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Janet Wiles is a Professor in Human Centred Computing at the University of Queensland.

Her multidisciplinary team co-designs language technologies to support people living with dementia and their carers and social robots for applications in health, education, and neuroscience. She is currently developing a citizen science project which uses insights from neuroscience, AI and language technologies to explore the electrical characteristics of mycelial networks of symbiotic fungi in local ecosystems. She received her PhD in computer science from the University of Sydney and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in psychology. She has 30 years’ experience in research and teaching in machine learning, artificial intelligence, bio-inspired computation, complex systems, visualisation, language technologies and social robotics, leading teams that span engineering, humanities, social sciences and neuroscience. She currently teaches research methods for thesis and masters students, and a new course in human-centred artificial intelligence. Previous special interest courses include a cross disciplinary course ”Voyages in Language Technologies” that introduced computing students to the diversity of Indigenous and non-Indigenous languages, and state-of-the-art tools for deep learning and other analysis techniques for working with language data.

Featured projects

• Human-centred AI
• The Underground Brain Project
• Florence communication technology
• For more on Human Centred Computing see the HCC projects page

Kim Wilkins is a humanities researcher and acclaimed creative writer who specialises in the intersection of creativity, technology, and cultural industries. Currently Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at UQ, she leads innovative research into the socio-material dimensions of creative industries and the application of creative thinking to complex technological challenges.

Her research portfolio spans popular fiction studies, publishing ecosystems, and technology foresight. Recent projects include pioneering work on speculative fiction storytelling for defence innovation, community publishing in regional Australia, and the application of "story thinking" to anticipate technological impacts. She serves as a member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts.

As a creative practitioner, Wilkins has published 30+ novels in 20+ languages, including bestselling historical fiction and fantasy series. Her dual expertise as both researcher and professional writer uniquely positions her to bridge academic inquiry with industry practice, particularly in areas of creativity research, reading and book culture, the future of publishing, and transdisciplinary innovation.

Plant geneticist specialising in predictive breeding and evolutionary genetics, Melanie's research focuses on accelerating crop improvement by integrating genomics and predictive modelling across both horticultural and field crops.

Her recent work includes uncovering the role of chromosomal inversions in driving variation in mango breeding traits, the ensemble of genomic prediction methods through the EasiGP framework, and integrating APSIM crop growth models with genomic prediction for soybean and sorghum.

Melanie leads interdisciplinary collaborations combining quantitative genetics, machine learning, and crop modelling, with active partnerships across industry and international research institutions.

I help women cut through diet culture and conflicting advice to find nutrition that actually works for their bodies - through fertility, pregnancy, and perimenopause. I'm a dietitian with 30 years of clinical experience and a PhD in Health Psychology, which means I care as much about whether someone can sustain a change as whether it's evidence-based. That dual lens - clinical and behavioural - shapes everything I do. I work across three connected roles:

Research: As an Associate Professor and Senior Principal Research Fellow at UQ's School of Pharmacy, I lead implementation research on the RECARD project, focused on combining the evidence and needs of stakeholders into real clinical practice. I have had 40+ peer-reviewed publications in the last five years and an h-index of 23.

Health service redesign: At Mater Mothers' Hospitals, I support service development in the Department of Obstetric Medicine, helping translate best-practice guidelines into care models that work in busy clinical settings.

Clinical care: I founded and direct Lifestyle Maternity and Lifestyle PeriMenopause, telehealth dietetic clinics supporting women across Australia with personalised, no-nonsense nutrition advice - no pills, potions, or unproven claims. I'm an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian, a Fellow of Dietitians Australia, and Associate Editor of Nutrition and Dietetics. I also write for The Conversation and appear on podcasts talking about women's health nutrition.

With 49 peer reviewed publications in the past 5 years, I have an h-index of 25 and my Field-Weighted Citation Impact score (1.12) is above average for my discipline, particularly in the areas of Frameworks for effective behaviour change interventions (FWCI 4.23), Enhancing medication safety through medication reconciliation (FWCI 2.94) and Patient-centric approaches to health design (FWCI 1.33).

Research into advanced computer architectures

John Williams, born in 1973, was awarded his Ph.D from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia, in 2001. He was previously awarded undergraduate degrees in Electronic Engineering, and

Information Technology, also from QUT, in 1995. He is currently employed in the School of ITEE at The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, where he holds the position of Research Fellow.

His research interests include reconfigurable computing and real-time embedded Systems, as well as 3D computer vision and imaging. He has authored 5 refereed journal publications, and more than 20 refereed conference publications, and recently edited the Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE International Conference on Field Programmable Technology. He has been a member of the IEEE for 8 years.

Judge, Queensland Court of Appeal (2000-08); President, Industrial Court of Queensland (1998-99); Judge, Solomon Islands Court of Appeal (1993-); Judge, Supreme Court of Queensland (1982-2000); Acting Judge, Supreme Court of Queensland (1982).

Maddie Williams is a full-time lecturer in research at the University of Queensland's Rural Clinical School. She joined the University of Queensland in January 2025 and is based at the Bundaberg clinical unit.

