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Dr. Guowei Yang is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Queensland, Australia. His research interests lie in Software Engineering, and its synergy with Machine Learning and Programming Languages, with a focus on improving reliability and security of software and machine learning systems. Prior to joining UQ in 2021, he was a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Texas State University, USA. He received his Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin, USA in 2013. To find out more details please check his homepage: https://guoweiyang.github.io.

Multiple scholarships are available! Dr. Guowei Yang is looking for highly motivated students (including PhDs, Masters, undergraduates), and visitors to join his research group. If you are interested and have background in software engineering, programming languages, formal methods, and/or AI, please send an email with your CV to guowei.yang@uq.edu.au. The University of Queensland is ranked in the top 50 globally according to major ranking systems, including QS (40) and U.S. News (41).

Professor Ian Yang is a Thoracic Physician and Director of Thoracic Medicine at The Prince Charles Hospital, and Head of the PCH-Northside Clinical Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Dr. Yuanhao Yang is a senior research fellow at Mater Research Institute, with high-level expertise in computational and statistical genetics and genomics. His research field focuses on understanding the genetic and genomic etiology of human complex traits and common diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, depression and autism, through large-scale genetic/genomic and multi-omics data, including 1) revealing the genetic architecture of complex traits and common diseases using advanced genome-wide association study (GWAS)-based quantitative genetics methods; and 2) identifying potential relationships between disease risk and cellular genotypes/pathways using single-cell RNA sequence/spatial transcriptomics data and technology.

Dr Ju Yao specialises in metal additive manufacturing, microstructural characterisation, and hydrogen embrittlement. She was awarded her PhD from The University of Queensland in 2025. Her research focuses on understanding how processing influences microstructure and properties to improve the reliability and sustainability of advanced metallic materials.

Her work centres on structure–property relationships in high-strength alloys, particularly additively manufactured steels and, more recently, copper and copper-based materials. She integrates advanced characterisation with modelling to reveal how microstructural features govern mechanical performance, corrosion behaviour, and hydrogen-related degradation.

Key areas of expertise include:

• Metal additive manufacturing (steels and Cu-based alloys)
• Hydrogen embrittlement and corrosion science
• Microstructural characterisation
• Electrochemical testing and mechanical property evaluation

Dr Yao has published in leading international journals and contributes to advancing knowledge in materials degradation and advanced manufacturing. She collaborates with academic and industry partners to develop innovative alloy design and processing strategies.

Her research aims to deliver high-performance, durable, and sustainable metallic materials for applications in energy, infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing systems.

My group studies the role of cadherin cell adhesion molecules in morphogenesis and tumor development. E-cadherin is a key mediator of cell-cell recognition. It participates in tissue patterning and its dysfunction contributes to tumor progression and invasion.

Associate Professor Yap is the group leader for Cadherin cell adhesion molecules, Epithelial morphogenesis & Cell locomotion research at the IMB.

Dr. Akila Wijerathna-Yapa is an interdisciplinary Biotechnology scientist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Frazer Institute, University of Queensland, with over 12 years of expertise spanning Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Bioinformatics. Holding a PhD in Biochemistry from The University of Western Australia, an MSc in Molecular Biology from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an MBA from the University of Staffordshire, and B.Sc. (Hons.) Sp. Biotechnology from The Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, he brings a rare combination of deep scientific expertise and strategic project management insight to the life sciences.

Dr. Wijerathna-Yapa's research is defined by his ability to integrate advanced technologies—including mass spectrometry-based proteomics, peptidomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, NMR spectroscopy, and transcriptomics—to unravel molecular complexities and translate multi-omics data into actionable insights. His work spans molecular biology, cell culture bioprocess optimisation, clinical biomarker discovery, and spatial biology, with postdoctoral experience at The University of Queensland and Dalhousie University, and collaborative partnerships with leading research institutions across Sri Lanka, China, Israel, Australia, and Canada.

With a strong foundation in advanced statistical data analysis and a proven track record in project management and scientific communication, Dr. Wijerathna-Yapa bridges the gap between scientific discovery and practical innovation. He has authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications and has been recognised with prestigious international awards including the Australian Government Global Talent Independent visa and fellowships from the Higher Education Academy (FHEA, UKPSF). He is passionate about leveraging interdisciplinary knowledge to drive transformative advancements in biotechnology and life sciences.

