The three-year project, entitled ‘Embedding genomics in primary care: using implementation science to design a robust national approach’, will ensure a nationally consistent, ethically robust approach to support GPs offering genetic tests and the consumers considering them.

“While the scientific and technological challenges of genomic testing are being met through rigorous research programs, the practice of genomics is a complex area,” Professor Brathwaite says.

“We will support GPs and consumers by ensuring existing resources and newly created support tools are freely available and useful through a rigorous implementation process with GPs.”

The project will be coordinated by Dr Janet Long, and involves partners Australian Genomics, Human Genetics Society of Australasia, the Royal College of Pathologists Australasia, Cystic Fibrosis Australia, Fragile X Association of Australia, Genetic Support Network of Victoria, and Rare Voices Australia.

Genomics medicine is revolutionising healthcare, particularly for people with rare diseases and cancer, by offering prompt and accurate diagnosis, identifying a patient’s risk based on their genes and providing personalised treatments.

The MRFF Genomics Health Futures Mission has funded 25 projects for a total of $66 million.

Dancing with Memories, written by Sally Yule with Professor Ralph Martins (pictured left) and Maggie Beer and illustrated by Cheryl Orsini, is a tale about Lucy, a woman living with dementia. The book was recently shortlisted for the 2023 Educational Publishing Awards Australia.

Reading Lucy’s story, children can learn how it feels to forget and become confused and be made aware of the ways they can help. 

“Dancing with Memories was written to introduce little children to Alzheimer’s, by focusing on the positive experiences of Lucy, who has Alzheimer’s, and how people can help give her a good quality of life with their loving support,” says Professor Martins.

“The book illustrates the importance of good food to prevent Alzheimer’s and encourages young children to begin early. It ends with delicious lunchbox recipes prepared by Maggie Beer. The book, while aimed at children, draws in the whole family.

“Good food matters to keep our brains healthy.”

Speaking about the collaboration with Professor Martins, Ms Yule said: “When Ralph and I were introduced in 2017, it was clear we shared a vision to write a children’s book about dementia – a generative story that would give children agency in helping family and community members live well with dementia.

“Ralph’s three decades of experience in Alzheimer’s research and his continuing commitment to prevention and seeking a cure, is both cross-generational and empowering.”

The book endeavours to educate individuals about the meaningful roles they can play in supporting those living with dementia within their own families or communities and can offer guidance to readers of all ages.

Dancing with Memories is available to borrow from Macquarie University Library. You can also purchase the book here.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a time to remember the 9000 Australian smokers and non-smokers who die from lung cancer every year and to refocus our efforts on finding a cure.

The Woolcock Centre for Lung Cancer Research is a world-class research centre with biobanking facilities, linked to a network of global experts in the field. Researchers at the centre are continuously looking to find ways to develop innovative treatments that save lives.

Established in 2018 and led by Macquarie’s Professor Maija Kohonen-Corish, the centre is currently developing microbiome-based tests that identify a subset of lung cancer patients who would benefit from microbiome-correcting treatments to improve therapy outcomes.

Microbiomes are naturally occurring ecosystems that live in our body and include bacteria, fungi, viruses and their genes. They are vital to human health and wellness.

“Having a healthy gut microbiome is essential for some lung cancer therapies to work in the best possible way,” says Professor Kohonen-Corish. “The gut-lung axis is a term used to describe the bidirectional communication between the gut and the lungs and if this is ‘broken’ it leads to weakened immunity and a weakened response to immunotherapy.”

The focus of her research now is to identify patients whose gut-lung axis is ‘broken’ and find ways to repair it before embarking on cancer therapies.

“Microbiome research is real breakthrough science with enormous potential,” she says.

“And every breakthrough brings us closer to a world where lung cancer is conquered, and lives are saved.”

This story was first published on the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research website.

Register to attend the ceremony next week on Wednesday 15 November.

Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student-Nominated Award

This award recognises staff for their teaching and support of learning that influences, motivates and inspires students to learn.

Ms Georgia Cam, Macquarie Law School, Faculty of Arts

Georgia Cam’s career as an educator began when the challenges of teaching were exacerbated by the idiosyncratic struggles of remote learning. At a time when students lacked motivation for a multitude of reasons, Ms Cam’s teaching philosophy emerged.

By deviating from the signature technocratic pedagogy of law, Ms Cam uses interactive case studies that adopt a social, political and cultural lens to “bring the content to life”.

Students feel so motivated by her teaching philosophy that they regularly ask what other units she teaches so they can continue to model the behaviour of future advocates. Some students even claim she is “the only reason” they passed the unit.

“Georgia has created such a positive environment for the students,” says one of her students. “She is supportive and extremely engaging and makes all complex ideas seem so simple. Every student I have talked to from her different classes adores her; she creates a fun and engaging atmosphere for all.”

Meanwhile, from one of Ms Cam’s students: “This is my fifth year of university and I can honestly say that Georgia has been the best tutor I have had by far. Her efforts to break down each week’s content in a simplified way, in spite of it being conceptually challenging, has been truly amazing.”

Dr Irina Dedova, Department of Chiropractic, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

This is the third time in as many years Dr Irina Dedova has been nominated for this award. She holds a powerful position in redesigning the anatomy curriculum, which is considered by many students to be a challenging part of their degree.

“There are obligations attached with educational design to influence the overall future and wellbeing of students,” she says. “I am not a source of knowledge but a guide who genuinely cares about students’ progress and feelings.”

Dr Dedova is dedicated to evidence-based practice – helping students navigate major concepts efficiently through carefully planned chunks of learning experiences.

“I care about my students and this is why I ensure that they have the most logical, well-constructed, inclusive design and delivery and efficient resources,” she says. “For me, being empathic means remembering what it was like when I was a student and how I would like to be treated. Students know that any time they are welcome to reach out to me, it is okay to make mistakes and I will not judge but will help find solutions.”

High distinctions have tripled since her redesign.

“The layout for learning is amazing,” says one student. “If I’m confused about something, there’s always another resource to help me.”

Associate Professor Richard Garner, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Some students see mathematics units as a ‘necessary evil’ – something they must complete to graduate, but do not expect to enjoy.

Associate Professor Richard Garner seeks to shatter this preconception – and share the “excitement of solving problems through mathematics”.

His approach typically starts with problems that are relevant and valuable, for example, planar graphs might be introduced via the problem of printing an electrical circuit onto a circuit board without crossing traces.

“This gives an authentic experience of how the way mathematics is done. Students learn not only the how of mathematics but also the why of mathematics, and are hopefully inspired to apply the mathematical approach to other problems they encounter,” says Associate Professor Garner.

“Mathematics is about tools and techniques but also about a way of seeing the world: like the puzzle page of the newspaper, it is about the creative joy of form and structure. The key point is that this is immense fun!”

And despite some trepidation, students agree: “Richard was able to make me think about how the world of math interacts with the real world and problem-solving as a tool.”

Another said, “His explanations are short yet extremely clear, which makes learning difficult and complex concepts a lot easier.”

Ms Emily Gray, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Many students view statistics as the most challenging part of their degree. Sessional academic tutor Emily Gray embraces this perception and sets out to empower students and help them “find their love – or, at least, appreciative tolerance – of statistics”.

By making her classes a safe space to question, discuss and “share an excitement for learning”, she’s able to achieve this and more.

One student called Ms Gray an “amazing tutor who has been very insightful and gives a great experience in class”, adding that she “loves what she does, which makes the class that much more enjoyable”.

Ms Gray believes success in learning is individualised and future-focused. She encourages students to apply their learning beyond the unit, developing a skills toolbox they can use to thrive in their professional pursuits.

“I tailor explanations to the specific characteristics of each class or individual student … and provide detailed and personalised feedback to assist students’ communication and critical thinking in their degree and career.”

Many students praise Ms Gray’s ability to make complex content understandable.

