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William Davis studied biology at Vanderbilt University and obtained his medical doctor at Lousiana State University New Orleans. He completed post graduate training in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at Ochsner Medical Center and the University of Michigan. While a rheumatology fellow at the University of Michigan, he was actively involved in T Cell immunology research in the lab of Dr David Fox. In 1991 he joined Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans as a staff physician and teaching faculty member. At Ochsner his clinical research interests have included functional status in systemic lupus, emerging drug therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and psoriatic arthritis. Recent translational research has included the role of T follicular helper cells in rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, and the role of nutrition in systemic lupus.

Professor Matthew Davis is a theoretical and computational physicist. His main research area is non-equilibrium quantum many-body systems, and he particularly focuses on the platform of ultracold quantum gases. He particularly enjoys connecting theory with experiment, and has published several high impact papers with several international experimental groups.

His specific research areas include:

• Non-equilibrium dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates and other quantum gases;
• Superfluidity, vortices, and quantum turbulence;
• Dynamics of phase transitions and formation of topological defects;
• Relaxation of isolated quantum systems and quantum thermodynamics;
• Computational methods for quantum systems.

He did his undergraduate studies in physics at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, before completing his PhD at the University of Oxford in 2001 under the supervision of Sir Professor Keith Burnett. He has been at the University of Queensland since 2002, and was promoted to Professor in 2013. He is currently a chief investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies.

Professor Tamara Davis is an astrophysicist who studies the elusive “dark energy” that’s accelerating the universe. She completed her PhD in 2004 at the University of New South Wales on theoretical cosmology and black holes, then worked on supernova cosmology in two postdoctoral fellowships, the first at the Australian National University (collaborating with Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) and the second at the University of Copenhagen. In 2008 she moved to Queensland to join the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey team working on mapping the galaxies in the Universe. She led the Dark Theme within the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics, is now leading the OzDES survey -- working with the international Dark Energy Survey, and working with working with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument project. As of 2024 she is Deputy Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery.

Her accolades include the Astronomical Society of Australia's Louise Webster Medal for early career research impact, the L'Oréal Women in Science Fellowship for Australia, the Australian Institute of Physics Women in Physics Lectureship, the Australian Academy of Science’s Nancy Millis Medal for outstanding female leadership in science, an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship, the Astronomical Society of Australia's Ellery Lectureship, and a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

My research concerns i) understanding causes and impacts of hearing impairment, particularly in the context of multimorbidity in older age, ii) prevention and treatment of hearing impairment, and iii) hearing service development and evaluation. My research involves epidemiological modelling with population data sets, clinical trials and hearing health policy. I have authored over130 publications in peer reviewed journals and books, and I frequently present invited and keynote addresses at international conferences. I have received the British Society of Audiology’s TS Littler prize for services to audiology and a prestigious US-UK Fulbright award.

I have been awarded 10 grants as principal investigator in the last 5 years totalling >AUD$14.5 million from competitive sources including the NHMRC, the NIHR, the Alzheimer’s Society UK, the European Commission, industry and charity funders. This funding includes an EU Horizon 2020 grant of €6.2 million (as joint PI for “Ears, Eyes and Mind: The “SENSE-Cog Project” to improve mental well-being for elderly Europeans with sensory impairment”), and two NHMRC Medical Research Future Fund awards ($1.2 million as CI for “SENSEcog aged care: Hearing and vision support to improve quality of life for people living with dementia in residential aged care”; AUD$1.3 million for "Home hearing and vision care to improve quality of life for people with dementia and carers"; and an AUD$0.9 million NHMRC targetted hearing research award (as CI for "Improving access to the hearing services program for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds"). I have strong links with hearing industry partners and have received research funding (total >AUD$500,000) from major hearing aid companies Starkey, Oticon, Phonak and the hearing industry research consortium. I have a position at the University of Manchester with on-going involvement (as CI and co-I) in projects funded by the NIHR, the ESRC, the Alzheimer’s Society and the RNID.

Having worked in architecture and design since 1978, I have experience in a diverse range of building types and project roles. Having led design teams on education facilities, master plans and residential, commercial and aged care projects, I enjoy working in collaboration with clients, contractors and colleagues to optimise project outcomes.

As an Industry Fellow at The University of Queensland I am enjoying the challenge of distilling 45 years of architectural practice into useful lessons, and honoured to share them with the Master of Architecture students.

