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Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) are known for a long time to contribute significantly to the global burden of disease. These lead to epidemics, which upset health security and affect the socio-economy of a nation. Vectors and VBDs are all sensitive to climate, and the ongoing trend of climate change and variable weather conditions may lead to a change in the global scenario of these diseases. With changes in global climate, VBDs may shift to new regions, suitable for the pathogens and their vectors, and as such may switch to new host species. Being a parasitologist, I study parasites of veterinary importance and related diseases. My special research interest lies in understanding how vectors interact with pathogens, the effect of climate change on their ecology and epidemiology, and related sustainable control strategies.

To predict future changes in the ecology and epidemiology of the vectors and VBDs, first, we need to work on and understand the three primary entities within this disease transmission system, i.e. the pathogen, vector and the host. Secondly, we need to identify the climatic and environmental requirements of the vectors and vector-borne pathogens and the underlying cycle of events which run between them to help sustain the disease in a particular region. The global distribution of various VBDs and possibilities of spill over of these diseases between various regions and animal and vector species interests me the most. In the UK, my research was focussed on molecular and spatial epidemiology of ticks and flea-borne diseases. Further, I worked on a climate-based predictive model for the global distribution and risk of Haemonchus contortus (round worm of sheep). This model predicts the survival of worm larvae on pasture, based on the temperature and precipitation data and can help to predict the future spatial and temporal distribution and spread of H. contortus. Further, this model, along with targeted selective treatment (TST) of sheep, could help in reducing the pace at which anthelmintic resistance is developing in H. contortus and may help in sustainable sheep farming.

Currently, my lab is investigating the temporal and spatial distribution of zoonotic parasites among pet dogs in various regions of Southeast Queensland. In this project, we are collecting data from dog owners through an online survey pertaining to their knowledge of risk associated with dog parasites and their transmission into humans. Also, we are collecting dog faecal samples for microscopic and PCR analysis for various parasite eggs and oocysts. The data obtained from this survey will be analysed for determining the risk of spread of parasites among dogs as well as to humans in shared spaces and the relative risk of infection between parks.

Another study being conducted in my lab is about identifying drug resistance mechanisms in canine hookworms in Australia. The study will provide a baseline data on the frequencies of SNPs, known to confer benzimidazole resistance in animal helminths.

We have recently received an NHMRC 2021 grant looking into Targeted surveillance of major zoonotic arboviral and other vector-borne diseases in Australia using spectroscopy technology. Infectious diseases transmitted by vectors represent a significant health threat to the Australian biosecurity. Detection methods used in current surveillance of these pathogens are expensive, time consuming and require highly trained personnel. We propose to conduct a set of experiments to test the best spectroscopy technique to identify infected vectors and demonstrate its capacity as surveillance tool for vector control programs against these pathogens.

I always look forward to collaborating with fellow researchers within Australia and from different parts of the world to gain different perspectives of research of my interest.

Research officer, Medical Genomics

QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

I am a medicinal chemist and postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Queensland, Australia, where I obtained my BSc (Hons) with a major in organic chemistry in 2011. Following this, I worked at the Institute for Future Environments and later the Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities at QUT, where I gained experience in analytical chemistry, as well as molecular biology and genetics. In 2015, I returned to UQ to begin my PhD in the design and synthesis of novel antifungals targeting invasive infection under the supervision of Prof. Craig Williams and Prof. Luke Guddat, which I completed in 2019. My combined experience in synthetic chemistry - particularly in the synthesis of heterocyclic small molecules - and molecular biology has since led to my current position at UQ under the supervision of Prof. Avril Robertson, where my focus is once again on the design and synthesis of novel antifungals. Broadly, my research interests lie in the pursuit of drug design and development campaigns addressing difficult or under-researched clinical concerns, and in particular, the use of novel bioisosteric approaches to improve drugability and drug efficacy.

More recently, I have developed an interest in Australian mushroom species. Very little recorded knowledge on our endemic mushrooms species exists. My research in this space seeks to characterise the genetic and molecular features of Australian wood rot mushrooms, which are critical players in maintaining and restoring the health of our unique forests ecosystems. With this information we aim to better understand our fungal biodiversity and the ecological roles they play, and to explore their potential uses in several industries. We are also investigating the biological activity of extracts and molecules derived from these mushrooms against models of human diseases, such as Alzheimer's, cancer, and drug-resistant microbial infections.