Says one student: “[She is] really good at teaching, explaining in an easy way to understand, giving exceptional feedback that has helped me in all of my units so far”.

Dr Michelle Hamadache, Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts

Student ‘success’ can be measured in achievements – publication, fellowship, live performance, career – and in a student’s sense of meaningful learning.

Dr Michelle Hamadache fosters both types of success.

Since she became Director of Creative Writing in 2021, enrolment, retention and engagement in undergraduate and postgraduate programs have risen significantly. But Dr Hamadache looks beyond these milestones and at how her teaching enables and inspires student success.

“I want students to feel they are part of a vibrant and inclusive community, where assessments are stepping stones to bigger and better things,” she says.

“I have fostered opportunities and experiences that build confidence and connection and give students the skills to bridge the gap between their studies and professional life.”

This year, two of Dr Hamadache’s students were awarded prestigious WestWords fellowships. Her first-year students have performed poetry alongside international prize-winning poets. And others have had articles and books published.

Her role as teacher also enables her to show what creative writing can do for the development of self and community.

“This is harder to quantify, but no less important,” she says.

Her students appreciate her philosophy: “The way she set up the unit made me love it thoroughly and rediscover my love for creative writing.”

Dr Marina Junqueira Santiago, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

“Enthusiasm is contagious,” says Dr Marina Junqueira Santiago. And it plays a pivotal role in fostering a positive, engaging learning environment.

Pharmacology may pose a challenge for student engagement, but it’s one Dr Junqueira Santiago takes in her stride.

“I want students to wake up in the morning and feel excited about coming to class,” she says. So, she enters the room with enthusiasm and passion.

“I take students as partners,” says Dr Junqueira Santiago who, with her students, co‑designed the debate rubric in the Contextualising Professionalism in Health Care Systems unit.

“It made the learning process enjoyable and encouraged students to take an active role in their education. By showing my enthusiasm for the subject and incorporating real-world examples, I spark curiosity and interest among my students,” she adds.

Dr Junqueira Santiago has been credited with making “any unit fun”, which is why she’s repeatedly asked to redevelop units in which student engagement is a problem.

“Her enthusiasm for the unit drove our enthusiasm for the unit,” says one student.

Another says: “I was sceptical coming into the unit, but Marina’s dedication, approachability and genuine desire to motivate us saw me develop a genuine interest and motivation to do well.”

Dr Jillian Kramer, Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts 

Dr Jillian Kramer thought her teaching could ramp up to meet student needs when COVID-19 hit. But when one of her ‘confident’ students joined Zoom in tears, she adjusted her strategy.

“Prolonged periods of uncertainty impacted student wellbeing and exposed flaws in my teaching,” says Dr Kramer, who expanded her philosophy.

Now she regularly checks in with students by email and starts tutorials by asking how they feel about the unit on a scale of zero to five to identify those at risk.

Submission rates have skyrocketed, with 88.41 per cent of Visual Media and Communications students who had not submitted their final assessment going on to complete it after receiving a support email. Failure rates have also decreased.

To further minimise stress for her students, Dr Kramer encourages them to co‑design lessons.

“In week eight, I survey students so they can identify what they would like to practice or explore in more detail before submitting their assessments,” she explains.

Her students notice the difference her strategy makes, with one stating: “I felt seen by the convenor, who often checked in with us through email, which is very important to me but lacking in other units. This has a huge impact on my motivation to engage with unit content.”

Dr Ali Lalbakhsh, Macquarie University College, Macquarie University College

Dr Ali Lalbakhsh is so successful at transforming the mindset of his students that many go from pathway units at Macquarie University College to second-year engineering with a head start on their university peers.

“Some of our newcomers have a mindset of not being good enough for engineering,” says Dr Lalbakhsh. “This attitude downgrades their ambition only to pass the unit – an invisible engagement barrier.”

So, he works on their mindset – starting with getting to know their life stories.

“I ask them to email me a self-introduction to spark conversations,” he says.

This builds trust and helps Dr Lalbakhsh understand their vulnerabilities.

“Pathway students are often the most disadvantaged cohort due to the lack of empathetic teaching, while they need it most. Don’t forget they are pathway students for a reason, which I aspire to unfold to help them grow.”

The results are telling, with double the attendance rate and a huge increase in submissions. This year, every one of Dr Lalbakhsh’s students agreed that he is approachable, helpful and creates a good learning environment.

“He made the whole class feel that we were going to be not just engineers but people who would change the world for the better,” one student wrote.

Dr Rico Piehler, Department of Marketing, Macquarie Business School

“Best educational experience.” “Best teacher.” “Best unit.” “Macquarie is lucky to have him!” – Macquarie student feedback

Dr Rico Piehler’s reputation precedes him. So much so that many of his students seek out his classes before they’re scheduled to take them.

“I thought I’d better do this unit while you’re taking it,” said one student.

Dr Piehler addresses two challenges through his teaching style and philosophy: encouraging student engagement and enhancing their employability.

Dr Piehler is committed to fostering student engagement through his enthusiasm, which is ingrained in his teaching style. He inspires students through his passion and instills respect and fairness to create a supportive environment that nurtures learning. Students’ joy of learning shows how Dr Piehler creates a positive social-emotional learning environment.

His background in an industry-founded academic department and his consulting experience shaped his teaching philosophy. Dr Piehler assists students in developing transferrable, work-related professional knowledge and skills through cases from his industry connections and collaboration projects, active learning workshops with practical activities and assessments that require his students to step into the role of practitioners.

Dr Piehler has been nominated for this award by his students in each of his three years at Macquarie University.

Dr LayPeng Tan, Department of Marketing, Macquarie Business School

Like consumers, students can be motivated if the value proposition is relevant and it is clearly communicated and delivered. Dr LayPeng Tan follows this key marketing principle in her learning and teaching.

“My goal is to inspire in students a ‘want to learn’,” she says.

Her innovative curriculum design, supportive learning environment and empathy mean her students are not just motivated but excel at unit level and beyond.

“My competency-focused approach is relevant to students’ academic and professional goals. Upon completion, students can add these practical competencies to their CV for enhanced employability,” she says.

Dr Tan’s approach is paying off. During a full external review of the Bachelor of Commerce in 2022, Dr Tan’s unit was one of two to be singled out as an exemplar of best teaching practice.

Course Director Dr Prashan Karunaratne says, “[Dr Tan’s] work literally shines through hundreds of pages of documentation, dozens of hours of interviews and multifaceted feedback from industry, alumni, staff, students and beyond.”

Dr Tan’s students are also highly satisfied and forthcoming with praise: “[An] amazing unit convener who has designed a well-structured and informative unit that really helps us understand the real-world work setting.”

Dr Hector Viveros Tapia, Department of Management, Macquarie Business School

In caring for and guiding students, Dr Hector Viveros Tapia enthusiastically adopts their challenges as his own.

Many students in his core human resources management units have difficulty with their communication and research skills. But his positive, inclusive learning environment, in which he shows genuine curiosity for their experiences – and shares his own – breaks down the student-teacher barrier, allowing him to foster those critical skills.

“This is especially important for international students, who often struggle with adapting to a new educational system, language barriers and social integration,” says Dr Viveros Tapia, whose latest challenge to engage students is the scavenger hunt, ‘Where’s Hector?’

“I aim to be an approachable and trustworthy mentor. I cultivate a non-judgemental space where students can openly discuss their challenges, assured of receiving empathetic guidance and support.”

It is a philosophy his students appreciate: “I thought the lectures were very helpful and engaging, but my favourite element of the unit was the class tasks – a credit to Hector for making sure each student felt welcomed and all students were engaging in the work.”

Dr Viveros Tapia has also seen a significant decrease in failure rates, down from 17 per cent in Session 1, 2021 to eight per cent in 2023.

