2022 Alumni

Melissa S. Cardon Distinguished Chair

Melissa is the Haslam Professor of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She studies the psychology of entrepreneurs as they found, persist, and succeed (or not) with their ventures. Topics of special interest include entrepreneurial passion, emotion, resource acquisition, persistence, exit, failure recovery and learning, stress, burnout, and exhaustion, as well as coping mechanisms to address pervasive problems. Melissa’s Fulbright project focuses on understanding the loneliness experiences of Australian entrepreneurs, which can have profound effects on individual well-being and performance, and how entrepreneurs cope behaviorally, cognitively, socially, and emotionally.

Professor Gabriel Filippelli Distinguished Chair

Gabriel is a Chancellor’s Professor of Earth Sciences and Executive Director of the Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute. He is a biogeochemist, and has worked on climate change, global phosphorus cycling, and more recently environmental contamination, including novel ways to engage communities in identifying and eliminating pollutant exposures.

Gabriel will join the University of Newcastle as a Distinguished Chair in the Global Centre for Environmental Remediation, studying opportunities to utilize creative approaches to mitigating pollution exposure in countries with few resources and inadequate governmental environmental oversight.

Professor Gregor Henze Distinguished Chair

Gregor’s research focuses on energy flexibility of the built environment through advanced control strategies such as modelling predictive and reinforcement learning control, occupant behavior and presence detection, sensor fusion algorithms, and novel district energy systems. He is primary author of more than 150 research articles, four of which have received best paper awards, and received three patents. He is a Fellow of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, joint professor at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, as well as co-founder and chief scientist of QCoefficient, Inc., a startup developing real-time optimal control solutions for grid-interactive efficient buildings.

Gregor’s Fulbright project tackles the transition of the Australian energy sector driven by decarbonization, decentralization and digitalization. He will focus specifically on ways the built environment can benefit from data-driven digital innovations to support emissions reduction and enable decentralization, i.e., the participation of buildings in the electricity market to deliver grid services.

Professor Naim Kapucu Distinguished Chair

Naim is Pegasus Professor of Public Administration and Policy and former Director of the School of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida (UCF). He is also joint faculty at the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs and the Center for Resilient, Intelligent and Sustainable Energy Systems (RISES). Naim received Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Applied Public Policy, Democratic Resilience award jointly hosted by Flinders University and Carnegie Mellon University Australia in 2021. Naim’s core research interests are network governance and leadership, decision-making in complex environments, organizational learning and design, and social inquiry and public policy. Naim has published widely in areas of public administration, network governance, and emergency and crisis management.

Professor Dean J. Kotlowski Distinguished Chair

Dean is a professor of history at Salisbury University, specialising in United States political, diplomatic, and transnational history. He is the author of Nixon’s Civil Rights: Politics, Principle, and Policy (Harvard University Press, 2001) and Paul V. McNutt and the Age of FDR (Indiana University Press, 2015) and the editor of The European Union: From Jean Monnet to the Euro (Ohio University Press, 2000). Based at the Australian National University, he will use his Fulbright to research his current book project, a study of the parallels and connections between United States and Australian indigenous policy between 1945 and 2000.

Dean received his PhD in history at Indiana University, Bloomington, in 1998. He has lectured in twenty-three countries across North America, Europe, and Australasia, including on two earlier Fulbright Scholar Awards. He is excited to share his insights on—and passion about—the modern American presidency.

Professor Simon McKirdy Distinguished Chair

Simon is Professor of Biosecurity at Murdoch University, and Pro Vice Chancellor of the Harry Butler Institute. His research interests are focused on the many components of biosecurity systems (risk assessment, diagnostics, surveillance, treatments and response) and how they interact. For his Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Life Sciences Award, Simon will work with researchers at Kansas State University. The research will focus on defining what is a resilient biosecurity system which can be used to assist governments design the future frameworks in the face of growing challenges

Dr Jennifer Albert Senior Scholars

Jennifer Albert received her Ph.D. in Science Education from North Carolina State University and has an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Austin Peay State University. She specializes in STEM education research and evaluation with an emphasis on K-16 computer science education, science education, educational assessment, and teacher professional development. She is currently an Associate Professor and Director of the STEM Center of Excellence at The Citadel. Her project will investigate how students who have participated in the ELSA project use the Experience, Represent, and Apply model when interacting with Mobile Maker Kits, demonstrating transfer of skills and content learned.

