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Pieter studied Biomedical Health Sciences and Medicine at the University of Nijmegen (The Netherlands) and obtained his medical degree in 2005. After moving to Australia in 2012, he started physician training in 2013. He trained in teaching hospitals in Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane before attaining fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2017 in the subspecialty of Endocrinology. Pieter has a special interest in endocrine hypertension and studied the role of aldosterone and aldosterone blockade in hypertension as part of his PhD at the Erasmus University Rotterdam (The Netherlands). He also has a particular interest in medical education. He joined UQ as a teaching-focused academic in 2018 and has coordinated several courses in the UQ MD Program across different years, including the new Year 2 course in the MD Design in 2024. His current role is Deputy Head Year 3 for the South Learning Community.

Pieter is also a part-time staff specialist at the Dept of Diabetes and Endocrinology in the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. His clinical interests have evolved around community-based models of care, improving health outcomes for Indigenous communities and reducing inequities in health care. He is the medical lead for the Diabetes Street Hub - a collaborative project between the Princess Alexandra Hospital and Micah Projects to improve diabetes care for people living in unstable housing which has received funding from the Queensland Department of Health to establish and further develop this community-based clinical service. In 2023, he received the Metro South Staff Award for Health Equity for his work on the Diabetes Street Hub.

Areas of expertise:

• The insurance protection gap on multiple perils including terrorism, climate change and major weather events such as bushfires, hurricanes and floods.
• Financial protection and resilience to disaster in both advanced and developing economies
• Insurance markets as underpinning the economy, including mortgages, credit and lending

Professor Paula Jarzabkowski is a global expert in the public-private mechanisms proliferating around the world to address the insurance protection gap. The insurance protection gap is the economic loss from catastrophic events that is not insured. In advanced economies, the burden of paying for recovery from disasters then falls upon the government and taxpayers. In low-income countries, disaster recovery sets back economic gains by decades affecting the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable people.

The insurance protection gap is rapidly increasing due to climate change, yet climate-driven risk is not insurable because it is systemic, meaning frequent, correlated, and severe. Global insurance markets rely on highly-diversified risks, in which premiums on many different risks pay for the losses on a few risks in any country at any one time. Climate change, be that through more severe and frequent Caribbean hurricanes, Australian bushfires, and European floods, compounds global losses, generating a systemic effect of spiralling premiums, withdrawal of insurance, and unprotected assets that create the insurance protection gap.

Currently, Paula is researching the changing nature of terrorism risk and how we can remain financially resilient to risks such as civil unrest, cyber attack, explosive threats, or lone attacker events; how we can reconfigure the insurance market around sharing the risk of climate change, with a particular Australian focus on flood and cyclone risk; and how innovations in disaster risk financing, such as disaster liquidity insurance, can be used to support climate adaptation and response.

Paula is also a Fellow of the Academy of Management and a Fellow of the British Academy. Paula is a member of the Expert Advisory Group, Pool Reinsurance Company UK; a Board Member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) High Level Advisory Board for the Financial Management of Catastrophic Risks; and has been Co-Chair of the Expert Advisory Group of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, Centre for Global Disaster Protection.

Amal specialises in investigating the therapeutic aspects of focused ultrasound assisted gene therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. He completed his PhD (2016-2020) at CAI/AIBN (UQ) under Prof. Kristofer Thurecht, studying the effect of different ligand densities on the distribution of nanocarriers in vitro and in vivo. He joined Prof. Terry Rabbitts’s lab at the Institute of Cancer Research London as a Postdoctoral Fellow (2020-2022), working on an intracellular antibody-assisted small molecule discovery project funded by Blood Cancer UK and by the Kay Kendall Leukemia Fund. His current research focuses on the therapeutic aspects of focused ultrasound-mediated gene therapy for neurodegenerative diseases funded by the FightMND Foundation, in collaboration with Professor Kris Thurecht, Dr. Kara Vine-Perrow, Prof. Justin Yerbury, and Prof. Anthony White at the University of Queensland and the University of Wollongong.