A clinical psychologist trained in psychoanalytic psychotherapy with many years of clinical experience, with interest in the understanding of psychosomatic relationships as they appear in clinical practice, and with interest in the understanding of the therapeutic relationship as instance of change, particularly in the treatment of children and young people. This translates into an interest in researching the psychotherapy process with a tendency toward the use of qualitative or mixed methods.

I am a Research Fellow in the Institute of Social Science Research at The University of Queensland.

My research interests coalesce around issues of social justice within organisations. I am particularly curious about how the way we perceive others informs our treatment of one and other in the workplace. I spend a lot of my time exploring this idea in the context of leadership. For example, collaborators and I have been working with industry professionals in Australia and North America to understand what organisational structures inhibit minority leaders' (e.g., women, racially diverse) progression and retention. We've also been investigating possible disrupters that may serve to improve minority leaders' chances of success in leadership roles.

I also spend a lot of time on applied research problems through partnering with industry to examine the effectiveness of practical initiatives or policy shifts. Recently, we've been working on understanding the supportive mechanisms that enhance boat safety in Northern Australia, while another partnership has focused on understanding how novel bail support programs can be enhanced to support young people to meet their youth justice orders.

I received my BPsycSc and MPsyOrg from UQ Psychology before completing a PhD in Leadership / Organisational Behaviour at UQ Business School. In 2019 I moved to The University of Illinois for a postdoctoral fellowship before joining the Institute of Social Science Research in 2021.

I am also an Organisational Psychologist and consult with industry on people focused challenges. I partner with business leaders and people managers to develop and implement evidence based actions and strategies.

I work with collaborators in Australia and North America, and I have the good fortune of supporting several RHD candidates at present.

I am a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Queensland working on a project co-supervised with Prof Diana Fisher. My background is in macroevolution and macroecology, phylogenetic inference and comparative methods and incorporating evolutionary history into conservation planning. I completed my PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2023 before working as a researcher at the Australian National University and as a quantitative ecologist in local government. In my current role I will be using comparative methods and quantitative modelling to investigate the evolutionary drivers of semelparity in animals.

Nan Ye's research interest spans machine learning, statistics and optimization. He has published papers on topics including sequential decision making under uncertainty, weakly supervised learning, probabilistic graphical models, statistical learning theory, in venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, UAI, JAIR, JMLR. He received an IJCAI-JAIR Best Paper Prize in 2022, and a UAI Best Student Paper Award in 2014.

He is a Lecturer in Statistics and Data Science in the School of Mathematics and Physics in University of Queensland. He previously held postdoc positions at QUT and UC Berkeley from 2015 to 2018, and at NUS from 2013 to 2014. He obtained his PhD in Computer Science from NUS, and completed double first-class honors in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, also from NUS.

Please visit his personal webpage for more information: https://yenan.github.io/.

Dr Liu Ye is is a Professor at The University of Queensland (UQ) in the School of Chemical Engineering. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and a Fellow of International Water Association (IWA). Dr Ye’s research is focused on sustainable environmental engineering and is dedicated to finding innovative and practical solutions to tackle challenges in achieving net zero emissions, climate resilience, and sustainability. She is the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) research program leader at UQ urban water engineering. She has an established national and international leadership in the research field of net-zero emissions from urban wastewater systems. Prof Ye has been awarded over AU$10M competitive research funding and has a broad research collaboration within academia and industry. She collaborated extensively with water industry partners (> 15, both Australia and overseas water utilities), Australian state Government, Industry peak bodies (Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA), Water Research Australia (WarterRA)) and Technology companies (e.g., Jacob, Suez, Veolia). She has also received more than eight scientific awards (including Research Innovation Award from Australia Water Association, UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award, etc.), and the EAIT faculty teaching excellence award. She is an elected member in the Strategic Council of IWA and also a member of the Australia Association for Engineering Education (AAEE) and Engineers Australia (EA). She current servers as the Associate editor of Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology and in the Editorial board of Engineering journal.

Research:

Liu’s research includes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigation from biological wastewater treatment processes; sludge minimization and biogas production enhancement; advanced biological nutrient removal (BNR) technology development; on-line process control and optimisation and resource recovery from wastes.