Professor Matthew Becker, Ph.D. Senior Scholars

Matt is a Professor of Geological Sciences at California State University, Long Beach, and holds the Bert and Ethel Conrey Chair in Hydrogeology. He has spent much of his career understanding how groundwater flows through complex geologic systems, and its implications for groundwater pollution, geothermal energy extraction, and coastal ecosystems. For his Fulbright Scholarship, Matt will work with researchers at Curtin University to develop groundwater resources in the bedrock of Western Australia. A particular focus will be managed aquifer recharge and the use of fiber optic distributed sensing tools for characterizing and monitoring the storage and movement of groundwater.

Professor Timothy Brodribb Senior Scholars

Tim is currently a Professor of Plant Biology at the University of Tasmania, the same institution where he graduated with a BSc in Biology. His doctoral studies examined the evolution and function of conifers in the Southern Hemisphere involving extensive field work in the forests of PNG, New Caledonia, New Zealand and South America. Following this, he worked as a postdoc at Harvard University studying plant physiology in Costa Rican forest trees, before returning to Australia to undertake an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship award. Tim now leads a lab group that focusses on the vulnerabilities of plants during drought. His Fulbright will allow him to travel to northern California to use technology developed by his group to monitor the impact of climate on plant stress levels

Professor Mary Brydon-Miller PhD Senior Scholars

Mary  is Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville. She is a participatory researcher who conducts work in school, organization, and community settings. She is the editor, with David Coghlan, of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research. Her most recent book with Sarah Banks is Ethics in Participatory Research for Health and Social Well-Being: Cases and Commentaries. She is currently working on an international middle-school citizen science project focused on global climate change education. She is a recipient of the 2021-2022 Fulbright Scholar Award at the University of Technology Sydney.

Mary’s Fulbright research explores the knowledge, values, and behaviors of young people related to sustainability and climate change action. The research will provide youth aged eleven to fourteen with opportunities to learn about climate change by designing and implementing a project-based learning experience using an educational action research approach.

Professor Amro M. Farid Senior Scholars

Amro is the Alexander Crombie Humphreys Chair Professor in Economics of Engineering at the School of Systems and Enterprises at the Stevens Institute of Technology. He leads the Laboratory for Intelligent Integrated Networks of Engineering Systems (LIINES) and has authored over 150 peer reviewed publications in intelligent multi-energy engineering systems. He received his Sc. B. in 2000 and his Sc. M. 2002 from MIT Mechanical Engineering. He went on to complete his Ph.D. at the Institute for Manufacturing within the University of Cambridge (UK) in 2007. As an Environment and Greenhouse Gases Specialist, he designed and implemented Air Liquide’s Worldwide Environmental Management System and was the lead technical advocate for Air Liquide’s position on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. In 2010, he began his faculty career at the MIT Technology Development Program and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (UAE). In 2014, he founded Engineering Systems Analytics LLC as a startup engineering software and consulting company to provide techno-economic insight to energy and infrastructure operators. In 2021, he became a Fulbright Future Scholar to investigate the hydrogen-energy-water nexus in Australia.

Amro’s Fulbright project seeks to develop the methods to Architect Australia’s Nexus Infrastructure of Energy, Water, and Hydrogen. Indeed, Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy represents a fundamental transformation in the architecture of Australia’s energy, civil, and commercial infrastructures that is unprecedented and unchartered territory in infrastructure systems engineering. This Fulbright project presents a formidable opportunity to “plan it right” before billions of dollars of capital infrastructure have been spent and the ominous clock of global climate change has ticked beyond a tipping point.

Professor Alex Frino Senior Scholars

Alex is Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Innovation, Enterprise and External Relations) and Professor of Economics at the University of Wollongong. He holds postgraduate degrees from University of Wollongong, University of Sydney and Cambridge University and has published over 100 scholarly articles in leading journals. He has been ranked amongst the top 150 scholars in his field globally by an influential survey of finance researchers. Professor Frino is a two time Fulbright Awardee – previously hosted by Georgetown University in 2005.

Alex will be travelling to the U.S. to work with scholars in the Cyber Security Department at Florida Polytechnic University and his research project will examine the impact of cyber attacks on listed companies in NATO countries.

Professor Iqbal Husain Senior Scholars

Iqbal Husain is the ABB Distinguished Professor in the department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and the Director of the FREEDM Engineering Research Center at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Professor Husain’s expertise is in the areas of power electronics, electric machines, motor drives, renewable energy and system controls. His current research is focused on distributed energy resource integration into power systems and transportation electrification with wide bandgap power electronic devices and all-electric powertrain with permanent magnet and reluctance machines. Husain received the Fulbright Scholar award for research on renewable energy integration into the power system and electrification of mining equipment.

