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Dr Joanne De Faveri is a Senior Research Fellow in Statistics with QAAFI at The University of Queensland. Dr De Faveri’s research is based on developing new improved statistical and hybrid (integrated statistical / machine learning) methods to deliver significant genetic gains for plant breeding and pre-breeding programs. Her primary interests lie in spatio-temporal modelling of longitudinal data and the integration of high throughput phenotyping (HTP) (from sensors, hyperspectral, aerial images), genomic and environmental information for improved variety predictions.

Prior to joining UQ Dr De Faveri worked with CSIRO as part of SAGI-North, the Statistics for the Australian Grains Industry project, where she researched and applied statistical methods to grains research projects, in particular focussing on methods for High Throughput Phenomics. She also has over 20 years’ experience as a Biometrician with the Department of Agriculture & Fisheries (DAF), researching and applying statistical methods and training staff across a wide range of agricultural research projects in field crops, horticulture, beef, dairy, fisheries, aquaculture, and in particular, horticulture breeding programs.

Dr De Faveri has been invited to speak at National and International conferences on statistical methods for incorporating HTP data in variety trials and has developed national and international collaborations with colleagues at CSIRO, University of Queensland, University of Adelaide, Dept Agriculture & Fisheries, Wageningen University and CIMMYT.

I am a molecular biologist and postdoctoral research fellow in Prof. Alexander Khromykh's laboratory. I specialise in non-coding RNA response to viral infections, virus genomics, RNA structure, and viral neuropathogenesis.

I began my journey with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology, graduating in 2012. I then completed a master’s degree where I conducted research under Prof. Keith Chappell in viral protein structure (2015). I then pursued my PhD (2016-2020) at UQ's School of Biology under Prof. Sassan Asgari, where I studied the role of miRNAs in Aedes aegypti biology and viral infection as well as the use of small RNAs to induce gene expression in insects.

From 2020 to 2023 I worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Robert Harvey’s laboratory at the University of the Sunshine Coast. I conducted research into the genomics and molecular function of congenital neurodevelopmental disorders where our multi discipline team through the Centre for Research Excellence Neurocognitive Disorder identified and characterised new genes linked to developmental disorders.

Since 2023, I have been a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Alexander Khromykh's RNA Virology lab. Here, I have contributed to work focusing on the role of flavivirus sfRNA in interferon signalling inhibition, as well as using single-cell sequencing and human brain organoids to study the pathogenesis of encephalitic flaviviruses. I have also been working on mosquito single-cell projects and insect-specific viruses for their role in preventing the transmission of pathogenic flaviviruses with Dr. Andrii Slonchak. In late 2024 as a Chief investigator, my team was awarded an NHMRC ideas grant for $1.4mil over four years to study a new class of small RNAs called tRNA-half, for their role in flavivirus infection and their potential use for therapeutics.

Associate Professor Susan de Jersey is an Assistant Director within the Prevention Strategy Branch, Population Health Division at Queensland Health, where she leads and advises on the design, implementation, and evaluation of large-scale prevention initiatives focused on chronic disease prevention across the life course.

Trained as an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian and Credentialled Diabetes Educator, her career has evolved from specialist clinical care into driving system-level change that embeds evidence-based prevention, early intervention and management of chronic disease into routine health services.

Her work has focused on women and children, with a particular interest in nutrition, physical activity, healthy weight gain, and gestational diabetes, recognising the early years as a critical window for long-term and intergenerational health impact.

Susan is nationally recognised for translating research into policy and practice using implementation science, co-design, and health-system partnerships, with an emphasis on scalability, workforce capability, and value-based care.

Susan maintains strong links to frontline services, ensuring policy and system reform remain grounded in real-world clinical contexts. She is a Board Director of the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society and is committed to strengthening prevention-focused health systems that improve equity, outcomes, and sustainability for women, families, and future generations.

Roland De Marco is an internationally recognized leader in the field of electrochemical sensors. His major strength is in the field of electrochemical surface and interface analysis, and he has a strong track record of using state-of-the-art electrochemical and surface analytical techniques in the micro- and nano-characterization of electrochemical devices. He has been recognized for his national and international leadership in neutron and synchrotron science through his past appointments on the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) Ltd. Board as well as member of the Australian Synchrotron Stakeholders Committee.

