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Associate Professor West is a molecular microbiologist, expert in bacterial pathogenesis. He is Head of “Tuberculosis Research” in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland. Nick has a particular interest in drug development for TB. His research utilises modern molecular technologies to identify the genetic requirements for Mycobacterium tuberculosis to cause Tuberculosis (TB) with these genetic discoveries translated into novel antibiotic therapies. Research within his group falls largely into one of the following four themes: Essential Gene Identification in M. tuberculosis, Understanding TB Latency, Targeted TB Drug Development and Improving TB Vaccination.

Nick conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London. Returning to Australia in 2004, he spent several years at Sydney’s Centenary Institute as an Associate Faculty member before relocating to University of Queensland in 2012. In addition to drug development, Nick’s research portfolio includes programmes of vaccine and diagnostic development and testing.

Dr. Zoe West, a Research Fellow at the Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer within UQ's Centre for Clinical Research, specialising in vulvar cancer. Her primary objective is to minimise surgical interventions and enhance patient outcomes. Dr. West employs state-of-the-art three-dimensional imaging in her research to gain deeper insights into the intricacies of vulvar cancer.

I am an Australian Research Council Future Fellow working in the field of bioarchaeology in Australia and New Guinea.

Mark Western is Research Director, The Queensland Commitment, UQ, and Professor of Sociology in the Centre for Policy Futures in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and the Queensland Academy of the Arts and Sciences. From 2009 to March 2022 he was Founding Director of the Institute for Social Science Research, UQ's university research institute for the social sciences. He has previously worked at the Australian National University and the University of Tasmania, and held visiting appointments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Manchester, and the Institute of Education, London.

Mark is an International Fellow of the Centre for the Study of Poverty and Inequality at Stanford University, and a former Chief Investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families Over the Life course and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security.

He has been a member of the Boards of the Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research at the University of Manchester, the Leeds Social Sciences Institute, and the Stretton Institute at the University of Adelaide. In recent years Mark Western's external appointments include:

• 2023-2024 Member, National Research Infrastructure Advisory Group, providing long term and strategic advice to the Federal Government on National Research Infrastructure
• 2023- Chair, Group of Eight Equity Working Group, advising the Group of Eight on student equity in higher education.
• 2022- Member, Steering Committee, Academy of Social Sciences in Australia Research Infrastructure Decadal Plan
• 2021-2022 Chair, Expert Working Group reviewing the ERA Rating Scale and Benchmarking for the ARC
• 2020-2021 Chair, Steering Committee for the State of the Social Sciences Report 2021 for the Academy of Social Sciences
• 2019 Member, Advisory Group to the Academy of Humanities Project, Mapping International Research Infrastructures for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
• 2014-2015 Deputy Chair, Review of the Australian Research Training System, Australian Council of Learned Academies.

Mark has also served as Chair and Deputy Chair of ARC ERA and Engagement and Impact Evaluation Committees, and on the ARC College of Experts and various ARC Selection Advisory Committees for other ARC Research Funding schemes.

He has edited and authored 7 books, and over 100 book chapters, journal articles and commissioned reports and held research grants and contracts worth approximately $120 million.

Dr Nicholas J. Westra van Holthe is a synthetic chemist working at the interface of chemistry and the biological function of nanomaterials, with expertise in functional chemistry and nanotechnology for biological applications. Nick is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. Nick obtained a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Nanomedicine, and Molecular Imaging from The University of Queensland under the supervision of Professor Kristofer Thurecht.

Whilst Nick's primary expertise is in synthetic chemistry and the development and application of polymer-based nanoparticles, Nick's expertise also extends to photoacoustic molecular imaging as Nick helped establish the photoacoustic molecular imaging capability within the Centre for Advanced Imaging at The University of Queensland and has published several photoacoustic molecular imaging studies. Nick's Ph.D. thesis presents the synthesis of a highly effective photoacoustic contrast agent along with the development of a polymeric contrast agent that provides the means to visualise and assess nanoparticle penetration into solid tumours in real-time during in vivo imaging experiments. Nick also presents a detailed investigation of the photoacoustic efficacy and photophysical properties of contrast enhancing agents and proposes a novel mechanism for photoacoustic signal production.

Nick has research experience working with industry partners and has held several professional research positions. During 2019-21 Nick worked with Associate Professor Idriss Blakey to develop a nanoparticle-based hydrogen sulfide sensor. From 2022 Nick’s synthetic materials chemistry expertise has been utilised on a $USD 1.25M US Department of Defence funded grant for the preclinical testing of a polymer-protein conjugate as a haemostatic hydrogel for combat casualties with catastrophic haemorrhage.

More recently, Nick has been working with Professor Alan Rowan on the development of synthetic polymer-peptide conjugates that form biomimetic hydrogels and mimic the mechanic and functional properties of the extracellular membrane, providing the means to study cells in a controlled biomimetic 3-dimentional cell culture system.