Associate Professor Troy Jensen Senior Scholars

Troy is an Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow (Precision Agriculture) at the University of Southern Queensland where his career has focused on applying engineering technologies to agriculture.

With research interests in controlled traffic farming, yield monitoring, precision agriculture (PA), remote sensing, agricultural mechanisation and weed management, Troy’s Fulbright journey will take him to the University of Florida to utilise on-farm technologies to benefit sugarcane production systems. The use of imagery and PA datasets will identify constraints and provide the ability for the system to be continually refined and updated, ensuring farming enterprises are more efficient and environmentally sustainable.

Professor Dr Zhihua Jiang Senior Scholars

Zhihua is a full professor of genome biology in the Animal Sciences Department at Washington State University. He also serves as the Hatch Program Chair to promote research and education in Animal Biology and Biomedicine. Zhihua’s current research focuses on how genes use alternative transcripts in response to internal, external and universal environments, thus improving functional annotation of animal genomes. The ultimate goal of these studies is to understand how a finite genome coordinates an infinite phenome to benefit an animal’s performance, health and wellbeing.

As a Fulbright U.S. scholar to Australia, Zhihua will learn new knowledge and skills about big data sciences from colleagues at University of New England. The proposed research aims to explore the central dogmas of quantitative and molecular genetics and thus advance genomic selection and design to the next level.

Negar Katirai Senior Scholars

Negar directs a Domestic Violence Law Clinic where she supervises law students in providing legal representation to survivors of intimate partner violence. She also teaches Family Law and often guest lectures in other courses on related topics, including trauma-informed legal representation. Her scholarship investigates questions in intimate partner violence law, and seeks to promote conversation between practitioners and academics. Negar will be conducting a comparative study of the approach of Australia and the United States to domestic violence fatality reviews, which involve the analysis of homicides related to domestic violence for the purpose of preventing future fatalities.

Dr Matthew Kleinhenz Senior Scholars

Matthew is a professor and extension specialist at The Ohio State University and a contributor to efforts aligning plant, human, and other resources, specifically for vegetable farming but, overall, for greater prosperity and quality of life. His people-and planet-focused research and outreach activities emphasize accountability to present and emerging concerns and draw from diverse disciplines, talents, and capacities.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Matthew will partner with Central Queensland University, community leaders, and representatives of the solar energy and farming sectors to better understand agrivoltaics, a promising but challenging integration of farming and solar energy production. Dr. Kleinhenz and partners will study the optimism and hesitation surrounding agrivoltaics in Australia, a process essential to ensuring its responsible utilization.

Professor Timothy J. Lynch Senior Scholars

Tim Lynch is Professor in American Politics at the University of Melbourne. His latest book, In the Shadow of the Cold War: American Foreign Policy from George Bush Sr. to Donald Trump (Cambridge, 2020), has been called ‘a cogent, graceful, provocative account’ of its subject. Tim holds a PhD in political science from Boston College. His Fulbright at the University of Wyoming (2022-23) will explore the nature of ‘red state’ foreign policy.

Associate Professor Peyman Mostaghimi Senior Scholars

Peyman Mostaghimi is an Associate Professor in Minerals and Energy Resources at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), where he leads a multidisciplinary research group on Multiscale Transport in Porous Systems (MUTRIS). He is also a Council Member for the International Society for Porous Media. His research is focused on fluid dynamics and transport phenomena in porous media with application to geological carbon dioxide storage, subsurface hydrology, minerals and hydrocarbon recovery and groundwater modelling. He performs theoretical, numerical and experimental research into the characterisation of heterogeneous porous materials at different scales.

Associate Professor Ryan Naylor Senior Scholars

Ryan Naylor is Associate Professor (Education) in the Sydney School of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. His current research focuses primarily on understanding and addressing barriers to success in higher education. He has published widely on issues of access to higher education, equity interventions and their evaluation, and the experiences and expectations of students. Ryan will use the Fulbright Scholarship to understand how students, particularly those from under-served or equity backgrounds, conceive of success at university and how their self-concept changes during the transition to university. This research will ensure students are better supported during transition, so that all students, regardless of background, are equally able to transition effectively to university study.

Tess M.S. Neal Senior Scholars

Tess is an associate professor of psychology, a founding faculty member of Arizona State University’s Law and Behavioral Science Initiative, and inaugural director of ASU’s Future of Forensic Science Initiative. She is a scientist; a clinical psychologist trained to assess, diagnose, and treat mental and behavioral disorders; and a forensic psychologist trained to bring psychology into legal contexts. She studies the nature and limits of expertise. Her basic work focuses on understanding and improving human judgment processes – especially among trained experts, and her more applied work focuses on improving forensic experts’ judgments in particular. Her Fulbright project will advance both basic and applied science in these areas.