Teaching and Learning:

CHEE2020: Process Equipment and Control (Coordinator and Lecturer);

ENGG1100: Professional Engineering (Lecturer);

CHEE2501: Environmental Systems Engineering I: Processes (Lecturer);

CHEE4012: Industrial Wastewater & Solid Waste Management (Lecturer);

CHEE4007/4027 CHEE7340/7380/7382 : Thesis project;

Dr Loic Yengo is a Professor of Statistical Genomics at The University of Queensland (UQ) and Group Leader of the Statistical Genomics Laboratory within UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience. He was awarded a prestigious Snow Medical Research Fellowship in 2024 to dramatically advance the use of genomics to prevent chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s, with a particular focus on increasing participation of people with diverse ancestries. After completing a PhD in applied mathematics and statistics at the University of Lille (France) in 2014, he joined UQ in 2016 for postdoctoral training in Quantitative and Statistical Genetics. Loic started his own lab in 2020 to investigate the causes and consequences of genetic variation within and between human populations. His group develops and applies novel statistical methods to analyse large volumes of genomic data. Loic’s research has contributed to improving understanding of the genetic and phenotypic consequences of non-random mating (inbreeding and assortative mating) in human populations and has led to identifying novel genetic variants associated with complex traits and diseases. Loic was named among the top 40 rising stars of research by The Australian newspaper in 2021 and received the UQ Foundation research excellence award the same year. Loic is the 2022 recipient of the Ruth Stephens Gani Medal of the Australian Academy of Science recognizing outstanding contributions to research in human genetics, and was named in Nature Medicine’s 2022 Yearbook among 11 early-career researchers “to watch”.

In 2024, he was the recipient of the American Society of Human Genetics Early Career Award and a Snow Medical Research Foundation Fellowship to accelerate the deployment of genomic risk prediction in the clinic and improve the benefit of genomic medicine in all populations.

Unzile holds a PhD in Mineral Processing Engineering from Istanbul Technical University and has broad experience across academia and industry. Before joining UQ, she worked as a Senior Metallurgist and Continuous Improvement Manager at a copper concentrator in Turkey, where she successfully led projects on circuit optimisation and reagent selection, marked ball wear testing, installation of Eh probes, and controlled air injection systems to address low sulphide mineral recovery. At UQ, Dr Yenial Arslan contributes to industry-focused research integrating geological data, surface reactivity, and flotation chemistry. Her current work includes studying induced polarisation techniques for geometallurgical characterisation, surface treatment of reactive minerals, and fluidised-bed flotation for coarse particle recovery. She has published in leading journals such as Minerals and Minerals Engineering, with notable works on pyrite texture, oxidation, and flotation performance. Dr Yenial Arslan aims to advance sustainable and efficient mineral processing technologies by bridging the fields of mineralogy, chemistry, and process engineering.

I have a multidisciplinary background in chemical and civil engineering, chemistry and materials science. Currently, I am the UQ leader of the National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life, based at USC. I apply my expertise to understand the effects of fungal decay and moisture intrusion in timber connections, as well as the improvement of the fire performance of timber. I supervise 6 PhD students.

Dr Qing Yi is an interdisciplinary environmental scientist with 15 years of experience across environmental geochemistry, biogeochemistry, soil science, mine waste management, sustainable rehabilitation, and mine waste valorisation. His work focuses on understanding the geochemical behaviour of mine wastes and contaminated materials, and developing sustainable solutions for environmental assessment, rehabilitation, and resource recovery.

Qing’s expertise includes geochemical characterisation of mine waste, prediction and management of acid and metalliferous drainage, water quality assessment, contamination fate and transport, and the assessment and remediation of soils, sediments, groundwater, surface water, and mine-affected environments. He also has strong capabilities in laboratory and field-based analysis, predictive geochemical modelling, hydrogeological mapping, and statistical data interpretation.

His career spans research, development, and specialist technical roles across Australia and China, with a strong focus on applying scientific knowledge to practical environmental and mining challenges. Qing is passionate about innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and translating research into improved environmental management practices.

Mehmet Yildirimoglu is a Senior Lecturer of Transport Engineering at the School of Civil Engineering. Mehmet received his B.Sc. degree in civil engineering from the Middle East Technical University (METU) in 2009, M.Sc. degree in civil engineering from the Rutgers University in 2011 and Ph.D. degree in civil engineering from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in 2015. Prior to joining the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Queensland in 2016, he was a Postdoctoral researcher at EPFL, Switzerland. His research revolves around large-scale traffic modeling, dynamic traffic assignment, data mining techniques and real-time traffic management.