ANZNMF24 Speakers
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Plenary Speakers
Prof. Justin Gooding
Scientia Professor Justin Gooding is a Professor in the School of Chemistry at UNSW and is currently an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and was previously an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow. He is also a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) and the Australian Academy of Technologica Science and Engineering (ATSE). He is the 2024 recipient of the David Craig Medal from the Academy of Science, a 3 time Eureka Prize winner and 2 time winner of the International Biosensors and Bioelectronics award amongst many other awards. He is the inaugural editor-in-chief of the journal ACS Sensors. He is the former founding co-director of the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine and the co-director of the New South Wales Smart Sensing Network. He leads a research team of over 40 researchers interested in surface modification and nanotechnology for biosensors for medical applications, electrocatalysis and 3D cell printing. He has extensive collaborative experience with start-up companies and has been involved in the commercialisation of glucose biosensors, 3D bioprinters and an in vivo sensing platform for therapeutic drug monitoring.
Prof. Stefanie Feih
Professor Stefanie Feih is a Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Griffith University and the Director of the Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies (ADaPT) Institute. Stefanie is ranked in the top 2% of scientists worldwide in the field of materials. She has attracted more than $42M in competitive research funding, including ARC Discovery, Linkage and NHMRC grants in 2023, and is also a CI on the recently awarded Solving Plastic Waste CRC ($140M, research lead RP-1, 2024-2034). Stefanie is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia (FIEAust), is currently appointed as Editor for Composites Part B (IF = 11.3) and is an elected member of the Executive Council of the International Committee on Composite Materials (ICCM).
For more than 25 years, Stefanie has been working in both academic and industry-focused research roles on advancing the design and manufacturing of lightweight materials for a wide range of materials and industry sectors. Her research links multi-functional component performance to the underlying material properties while considering processing and manufacturing constraints and limitations. She is passionate about bridging the gap between numerical optimisation and experimental validation.
Prof. Leslie Yeo
Professor Leslie Yeo is a Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at RMIT University, Australia. He received his PhD from Imperial College London in 2002, for which he was awarded the Dudley Newitt prize for a computational/theoretical thesis of outstanding merit. Prior to joining RMIT University, he was a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, USA, after which he commenced a faculty position at Monash University. He also held the Australian Research Fellowship and Australian Research Council Future Fellowship from 2009 to 2017. Leslie was the recipient of the 2007 Young Tall Poppy Science Award from the Australian Institute for Policy & Science ‘in recognition of the achievements of outstanding young researchers in the sciences including physical, biomedical, applied sciences, engineering and technology’, and several awards for excellence in research and innovation both at Monash and RMIT. Leslie is co-author of the book Electrokinetically Driven Microfluidics & Nanofluidics (Cambridge University Press), and the author of over 200 journal publications and 40 patent applications. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the American Institute of Physics journal Biomicrofluidics and an editorial board member of several journals.
Prof. Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh
Professor Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh is a Professor and Head of School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Sydney. He is also one of the Australian Research Council Laureate Fellows of 2018. Kalantar-Zadeh was a professor of Chemical Engineering at UNSW, and prior to that a Professor of Electronic Engineering at RMIT, Australia. Kalantar-Zadeh is involved in research in the fields of analytical chemistry, materials sciences, gastroenterology, electronics and sensors, and has co-authored of >500 highly cited scientific papers. He is a member of the editorial boards of journals including ACS Applied Nano Materials (associate editor), ACS Sensors, Advanced Materials Technologies, Nanoscale, Applied Surface Science and ACS Nano.
Kalantar-Zadeh is best known for his works on ingestible sensors, liquid metals and two-dimensional semiconductors. He led his group to the invention of an ingestible chemical sensor: human gas sensing capsule, one of the breakthroughs in the field of medical devices. Kalantar-Zadeh has received several international awards for his scientific contributions including the 2017 IEEE Sensor Council Achievement, 2018 American Chemical Society Advances in Measurement Science Lectureship awards and 2020 Robert Boyle Prize of Royal Society of Chemistry.