As a teaching-focused academic, Louise Ainscough is passionate about education research, and how it can be applied to encourage the development of her students as learners, citizens and healthcare professionals. She teaches physiology and histology to a range of healthcare professional students, including occupational therapy, pharmacy, dentistry, physiotherapy, speech pathology, health science and medicine. Louise draws on her expertise in the scholarship of teaching and learning to develop curricula and assessment that is both evidence-based and rigorously evaluated. She has received funding through both UQ New Staff and Early Career research grants for projects in self-regulated learning and the related field of self-efficacy. She is also actively involved in supervising undergraduate research and Honours students, including mentoring these students in educational research methodologies and academic writing. Louise takes immense pleasure in guiding students in their development as learners, both on an individual basis and in large undergraduate classes. Louise is renowned for making learning fun. She takes the fear out of learning science, and encourages students to find their own voice as learners and future healthcare professionals.

Professor Elizabeth Aitken (Liz) obtained her BSc Hons in Agricultural Science (Crop Science) from Edinburgh University where she specialised in Plant Pathology. She then went on to undertake her PhD studies at Aberdeen University in conjunction with the UK Forestry Commission on a study of dieback on Scots pine trees. This was followed with postdoctoral studies at Birmingham University and the Sainsbury Lab, aiming to identify a rust resistance gene by transposon tagging. In 1993 she moved to Australia and joined UQ as an academic staff member.

Much of Liz’s research at UQ has focused on diseases of tropical crops in particular banana, ginger, cotton and sunflower. Research topics have included the genetics of plant-pathogen interactions, molecular aspects of pathogenicity and disease diagnostics. This research has been undertaken with strong collaborations with the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and with CSIRO. Research topics have included the genetics of plant-pathogen interactions, molecular aspects of pathogenicity and disease diagnostics. This work has assisted in the identification of disease incursions in particular in banana and of cryptic plant pathogen species of Pythium in ginger and Phomopsis in sunflower. One current research focus includes identification of resistance to Fusarium wilt in diploid banana lines for potential deployment against TR4 in commercial banana cultivars; this has received funding from BMGF in collaboration with the International Institute of Topical Agriculture in Africa as well as from Hort Innovation Australia. Other studies include analysis of putative pathogenicity genes including Six genes in Fusarium oxysporum affecting banana, strawberry and ginger and in collaboration with colleagues at CSIRO studies on Fusarium spp on wheat particularly with regard to influence of environmental factors related to climate change.

Since commencing at UQ in 1993, Liz has supervised numerous postgraduate and honours students and participated in undergraduate teaching at all levels in plant science and in particular in plant pathology and fungal biology. She has also taken on various roles and committee membership in postgraduate student mentoring, research integrity and biosafety.

My research team in crop protection is studying the biology, epidemiology and ecology of economically significant diseases and insect pests. The overarching objective of the research is to facilitate innovative and sustainable management of crop pests (insects and diseases) using disruptive new tools that can be incorporated with the less harmful existing control options in diverse farming systems.

Dr. Simon Albert has a background in the fields of natural resource management, water quality, marine ecology and climate change. For the past 15 years he has worked at the intersection of these fields in both Australia and Melanesia providing a gradient of social-political-ecological factors. Through this foundation of land-sea connectivity Dr. Albert has developed integrated monitoring approaches that capture temporally and spatially relevant water quality trends. Dr. Albert has worked on a range of resource projects across Melanesia in both a research and consulting capacity. Over the past 10 years of working closely with communities, government and industry, Dr. Albert has established strong networks and is a highly skilled communicator of environmental monitoring and research.

I am primarily interested in how we, as scientists, can make meaningful contributions to halting and reversing the ongoing global biodiversity crisis. I am particularly committed to tackling gaps in our knowledge needed for biodiversity conservation, focusing on the following three aspects.

(i) Identifying gaps in existing information and their drivers: I have been working on how information on biodiversity is distributed over space, time and taxa, and what causes the existing gaps in information availability.