This book by Macquarie’s Professor Dick Stevenson and Dr Heather Francis (both pictured left) offers a comprehensive and in-depth examination of this growing interdisciplinary field, examining the immediate and long-term consequences of dietary choices on the human brain and mind. With an emphasis on human experiences, the book takes on a wide spectrum of subjects, ranging from brain development, whole diets, individual nutrient contributions and diverse research methodologies, to the concept of food as a drug.

Written with accessibility in mind, it caters to the needs of a broad audience. It is not only an invaluable resource for undergraduate and graduate students engaged in the study of nutritional neuroscience and related disciplines, but also for healthcare professionals looking to apply these insights in their practice. Additionally, industry researchers seeking comprehensive topic insights will find it a valuable reference, as will the general reader intrigued by the remarkable connection between what we eat and how our minds operate.

“Scientists, industry and the public are all interested in how what we eat affects our brain and mind. This book provides the first comprehensive account of this new and emerging science, written in an accessible style, for both educated lay and scientific readers,” says Professor Stevenson.

Within these pages, the book delivers a critical overview, meticulously addressing both the psychological and neurobiological influences of dietary choices. By doing so, it presents a balanced perspective, highlighting the progress made in the field, as well as its limitations, shortcomings and the opportunities presented by unexplored research fronts.

Register to attend the ceremony on Wednesday 15 November.

The Jim Piper Award for Excellence in Research Leadership

This award seeks to recognise, encourage and reward those researchers who are on a path to becoming research leaders at Macquarie University.

Associate Professor Morten Thaysen-Andersen, School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Associate Professor Morten Thaysen-Andersen and his team are uncovering exciting opportunities to diagnose and treat infections, autoimmune diseases and cancer in novel ways.

As one of the first scientists to bring the emerging field of glycoproteomics into immunology, Associate Professor Thaysen-Andersen has built a highly regarded international profile in biomolecular sciences since arriving at Macquarie as a postdoc in 2010.

Now the ARC-funded Future Fellow is dedicated to answering fundamental and translational questions about the roles complex carbohydrates (glycans) play in our immune system.

“It’s an emerging field of high importance to society,” explains Associate Professor Thaysen-Andersen, who heads Macquarie’s Analytical Glycoimmunology Group and is setting up a satellite clinical glycoproteomics lab at Nagoya University in Japan.

As well as being prolifically published in top-tier journals, Associate Professor Thaysen-Andersen’s work has secured $11.5 million in funding since 2014 and resulted in 18 awards for scientific achievements.

In a recent world first, he led a team of 55 scientists across 35 institutions in 11 countries in a data standardisation study in glycoproteomics – the outcome of which was published in a top-tier journal and received critical acclaim.

“I am proud to have led this global initiative, which resulted in tangible advances with far-reaching impacts within my field,” he says.

Associate Professor Amy Cain, School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

What do antibiotic development and plastic waste removal have in common with bacterial genomics? Why the independent, world-leading research program established by Associate Professor Amy Cain, of course.

Since Associate Professor Cain joined Macquarie in 2018, she has attracted more than $15 million in funding and collaborated widely to use microbial genomics to solve large global problems.

Her diverse research seeks to understand and harness the power of bacterial genes for world-changing outcomes, including developing new drugs and constructing synthetic microbes to recycle stubborn plastics.

In just nine years of active full-time research, her work has produced a preliminary patent, been published in 68 peer-reviewed journals and attracted widespread media coverage. A multiple award winner, Associate Professor Cain is highly respected in the microbiology community and in demand as a speaker and international visiting fellow.

Despite her fast trajectory, she’s firmly grounded at Macquarie, taking pride in attracting and mentoring fellow researchers, including early career researchers (ECRs).

“One of my passions is mentoring and motivating ECRs to ensure retention of talented scientists,” she says.

Associate Professor Cain is also the founder and Director of Macquarie’s Galleria Research Facility, Australia’s first high-throughput (and ethical) in vivo model to assess the pathogenicity of microbes, and toxicity and efficacy of new drugs. 

Professor Helen Rizos, Macquarie School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

As head of the Precision Cancer Therapy research team and Principal Investigator of the Macquarie University Cancer Biobank, Professor Helen Rizos is at the forefront of global cancer research.

In the last five years alone, she has been supported by grants in excess of $30 million, allowing her to lead many research projects.

Her work has revealed the timing and evolution of treatment resistance, critical features of disease progression and disease models that can be applied in clinical practice to predict and monitor treatment response. It has helped promote the application of research into cancer clinical trials and has significant implications for improving patient outcomes.

Professor Rizos established the cancer biobank and, this year, the Macquarie University Cancer Research Network, to advance and foster collaborations in cancer research. She is just as passionate about developing the next generation of researchers.

“Throughout my career I have been an advocate for junior researchers, supporting their career development through mentoring programs and career development initiatives,” says Professor Rizos, who has graduated 20 candidates to date. “I always include early career researchers as part of the supervisory team, and thereafter they take the lead as primary supervisor with my support as co-supervisor.”

Distinguished Professor Deborah Schofield, GenIMPACT: Centre for Economic Impacts of Genomic Medicine, Macquarie Business School

The world firsts, newly coined terms and high-profile publications and engagements that underscore Distinguished Professor Deborah Schofield’s work continue to significantly impact families and governments alike.

As the founding Director of GenIMPACT: the Centre for Economic Impacts of Genomic Medicine – the second such centre worldwide – Distinguished Professor Schofield leads a pioneering research program on the social and economic impact of genetic disorders.

The centre works with clinical and scientific colleagues and partners in industry, government and not-for-profit bodies, to improve human health and ultimately impact the economy and society.

“We aim to improve patient access to effective and cost-effective genomic health services and technologies, improving the health, social and economic prospects of families – sometimes for generations,” says Distinguished Professor Schofield.

Continuously funded for 15 years by Category 1 grants totalling more than $190 million, Distinguished Professor Schofield says the centre has strengthened the applied research culture within the school.

She also mentors “outstanding young women”, including a former PhD student who is now a full professor with her own thriving research program, an epidemiologist who is now a professor, two clinical geneticists and an economics student from Harvard.

Vice-Chancellor’s Educational Leader Award

This award recognises educational leadership that has influenced and enhanced learning and teaching and/or student experience.

Dr Onur Ateş, Macquarie University College

“Innovation never stops at Macquarie University College,” says Dr Onur Ateş, the College’s Associate Director.

In the past three years alone, Dr Ateş has overseen the design, development and implementation of 19 new courses, a suite of undergraduate certificates and four new masters qualifying programs (MQPs) for 2024.

“The MQPs will provide a bridge for students who currently do not have a pathway into postgraduate study, growing the load for faculties and supporting students’ aspirations,” says Dr Ateş.

But Dr Ateş’ pioneering leadership doesn’t stop at course development.

As well as overseeing 40 units, he has delivered roadshows to raise awareness about the College within the University, led innovative professional development for College staff, and initiated and led enhancements to the College’s Foundation Program, which became the first university-based program to receive national endorsement from quality assurance organisation, NEAS.

“The new design made it relevant to 21^st century needs to better prepare students for university studies,” he says.

Dr Ateş’ expertise also set him in good stead when, in 2020, the College moved from face-to-face to remote delivery within three days.

“I was pleased that the remote-learning innovation that I initiated resulted in the best student feedback on the shift to online delivery across all teaching elements of the University.”

The team of: Associate Professor Agnes Bosanquet, Dr Mathew Hillier, Dr Olga Kozar, Dr Karina Luzia, Kylie Coaldrake, and Alison Hayward, Learning and Teaching Staff Development, Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education)

In just three years, staff have engaged with professional learning more than 9000 times to further develop their teaching capabilities with the Learning and Teaching Staff Development team.

It’s a small team – established in 2020 – but the offerings are extensive, including workshops, self-paced modules, quick guides, a MOOC, a webinar series, professional development programs and scholarly projects.