Dr Gary Reger Senior Scholars

Gary’s research has focused on the economic history of the Greek and Roman worlds, which led — through the rich documentary and archaeological evidence of the Eastern Desert in Egypt — to a passion for the history of human interaction with desert environments. Going beyond the classical Mediterranean world, this new research project has led to articles on the history and literature of the southwestern deserts of the United States.  

The centerpiece of his time in Australia will be the organization of a conference that will bring humanities scholars and desert specialists together to share work and perspectives on the western deserts. The planned publication of the papers from this conference will, it is hoped, be an important contribution to interdisciplinary work on the Australia desert world. Gary also plans to take advantage of his residence in Perth to travel as much as possible in the western Australian deserts. 

Georgie Skipper Senior Scholars

Georgie is adviser to the Quantum Medical Innovation Fund and currently the Director of Global Public Policy at Atlassian. Most recently Georgie was the Senior Adviser and principal adviser on the United States to the Foreign Minister of Australia, the Honourable Julie Bishop, for five years from 2013-2018.

She will use her Fulbright Future Scholarship to enhance the momentum in Australia around private sector investment in social good projects, with a particular emphasis in the Indo-Pacific region.

Georgie plans to specialise in developing a strategic approach and framework to driving investment into the Indo-Pacific region, to address critical needs focussing on technology. Georgie will actively work to leverage this framework to develop partnerships between Australia and the US providing a clearer pathway for strategic investments that have a positive impact while also delivering returns.

Georgie will spend her time in the U.S. developing her professional networks in the areas of international relations, impact investing and economics, to bring together her expertise and strengthen Australia’s leadership capability in this area.

Associate Professor Rachel Standish Senior Scholars

Rachel is Associate Professor of Ecology at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. Her research is focused on restoration of native ecological communities that have been degraded or destroyed by human activity. Rachel is internationally recognised for her contributions to advancing the theory and practice of ecological restoration. As a Fulbright Scholar, Rachel will collaborate with her hosts to assess benefits of soil microbes to rangeland restoration. Findings will be relevant to ranchers in Australia and the US where rangeland sustainability underpins socio-economic prosperity and environmental stewardship. She will also teach classes in vegetation and soil ecology.

Peter Stanwell Senior Scholars

Peter is a medical imaging scientist undertaking biomedical research utilising advanced neuroimaging at University of Newcastle. Alzheimer’s disease is a gradually progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 32-million people worldwide. The presence of beta-amyloid deposits is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, and is currently thought to commence 15-20 years before obvious cognitive decline. As a Fulbright Future Scholar, Peter will collaborate with clinicians and biomedical researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on developing new imaging methods for the detection of beta-amyloid to improve early diagnosis and management of Alzheimer’s disease and improve outcomes for patients and their loved ones.

Professor Lisa Toohey Senior Scholars

Lisa is a Professor of Law and Assistant Dean (Equity Diversity & Inclusion) with research and teaching expertise in international trade law, and dispute resolution. Lisa holds dual qualifications in Law and International Relations.  Her research project focusses on the changing political dynamics in the Asia-Pacific Region and their impact on the Australia-U.S. relationship.  It includes examination of trade and non-trade concerns at both a global and regional level and changing attitudes towards the use of multilateral mechanisms for the resolution of disputes.  The objective of the project is to enhance U.S.-Australian relations by strengthening the mutual understanding of the political context in which trade currently operates for each country. 

Associate Professor Michael Walsh Senior Scholars

Michael is an Associate Professor and Director Weed Research at University of Sydney leading a research team focused on the development of alternative weed control technologies. His research has centred on the advancement of alternative weed control technologies aimed at reducing the destructive impact of herbicide resistance on grain cropping systems. For 25 years, Michael has focussed on the research and development of harvest weed seed control systems for Australian grain production. Inspired by the resilience and innovation of growers Michael continues working to progress the efficacy and opportunities for using these and other novel weed control systems.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Michael aims to improve the efficacy and durability of harvest weed seed control systems. He will work closely with Professor Mithila Jugulam, the weed science team at Kansas State University and their colleagues across major US cropping regions to expand and refine the operational use of these systems.

Dr Adam Bartley Professional Scholars

Adam Bartley is a specialist in U.S. foreign policy and regional Indo-Pacific security. He is the author of two manuscripts examining U.S. foreign policy and China and has contributed to articles examining whole of government applications to Indo-Pacific strategy in the United States. He is a Non-resident Lloyd and Lilian Vasey Fellow, Pacific Forum, and a lecturer and regional foreign relations specialist at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University in Australia. Dr Bartley also speaks fluent Mandarin.