Prof. Wheatley is the Co-Director of the Centre for Hypersonics within the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering. He was named Australia's Research Field Leader in Aerospace and Aviation Engineering (The Australian, Sept 28, 2018) and was a recipient of a 2017 Australian Award for University Teaching – Award for Teaching Excellence .

Prof. Wheatley's research interests are in the fields of supersonic plasma flows, hypersonics and computational fluid dynamics.

Prof. Wheatley's research in supersonic plasma flows focuses on the suppression of instabilities that are detrimental to inertial confinement fusion, a process that promises carbon free energy production. In hypersonics, he focuses on extending the capability scramjets to the point where they can power launch-vehicle stages. This technology could meet the need for safer, more economical space access, which has the potential to revolutionise the space industry. Computational fluid dynamics is his primary method of investigation in these areas.

Prof. Wheatley obtained his PhD in Aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology in 2005. He also earned an MEngSc (Mechanical) and a BE (Mechanical and Space) from the University of Queensland (UQ). After completing his PhD in the US, Dr Wheatley spent two years as post-doctoral fellow at ETH Zurich. He was then a Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Adelaide before taking up his position at UQ in 2009.

Prof. Wheatley has expertise in the areas of:

• Simulation of hypersonic flows (DNS, LES and RANS)
• Using high fidelity numerical simulations, validated by experiments, to provide new details and understanding of scramjet flow physics
• Mixing and combustion enhancement in scramjets through fuel/flow structure interactions and novel injector design
• Analysis and simulation of plasma instabilities
• Numerical methods for magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and multi-fluid, ion-electron plasmas
• Rarefied gas dynamics
• Bluff body wake dynamics
• Aeroacoustics, particularly passive noise control for bluff bodies

Dr Mikaela Wheeler is a lecturer in the School of Public Health and has clinical and research expertise as a dietitian-nutritionist in residential aged care and community settings. Using mixed methods and co-design methodology, her research focuses on improving the lives of older people through system design to tackle imminent problems, including poor nutrition, social isolation, loneliness, and specialist care for people living with dementia. In her teaching, Mikaela delivers undergraduate courses in chronic disease and nutrition across the lifespan and is part of the Advocacy and Public Health teaching team in the Medical Program.

Dr Wheeler is a proud Ngarabal person and Accredited Exercise Scientist (ESSA). Dr Wheeler specilises in implementation science in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

Dr Wheeler was the first Aboriginal person to graduate with a PhD from the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Dr Wheeler’s research examines how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can co-design programs that build community capacity and engage children and young peoples in a broad range of development areas. Dr Wheeler’s research strengths consist co-designing physical movement-based programs, ensuring a trauma informed and culturally-responsive approach towards community engagement and empowerment.

Dr Wheeler has led high performing teams working on education programs that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families through a strength-based and holistic framework. Extending this work, Dr Wheeler's research focuses on developing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce to better address the complex health needs of community. Dr Wheeler has provided FIrst Nations leadership to a range of projects that have catered for the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and through this experience has partnered to deliver diverse governance solutions and educational engagement frameworks.

Dr Wheeler also specialises in biomechanics, sport analytics and performance analysis as well as strength and conditioning research. Dr Wheeler works currently with a range of sporting organisations to implement best-practice sport servicing, testing and athlete management to achieve excellence. Dr Wheeler is the lead researcher in partnership with Indigenous Basketball Australia. Dr Wheeler has worked with a variety of professional sporting organisations and teams such as the Wallabies, Brumbies Rugby and World Rugby as well as the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra Raiders, Canberra Comets, Canberra Meteors and GWS Giants. Dr Wheeler co-design training programs to promote optimal performance in a range of sports. Dr Wheeler is a passionate about how sport and exercise can be used to enrich community as well as health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Dr Wheeler is the Chair of the ESSA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy Working Group for Exercise and Sport Science Australia.

Dr Wheeler is the Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy for the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences.

Dr Wheeler is the Program Convenor for Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Sciences, the University of Queensland.

Dr Wheeler was named in the top 52 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people changing the world from COSMOS.

Awards

2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Award from the Australian Academy of Science

2022 LSQ Merck Life Science Rural and Regional Service Award from Life Sciences Queensland

2020 Accredited Exercise Scientist of the Year Award from Exercise and Sport Science Australia

2021 Science Peoples Choice Award from National Science Week

2021 Outreach Award from National Science Week

2020 Science Leadership Excellence Award from National Science Week

2017 NAIDOC Award from Fraser Coast NAIDOC Committee

Brooke-Mai is a Senior Lecturer in Speech Pathology and a Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist. Her research interests include the rehabilitation of motor speech disorders, brain mechanisms underpinning speech recovery, and the application of telerehabilitation to improve access to speech pathology services.