ResearcherID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/F-7213-2011; ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1357-3727; Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI); Member of the American Chemical Society (MACS); Fellow of the Queensland Academy and Arts and Science (FQAAS); Member of the European Academy of Sciences (MEUAS).

Dr Sabrina de Souza is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Paediatric Nursing and Patient Safety group at The University of Queensland, dedicated to improving the safety and effectiveness of vascular access in neonatal and paediatric care. Drawing on her background in Paediatric and Neonatal intensive care nursing, she combines clinical insight with research innovation to develop and evaluate evidence-based solutions that prevent complications and enhance patient outcomes. Her work spans clinical trials, evidence synthesis, and international collaborations — advancing safer and more reliable vascular access for the youngest and most vulnerable patients.

James De Voss received a B. Sc (Hons) in Chemistry and a University Medal from the University of Queensland in 1984. He was a Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 scholar at Cambridge University, where he worked on the biosynthesis of Vitamin B12 with Prof. Sir Alan Battersby. A postdoctoral fellowship, again from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, allowed him to work with Prof. Craig Townsend at Johns Hopkins University on the mechanism of DNA cleavage caused by the enediyne antibiotic calicheamicin. He was then introduced to the cytochromes P450 by Prof. Paul Ortiz de Montellano with whom he worked while at the University of California, San Francisco. Since returning to the University of Queensland to take up an academic appointment, initially as a Senior lecturer and subsequently as a Reader and then a Professor, he has continued his interest in problems at the interface of chemistry and biology and currently works with a range of bacterial, insect and mammalian P450s, as well as on the biogenesis of insect pheromones and phytochemistry of herbal medicines.

Dr Angela Dean is a conservation social scientist with more than 20 years’ experience leading research and engagement programs with diverse communities, from urban residents to rural farming communities. Her research draws on behavioural science to explore patterns and drivers of environmental stewardship, how people experience and perceive environmental change, and the effectiveness of different engagement & communication approaches in encouraging uptake of conservation actions. Angela works closely with a range of government and NGO partners, coordinating social monitoring of engagement in reef and waterway stewardship.

Associate Professor Judith Dean, a Registered Nurse/Midwife with over 25-years clinical and research experience in sexual and reproductive health (SRH), HIV and other BBV, is a Principal Research Fellow at the UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health. The overall aim of her program of research is to address inequities of access to sexual and reproductive health and rights education and services through innovative models of care and workforce development using mixed methods and longitudinal qualitative community-based participatory approaches.

She is currently working on research evaluating 'Birthing in our Community' models of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their families, developing a program of preventative SRHR research including exploring access to culturally safe and responsive pregnancy options and abortion care and is working with community to develop a culturally safe and responsive 'Black and Proud' model of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQAI+ Sister Girls and Brother Boys. She is also the Higher Degree Research Program Advisor for UQ Poche.

Before joining UQ Poche Centre in 2023, she was a research fellow at the School of Public Health (2015-2022) and was leading projects exploring innovative models of HIV Self-testing dissemination, access to peer-led Molecular point-of-care STI testing, transgender care, syphilis in pregnancy and access to pregnancy options, abortion and contraception. From 2016 to 2019, she was the co-ordinating investigator on the Queensland PrEP Demonstration Monitoring and Evaluation study. Her other projects and areas of interest include exploring the experiences of newly diagnosed PLHIV including implementation of a Peer Navigation program, access to SRH care for gender and sexually diverse young people and the sexual health literacy of CALD youth in Queensland. She has a strong background working in partnership with refugee and migrant / culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, sex worker organisations, gender and sexually diverse young people, and the LGBTQAI+ community.

During her time at UQSPH, she also taught into the Bachelor of Health Science (PUBH3002 Health Policy in Practice, PUBH3010 Global Health and Infectious Diseases) and the Master of Public Health (PUBH7101 Communicable Diseases Management and Control).

From 2002 to 2013 Judith held a joint appointment between Griffith University School of Nursing and Midwifery where she held the title of Griffith Graduate Sexual Health Program Convenor and Queensland Health where in her role as State Nurse Educator for Queensland Sexual Health and HIV Services she was responsible for state-wide coordination and development of clinical practice standards, policy and professional development programs for specialist advanced practice nurses working in SRH and HIV. She completed her Doctor of Philosophy in 2014 titled Sexual health knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of Queensland Sudanese communities.