Keynote Speakers
Prof. Antonio Tricoli
Professor Antonio Tricoli leads the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sydney. His group focuses on the engineering of multi-scale electromaterials with application in renewable energy systems and future health technologies. He was awarded his bachelor and master in Mechanical and Process Engineering, and his PhD in the field of Nanotechnology from ETH Zurich, receiving the HILTI Prize for the most innovative PhD thesis of ETH Zurich in 2010. He moved to Australia in 2012 as a group leader supported by a Future Engineering Research Leadership Fellowship of the Australian National University. He joined the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sydney begin of 2021. He is authors of more than 180 scientific publications, book chapters and patents. His research contributions have been recognized by one of the four Westpac Research Fellowships awarded in 2015 in Australia, an ARC DECRA in 2016, an ARC Future Fellowship in 2020 and a 2021 Fulbright Fellowship.
Prof. Brian Abbey
Professor Brian Abbey is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow within the School of Computing, Engineering, and Mathematical Sciences at La Trobe University. Additionally, he is a co-founder of AlleSense, a company dedicated to advancing nanotechnology-based cancer diagnostics. Prof. Abbey holds postgraduate degrees in Physics, Nanotechnology, and Engineering from UCL, Imperial College London, and the University of Oxford, and received his PhD in Chemistry from Cambridge University in 2007. Over the past 16 years he has been leading the development of new optical technologies for biological imaging employing techniques in coherent optics and nanotechnology. Prof. Abbey has received a number of national prizes and awards for research excellence and innovation including the 2019 national Medtech’s Got Talent award for his co-invention of a novel photonics-based diagnostic test for early-stage breast cancer. More recently, Brian was co-awardee of both the 2022 Eureka prize for the innovative use of technology and the 2022 Victoria prize for Science and Innovation.
Prof. Craig Priest
Professor Craig Priest is SA Node Director of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF-SA) and a Professorial Lead at the Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia. His research tackles challenges in interfacial, physical, and analytical science in micro/nanofluidic devices and other small-scale environments. He works closely with industry partners in resources, water, health, space, defence, and manufacturing, and is funded through various ARC schemes, other Commonwealth agencies, SA Government, and industry. ANFF-SA is an open-access $25M facility and team of experts dedicated to enabling micro/nanofabrication of emerging technologies, funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). Prof. Priest is committed to enriching student experience, networks, and employment through cooperation with companies and government agencies. He founded the ANFF-SA Microengineering Winter School in 2014, which has now reached 800 students in Australia and abroad. He is also a committee member of MicroSANZ and a Co-chair of MicroTAS 2025.
Prof. Hang Ta
Professor Hang Ta is a Professor at School of Environment and Science and Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University. She is a Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow and currently leads a team of 12 students and postdocs working on nanomaterials for diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening diseases. She has a unique skill set combining chemistry and biology skills. She got a PhD in biomaterials for drug delivery from University of Melbourne and then worked at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and University of Queensland before moving to Griffith University in 2020. Prof Ta has been awarded a number of prizes, grants and prestigious fellowships such as National Heart Foundation postdoctoral fellowship, NHMRC ECR fellowship and Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship. She has secured over $5.2 million ($3.6 million as lead investigator) in competitive grant funding from national funding agencies for both discovery and infrastructure projects. She is Associate Editor of Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine and Biotechnology, is on Editorial Boards and is a peer reviewer for several journals, is a chair/co-chair of international and national conferences. She is a member of ARC College of Expert, serves on the committees of various scientific societies and also serves on different national grant review panels (e.g. ARC, NHMRC, MRFF).
A/Prof. Ivan Maksymov
Associate Professor Ivan Maksymov studied the physics of electron devices in Kharkov (Ukraine). In Australia, he won an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, a prestigious award indicating that he is a leading scientist. He is ranked in the top 2% of scientists worldwide according to Elsevier. At present, he is a Principal Research Fellow at the Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Futures Institute of Charles Sturt University, where he works on quantum neural networks, models of decision-making and neuromorphic computing. Previously, he made significant contributions in the fields of optics, magnetism, acoustics, fluid mechanics and biophysics. He was awarded an IgNobel prize in 2020.