The courses prepare students for registration by the Board of Architects Qld, the practice of architecture, and running successful a business. As ever my work is underpinned by my belief in the capacity of architecture and design to inspire people and improve lives.

Associate Professor Paul Dawson is the Mater Research Head of Education, MRI-UQ Director of Higher Degree Research, and a Mater Foundation Principal Research Fellow. Paul leads the Neurodevelopmental Research Group at Mater, which is focussed on cerebral palsy in preterm infants, non-syndromic intellectual disability and autism.

Paul’s research group collaborates very closely with neonatologists, maternal fetal medicine specialists, obstetricians, bioinformaticians and biochemical pathologists at Mater to investigate clinical, biochemical and genetic markers that predict adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. In particular, his research is focussed on the role of nutrient sulphate in brain development. Paul through his work has brought many collaborative groups together. Some of his notable collaborations are with the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH), UQ Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), the University of Sydney and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

With over 80 research publications, Paul notes a career highlight as being one of the key investigators, and Autism Biobank member, in the Autism Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) which was awarded $31 million from the Australian government.

Paul is heavily involved in national and international peer review and is a strong advocate for health and medical research with executive roles (Past-President 2012, Chair Advisory Committee) for the Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR).

‘My career in medical research happened for many reasons, including my interest and passion for understanding the genetics of disorders that impact on people’s health and well-being. In my early days, I was fortunate to work with a group of like-minded biomedical and clinician scientists which kicked off many discoveries in neurodevelopment, as well as the opportunity to develop and investigate pre-clinical models with the aim of implementing research outcomes to improve healthcare. Working at Mater provides a fantastic opportunity to investigate new approaches for reducing the risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants. I look forward to the coming years when the benefits of our Mater-led research will be realised and proven around the globe. It’s a privilege to contribute to Australian health and medical research.’

Grant has degrees in both Chemistry and Earth Sciences and is presently focused on assessing the environmental impact of fluid-rock interactions on groundwater chemistry. This entails a variety of rock characterisation techniques (elemental, mineralogical, petrophysical), benchtop sequential extraction experiments, and pressure vessel experiments that mimic in-situ conditions deep underground, with data then fed into geochemical modelling software. The analytical equipment that Grant has operated to achieve his research outcomes includes ICP-MS, ICP-OES, SEM-EDS, Microprobe, XRF, Synchrotron XFM beamline, Petrographic Microscopes (both scanning and standard), Gas Permeameter, Helium Pycnometer, Pressure Vessels, etc. Grant also has an active interest in the geological storage of carbon dioxide, both via injection into deep geological formations and direct atmospheric capture facilitated by rock weathering to form stable carbonate rocks (mineral trapping of CO2). In the past, Grant has studied natural carbonate mineralisation (both veins and cement) throughout the Great Artesian Basin, to explore the variety of natural conditions that promote the transformation of CO2 into minerals. Early in his research career, Grant participated in paleo-climate research projects that involved botanically describing and assessing the cell morphology of fossil woods, coal petrography, studying coral cores, and picking foraminifera recovered from the sea floor.

I am an endorsed Clinical and Health Psychologist, and my main area of research interest is in optimising non-pharmacological treatment options for chronic pain. My program of research is primarily focused on implementing randomised controlled trials designed to evaluate the efficacy and mechanisms of cognitive-behavioural and mindfulness-based interventions for heterogeneous chronic pain conditions. My concurrent line of research aims to further our understanding of the experience of chronic pain via converging methodologies (including experimental pain paradigms and electroencephalogram), as well as advance our capacity to accurately assess its multidimensional nature. I have led the development, application, and evaluation of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for chronic pain, and I disseminated this treatment approach for research and clinical use via my sole-authored book, published by Wiley in 2017. My US-based collaborators and I have a number of on-going NIH and foundation funded treatment trials underway at the University of Washington, Seattle. I am also an Affiliate Associate Professor at the University of Washington.

As of 2021, I was elected the inaugural Chairperson of the Australian SHAPE Futures EMCR Network, which is in development with the support of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and the Australian Academy of the Social Sciences. The purpose of the Network is to ensure SHAPE disciplines (Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and Environment) thrive and excel in Australia, by fostering an inclusive and diverse community that supports, empowers and promotes early and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) in Australia, within and beyond academia.

Bruno is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Crop Science at QAAFI. He graduated with distinction in Agronomic Engineering in 2018 and earned a master's degree in Sustainable Energy Production in 2020 from São Paulo State University (Unesp). Subsequently, he completed a Ph.D. in Plant Production with a focus on Waste Science and Technology in 2023, also from Unesp.