“We align teachers with Macquarie’s goals for student-centred transformative learning and curriculum, authentic assessment and work-integrated learning and accessible and inclusive education,” explains Associate Professor Agnes Bosanquet, Director, Learning and Teaching Staff Development.

The team created the Professional Learning and Capability Enhancement (PLaCE) interactive personas and self-assessment tool to enable educators to receive targeted recommendations to enhance teaching quality and student success.

“We connect people through communities of practice and collaborative workshops to enable collegial learning. We are inspired by Macquarie teachers to take creative and innovative approaches to professional learning,” says Associate Professor Bosanquet.

The team’s leadership has an impact at individual, course, faculty, University and sector levels. It contributes to academic governance and works with tutors, lecturers, unit convenors, course directors and leaders of learning and teaching to develop pedagogical skills and provide curriculum, assessment and technology advice.

Dr Josephine Paparo, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

Dr Josephine Paparo’s groundbreaking leadership has reshaped psychology training practice across Australia. But she hasn’t stopped there and continues to pioneer through her exceptional leadership.

In the face of COVID-19 disruptions, universities across Australia encountered formidable obstacles in meeting the practicum requirements mandated by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC).

With unwavering commitment to find a solution, Dr Paparo founded the Australian Postgraduate Psychology Education Simulation Working Group and led 19 senior academics from 15 tertiary institutions to develop guidelines for simulation-based education.

As a result, a unified and comprehensive compilation of best-practice guidelines for simulated learning activities in psychology was adopted by institutions nationally.

“I am immensely proud of this pivotal work. Its impact reverberates nationwide, with psychology trainers across Australia embedding the guidelines in curricula, and APAC acknowledging their significance,” she says. “My efforts have validated the use of simulated learning activities as powerful tools in developing clinical competencies for future psychologists.”

Dr Paparo, who thrives in leading large teams, has subsequently led the rapid redesign of other psychology courses. This includes the Master of Professional Psychology, which was already outperforming all other courses in the faculty according to recent Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching data.

The team of: Professor Ronika Power, Department of History and Archaeology; Michael Rampe, Education Services; and Dr Neil Durrant, Faculty of Arts Executive Director

Thanks to an innovative partnership, the Faculty of Arts has become a pioneer in digital fluency with a modern, future-focused and sector-leading mode of assessment delivery.

Starting with an undergraduate unit, Archaeology of Death and Burial, Professor Ronika Power forged a partnership with global technology giant Adobe to develop digital storytelling assessment strategies.

“It was the perfect platform from which to educate students to tell stories, and to embrace the novel approaches that digital media offers to every aspect of humanistic enquiry,” says Professor Power.

After a successful trial executed by Professor Power and Mr Rampe, the unit’s curriculum was strategically revised and learning outcomes refocused on fresher, more authentic tasks.

“This clear and staged approach to pedagogical implementation now serves as a benchmark for desired digital assessment review at faculty scale,” says Professor Power. Parallel to this work, the faculty undertook externally funded research on scale, and Dr Durrant brokered a partnership with Adobe.

Adobe Creative Cloud software is now implemented across 110 Faculty of Arts units, and digital assessment modalities are more common in units traditionally associated with text-based assessment only.

“We have enabled cohorts of students not previously exposed to digital media tools to produce works of a publishable standard,” says Professor Power.

Dr Malcolm Ryan, School of Computing, Faculty of Science and Engineering

When he joined the Bachelor of Game Design and Development in 2014 as convenor of the capstone project, Dr Malcolm Ryan immediately became concerned that students were underequipped to enter industry. They lacked essential skills in design, development and production.

“My mission since then has been to introduce industry best practices into the degree and allow Macquarie students to excel in the competitive game development job market,” he says.

From 2018, Dr Ryan was able to redesign the course, revamping existing games units and introducing new ones. He mentored new staff to bring fresh ideas into the degree and established a state-of-the-art teaching laboratory, now a hub for games students.

The first cohort from the new course, launched in 2020, has just graduated with positive feedback.

“Game design and development are new fields of study, and the past decade has seen a consolidation of professional methodology from the scrapbook of industry wisdom available previously,” says Dr Ryan. “My focus has been on bringing these methods into the classroom, embedding career skills throughout the degree.”

The degree has been selected by the faculty to be the first to undertake the new career development planning process with the Employability and Graduate Success team.

Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence

This award recognises staff for their excellence in teaching and support of learning and the impact they have on influencing, motivating and inspiring students to learn.

Dr Viken Kortian, School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Viken Kortian doesn’t speak from textbooks. He decided to become a full-time lecturer after 37 years in industry to share his experience and vast professional network.

But it doesn’t end there; his novel approach to teaching along with his industry‑standard assignments ensure students remember their “exceptional engineering entrepreneurship experience” years after graduation.

To achieve this, Dr Kortian draws on his connections to provide realistic and up-to-the-minute case studies and guest lectures with the likes of leading intellectual property lawyers.

It all culminates with a Shark Tank–style final assessment in which students present their proposed ideas and business plans to potential investors.

“I invite angel investors and private equity representatives to be the judges,” he says. “The ‘sharks’ provide open and honest feedback to the students, both on their presentations and their reports. Students complete the course with valuable knowledge, experience and insights into how to start a business as well as what is required to be entrepreneurial within a large multinational corporation.”

Dr Kortian says his students have worked with the ‘sharks’ well after the course has finished to pursue business ideas stemming from their time at Macquarie.

The team of: Dr Hamed Jafarzadeh and Dr Prashan S M Karunaratne, Department of Actuarial Studies and Business Analytics, Macquarie Business School

In redesigning the unit Getting Started with Analytics (GSWA), Dr Prashan Karunaratne was able to tailor it for online delivery – to industry professionals rather than undergraduates.

The result? His new model is the most popular unit of Optus’ microcredential program, OptusU.

Dr Karunaratne drew on his experience in developing several microcredentials on Coursera, which have reached tens of thousands of industry professionals, to change the way this unit was delivered.

He adopted a ‘guide-by-the-side’ philosophy to make the weekly two-hour sessions live and interactive, with the lecturer working through a range of hands-on exercises in Excel and guiding students as they systematically follow along.

The new approach has been so successful that Optus requested increased offerings of the course, resulting in the appointment of Senior Lecturer Dr Hamed Jafarzadeh as co-presenter.

Dr Jafarzadeh further infused the unit with his experience from teaching industry professionals.

Optus program specialist Sajeda Khan praised the team for its engaging content and lively dispositions. “People love the course and both of you,” she said.

“We are thrilled to hear that GSWA is the most popular OptusU unit because of the topical content, industry relevance and engaging lecturers,” say Dr Jafarzadeh and Dr Karunaratne.

Associate Professor John De Nobile, Macquarie School of Education, Faculty of Arts

Before he joined Macquarie 18 years ago, Associate Professor John De Nobile was a school teacher for almost 20 years. Putting students first has always been central to his teaching philosophy.

“Students are not just numbers, but part of a community,” he explains. “It means ensuring every tutorial and lecture inspires and engages them.”

And these days, as well as personally getting to know his students so his pedagogy can better connect to their needs, he constantly seeks their input into the curriculum – and assessments.

He says despite leading scholars encouraging the use of student insights on assessment, it was surprising there wasn’t empirical research on student input into assessment design.

“In the context of university, my use of student input into design of assessments is an innovation,” he says.

And it’s a success. The changes he implemented after a formal survey in 2021 led to fewer problems for students in 2022 and an improvement in results from a mean of 62.9 per cent to 66.5 per cent.

Associate Professor De Nobile also offers an array of support, including targeted one-on-one coaching sessions for students at risk of failing their professional experience component. Most have gone on to succeed.

Dr Natasha Todorov, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences 

The changes Dr Natasha Todorov made to first-year psychology may have been “distinctly low-tech”, but they have been remarkably successful.

As convenor of one of the faculty’s biggest units, Dr Todorov is responsible for the learning outcomes of about 2500 students.