(ii) Overcoming information gaps with modelling approaches: I have been applying modelling approaches to better inform conservation initiatives through the use of available, imperfect data. For this I have intensively worked on assessing long-term changes in global waterbird diversity (see for example our recent papers in Nature (also see my blog post) and Nature Climate Change (blog post))

(iii) Bridging the research-implementation gap: I am also keen to provide scientific information for conservation in a more accessible way and have been involved in the Conservation Evidence project as a statistical editor, with the aim of contributing to the implementation of evidence-based decision making in conservation.

I am leading the translatE project (transcending language barriers to environmental sciences), funded by the Australian Research Council, which incorporates the above three aspects in order to understand the consequences of language barriers in biodiversity conservation. The project aims to:

• assess the importance of scientific knowledge that is available in non-English languages,
• understand how language barriers impede the application of science in decision making,
• quantify language barriers to the career development of non-native English speaking scientists, and
• devise solutions for exchanging information across languages and cultures in an effective manner.

See our work on language barriers in science featured in Nature in 2019 and July and August in 2023, Science in 2020 and 2023, The Conversation in 2021 and 2023, The Guardian, and The Economist, and my presentation on findings from the project (plenary at the 2022 Joint Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia and the Society for Conservation Biology Oceania: from 48:48).

Also see the website of Kaizen Conservation Group for our research, members and latest publications.

I am also an affiliated researcher at the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science.

Noorul Amin is a foundational CRC SAAFE Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the data analytics program. His research focuses on advanced computational techniques in biological data, including omics data analysis and tools development. With a background in applying machine learning and data mining approaches to biological challenges, Noorul's current work centres on the intersection of data analytics and antimicrobial resistance, particularly in agribusiness, food security, and the environment.

He is currently seeking Honours and PhD students with an interest in applying machine learning, cloud computing, and big data approaches to biological research problems.

Stephen is an experienced academic who has taught physiology to many (some 40,000) UQ students across science, biomedical science, animal and veterinary sciences, health science, exercise science, human movement and nutrition science, dentistry, pharmacy, speech pathology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and medical doctor programs. During his career Stephen has been frequently recognised for his innovative teaching practice and strategic leadership in teaching and learning. Stephen was Director of Teaching and Learning in the School of Biomedical Sciences from 2019 to early 2024, and in 2020 was awarded Academic Leader of the Year in the UQ Faculty of Medicine.

Stephen's expertise is endocrinology. His laboratory examines the hormonal control of growth, metabolism, appetite, and reproduction - unravelling the complexity of how hormones regulate physiological mechanisms in healthy individuals versus dysfunction that occurs in disease states.

Stephen also has a keen interest in metacognition of learning, self-regulation of learning, and lifelong learning. He is currently investigating how students develop capabilities during their undergraduate studies that support their future professional roles.

Dr. Pratheep Annamalai is a polymer and nanomaterials scientist with a keen interest in engineering materials for sustainable living. He is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences. He has extensive expertise in both translational and fundamental research using nanotechnological tools towards sustainability. Currently, he is interested in alternative proteins and valorisation of agricultural crops and food waste into reactive, building blocks for improving the performance and utility of bioproducts. Thematically, his research focuses on

• Food Processing (plant-based food products)
• Bioproducts (from agri-food waste)
• Sustainable building blocks (for advanced materials).

Before joining UQ, Pratheep studied Chemistry in University of Madras, received PhD in Chemistry from University of Pune (India), then went on to work as a postdoctoral researcher on hydrophobic membranes at the Université Montpellier II (France), and on ‘stimuli-responsive smart materials’ at the Adolphe Merkle Institute - Université de Fribourg (Switzerland).

Upon being instrumental in the discovery of ‘spinifex nanofibre nanotechnology’ and establishing Australia’s first nanocellulose pilot-plant, he has been awarded UQ Excellence awards for leadership and industry partnerships for 2019. Recognising his contribution to the nanomaterials, polymer nanocomposites, polymer degradation and stabilisation regionally and globally, he has been invited to serve as a committee member for ISO/TC229-WG2 for characterisation of nanomaterials (2016), a mentor in TAPPI mentoring program (2018), guest/academic editor for various journals (Fibres, Int. J Polymer Science, PLOS One). He has served as a member of the UQ-LNR ethics committee for reviewing the applications (2017-) and a member of the AIBN-ECR committee in 2014.