Dr Dilki Jayasinghe is a Biostatistics Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Services Research, with expertise in statistical analysis using imaging data, validation and application of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in dermatology and melanoma epidemiology. She completed her PhD in 2023 on statistical modelling of the natural history and spatial distribution of naevi (or moles, the strongest phenotypic risk factor for melanoma) using 3D total-body photography.

Anjana Jayasree is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Queensland's School of Pharmacy, specializing in the development of innovative nanomaterials for biomedical applications. Her current research focuses on designing metallic and polymeric nanoparticles/microparticles to combat antimicrobial resistance, addressing a critical global health challenge. She was awarded the Dean's Award for Outstanding HDR Theses for her exceptional PhD work from the University of Queensland in December 2023.

Previously, Anjana's research included the development of nanoengineered titanium implants to enhance bioactivity for osseointegration and soft tissue integration. She has also worked on creating polymeric scaffolds for bone and tendon tissue engineering and innovating therapeutic bandage systems for diabetic wound healing. These contributions demonstrate her expertise in applying advanced materials to solve complex biomedical problems.

Anjana's expertise extends to advanced microscopy, nanomaterial characterization, and bio-fabrication techniques. She is dedicated to translating her research into practical applications that improve animal and human health, with a strong emphasis on combating antimicrobial resistance.

Dr Dinesha Jayawardana is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on quantitative genetics, statistical modelling, and data-driven solutions in agriculture and animal science. She specialises in mixed model approaches in plant and animal breeding experiments, as well as genomic, phenotypic, and pedigree data analysis. She has extensive experience in animal and plant breeding, genetic analysis, and experimental design across livestock, aquaculture, and crop production systems, with a strong emphasis on genetic improvement and sustainable production practices. She is currently working as a statistician for the Analytics for Australian Grain Industry project, providing statistical data analysis support for initiatives across the Australian grain sector. Dinesha received her PhD in Quantitative Genetics from Massey University, New Zealand, a Master of Science in Biostatistics, and a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. She has also been recognised with multiple national and international awards for research excellence, including the Dean's List for Exceptional Doctoral Theses and an Animal Science Award of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production.

Ruthie's teaching and research interests lie at the intersection of law and healthcare. She is particularly interested in voluntary assisted dying and the role of patients and family caregivers in shaping healthcare regulation. Ruthie teaches in the Ethics, Law and Professionalism stream of the Year 1 medical degree and is an active teacher and researcher in the School of Law, including tutoring in Law of Torts II.

Ruthie Jeanneret, BA, LLB (Hons), GradDipLegPrac, PhD, completed her PhD thesis at the Australian Centre for Health Law Research, QUT. Her empirical PhD thesis investigated patients' and family caregivers' perspectives and experiences of voluntary assisted dying regulation in Australia and Canada. Ruthie has been involved in writing the voluntary assisted dying mandatory training for participating practitioners in Queensland, Western Australia, and Victoria. She also has experience in teaching undergraduate law and nursing students.

From 2018 - 2020, Ruthie worked as a litigation lawyer in Queensland and Tasmania, practising primarily in commercial litigation.

Dr Barbora Jedlickova specialises in competition law, with principal research interests in competition-law theories, competition law in the digital economy and comparative competition law. Her research has explored various topics, including cartels, vertical restraints, the concepts of ‘bargaining power’ and ‘power’ in competition law, sustainability and competition law, AI and competition law, and economic and jurisprudential theories and arguments in competition law. Within her research expertise, she has written about and analysed specific markets with distinctive issues, such the grocery retail market, the pharmaceutical market and digital markets.

Barbora has published both internationally and nationally, including in highly reputable, leading law journals. Her research monograph Resale Price Maintenance and Vertical Territorial Restrictions: Theory and Practice in EU Competition Law and US Antitrust Law was published by Edward Elgar Publishing. She has presented her research in Australia, the USA, Europe and Asia.