Yet in implementing her structure-and-scaffold approach to help the neurodiverse community, she has enhanced the performance of the entire cohort.

“With enrolment growth, discussion board comments indicated some students were confused about how to navigate information and understand unit requirements,” says Dr Todorov. “I wondered whether an increase in neurodiverse students had accompanied enrolment increases.”

So she minimised learning barriers by changing the way information was presented and encouraged students to learn and practice academic skills. For example, after explicitly teaching time management skills, only six per cent of essays were late in 2022.

Dr Todorov’s strategies, recognised as an exemplar of best practice by the School of Psychological Sciences, have also been published here.

“The changes combine my interests in enhancing student learning with pastoral care and represent an important part of my teaching philosophy: to create a respectful, warm and inclusive learning environment and prioritise student needs and their role as active learners,” says Dr Todorov.

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Timothy Ghaly, School of Natural Sciences, for the project ‘Living soil: Harnessing soil microbes for ecological restoration and climate resilience’. Terrestrial ecosystems are becoming increasingly degraded, with significant economic and environmental costs. Ecological restoration practices can mitigate these costs. However, innovative approaches are urgently needed to improve restoration success, particularly under future climate scenarios. Restoration outcomes are strongly influenced by soil microbes, which are intimately linked with plant growth and tolerance to climate stress. The use of soil microbes has significant translational potential that, as of yet, remains unfulfilled. This project will develop novel methods and fill important knowledge gaps to allow the harnessing of soil microbes to encourage ecological restoration and resilience under a changing climate.

Dr Yunlong Luo, School of Natural Sciences, for the project ‘Interactions between micro-/nanoplastics and environmental microorganisms’. This project aims to investigate the interactions between micro-/nanoplastics (MNPs) and environmental microorganisms and to develop innovative biotechnologies for MNP remediation. Understanding MNP-microorganism interactions holds significant importance for studying the environmental impact of emerging plastic pollutants and also allows discovery of new enzymes, development of genetic engineering techniques and design of bioreactor systems. Expected outcomes include improved methods for analysing MNPs and microorganisms in complex environmental matrices and optimised bioreactor systems for eliminating MNPs. This project will provide various benefits through enhancing Macquarie’s research strength in biotechnology and contributing to environmental conservation, technological innovation and public awareness.

Ms Louise Tosetto, School of Natural Sciences, for the project ‘It’s a trap! Exploiting sensory systems of invasive fishes as a tool for control’. The eastern mosquitofish is a global and pervasive invader. It is found across many Australian streams causing extensive stress to habitat and native animals. This study takes an innovative approach to exploiting sensory cues used by invasive mosquitofish that could be applied in multi-sensory traps for control. This project will also provide a clear and methodical framework that can be used to exploit sensory systems in a range of invasive fishes. This work has the potential to provide a cost-effective and environmental approach to controlling invasive fish and will complement current methods used to manage invasive species throughout freshwater streams.

Dr Doudou Zhang, School of Engineering, for the project ‘Direct synthesis of earth-abundant bifunctional catalysts via one-step electrodeposition for efficient seawater hydrogen production’. This project aims to address challenges using seawater-based hydrogen production by developing high-performance, earth-abundant bifunctional catalysts through electrodeposition. Current electrocatalysis technology necessitates additional energy to purify water for hydrogen production rather than utilising seawater directly. Furthermore, the existing methods for synthesising catalysts with bifunctional properties for long-term seawater electrolysis are complex and limited. This project aims to address these challenges by developing high-performance, earth-abundant bifunctional catalysts through electrodeposition. Employing a combination of density functional theory and machine learning, active sites in (hydro)oxide catalysts will be engineered at the atomic scale. The expected outcomes include not only publications but also opportunities for funding and industry partnerships. The scalable electrodes and technology will revolutionise seawater-based hydrogen production.

Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

Dr Yuanyuan Deng, Macquarie Medical School, for the project ‘Targeting the synaptic GTPase-activating protein 1 for Alzheimer’s disease treatment’. This project seeks to examine the link between Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, and SynGAP1, a protein essential for brain development. The hypothesis is that the dysfunction of SynGAP1 could contribute to the abnormal neuron (brain cells) connections observed in AD. The project aims to explore how SynGAP1 is involved in AD and to investigate potential gene-therapies that target SynGAP1 protein. The anticipated outcome is the identification of novel approaches to safeguard or mend brain connections by targeting SynGAP1, which could lead to improved prevention or treatment strategies for the millions affected by AD.

Dr Andreea Heriseanu, School of Psychological Sciences, for the project ‘Optimal psychological approaches for cardiovascular risk and depression: Novel factorial randomised controlled trial of digital interventions’. This project will employ a highly-innovative multi-factor randomised controlled trial design to compare two different psychological approaches: (1) enabling critical health behaviour change (e.g. exercise, diet); (2) treating depression and maximising mental health; and their combination, for adults with Cardiovascular Disease [CVD] risk. Depression and CVD are highly co-occuring conditions. Depression increases risk for death from heart disease and is a barrier to self-management behaviours which prevent disease. This project Factors influencing treatment-related outcomes will be comprehensively examined to understand what approach works best for whom. This will improve understanding of effective psychological care for Australians with CVD risk.

Faculty of Arts

Ms Ceridwen Dovey, Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language, and Literature, for the project ‘The Art of Planet Hunting: The role of artistry and imagination in visualising exoplanets’, which aims to understand what is at stake when astronomical artists synthesise scientific and creative knowledge to depict exoplanets (planets outside our solar system). This research is urgent because the golden age of exoplanet discovery has only just begun, thanks to next-generation advanced telescopes. While artists’ visualisations of exoplanets make an essential contribution to public understanding of the universe, there is little scholarship on artists as co-creators of astronomical knowledge. This project will develop new conceptual frameworks for analysing exoplanet imagery, grounded in both the aesthetics and ethics of how scientific data about exoplanets is creatively interpreted.

Dr Emma Mitchell, School of Social Sciences, for the project ‘Children caring: shadow care infrastructures sustaining low-income families’ uses a child-focused, creative approach to investigate how children’s care activities help sustain low-income families and impact child and family wellbeing. Children in low-income families are more likely to take on caring duties due to lack of income and available supports. The hidden care load children carry intensifies as the pandemic, environmental crisis and economic turbulence disrupt already stretched support infrastructures. Expected outcomes include the development of child-centred care theory and a better understanding of the care capacities and care gaps that shape children’s experiences of poverty. Benefits include refining supports for children and families to improve their quality of life and promote positive health and employment outcomes in the long–term.

Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Department of Security Studies and Criminology, for the project, ‘Reforming Australia’s policy approach to hostage diplomacy and wrongful detention’. This project offers the first comprehensive study of how states respond to the significant international issue of wrongful detention. It aims to analyse the Australian government and partner countries’ existing policies on wrongful detention to identify scope for meaningful domestic policy reform. By examining international best practice, this project will also investigate the broader geopolitical and diplomatic implications of the international growth of hostage diplomacy, and the prospects for tackling this emerging phenomenon through international collaboration. Intended outcomes include multiple peer-reviewed journal articles, a DECRA application, influencing policymaking and improving outcomes for victims and their families.

Dr Kurt Sengul, Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language, and Literature, for the project, ‘Media populism, democracy, and the public sphere in Australia’. This project aims to provide the first significant study of media populism in Australia across digital and traditional media. Adopting an innovative and interdisciplinary conceptual approach, it will benchmark evidence to help journalists, scholars and policymakers understand the implications of media populism for liberal democracy and an inclusive public sphere. The project will develop a new theory of media populism; inform policymakers on the role of media populism in processes of political polarisation, extremism and the erosion of democracy; and devise recommendations for media practitioners on how to avoid amplifying populist discourses for a more vibrant and multicultural public sphere.

Register to attend the awards ceremony on 15 November.

Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Early Career Award

This award recognises staff for their quality teaching and support of learning, and the impact they have on influencing, motivating and inspiring students to learn.

Dr Joseph Chen, Department of Marketing, Macquarie Business School 

Blind taste testing and viral TikTok videos may seem a long way from in-depth psychological theory, but for Dr Joseph Chen, social psychology experiments, real-world cases and creative marketing have been a huge success in stimulating student curiosity and comprehension of difficult ideas.

After taking over postgraduate core unit Advanced Consumer Behaviour in 2020, Dr Chen reconceptualised his teaching philosophy and completely redeveloped the unit.

“Studying consumer behaviour requires students to gain an in-depth understanding of psychological theories and apply them in marketing,” he explains. “However, psychological theories are abstract, distant and complex for marketing students.”

Dr Chen’s teaching now centres on making them understandable, stimulating and relatable for marketing students.

He achieves this through activity- and case-based learning. The blind drink taste test, for example, made consumer sensory theory more tangible and relatable. Students now adopt social influence theory to create viral videos on TikTok and use theory of planned behaviour to design DrinkWise campaigns.

Dr Chen also invites industry speakers, including graduates, managers from global companies and influencer marketers, to share their successful marketing experiences.

His students appreciate the new format, with 100 per cent agreeing that he creates a good learning environment (2023 Learner Evaluation of Teaching).

Dr Narelle Hess, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

Translating theory into practice may be a key challenge for psychology students, but Dr Narelle Hess is passionate about, and skilled at, enabling her students to achieve this.

“Although students completing psychology degrees are academically motivated, often they have limited understanding of career pathways,” says Dr Hess, whose teaching philosophy centres on empowering students to be self-reflective and lifelong learners.

“I encourage active participation by creating a safe learning environment through the use of humour while also challenging students to think critically and take ownership of their development.”

Dr Hess’ inspiring and motivational presentation style not only keeps students engaged, but it also resulted in an invitation to present a TED-style talk for the Macquarie University Psychology Society.

Society President, Patricia Motahari, says Dr Hess’ presentation was extremely engaging: “I had students coming up to me that night and even the day after to congratulate me on a successful event.”

Dr Hess also redesigned an internal placement to include stronger peer-to-peer active learning, including supporting students to design the orientation for the placement and facilitating group supervision meetings where students could reflect on cases and experiences.

Dr June Ho, School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering

A personalised education with a focus on employability has positioned Dr June Ho as a “favourite teacher” among many of her students.

In her two years as a lecturer for the Master of Engineering Management, she has observed a strong need for employability skills, particularly among her majority international students.

Dr Ho incorporates global benchmarking and standards in her curriculum design and explicitly outlines industry demands and professional relevance by showing how her content aligns with job descriptions and requirements.

Recognising the significant impact of the teacher-student relationship on students’ performance, she also takes the time to get to know each student.

“Understanding the students’ circumstances allows me to offer additional support and assistance to ensure equal opportunities for success,” says Dr Ho. “I have guided and assisted numerous students to secure employment opportunities in their new career journeys in Australia.”

As convenor of three units in the master degree, she consistently achieves positive results.

Positive comments by students on Dr Ho’s impact include: “I wanted to express my gratitude for your exceptional teaching during my first semester at Macquarie University. Your dedication and commitment to educating us were greatly appreciated and you have become our favourite teacher.”

Dr Madeline Taylor, Macquarie Law School, Faculty of Arts

To foster high achievement and address the overwhelm commercial law students often report feeling, Dr Madeline Taylor adopts an ‘integrated thinking cycle’, combining values and power, practice and understanding – activated by expert guests. Students value the “practical and worldly edge” these lecturers impart.

Dr Taylor’s educational initiatives connecting commercial law with societal challenges result in her students being inspired and engaged. One student said: “I have never sat in a tutorial and truly been 100 per cent engaged the whole time. But thanks to Madeline’s clear knowledge and the way she explained it, I was able to comprehend content that was extremely difficult at first glance.”

In tripartite redesigning Foundations of Commercial Law, Dr Taylor became one of the first Australian academics to nurture and enrich students’ appreciation of Indigenous businesses’ methods and the support that commercial law can give.

Dr Taylor embedded professional learning practice to further enhance learning and maximise success.

“I feel honoured to provide a motivating and inspiring student-centred approach, guiding students to develop holistic skills necessary to thrive in their careers through career development learning opportunities.”

Dr Taylor further develops students’ employability by giving them the opportunity to publish their case note assessments in the peer-reviewed journal Inhouse Counsel.

Excellence in Higher Degree Research Awards

These awards will be presented for outstanding research undertaken by a current or former higher degree research candidate (in both HASS and STEMM disciplines).  

HASS

Ms Michelle Bishop, School of Education, Faculty of Arts

In trail-blazing new and innovative research and a new approach to the literature review stage of a PhD, Gamilaroi scholar Michelle Bishop contemplates the educational future of Aboriginal people outside ‘colonial-controlled’ schooling.

By drawing on the education practices of Ancestors, she reveals a “desire and excitement for education sovereignty”.

Participants contributed a collective vision for what this could look like, and it’s very different from Australia’s current mainstream education, featuring learning based on relationships, students having agency in what and how they learn, prioritising Country as teacher, and no failure.

“These findings are in stark contrast to the way the majority of schools in so-called Australia operate,” says Ms Bishop.

Instead of challenging, refusing and resisting current education systems, the research offers participants the time and space to imagine Indigenous education futures into deep time and to create a vision.

“Considering Indigenous futurities in a settler-colonial state is not commonplace and is both radical and original,” says Ms Bishop.

With four peer-reviewed journal articles, a book chapter, seven conference papers and an award, Ms Bishop is fast becoming a leader in Indigenous education in Australia and internationally.

Mr Jonathan David, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

Jonathan David’s breakthrough research into hoarding disorder led him to question the way psychologists understand and treat the condition.

He has made exciting discoveries that are already changing the research and treatment landscape for a disorder that affects two and a half per cent of the general population and seven per cent of older individuals.

Mr David’s critical review of cognitive behavioural therapy revealed that it does not help 70 per cent of people with the disorder.

“The lack of treatment efficacy prompted my investigation into several potential psychological mechanisms that could become new targets for treatment,” he says.

Recent data suggests hoarding disorder is more debilitating than many other health conditions and results in poorer quality of life than major depressive disorder, post‑traumatic stress disorder and heart disease.

“It is associated with great economic and social burdens and sometimes life-threatening consequences,” says Mr David.

In investigating why people acquire and save excessive amounts of possessions, he developed new questionnaires, which are now being used by researchers globally.

He is also questioning whether hoarding should be reclassified as a behavioural addiction, as it continues to be associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

His findings are expected to be highly influential in guiding future research into the disorder.

Mr Thom Dixon, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts

Pioneering at the intersection of synthetic biology and international relations, Thom Dixon’s research is contributing to arms control and risk management in the global bioeconomy.

Among its many firsts, his work has fed into debate on establishing a permanent science and technology review mechanism for the UN’s Biological Weapons Convention. It has identified novel biological weaponry capabilities and proposed solutions to manage these emerging risks.

“Synthetic biology underpins the global bioeconomy. However, very little is known about how this critical technology intersects with state and non-state actor behaviour,” says Mr Dixon, who wants to understand if synthetic biology advances are likely to influence the global distribution of power and the likelihood of war between great powers.

“There is currently no international treaty, convention or forum at the state-parties level for considering the benefits and risks of synthetic biology. This research has proposed a Track 1.5 mechanism for achieving these goals.”

As the first to analyse cyberbiosecurity in international relations and propose the concept of ‘bioinformational engineering’, Mr Dixon’s research has been published across the international relations and synthetic biology disciplines.

It’s impressive output for a part-time PhD student; Mr Dixon works full time as Macquarie’s Manager, National Security and Defence.

