural Performance, Routledge, 2000 (with Julie Holledge); and Post-colonial Drama: Theory, Practice, Politics, Routledge, 1996 (with Helen Gilbert).

She is editor of: Theatre Journal, "Space and the Geographics of Theatre," a special issue of Modern Drama, 2004; "Theatre and the Canadian Imaginary," a special issue of Australasian Drama Studies, 1996.

She is co-editor of: Performing Site-Specific Theatre: Politics, Place, Practice, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012 (with Anna Birch); Site-Specificity and Mobility, a Special Issue of Contemporary Theatre Review 2012 (with Anna Birch); Performance and Design, a special issue of Australasian Drama Studies (with Andrew Filmer and Miranda Heckenberg) 2012;Modern Drama: Defining the Field, University of Toronto Press, 2003 (with Ric Knowles and WB Worthen); Modern Drama 1999-2005; Performing Women / Performing Feminisms: Interviews with International Women Playwrights (with Julie Holledge).

Dr Tonkin is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland and Monash University with a background in nutrition and dietetics. She works alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and remote communities to gain insight into the histories and structural complexities, in particular food environments and food systems, that contribute to the health outcomes experienced by remote community members. Dr Tonkin has substantial experience in food policy research, leading work determining the pathway for translation of a benchmarking approach to support healthy retail in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community food stores into national policy. She is also a nationally recognised expert in dietary assessment in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, leading work related to the Menzies Remote Short-item Dietary Assessment Tool (MRSDAT).

Dr Melinda Toomey, an optometrist and health services researcher, is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Hearing Research (CHEAR), University of Queensland. Currently, she is working on a MRFF-funded project to improve the quality of life for people with dementia and hearing and/or vision impairment. Melinda's research focus is on the development, implementation and evaluation of evidence-based, patient-centred tools and programs using an implementation science approach across a range of healthcare settings.

Melinda completed her PhD at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW, Sydney, where she was awarded a Dean's Award for Outstanding PhD Thesis. In her PhD thesis entitled, iCaretrack: Improving the Appropriateness of Australian Glaucoma Eyecare Delivery (ImAAGED), Melinda investigated barriers and enablers to care delivery and then developed a program to improve the quality of glaucoma care delivery.