For his project, Adam will examine how ASEAN members can cooperate with emerging security programs in the Indo-Pacific at a time when the regional spatial configurations of security, where the “zones of war” “zones of peace” have become increasingly blurred. American and Australian efforts are expanding to meet the threat of so-called grey zone activities. The extent that these nations can contribute to a more inclusive regional pushback against such threats will rely on an acute understanding of ASEAN’s threat perceptions and the implications of intersecting systems effects. In undertaking his project, Adam will be situated at the Sigur Center for Asian Affairs, George Washington University, and in collaboration with the Elliot School for International Affairs, Washington DC.

Rachel Coghlan Professional Scholars

Rachel is a palliative care physiotherapist, an international public health researcher and advocate, and an occasional writer. She is completing a PhD at the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, Deakin University, exploring the place of palliative care in humanitarian crises with a focus on armed conflict settings. Rachel is a Director at Palliative Care Australia. She is passionate about drawing on her clinical and real world experiences in palliative care to shape future research and policy. Care of those who are seriously ill or dying has been an overlooked aspect of formal humanitarian response.

As a Fulbright Scholar in Non-Profit Leadership, Rachel will work with Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Humanitarian Health to build the foundation for future research on palliative care in humanitarian emergencies; and consider ways to engage and advocate to a wider humanitarian audience on palliative care. The scholarship offers a unique opportunity to foster dialogue and deliberate ideas on palliative care with leading humanitarian health researchers and practitioners, and to strengthen collaborations between humanitarian scholars in the USA and Australia.

Kate Golebiowska Professional Scholars

Kate is an international migration scholar with research interests in immigrants’ social and economic inclusion. The micro-entrepreneurship of immigrant women is an area that is awaiting new insights and provides opportunities for informing social justice advancements. As a Fulbright scholar, Kate will explore and experience the Emory University Goizueta Business School’s business accelerator for immigrant and minority micro-entrepreneurs, most of whom are women. This program is delivered in partnership with place-based organisations. Kate will leverage the insights from Goizueta’s business accelerator model to design a framework for establishing a similar initiative for immigrant women micro-entrepreneurs in Darwin. She will develop new collaborative research networks that will advance our mutual understanding of immigrant women’s entrepreneurship. Kate plans to utilise her newly acquired knowledge to contribute to conversations in Australia about how university-led partnerships in acceleration can promote immigrant women’s empowerment and inclusion through micro-enterprise and positively impact communities.

Philipp Ivanov Professional Scholars

Philipp Ivanov is the CEO of Asia Society Australia, the nation’s leading business and policy think-tank dedicated to the Indo-Pacific region. Philipp is a China specialist with extensive experience in strategy, organisational renewal, policy and research across government, education and non-profit sectors. He is passionate about strengthening Australia’s credentials as an inclusive society and an active international player deeply connected with Asia and committed to finding solutions to shared regional and global challenges. He studied and worked in China, Russia and across Asia and the Middle East, and speaks fluent Chinese and Russian.

“My Fulbright project will map out new thinking on digital and global impact strategies by leading U.S. foreign policy think tanks and build a platform for collaboration between U.S. and Australian institutions and their peers in Asia.”

Professor Zhiqun Zhu Professional Scholars

Zhiqun Zhu is a professor of political science and international relations at Bucknell University. His teaching and research interests include U.S.-China relations, Chinese politics and foreign policy, East Asian political economy, and Indo-Pacific security. Dr. Zhu is the author and editor of over a dozen books, including A Critical Decade: China’s Foreign Policy 2008-2018; China’s New Diplomacy: Rationale, Strategies and Significance; New Dynamics in East Asian Politics: Security, Political Economy, and Society; and US-China Relations in the 21st Century: Power Transition and Peace.

As a Fulbright U.S. Scholar, Zhiqun will work on a project about how China’s rise challenges the alliance between the United States and Australia and how they should respond. He hopes to gain some insight on this issue from meeting with scholars, business executives, opinion leaders, government officials, and others in Australia.

Dr Kelly Atkins Postdoctoral Scholars

Kelly is a researcher and clinical neuropsychologist. She is determined to work at the intersection of research and clinical care to improve the lives of people living with neurodegenerative disease. Kelly obtained her Bachelor of Psychology with Honours and a Doctor of Clinical Neuropsychology at Monash University. Here her research focused on the measurement of neuropsychiatric and cognitive changes in people with rare neurodegenerative disease and she specialised clinically in progressive neurology. On completing her doctorate, Kelly joined St Vincent’s Hospital and Melbourne Medical School at the University of Melbourne to co-develop a behavioural intervention to prevent delirium amongst older Australian’s undergoing surgery and anaesthesia. Delirium is the most common complication after surgery for older people and greatly increases the risk of dementia in the community. There are no pharmacological treatments for delirium and prevention is the best available strategy.