Associate Professor Annika Antonsson is a virologist with epidemiological training. Viruses can cause cancer, and Annika’s research has been focused on human papillomavirus (HPV) and its role in different types of cancer. HPV is the virus that causes cervical cancer.

Her current main research areas are oral HPV infections in the general population and HPV in mouth and throat cancer (mucosal squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck; HNSCC).

Some cancers of the mouth and throat are increasing and some of this increase is caused by HPV infection. HPV is a sexually transmitted infection and changing sexual behaviour is believed to have caused the increase in HPV-positive tumours of the mouth and throat. Annika is investigating how often HPV in found in HNSCCs and if there are any lifestyle factors linked with having HPV or not to have HPV in tumours.

It is not known how common the potentially cancer-causing viruses are in the mouth of the general population, and this is another area of research Annika is looking into. She has also worked on HPV in skin (normal skin and cancer), infections in breast carcinogenesis, HPV in oesophageal cancer and polyomaviruses in normal skin and skin cancer.

Prof David Ascher is currently an NHMRC Investigator and Director of the Biotechnology Program at the University of Queensland. He is also Head of Computational Biology and Clinical Informatics at the Baker Institute.

David’s research focus is in modelling biological data to gain insight into fundamental biological processes. One of his primary research interests has been developing tools to unravel the link between genotype and phenotype, using computational and experimental approaches to understand the effects of mutations on protein structure and function. His group has developed a platform of over 40 widely used programs for assessing the molecular consequences of coding variants (>7 million hits/year).

Working with clinical collaborators in Australia, Brazil and UK, these methods have been translated into the clinic to guide the diagnosis, management and treatment of a number of hereditary diseases, rare cancers and drug resistant infections.

David has a B.Biotech from the University of Adelaide, majoring in Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Pharmacology and Toxicology; and a B.Sci(Hon) from the University of Queensland, majoring in Biochemistry, where he worked with Luke Guddat and Ron Duggleby on the structural and functional characterization of enzymes in the branched-chain amino acid biosynthetic pathway. David then went to St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research to undertake a PhD at the University of Melbourne in Biochemistry. There he worked under the supervision of Michael Parker using computational, biochemical and structural tools to develop small molecules drugs to improve memory.

In 2013 David went to the University of Cambridge to work with Sir Tom Blundell on using fragment based drug development techniques to target protein-protein interactions; and subsequently on the structural characterisation of proteins involved in non-homologous DNA repair. He returned to Cambridge in 2014 to establish a research platform to characterise the molecular effects of mutations on protein structure and function- using this information to gain insight into the link between genetic changes and phenotypes. He was subsequently recruited as a lab head in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Melbourne in 2016, before joining the Baker Institute in 2019 and the University of Queensland in 2021.

He is an Associate Editor of PBMB and Fronteirs in Bioinformatics, and holds honorary positions at Bio21 Institute, Cambridge University, FIOCRUZ, and the Tuscany University Network.

In my PhD I analysed and modelled biophysical processes (light interception, transpiration and photosynthesis) and their relationships in apple and pear trees during the growing season and at different levels of plant water status. During this time I collaborated in the upgrade of a functional-structural peach model (L-PEACH). Later I focused my research on the effect of carbohydrates on grapevine and berry growth, as well as the effects of light, temperature and VPD on carbon assimilation and transpiration both at leaf and canopy level.

Currently, I am undertaking research on improving management practices in avocado, macadamia and mango. I am focused on studying architecture, vegetative vigour, crop load and light interception using functional-structural plant modelling to understand the interactions between management practices, environmental factors, plant carbon balance and growth.

Career Summary: I obtained my B. Tech., Dairy Technology degree from SMC College of Dairy Science, Gujarat, India in 2003. I graduated with a PhD degree in dairy chemistry from the University College Cork, Ireland in 2007. After gaining experience as a postdoctoral fellow in the California Polytechnic State University for 2 years, I joined UQ as a research officer in 2010 and was appointed as a lecturer in 2011 and promoted to associate professor in 2021.