I work on developing tissue culture and cryopreservation protocols for endangered Australian plant species. Currently I am working on Queensland Myrtaceae species affected by myrtle rust, an invasive fungal pathogen which is a significant threat to Australian species and ecosystems. I have a background in investigating plant mitochondrial function and an interest in the molecular biology and physiology underlying plant responses to tissue culture and cryopreservation.

Professor White is Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Engineered Quantum Systems, an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, and leads the Quantum Technology Laboratory at UQ, which he established in 1999. He is internationally recognised for research in quantum science and technology, and is interested in all aspects of quantum weirdness. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the American Physical Society, and Optica. Andrew’s research spans: quantum foundations; production, manipulation and exploitation of quantum states of light, both in conventional optics and nanophotonics; and utilising quantum technology, be it in quantum computation, quantum communication, quantum sensing, or neuromorphic computing. Details can be found at the Quantum Laboratory website.

Professor White has worked with twenty-one postdoctoral researchers since 2001, five of whom received ARC Discovery Early Career Researchers Awards whilst working in his lab, six receiving Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships subsequently and one a Erwin Schrödinger Fellowship. He has supervised more than 40 postgraduate students, who have received an array of awards including a Rhodes Scholarship, three Springer PhD thesis prizes, Australian representative at the Lindau Nobel Meeting, the only-ever runner for the Australian Institute of Physics Bragg Medal, and UQ Medals and Valedictorian, to name but a few.

Bio: Andrew was raised in a Queensland dairy town, before heading south to the big smoke of Brisbane to study chemistry, maths, physics and, during the World Expo, the effects of alcohol on uni students from around the world. Deciding he wanted to know what the cold felt like, he first moved to Canberra, then Germany—completing his PhD in quantum physics—before moving on to Los Alamos National Labs in New Mexico where he quickly discovered that there is more than enough snow to hide a cactus, but not nearly enough to prevent amusing your friends when you sit down. Over the years he has conducted research on various topics including shrimp eyes, nuclear physics, optical vortices, and quantum computers. He likes quantum weirdness for its own sake, but his current research aims to explore and exploit the full range of quantum behaviours—notably entanglement—with an eye to engineering new technologies and scientific applications. He is currently Director of the Centre of Engineered Quantum Systems, an Australia-wide, 14-year long, research effort by more than 250 scientists to build quantum machines that harness the quantum world for practical applications.

Dr Melanie White heads the Dynamics of Morphogenesis Lab at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), University of Queensland and is an ARC Future Fellow. She completed a PhD in Neuroscience at University College London followed by postdoctoral research at The University of Edinburgh. During this time Mel engineered viruses to modulate gene expression in the brain to investigate neuronal function and as a therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative disease. Her work was published in Neuron and PNAS, featured in Nature Reviews Neuroscience and received extensive international media coverage (including the BBC and The Guardian).

In 2012 Mel switched fields to apply quantitative imaging in developmental biology. Her work revealed key mechanisms driving the earliest morphogenetic events in mammalian embryogenesis and was published in Cell, Science, Nature Cell Biology, Developmental Cell and Nature Protocols. Her research was featured on the cover of multiple journals including Cell and she was awarded the inaugural American Society for Cell Biology Porter Prize for Research Excellence (2018).

In 2020, Mel joined the IMB where she will combine her passion for neuroscience and developmental biology to investigate the dynamics of neural tube morphogenesis.

Research overview

The brain and the spinal cord control most of the functions of the body and the mind, yet the dynamics of how they first form is poorly understood. Both structures arise from a common precursor, the neural tube, which forms very early in embryonic development. To generate the forces that sculpt and shape the neural tube, changes in cellular architecture must be tightly coordinated in space and time. These morphological rearrangements occur concurrently with biochemical signalling pathways that specify early neural cell fates.

Our research aims to understand how cellular properties and transcriptional regulators interact with mechanical forces in real time to direct vertebrate neural tube formation and neural cell fate specification. We study the dynamics of neural tube formation by applying advanced imaging technologies in transgenic avian models and human stem cell models.

Professor Whiteford is Director of the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research. His research interests are in psychiatric epidemiology and burden of disease measurement, mental health policy and service reform.

Professor Whiteford trained in medicine, psychiatry and health policy at the University of Queensland, Stanford University and the Australian National University. He has held senior clinical and administrative positions, including those of Director of Mental Health in the Queensland and Federal governments in Australia. He worked for ten years on the design and implementation of Australia’s Mental Health Strategy and was Chairman of the Working Group which oversaw this initiative. He was appointed to the first mental health position in the World Bank in Washington DC with the task of developing the Bank’s capacity to respond to the rising global burden of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders. He has worked as a consultant to national governments, the Commonwealth and State governments in Australia, the World Bank, and the World Health Organisation.