Dr Tamika Worrell, School of Education and Department of Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Arts

“At the heart of all that I do – the relationships I build, the work I publish, the presentations I do – it is all about the care I have for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, community and Country,” says Dr Tamika Worrell.

Dr Worrell’s research addresses an urgent gap in understanding Indigenous perspectives across key learning areas of the curriculum, particularly in English. Her unique representational framework offers the prospect of significant change to English teaching on a national level.

Her PhD examiner commented: “This important research will be of most interest to teacher educators and English teachers who are leading professional development opportunities.”

Dr Worrell’s timely findings have achieved five publications to date as well as invitations to present. Yet the impact of her work reaches beyond direct research outcomes.

“Throughout my five years of HDR study at Macquarie University, I have benefited from the generosity of Indigenous peers and scholars who have offered space and support to encourage and grow me as a researcher,” she says. “Ensuring I reciprocate this for the next generation, I have worked to do the same in all settings. This is relationality in practice and it is my responsibility and obligation to continue this work.” 

STEMM 

Mr Jaime A. Alvarado-Montes, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Will it be possible for humanity to migrate to, and inhabit, environments different from Earth?

Astronomers are trying to answer this deep question.

Jaime A. Alvarado-Montes’ research has echoed globally and significantly impacted the exoplanets field through his scientific publications.

In studying the evolution of planetary systems, he has shed light on the fate of our own solar system based on the evolution of its four biggest planets.

His research has far-reaching implications for how we understand the evolution of giant planets in other solar systems and for the existence and durability of life.

All Mr Alvarado-Montes’ work, including his discovery that moons can become planets (‘ploonets’), has been published in top-tier astronomy journals (12 papers, one as a single author).

His work is so significant it will impact the education of astronomers for generations to come and has been collected in the Exoplanets books used by universities worldwide.

“My research stands on the shoulders of giants,” he says. “Since research and education are the cornerstones of science, the biggest impact of my research – of which I’m very proud – is the large number of follow-up university-level works based on my research that are being taken up by undergraduate students just starting their research journey.”

Mr Harry Carey, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

In just one year, Harry Carey developed a tool that matches human experts for accuracy and is several thousand times faster.

His tool, called DeepSlice, developed during his master degree, stands to improve the quality of atlas-based analysis across neuroscience.

“The mammalian brain is immensely complex, consisting of many separate regions which all have their own unique structures and functions,” he says. “Even the tiny brain of the mouse is composed of thousands of cell types arranged in more than 600 separate regions.”

Accurate brain navigation is a critical element, and bottleneck, of neuroscience research, and is currently done by ‘error-prone’ humans.

DeepSlice automates the hardest step of analysis, recognising features in every part of the mouse brain, at the touch of a button.

While DeepSlice is still in the final stages of review for publication, his invention has already been used by researchers globally more than 7000 times.

It also attracted interest from the world-leading innovator in neuroscience technology, the Allen Institute for Brain Science.

“We’re now collaborating to reanalyse their data library using DeepSlice as it’s the most reliable registration method currently available,” says Mr Carey.

Mr Alexander Hahn, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Alexander Hahn’s groundbreaking discoveries in exceedingly large quantum systems hold profound implications for quantum control and quantum chemistry, and could have far‑reaching benefits in drug discovery, catalyst design and fertiliser optimisation.

His novel insights into the Trotter product formula are so significant that his research has been supported by the Oberwolfach Research Institute for Mathematics – one of the world’s foremost research institutions – in addition to his primary ARC funding and a scholarship from the Sydney Quantum Academy.

Adding to the two peer-reviewed papers published prior to his PhD, Hahn has since published three papers, with two more in the pipeline.

“Collaborations are instrumental in bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise, enabling me to approach problems from multiple angles and uncover novel insights,” says Hahn, who credits his high level of originality and interdisciplinary impact to his philosophy of collaboration.

His proactive approach paid off when he contacted world-leading quantum computing and quantum sensing start-up Q-CTRL, which offered him the first internship in its research team.

“This aligned my research with real-world applications, but also provided valuable insights into industry needs.”

Dr Ali Lalbakhsh, School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Ali Lalbakhsh’s research philosophy – delivering for people’s immediate and future needs – has helped him maintain his high-calibre research since beginning his master degree.

Through his electromagnetic engineering and applied artificial intelligence research, Dr Lalbakhsh has invented low-cost antenna technology, advanced satellite internet affordability, pioneered an AI platform for mitigating COVID-19, and integrated it all into his exemplary teaching.

While this means smart emergency services, precision farming and remote mining machinery can become fully operational globally, the ultimate outcome, he says, is a reduction of the digital divide.

“This will safeguard Australian lives and resources in natural disasters, contribute to the autonomous vehicles market and retain Australia’s world-leading standing in food and mining in the smart era ahead,” he says.

He has also leveraged his research into his teaching and instils in his students the belief that they too can contribute to real-life engineering marvels.

Dr Lalbakhsh uses his open-ended research-based projects to encourage students to continue applying their knowledge after the unit ends.

“Yes, it sounds ambitious,” he says. Yet students continue working on their two- or three-year-old projects with him, some achieving Q1 publications or research projects supported by industry partners.

Early Career Researcher of the Year

These awards acknowledge outstanding performance in research by an early career researcher (in both HASS- and STEMM-based disciplines).

HASS

Dr Anam Bilgrami, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School

Dr Anam Bilgrami’s research has made a big impact in a short time. Just two years post-PhD, she continues her upward trajectory in health economics, contributing to the evidence base for Australian policymaking through analysis of under‑evaluated health and healthcare initiatives.

Using innovative econometric modelling to tease out causal impacts, she is able to address the challenging policy evaluation environment.

“In Australia, most policymaking occurs at the Australian Government level, with policies often affecting the whole nation,” says Dr Bilgrami. “This makes it difficult to construct ‘control groups’ unaffected by a policy.”

As the first to explore the impacts of programs and policies that cost Australian taxpayers billions annually, including paid parental leave, private health insurance interventions, WHS regulations and aged care, Dr Bilgrami’s research is already making an impact.

As well as five published manuscripts – two in top international health economics and policy journals – and five more under revision or review, her research and commentary has featured on the front page of The Sydney Morning Herald, in the Australian Health Economics Society policy newsletter and The Conversation.

“These represent high research productivity relative to opportunities in the economics discipline, where publishing is notoriously competitive with a low rate of article acceptance,” says Dr Bilgrami.

Dr Emlyn Dodd, Department of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts

From fostering capacity-building in sustainable agricultural practice, to digitally preserving cultural heritage under threat from rising sea levels and increasing tourism, the impact of Dr Emlyn Dodd’s research is far-reaching.

Dr Dodd is a global leader in ancient wine research and Roman archaeology. He has made significant scholarly advances in and beyond his field, especially through fieldwork in Greece, Italy and Türkiye, discovering new archaeological evidence, evolving and updating theories and prioritising the dissemination of his research to specialists and the public at large.

In employing innovative and creative methods, including drone photogrammetry, laser scanning and geophysical surveys, Dr Dodd aims to “step beyond material culture and investigate deeper issues of rural and urban landscape change, climate and social and economic theory”.

“I have focused especially on wine and olive oil production in the ancient Mediterranean as two key commodities engrained within Graeco-Roman culture and economy, while simultaneously central to today’s modern Mediterranean and Australian agriculture and economies,” explains Dr Dodd.

He currently leads and co-directs two major international multidisciplinary research and fieldwork projects. He has published widely in academic journals and books, featured in The Guardian, The Conversation, on ABC and BBC radio, filmed with National Geographic, and delivered keynote lectures across seven countries.

Dr Madeline Taylor, Macquarie Law School, Faculty of Arts

It’s one of the greatest and most complex legal and policy challenges: how to urgently reach net zero energy emissions while ensuring sustained benefits at the wider community level.