A/Prof. Lana McClements
Associate Professor Lana McClements is a qualified Clinical Pharmacist with a PhD in Molecular Therapeutics (Queen’s University Belfast, UK). She is currently an Associate Professor and a Heart Foundation Future Fellow at the Faculty of Science at University of Technology Sydney. She is a highly motivated researcher who is focused on women’s health as well as advocacy for women in STEM. In 2022, Lana was recognised for her work with a prestigious Newcastle Reproduction Emerging Research Leader Award from the Society for Reproductive Biology. Lana’s research has been focused on developing advanced 3D bio-printed and multicellular models of placental, vascular and heart tissue towards improved monitoring and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Prof. Marta Krasowska
Professor Marta Krasowska is a Professor in Physical Chemistry at the University of South Australia. Her research focuses on the interactions between soft and rigid interfaces as well as the physicochemical properties of such interfaces. She use a variety of techniques, including tensiometry, light and x-ray scattering, FTIR, XPS, AFM, interferometry, and high-speed videography to study how thin films are formed and what gives foams and emulsions their structure and function. She has been serving on ANSTO Australian Synchrotron User Advisory Committee (elected member, Deputy Chair, Chair) and ANSTO Australian Synchrotron IR and THz Program Advisory Committee (member, Chair) and is a current Vice President of the Australasian Colloid and Interface Society.
Prof. Sumeet Walia
Professor Sumeet Walia is a Professor of Materials and electronics engineering at RMIT University. He leads a research group that focuses on discovering and manipulating fundamental properties of materials for applications across energy, nano/optoelectronics, sensors and healthcare. He has a demonstrated track of creating bespoke, needs-based multidisciplinary teams to solve critical technological bottlenecks. He has co-authored over 140 peer reviewed publications including authoritative reviews in prestigious journals, and is a named inventor on eleven patents. Sumeet partners with several cross-sector industry to translate fundamental discoveries into the real world. He is also an avid contributor in enhancing Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Access in STEM. His scientific and leadership contributions have been recognised through several national and international awards including the Eureka Prize for Science leadership and the MIT Technology Review's Top 10 Innovators in APAC.
Dr. Woei Ming (Steve) Lee
Dr Woei Ming (Steve) Lee is an optical biophysicist who draws inspiration from the physical world of light and fluids to develop optical tools for cell and tissue biology. In my PhD, I developed foundational optical tools to remotely manipulate and isolate molecules, bacteria and cells for phenotyping and genomic sequencing. In parallel, I invented an ultrasensitive optical fiber-capillary scheme that established the experimental foundation of artificial Kerr medium, first observed in 1981 by Arthur Askin (Nobel Prize Physics in 2018). I crossed discipline from optics to biomedicine at Harvard Medical School to lead spatial adaptive imaging which I have applied to track colorectal tumour development. Since 2013, I established of biomedical optics at ANU and invented a fluidic-lenses shaping kits for smartphone microscopy. Currently, I am leading the development of Spatial Adaptive Imaging and lithography (SAIL) tools which are designed to create new cell-based assays to make micro-Avatars of Tissue that can be used to investigate Tissue biology from ground up.