Kelly’s Fulbright Future Scholarship at Weill Cornell Medicine will enable her to adapt a delirium prevention program, targeting modifiable risk factors, to the American context. By collaborating with delirium experts in the US, Kelly will have the necessary resources to translate her findings into a large Melbourne tertiary hospital, to ultimately improve perioperative healthcare in Australia.

Dr Natalie Benbow Postdoctoral Scholars

Natalie currently works in the Science Division of the Environment Protection Authority Victoria.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Natalie will work in the laboratory of Professor Zhan Chen at the University of Michigan. She will use sum-frequency generation spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy to investigate the effect of surface roughness of medical implants on the adsorption of protein and platelets in blood. The interactions of fibrinogen and platelets with the surface of an implant can contribute to blood-clot formation and implant failure. This project aims to improve patient outcomes by informing the design of medical implants such as cardiovascular stents. This project links to her prior PhD and postdoctoral research at the Future Industries Institute at University of South Australia.

Travis Britton Postdoctoral Scholars

Travis is a plant eco-physiologist researching how ecological interactions influence tree growth and survival. His work is largely focused on how ecological interactions among neighbouring plants modify the direct effects of environmental change in forest communities. He is particularly interested in whether integrating broad-scale climatic conditions with local-scale ecological interactions increases our ability to accurately predict tree performance.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Travis will seek to improve our understanding of how plant physiology and various ecological interactions determine drought-driven tree mortality. The outcomes of his Fulbright research will inform models predicting future drought impacts on forest ecosystems and assist in maximising the success of future conservation efforts.

Sarah Thomas Broome Postdoctoral Scholars

Sarah recently submitted her PhD at the University of Technology Sydney in which she investigated novel mechanisms to target neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s disease. As a Fulbright scholar, Sarah will shift her focus from neuroinflammation to neurodegeneration in which she aims to identify a novel target to promote neuroprotection in Multiple sclerosis, a disease which already has successful immunotherapies but no neuroprotective agents. In addition, Sarah has a passion for increasing diversity in science and advocating for evidence-based health policy and improved health literacy and education through her work with professional, academic and community organisations.

Dr Luke Carroll Postdoctoral Scholars

Luke is a postdoctoral researcher at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, The University of Sydney. With his Fulbright Scholarship, he will visit a leading endocrinology group at Wake Forest University and learn cutting edge research techniques to investigate mitochondrial function in individuals with Diabetes. This project aims to provide new insights into the mitochondrial function, quality and quantity in individuals with Diabetes and lay the groundwork for therapeutic interventions. In addition, Luke’s time at Wake Forest University will allow him to build valuable networks while enhancing his knowledge of critical cellular processes and therapeutic targets.

Dr Ali Entezari Postdoctoral Scholars

Ali is an early career researcher within the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Sydney. His research focuses on the design and optimization of synthetic tissue scaffolds to repair diseased or damaged tissues such as bone defects. As a Fulbright Scholar, Ali will undertake research for 10 months at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, where he will use state of the art bioprinting technologies to develop novel hydrogel-based scaffolds for the reconstruction of damaged tissues.

Dr Hannah Etchells Postdoctoral Scholars

Hannah earned her BSc in Botany and Conservation Biology and first class honours in Botany at the University of Western Australia. She is currently completing PhD research, focussing on the ecological impacts of large-scale, catastrophic wildfire events in southwest Australia. Hannah recently spent six months on a Fulbright Scholarship working in the laboratory of Professor Scott Stephens at University of California Berkeley, researching wildfire impacts and prescribed burning in California. Hannah’s PhD research investigates the ecological impacts of catastrophic wildfire. The forested regions of Australia and North America have both witnessed unprecedented large-scale wildfire events over the last decade, and wildfire in both regions is projected increase in frequency and severity over the next century. However, the ecological impacts of such events and consequences for future management are poorly understood.

Hannah’s research will promote the sharing of knowledge between Australia and the U.S., forging research ties and developing collaborative projects to understand catastrophic wildfire events in a global context.

Dr Samira Garshasbi Postdoctoral Scholars

Samira is a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia. Her research area includes the development, testing, and implementation of advanced heat mitigation technologies for urban heat mitigation application. Samira has extensive experience on the development of novel urban heat mitigation technologies as well as large-scale urban heat mitigation projects in Australian cities.