Barbora's engagement and research are both internationally- and nationally-oriented. She led the establishment of the International League of Competition Law (LIDC) Australia and New Zealand, the first LIDC group and association of competition-law experts in Australia and New Zealand. She is also the President of this chapter of the LIDC, which is affiliated under the long-standing International LIDC based in Switzerland and linked to the University of Queensland’s Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law (CPILC). As an active member of the LIDC, she has been involved in several international LIDC projects.

Barbora is a member of the Competition and Consumer Committee of the Law Council of Australia, as well as several international associations. She has visited several European and US institutions as a visiting scholar, including the University of Iowa, Boston University, the US Department of Justice, and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Barbora has served as an Editor of the Oceania Column of Competition Policy International (CPI) and as a General Editor of the LAWASIA Journal. She is a Fellow of the CPILC and a Fellow of the Australian Centre for Private Law at the TC Beirne School of Law.

Drawing on her personal experience and journey, Barbora has been an active advocate for children with brain injuries, as well as for carers of children with special needs and serious illnesses. She led the establishment of the UQ Network for Carers of Children with Special Needs and Serious Chronic Illnesses, where she currently serves as Chair.

Barbora holds degrees from the University of Glasgow in the UK (PhD in Law, 2012; and LL.M. with Commendation in International Competition Law and Policy, 2007) and from Masaryk University in the Czech Republic (Masters in Law and Legal Studies, 2004). Prior to her academic career, she worked as a Lawyer in the Czech Republic and as a Contracts Officer/Assistant Contracts Manager at both the University of St Andrews and the University of Glasgow in the UK. In 2009, she was a trainee (a blue-book 'stagiaire') of DG Competition at the European Commission in Brussels.

Background

I am Senior Lecturer and the Korean Major Convenor at the University of Queensland, with a PhD in Applied Linguistics specializing in Foreign Language Education from the University of Texas at Austin. My academic journey spans over two decades of language education across multiple contexts: I taught and coordinated English language programs in South Korea for 10 years, taught and coordinated Korean language courses at the University of Texas at Austin for 5 years, and have taught and coordinated Korean language courses at UQ since 2014. I was awarded Fellow rank from the Higher Education Academy in 2019, recognizing excellence in teaching and learning.

My research operates at the intersection of applied linguistics, psychology, and migration studies, with particular expertise in heritage language maintenance, immigrant acculturation, and affective factors in language learning. I conduct research on Korean diaspora communities, with a strong publication record and external funding support that demonstrates the international relevance of this work.

Current Research Focus

My research program examines three interconnected areas within applied linguistics and migration studies:

Heritage Language Maintenance and Identity: I investigate how immigrant communities maintain, shift, or lose their heritage languages across generations, exploring the complex relationships between language proficiency, ethnic identity, and cultural adaptation in multicultural societies.

Immigrant Acculturation and Psychological Adaptation: My research examines the psychological processes through which immigrants adapt to new cultural environments, investigating acculturation strategies, cultural identity formation, and their impact on mental health and wellbeing. This work contributes to understanding how language and cultural factors influence successful integration in diverse societies.

Affective Factors in Language Learning: I study the emotional and psychological dimensions of language acquisition, particularly anxiety, motivation, beliefs, and self-efficacy among diverse language learners including foreign/second language learners as well as heritage language learners and immigrants. This research addresses how affective factors influence language learning outcomes and daily communication experiences.

Future Research Directions

I am expanding my research framework to examine heritage language maintenance and acculturation processes among diverse minority communities in Australia, including Indigenous populations and other immigrant groups. This expansion will contribute to broader understanding of multilingualism, cultural identity, and social integration in contemporary Australia. I am particularly interested in developing national and international collaborations that employ trans-disciplinary approaches to address complex questions about language, identity, and belonging in multicultural societies. Additionally, I seek to further investigate affective factors in language learning across diverse contexts, examining how emotional and psychological dimensions influence language acquisition outcomes for different learner populations.