I am a milk and bioprocessing expert with significant experience in dairy processing including alternative methods, milk protein structure and functionality, milk product drying systems, and rapid quantification assays of milk biomolecules. My research spans from fundamental milk protein chemistry to physiologically important milk enzymes. I am leading a UQ-QUT alliance with the RBWH, on innovative pasteurisation of breastmilk through NHMRC Ideas and Children Hospital Foundation grants. This aims to translate my dairy research expertise into enhancing nutrition of low-birth-weight babies, as well as improving infant gut microbiota. This has expanded to related research, including alternative pasteurisation of camel milk, a high-value product used as bovine milk alternative for human nutrition. Since 2011, I have led the ‘non-thermal processing research program’ at UQ. I was one of six research theme leaders (food quality) as well as management committee member in an ARC Industry Transformation Research Hub (2014-2020) that involved 26 researchers. I am currently one of the four program leads for the Food and Beverage Accelerator Trailblazer grant ($165 M) led by UQ. I am also leading the education and training program and am part of the steering committee for a Strategic University Reform Fund (SURF) ($6.9 M) from Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

Research interests:

• Alternative processing techniques to preserve milk and milk products: I have led the ‘non-thermal processing research program’ at UQ since 2011, studying non-thermal techniques such as carbon dioxide, pulsed electric field (PEF), and high-pressure processing (HPP) for milk pasteurisation to minimise loss of heat-labile biomolecules (incl. vitamins/minerals) while ensuring microbial safety.
• Non-bovine milk systems: Since 2014, my research on preserving microbial integrity of dairy stream products for longer periods has evolved in exploring non-bovine systems such as human and camel milk. I have developed expert knowledge of their composition, enzymology, bioactive molecules and digestibility.
• Protein structure and functionality: I have led many studies analysing fundamental properties of milk proteins and their interaction with hydrocolloids. I have considerable expertise in studying protein structure, interactions and denaturation and their functional properties applicable to dairy systems such as texture, rheology, tribology, foaming, gelling and emulsifying properties and surface hydrophobicity. Most recently, I have led development of highly sensitive, high-throughput methods to analyse immunoprotective enzyme activities in human, bovine, goat and camel milk.

Publications and contribution to field of research: I have published >150 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters, >87% in Q1 journals (JCR Journal Rankings). My h-index is 31 (Scopus) and 38 (Google Scholar) (March, 2023). My research demonstrates international reach, being cited across 103 countries (March 2023). I have been cited by authors from 25 different subject areas, which demonstrates the impact of my research beyond my own subject area of Agricultural and Biological Sciences to fields such as of Medicine, Chemical Engineering, Immunology and Microbiology, Social Science, Nursing, Materials Science and Engineering (Mar 2023). My overall Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) for all subject areas is 1.59 (Mar 2023). I have 4 highly cited papers in the academic field of Agricultural Science (Web of Science, Mar 2023) and 25 publications in the top 10% most cited publications worldwide (field-weighted) (SciVal, Mar 2023). I am ranked as a Top 1% author in the ESI category of Agricultural Sciences. My publications demonstrate impact beyond the scholarly community. Several of my publications have also been cited in patent documents and have outstanding Altmetric scores (top 5%) with numerous social media, news and blog mentions.

Research support: Since joining the UQ, I have been involved in 17 successful funding proposals and has secured significant research funding through competitive grants. I am a CI on grants worth >$183 million. I have been able to attract funding from a variety of sources such as ARC, NHMRC, DESE, Dairy Innovation Australia Limited (DIAL), UniQuest, Children Hospital Foundation, direct commercial sources and the UQ.

Mentoring: Since 2014, I have supervised 27 HDR students (12 as principal advisor) and >60 Coursework Masters/ Honours students. I have has mentored three postdoctoral fellows.

Professional activities: I am a member of Clinical Advisory Board, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Milk since 2020. I am the Director of Teaching and Learning for UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences since 2021. I am an editorial board member of Scientific Reports, Foods, and Journal of Dairy Research.