Shellaina Gordon Postdoctoral Scholars

Shellaina received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Northeastern University in 2021. During her undergraduate career, Shellaina gained a variety of research experiences ranging from antibody discovery to exploring secondary structures in DNA. Additionally, Shellaina is passionate about increasing diversity in the sciences as a means to decrease health disparities. As a Fulbright Future Scholar, Shellaina aims to understand epigenetic factors that contribute to blood cancer development. While genetic contributors to cancer are well understood, epigenomic factors which alter gene expression and variation have not been well characterized. She hopes that her work can be used to find new therapeutic targets.

Dr Thomas Guy MD PhD Postdoctoral Scholars

Tom is a clinician researcher training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. His long term interest lies in immunotherapy treatments for cancer. He wants to understand why some cancers are cured by immunotherapy but not others, with the ultimate goal to improve cancer treatments and the lives of patients with cancer. Building on his PhD work and clinical research, he will join Professor Pillai’s group at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard. Tom will learn state of the art technologies at this NIH-funded Autoimmune Center of Excellence and bring these skills back to further his IHMRI based cancer research.

Johannes Janssens Postdoctoral Scholars

Johannes aspires to be a leader in the field of heart disease diagnostics and therapy development. His strength as a problem solver is to think unconventionally and creatively to find new solutions. He is completing his PhD in the laboratory of Professor Lea Delbridge at the University of Melbourne. His research focus is understanding how defects in sugar metabolism can damage the heart muscle of people living with diabetes.

The Fulbright Future Scholarship provides the ideal opportunity for Johannes to immerse himself in the academic and commercial research environment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, under the direction of the world-renowned proteomics expert Professor Jennifer Van Eyk. His goal is to identify the precise molecular defects involved in diabetic heart damage as a starting point for developing precision diagnostic and therapeutic tools.

Dr Lachlan Jones Postdoctoral Scholars

Lachlan is an insect-plant ecologist interested in behaviour and environmental interactions. He completed his PhD on host searching in a generalist pest insect at the University of Queensland in 2020 and subsequently worked in weed biocontrol at CSIRO. My Fulbright reseach at North Carolina State University and the Rocky Mountain Biological Laborotory will use long term climate, flower cover and specimen records to evaluate impacts of extreme temperatures and floral abundance on body sizes of Rocky Mountain bees. Smaller bees are often less effective pollinators, and body size may help indicate bee population health and adaptation to warming climates.

Maninder Kaur Postdoctoral Scholars

Maninder is a PhD student at Murdoch University in Western Australia, currently researching cold plasma technology to treat Fusarium graminearum, a primary fungal pathogen of Fusarium head blight disease in cereals. Her focus is to minimise the agriculture industry’s reliance on chemicals while maintaining the product’s quality. As a Fulbright scholar, she will continue her work on cold plasma to understand the pathogen’s pathogenicity, defence response, and interaction with cold plasma treatments. This project will help identify the genomic mutations in F. graminearum induced by cold plasma, which could be used to predict the changes in the fungal virulence against the host plant.

Mahyar Khorasani Postdoctoral Scholars

Mahyar works at RMIT as Research Officer at the Centre for Additive Manufacturing. He is the co-author of a leading publication in the field. Mahyar is Associate Editor in Chief of Rapid Prototyping Journal which is the first established journal in this field. This project aims to identify physical principles to improve a temperature-dependent optical-model in 3D-printing which expects to generate new knowledge using an innovative approach on process temperature estimation. This should provide significant benefits, such as the possibility to predict the quality of the printed components before starting the print jobs, and the potential to grow manufacturing in Australia.

Dr Maria Kovaleva Postdoctoral Scholars

Maria graduated with a PhD from Macquarie University in 2019 where her research focused on novel antennas and metasurfaces using evolutionary optimization algorithms. Currently she is a postdoctoral researcher at the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research in Perth, Western Australia. Maria’s research is focused on phased-array receiving antennas that will constitute part of the future largest radio telescope in the world – the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). Maria will use her Fulbright Scholarship to visit the Radio Astronomy Systems Research Group at BYU in Utah to collaborate with their experts in phased-array antennas and strengthen a research collaboration between Australia and the U.S. The project aim is to develop novel techniques for large-scale phased array electromagnetic analysis that will improve the quality of radio astronomy imaging. The results of this research will contribute to advances in SKA data processing pipelines and ultimately, bring us closer to unveiling the mysteries of the evolution of the universe.