My research directly informs policy and practice in multicultural education, heritage language programs, and immigrant settlement services, contributing to evidence-based approaches that support linguistic diversity and cultural inclusion in Australian society.

Mayra is a geometallurgy specialist with extensive experience leading geometallurgical studies and developing predictive models for greenfield and brownfield mining projects. She has a strong background in process mineralogy, the design and management of metallurgical testwork programs, and process design, supporting process optimisation and project development.

Her experience includes working as a Senior Metallurgist at Transmin Metallurgical Consultants in Lima, Peru. She recently completed her PhD in Mineral Processing at The University of Queensland, where her research focused on understanding the effect of mineral textures on flotation performance. She is currently a researcher with the Flotation Chemistry Group at the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC), working on ore characterisation, process mineralogy, metallurgical testing, and flotation chemistry

Debbie is an experienced and passionate lecturer of accounting. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, she uses her background as an audit manager in a Big 4 accounting firm to teach accounting in a way that students find engaging and interesting. Her commercial roles in industry have led to her dedication to the teaching of financial accounting and auditing. She has a keen interest in Accounting Education and has led the development of new teaching materials and other teaching innovations on various technology platforms.

Anna Jenkins is a Senior Lecturer within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland and a Senior Staff Specialist in Psychiatry at The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. She also provides independent opinions for the Queensland Mental Health Court.

Anna completed her medical and psychiatric training in Queensland and Victoria and is an experienced psychiatrist and clinical teacher. She has worked in a range of contexts, from tertiary hospitals to remote islands in the Torres Strait, in the United Kingdom and internationally for Médecins Sans Frontières. She has a long history of association with the University of Queensland and Queensland Health. Her areas of interest and expertise include general adult psychiatry, forensic mental health and transcultural mental health.

Areas of expertise:

• The processes activities involved in creating high impact startups
• The development and evolution of startup ecosystems
• The impact firm failure has on small business owners’ well-being including their financial, and emotional well-being and how they respond to and cope with firm failure

Dr Anna Jenkins studies the startup process, the activities and processes which entrepreneurs engage in to explain why some startups emerge successful and growing and others either stagnate or fail. She currently holds an ARC Discovery grant for this project where she is leading a project following the development and trajectories of startups for over four years. She is also leading a research project on the development of startup ecosystems where the research team is conducting a longitudinal ethnographic study on how startup ecosystems emerge.

Her other area of expertise on how small business owners manage setbacks and failure. Her research focuses on how small business owners respond to failure, how they reduce the impact failure can have on their well-being, and the effectiveness of different coping strategies for their well-being and future employment. She was been awarded a number of prestigious research grants for this work including funding from The Swedish Retail and Wholesale Development Council and Swedbank.

She is familiar with a variety of research methods having conducted large scale longitudinal quantitative studies and narrative interviews with small business owners who have failed. As well as ethnographic field work and experiments.

Bec Jenkinson is health consumer advocate-turned-researcher, with more than 10 years’ experience as a leader in the Australian health consumer movement, advocating for high quality, respectful, person-centred care. She is also skilled qualitative and mixed methods researcher, writer, presenter and networker with a passion for consumer and community engagement in health services, and broad experience encompassing health policy, service delivery and evaluation, and education. Bec's PhD investigated the experiences of women, midwives and obstetricians when pregnant women decline recommended care. She went on to co-lead the development and implementation of Queensland Health's Guideline: Partnering with the woman who declines recommended maternity care. Now a Senior Research Fellow with UQ's Clinical Trials Capability Team (ULTRA), Bec works collaboratively with researchers, consumers and other stakeholders to enhance consumer and community involvement (CCI) in clinical trial designs and processes. She is particularly interested in the methodologies of research priority setting, and in how CCI can drive health equity in clinical trials.