Bruno's doctoral research concentrated on the conversion of agro-residual biomass into an environmentally friendly antioxidant for effective control and optimization of solid biofuel off-gassing. Throughout his academic journey, he has been extensively involved in researching functional (bio)materials for the processing, management, and valorization of (bio)waste, as well as renewable and sustainable (bio)energy generation, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), and environmental (bio)remediation.

During his academic formation, Bruno also participated in an international visiting program at the University of Georgia (UGA), where he worked on developing a systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of on-farm management practices on cotton fiber quality. He has acquired expertise in high-performance statistical computing and modeling, employing multivariate data analytics for effective visualization and interpretation of complex datasets. Moreover, he possesses advanced proficiency in high-throughput analytical techniques, including EDXRF, FTIR, SEM, and TGA/DSC, which have enabled him to conduct in-depth analyses of various materials and compounds.

Equally important, Bruno believes in maintaining a well-rounded lifestyle and actively engages in outdoor activities, exercise, playing the acoustic guitar, and appreciating soothing music during his leisure time.

Dominique is an industry-funded Lives Lived Well Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Psychology, University of Queensland. Dominique completed a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Psychology at University of Queensland in 2000. She went on to complete Honours in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University in 2002. In October 2011, she was awarded a PhD in Criminology from Griffith University. Her thesis focused on the physical, social and environmental factors related to alcohol-driven crime, violence and injuries in Surfers Paradise entertainment district. Dominique has over 15 years of research experience in government and academic roles, with a heavy focus on the drivers and outcomes of substance misuse and offending behaviour in high risk (typically young) populations, and high risk settings; and the development and evaluation of individual and community-based interventions. She has extensive experience working with justice and health data, linking agency datasets together to conduct comprehensive and sophisticated analyses that respond to pressing, criminal justice and public health policy–relevant issues. In her current role, Dominique is assisting Lives Lived Well staff in developing evidence-based best practice drug and alcohol treatment models in residential and correctional settings.

I am an early career researcher with <3 years post-PhD and estimated research time relative to opportunity of 20 months. Currently, I am a Research Fellow and Lecturer at The University of Queensland’s (UQ) Centre for Online Health (COH). I have years of study and work experience, including consumer and community involvement, in various healthcare settings in Brazil (2009-2019), the UK (2003-2008) and Australia (2019-present). I came to Australia in December 2019 for a 12-month PhD research placement at UQ after winning a highly competitive scholarship from the Brazilian Government. I have a Bachelor of Pharmacy, a Graduate Certificate in Project Management, a Master of Philosophy in Public Health, a Diploma of Higher Education in Youth and Community Studies and an OCN Level 3 Certificate in Community Development. I completed my PhD in Public Health in 2021.

I have a proven track record for delivering high-quality projects, with national significance, including policy change and integration into the national strategy in Brazil, and the implementation of a digital model of care developed in Australia. My track record demonstrates a rising career trajectory. My research interests are telehealth, virtual care and digital health, including digitally disrupted models of care for chronic conditions, trust and confidence in telehealth and digital health, digital health literacy, health services research, including implementation and evaluation strategies, mixed-methods, cross-sectional studies, co-design and qualitative inquiry, community and consumer involvement in research and service redesign.

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 a Metro North Hospital and Health Service Clinician Research Fellow. Susan is an Advanced Accredited Practicing Dietitian with a Doctor of Philosophy, a Masters of Public Health, a Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies), a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) and a Grad Cert in Diabetes Management.

Susan is passionate about the role women play in nurturing themselves and future generations through good health. With a desire to prevent chronic disease at important life stages her team focus on nutrition care for women during the reproductive years, ensuring women get access to wholistic care and the support they need during this window of opportunity to reduce the risk of poor health for themselves and their baby. This is achieved through clinical excellence and leadership, high impact research that transforms health care delivery and a multidisciplinary focus to mentoring others in this pursuit.

Susan has a national reputation as an expert and leader in maternal health, particularly nutrition care delivery and capacity building of clinicians. She is a leader to a team of dietitians working in antenatal care across Metro North Health, advises on preventive health nutrition, activity and weight approach within the first 2000 days of life, and provides care to women and their families within the antenatal clinic at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. Susan’s team work to implement and evaluate routine practice changes to ensure women are provided with evidence informed, person centred care.

Susan is a Board Director for the Australiasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society.