Dr Madeline Taylor is leading the way through award-winning research that examines how the law can create a more just energy transition – pioneering the discipline of socio-legal and functional comparative analyses and leading collaborative grant-funded research projects aimed at delivering equality-promoting legal frameworks.

“My goal is for regulatory reform to strike a balance between landholder rights and the need to rapidly decarbonise in the face of intensifying climate change and land-use conflicts,” says Dr Taylor.

She has already had an impact on policy and regulatory development and is one of Macquarie’s leading authors, with more than 123,000 article views and an impressive media profile.

Whereas existing legal research largely focuses on market-based energy regulation and urban energy communities, Dr Taylor’s unique socio-legal lens highlights the need for justice in net zero energy developments largely hosted by regional and rural communities.

“My novel research in energy justice focuses on probing how new and emerging net zero technologies can provide transparent legal processes, distributed economic and non-economic benefits and recognition of landholder rights and community perspectives,” says Dr Taylor.

STEMM

Dr Jean-Simon Pacaud Lemay, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Just two years out of his PhD, Dr Jean-Simon (JS) Pacaud Lemay is recognised as a strong category theorist and the leading expert on differential categories.

The theory of differential categories, a relatively new research area, uses category theory to study differential calculus. It has become one of the primary tools to express the foundations of differentiation in mathematics and computer science.

Dr Pecaud Lemay has made significant contributions by pushing the boundaries with new theories and reformulating and ‘cleaning up’ old theories.

“The theory of differential categories is a vibrant and active field of research and has recently grown in popularity in a variety of research areas,” says Dr Pecaud Lemay.

This is thanks, in part, to Dr Pecaud Lemay and his collaborators’ enthusiasm.

“As artificial intelligence and machine learning begin tackling real-life situations, the complexity of the problems encountered increases exponentially,” explains Dr Pecaud Lemay. “This requires fundamentally new mathematical approaches to address them and streamline the development of efficient solving systems and tools. Differential categories is an ideal tool to achieve this.”

Prolifically published before he finished his PhD, Dr Pecaud Lemay now has 35 peer-reviewed articles. Associate Professor Richard Garner says his papers have a “clear creative spark and a novel twist which elevate them above the mundane”.

Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri, School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering

A tiny, powerful device invented by Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri has the potential to revolutionise how we protect ourselves from harmful UV radiation.

With Australia’s melanoma rate 12 times the global average, Associate Professor Nasiri’s innovations in nanotechnology are having a significant impact on UV detection.

Associate Professor Nasiri’s pioneering research methods change the landscape of nanosensing technology across several platforms.

Her creation of the world’s first personalised UV sensor can not only measure the UV index in real time but it also calibrates to the user’s skin type.

Her SunWatch has attracted many accolades, including the 2023 NSW Cancer Institute Fellowship and the prestigious 2021 Royal Society of NSW Warren Prize and interest from medical manufacturers and venture capitalists.

Associate Professor Nasiri is a regular TEDx speaker and has more than 50 peer-reviewed publications.

“This innovation has the potential to save lives and dramatically reduce treatment costs for melanoma and other skin cancers,” she says. “It can easily be used on a personalised level to alert millions of people in Australia and beyond to the dangers of overexposure to UV, allowing them to modulate their exposure to the sun.”

Associate Professor Nasiri’s 3D layout is highly original and sets the watch apart from other wearable UV‑sensing devices.

The final of the Incubator’s Researchers’ IMPACT Program was held recently with five finalists pitching their ideas for the chance to secure a slice of $25,000 in non-equity bearing seed funding. All participants also received membership into next year’s program.

“Research is not just about discovery, it’s about the researchers’ relentless pursuit of answers that shape our world,” says Melissa Ryan, Director Incubation and Entrepreneurship. The Researchers’ IMPACT Pitch Final celebrates these innovators and change-makers who are turning questions into solutions.”

Congratulations to the Apate team – Professor Dali Kaafar, Dr Ian Wood, Michal Kepkowski, Conor Atkins and Dr Nardine Basta – from the Cyber Security Hub for winning first prize. The pitch, ‘Apate: Defeating Global Phone Scams with Conversational AI’, demonstrated how conversational AI techniques are used to develop adaptive AI bots that disrupt the scamming model by wasting the scammers time.

The team plans to use the $20,000 in seed funding to enhance and scale the voice generation and cloud hosting services offering within the product. Not only will this provide a higher quality POC (proof of concept), but it will also assist with prototyping the highly scaled deployments that will be required in partnership with major telecommunication providers.

Dr Susan Caldis from the Macquarie School of Education was runner-up, receiving $5000 in seed funding with her pitch on ‘CoMAP’, a research-informed solution to support trainee and graduate teachers who are required to teach a subject beyond their specialisation. CoMAP stands for a Co-designed Microcredential and Advising Program. The Faculty of Arts will contribute additional funds to support the development of the program.

“I was looking for a way to stretch and challenge my thinking about research productivity and to explore a meaningful way to translate my research into a tangible product beyond publications,” says Dr Caldis. “This program promised and delivered on rigour, creativity, struggle, success, enrichment and accountability; you get out what you put in.”

Apate’s Dr Wood agrees: “[The Researchers’ IMPACT program] has been a valuable bridge between the academic and commercial startup worlds. Even for those who feel they know their way around, the evidence-based learning is bound to identify new aspects and perspectives. I highly recommended this program.”

Last year’s winner, Professor Ray Laurence, Discipline Chair, Ancient History, used the funding to make a series of five animated films about the everyday people living their lives in Pompeii, Italy 2000 years ago. The first film, Pompeian Streets, launched on 16 October.

“I would recommend the Researchers’ IMPACT program to other academics in any faculty. It was the catalyst to get me to do what I had been thinking about doing,” says Professor Laurence. Read more here about Professor Laurence’s project on The Lighthouse or watch episode one of the series below:

This film is part of a new series of Pompeii films to be released each month from October 2023 on the Ancient Rome in Motion YouTube channel. The series was supported with funding from the Macquarie University Research Impact program.

The dates for next year’s Researchers’ IMPACT Program will be available soon. If you are a researcher and want to know more about the program, contact Melissa Ryan melissa.ryan@mq.edu.au

The program focused on the journey of one of Professor Rowe’s patients, 1980s television personality, Fiona MacDonald.

Ms MacDonald, who hosted the family game show It’s a Knock Out! and popular children’s show Wombat, was diagnosed with MND in 2021.

MND is a neurodegenerative disease that results in progressive loss of motor control. There is no cure, and most people die within two years of diagnosis.

Wanting to make the most of the time she has left, but also give something back, Ms MacDonald embarked on a 15,000-kilometre road trip around Australia in June.

As well as increasing awareness about this cruel disease, she hoped her ‘big lap’ would raise $100,000 for the MND Research Centre’s work. At the time of publication, she had surpassed that goal, raising more than $127,000.

Professor Rowe was interviewed extensively for the show, and spent a weekend visiting the Riverina so he could be interviewed with another of his patients, citrus grower Rocky Pirrotinna.

The Riverina has the sad distinction of being a hotspot for MND, with its residents being diagnosed with the disease at five times the national rate.

However, with no official figures, clusters can be difficult to recognise, and this is hampering research. Professor Rowe has been lobbying for some time to have MND declared a notifiable disease, requiring doctors to notify the government of all new cases.

While about 10 per cent of cases are inherited, the rest are sporadic. The causes of these sporadic cases have not yet been confirmed, but researchers around the world are investigating possible environmental factors.

One of those possible links is outbreaks of blue-green algae, which often occur in waterways around agricultural areas due to fertiliser run-off. Professor Rowe and his team are working to secure funding to delve into the blue‑green algae connection.

The MND Research Centre is also hoping to raise funds to support the next phase of the clinical trial of a promising potential treatment for MND, 3K3A‑APC.

Learn more about the MND Research Centre’s work.

Watch the episode below.