Prof. Yun Liu
Professor Yun Liu is a materials chemist and leader of the Functional Materials Research Group at the ANU. She is an ARC Georgina Sweet Laureate Fellow and was ARC Queen Elisbeth II Fellow and Future Fellow. Professor Liu is recognised as a pioneer and leading authority in the field of crystal chemistry and defect chemistry of solid-state functional materials and their applications, in the field of electronic technology, energy and clear environment. Her research span from analysing complex multi-length scale structure and complex defects, designing defects and novel functional materials to developing innovative technology development for practical applications. Her influential work on functional materials has revolutionised the design of materials for applications in industry, such as her pioneering work in ferro-/antiferro-/piezo-electric materials which benefited electronic technology field. Her discovery of new dielectric materials has created a profound impact on the electronic industry and was recognised with a Banksia Innovation Award and The Australian Innovation Challenge. Her catalyst work was recognised with a TechConnect Global Innovation award and created a novel hydrogen storage technology. Professor Liu received her PhD in 1997 from Xi’an Jiaotong University and took the STA (now JSPS) and AIST Fellow in the National Institute of Advanced Industrial science and Technology (AIST), Japan before she joined the ANU in 2001. She has over 300 journal publications, including papers in Nature, Science and Nature Materials. She is the Fellow of Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (FTSE), Fellow of the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP). She is an active promoter for Women in STEM as a role model and mentor.
Dr. Renee Goreham
Dr. Renee Goreham is an accomplished Senior Lecturer at the University of Newcastle with a strong background in NanoBiotechnology. She obtained her PhD in 2014 from the University of South Australia, focusing on this cutting-edge field. Since then, Dr. Goreham has held post-doctoral positions at Flinders University, the University of South Australia, and Victoria University of Wellington, showcasing her expertise and versatility.
In 2019, Dr Goreham joined the University of Newcastle, where her contributions were recognised with a prestigious Women in Research Fellowship in 2020. Recently, she received the Port Stephens Council International Women's Day Scholarship and the AIP NSW Community Outreach Award in Physics for her remarkable efforts in sharing science with the community.
A/Prof. Nadim Darwish
A/Professor Nadim Darwish is an Associate Professor at the School of Molecular and Life Sciences at Curtin University. He graduated with a PhD from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) under the supervision of Professors J. J. Gooding and M. N. Paddon-Row in 2011. This was followed by a two-year postdoc position at UNSW and three-year Marie Curie International Research Fellowship at the University of Barcelona. He then held a Discovery Early Career Research Award and a Curtin Research Fellowship (2016). He has co-authored more than 100 refereed journal articles in nanotechnology, electrochemistry and materials chemistry. His current research focuses on nanoscale characterisation including single-molecule electrical measurements for chemical and biochemical analysis. He has received the 2020 A.M. Bond Medal from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and was the recipient of a 2017 WA Young Tall Poppy Science Award from the Australian Institute of Policy and Science.
A/Prof. Anna Waterhouse
Associate Professor Anna Waterhouse is the Director of the Cardiovascular Medical Devices Laboratory in the School of Medical Sciences, in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. She has received over $6 million in funding for her research, including from the Australian Research Centre, NSW Health, Heart Foundation and Ramaciotti Foundation. Her research
focuses on understanding biological interactions with cardiovascular medical device materials. She applies bioinspired engineering approaches to generate new model systems, technologies and surface coatings for next generation materials and medical devices.
Prof. Chamindie Punyadeera
Professor Chamindie Punyadeera is a fellow of the Australian Academy for Technology, Science and Engineering. She is an inventor and an ambassador to women in STEMM. She has had a hybrid research career working in industry as well as in academia. She heads the saliva and liquid biopsy translational laboratory at Griffith University in Brisbane. Chamindie’ s laboratory develops biomarkers from concept through to commercialisation. She has made groundbreaking discoveries that has led to the world-first detection of an occult HPV driven oropharyngeal cancer in a healthy person, laying the foundation for a screening trial. Her research into saliva-based test to early diagnose and predict head and neck cancer, received FDA approval under breakthrough device designation for her industry partner in 2021. In addition, her laboratory develops and applies liquid biopsy-based technologies to early detect and predict outcomes in head and neck cancer, lung cancer and glioblastoma. She has authored >147 research papers including Nature Materials, Clin Chem, 8 book chapters, 20 PCT, including one granted patent. She currently receives research grant funding from ARC, NHMRC, Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Foundation, NIH and Cancer Australia and industry. She is a grant reviewer for both national and international funding agencies and currently serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Oral Oncology, associate editor BMC Genomics and a guest editor to BMC Medical Genomics, Diagnostics and Biomolecules.