Maddie was born and raised in regional Queensland and holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Science from the University of the Sunshine Coast, a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science, and a Master of Science by Research in Clinical and Molecular Microbiology from Griffith University.

Upon completing her master’s research, Maddie returned to her hometown, where she worked in the health sector before commencing her PhD at the University of Queensland’s Rural Clinical School through a Research Training Program scholarship. Maddie’s PhD research focuses on improving access to health care in regional, rural and remote Australian communities.

Maddie is also a strong advocate for quality health care. She is chair of the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) Research Consumer Advisory Group and is a consumer representative on the WBHHS Research Council. She works to enable consumers to have a voice in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of health policy, programs, and services to achieve better health outcomes.

Brittany is an Occupational Therapist with over 10 years of clinical experience, having worked in both non-governmental and private sectors. Her career encompasses a broad range of practice areas, with a focus on providing client-centered care. Currently, Brittany is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Queensland, within the Occupational Therapy program. Brittany's research interests focus on improving occupational therapy services for children and women living with epilepsy. Driven by personal caregiving experiences, her work seeks to address the gaps in care and develop targeted interventions that enhance quality of life and participation in everyday activities for this population.

I am a physiotherapist with a clinical specialty in the management of individuals with neurological conditions and vestibular disorders. I have a keen interest in examining how the body's balance systems, including the inner ear (vestibular system), eyes (ocular system), and sensory modalities (touch, proprioception), interact with the brain to optimize movement control, functionality, physical activity, and participation outcomes for individuals affected by neurological and vestibular pathologies. This includes conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cerebellar dysfunction, traumatic brain injury, stroke, Parkinson's disease, myasthenia gravis, motor neuron disease, concussion, Meniere's disease, vestibular migraines, acoustic neuromas, and age-related vestibular dysfunction. Additionally, I am interested in the influence of lifestyle choices on vestibular system functioning and integration, particularly how factors such as physical activity, community integration, sleep, and overall wellness affect both neurological and vestibular conditions, including Meniere's disease, vestibular migraines, and age-related vestibular dysfunction.

Shellee is an Epidemiologist and Academic with the ATLAS Indigenous Primary Care Surveillance and Research Network. Shellee moved from Larrakia Country (Darwin) to Meanjin in 2022. She has always had an interest in public health and completed a Masters of Applied Epidemiology (ANU) in 2007 following a Master of Public Health (UNSW), having started her professional life in Immunology laboratory research and working in the HIV community sector in Sydney in the early ‘90s. Shellee has worked with Menzies School of Health Research and the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments most recently, and has extensive experience in the evaluation of surveillance systems and sexually transmissible infections and blood borne viruses public health surveillance. Shellee also has experience in the analysis of complex data sets and statistical modelling, assessment of data linkage quality and conducting epidemiological studies.

Tara Williams is a highly experienced multi-site international critical care study research coordinator who has worked in research at the Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) for the past 15 years and partnered with the University of Queensland (UQ) on various projects. She is currently an investigator and coordinates the largest paediatric intubation and highly successful NHMRC & THRASHER funded KIDS THRIVE trial with over 961 participants; and several anaesthetic randomised control trials (RCT) including the large multicentred HAMSTER trial. She is the ANZ coordinator for the international P-ICECAP trial and is also undertaking several other critical care research projects currently. Tara's extensive research experience in the critical care environment and her 20 years of paediatric intensive care nursing ensures the smooth transition of complex research trial protocols into the clinical environment. Tara demonstrates a long-standing significant commitment to research that improves children’s outcomes and is the current Vice-Chair for the ANZICS PSG Paediatric Intensive Care Research Coordinator Interest Group (PIRCIG) and the paediatric representative on the Anaesthetic Research Co-ordinators Network (ARCN). Her vast experience at large RCT coordination make her currently one of the most experienced PICU research coordinators in Australia.

Luke Williams is a proud Gumbaynggirr man of northern NSW. Luke’s research primarily focuses on the traditional uses of native Australian plants with an emphasis on understanding how these plants can contribute to our modern food systems. This includes the promotion of traditional foods in Indigenous communities to improve food security and cultural wellbeing, through to supporting Indigenous businesses to lead the bush food industry, so that the nutritional and environmental benefits attributed to native plants can be enjoyed by all.

Luke’s PhD examined the dietary safety assessment of Australian native foods. He continues this line of research today using a mixed-methods approach that includes working with Traditional Custodians to understand histories of use and cultural context, while supporting consumer safety through the generation of quantitative evidence, such as toxicological endpoints and chemical analyses. Luke is currently expanding this work to develop new laboratory approaches for characterising biological activity and potential toxicity, including emerging non-animal and high-content screening tools to better understand safety and mechanism of action.

Luke sees the growing native foods industry as a culturally appropriate economic opportunity for Indigenous Peoples. However, he also recognises that if these foods and plant-based products are to be made widely available, development must occur under Indigenous leadership and be supported by robust scientific evidence to ensure they are safe for general consumption.