Judith has extensive educational and clinical expertise in SRH, HIV, women’s health and midwifery in a diverse range of national and international settings. Before moving into SRH and HIV education and research, she worked clinically as a midwife and SRH Nurse in a range of locations in Australia and overseas. This includes over 5 years working in the Northern Territory as a Midwife and remote area nurse along with two years with International Committee of Red Cross in settings such as South Sudan and Afghanistan developing midwifery training programs and models of care for women and their families experiencing conflict and displacement.

I am available to supervise PhD/MPhil students, Honours and Master of Public Health projects.

I am a sedimentary geochemist, and I work on a variety of problems in sedimentary geology, paleoclimate, and basin analysis through the use of petrology, elemental geochemistry, and stable isotope geochemistry. I run the Carbonate Research and Geochemistry group at UQ, where we have a variety of facilities for sample petrology, carbonate precipitation under controlled environmental conditions, and geochemical analysis. I am also heavily involved with ANZIC, the Australian/New Zealand branch of IODP/ICDP, where I serve on the Science Committee.

Clumped Isotope Reordering and Basin Analysis

Currently we are investigating clumped isotope reordering - the change that occurs in a sample's clumped isotope value as a result of solid-state diffusion of 18O and/or 13C within the crystal lattice of a carbonate mineral. This is important to understand for two reasons. First, if we are trying to get accurate paleoclimate data using clumped isotope paleothermometry, we need to know what conditions (burial depth and heating) allow for primary signals, and under which conditions the primary signal is lost. Second, if we know the kinetics of clumped isotope reordering, we can then apply that knowledge to understand past heat flow in a basin. Combined with a stratigraphic column and burial history for a body of rock, we can reconstruct geothermal gradients, and evaluate tectonic/basin models based on whether they could produce the required heat flux to match observed clumped isotope values. Areas of active research include precipitating model carbonates in the lab to study the effects of different cations, burial diagenesis, and applications to sediment hosted ore bodies/other economic systems.

Carbonate Sedimentation and Diagenesis

Carbonate sedimentation and diagenesis is one of our active research areas, with a focus on combining laboratory experiments, modern analogues, and ancient rocks to understand the long term evolution of carbonates and other sediments. Clumped isotopes are useful here as it turns out they do record the temperature of formation in most cases, and can be applied to a variety of problems, such as contemporary dolomite formation, or the temperature of formation of otherwise engimatic carbonate textures, such as 'beef' calcites. We are also interested in the sedimentation and diagenesis of carbonate reefs, such as the geological history of the Great Barrier Reef, and are currently studying the halogen composition of carbonates, reef rocks and corals, and oceanic sediments in general (see below).

Halogens in Sediments and Carbonates

Anions are undercharacterized in Earth materials, largely due to measurement difficulties. At UQ, we have developed combustion ion chromotography to characterize the halogen abundance in sediments and carbonates. The goal is to determine the overall halogen budget in the oceans and oceanic sediments, as while we know a lot about cation and trace element distributions in oceanic sediments, little is known about halogens. Likewise, halogens in carbonate may be potential paleoenvironmental proxies, but have not been investigated thouroughly. This is something I am pursuing, with collaboration from ANZIC/IODP.

Paleoclimate Research

I have been interested in paleoclimate since I took my first geology class at Northwestern. Since then, I've worked on a variety of timescales and systems, but the common theme has been the application of stable isotopes and clumped isotopes. Clumped isotopes are a wonderful tool for paleoclimate research in situations where the water oxygen isotope composition is uncertain, such as terrestrial and lacustrine settings, deep time where even the oxygen isotopic composition of the ocean is uncertain, or even in (relatively) more modern systems that might be affected by runoff or glacial meltwater. Active projects and areas of interest include Holocene climate change/ENSO, Southern Ocean Cenozoic paleoclimatology, and 'bizzare' climate events such as the Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth glaciations.

Degrees and Positions Held

2008 B.A. Geological Sciences and Integrated Sciences (Honors), Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA

2014 Ph.D. Geology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

2014-2017 Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA

2017-2019 Berg-Hughes Postdoctoral Fellow, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

2019-2024 Lecturer in Geochemistry, University of Queensland

2025-Present Senior Lecturer in Geochemistry, University of Queensland