Dr Emily Lester Postdoctoral Scholars

Emily is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, where her research focuses on the role of predators in coral reefs. She is particularly interested in how the presence of sharks alters important behaviours of fishes and developing novel methods to quantify the ecological impacts of these behavioural shifts. During her Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholarship, Emily will work with Dr. Elizabeth Madin at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa to examine the influence of predator populations on herbivorous fishes using vegetation patterns on coral reefs called ‘grazing halos’. She will use a combination of satellite imagery and fish survey data to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of fishing on grazing halo size within the context of environmental variation, advancing ecological theory and informing coral reef conservation.

Laura Elizabeth Lilly PhD Postdoctoral Scholars

Laura is an oceanographer who recently completed her PhD at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and currently works as a postdoctoral scholar jointly with Oregon State University and the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Her research focuses on zooplankton community shifts in the California Current System in response to El Niño events and the more recent onset of frequent and persistent Marine Heatwaves. In Australia, Laura will be studying recent outbreaks (“blooms”) of an oceanic plankton know as pyrosomes. She will be characterizing the oceanographic conditions that cause pyrosome blooms, comparing them to similar recent blooms in the California Current, and incorporating pyrosomes into food web models to determine potential impacts of blooms on fisheries, coastal human infrastructure, and biological carbon export.

Dr Wesley Moss Postdoctoral Scholars

Wesley is an engineer, researcher and educator who is passionate about leveraging technology to create a sustainable future, particularly in the areas of agriculture and food security. Wesley recently completed a PhD at The University of Western Australia (UWA), developing sustainable approaches for pasture seed harvesting. A founding member of UWA’s Centre for Engineering Innovation: Agriculture and Ecological Restoration, Wesley hopes to positively contribute to food production in his career. Wesley is excited to continue to address issues facing agriculture during the Fulbright program, where he will investigate innovative and sustainable weed control technologies for Australian and US conditions.

Dr Muhammad Tariq Nazir Postdoctoral Scholars

Muhammad received his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney in 2018 and currently works there as a research assistant. His research interests include high voltage systems, electrical insulating materials, condition monitoring of power system equipment, and fire-retardant materials. He also serves as associate editor of High Voltage and Applied Nanoscience journals. He is a Professional Engineer member of Engineers Australia and a Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA), Advance HE, UK. Moreover, he has been a guest speaker at 22nd International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering (ISH-2021).

As a Fulbright Scholar, Muhammad will collaborate with experts at Power Systems Insulation Laboratory at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. The severity of wildfires is increasing with the significant changes in the climate conditions, especially in Australia and America. One of the major contributors to the ignition of wildfires is the catastrophic failure of overhead powerlines and wood poles top fires. In this project, he aims to develop an innovative far-reaching coating solution to protect powerlines from fires.

Dr Shruti Nirantar Postdoctoral Scholars

Shruti is a postdoctoral research fellow at RMIT University, Australia. Her work focuses on silicon-free nanoelectronics. The primary interest is the nanoscale air channel devices. For her work on metal-air devices, she was named the Most Innovative Engineers of Australia by Engineers Australia and received Young Scientist Award (2nd place) by the Royal Society of Victoria, Australia, and Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Research Excellence by RMIT University, Australia. She will be visiting two pioneering and leading research group in USA to expand her work on the air channel devices to address the needs of high-performance Space and Future electronics.

Donna-Marie Palakiko PhD, RN, APRN Postdoctoral Scholars

Donna-Marie is a Native Hawaiian mother, health strategist, community-based researcher, nurse, and Assistant Professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing. She has over 20 years of community-based participatory research and non-profit experience including health care administration and workforce development. She is committed to addressing social determinants of health among indigenous people through the development of culturally safe health interventions. As a Fulbright Scholar, Donna-Marie will partner with experts in lung health and indigenous researchers to understand the role and influence culture has on asthma outcomes among indigenous people.

Dr Stirling Roberton Postdoctoral Scholars

“My Fulbright research aims to identify the impact of soil constraints on the American Agricultural industry and advance novel approaches to help farmers better diagnose farm-specific limitations to production. My time spent at The United States Department of Agriculture will provide me with the skills and experiences to build game-changing soil analytics for Australian farmers.”

Stirling is currently a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Southern Queensland. Stirling’s area of research is focused on applying Digital Soil Mapping techniques at the sub-field scale to help farmers and advisors better manage their variable soils. He is particularly interested in developing approaches to help farmers spatially identify which of their soils offer the greatest potential for improvement through the implementation of soil amelioration strategies. .

During his Fulbright Scholarship, Stirling will work with Dr Ken Sudduth at The United States Department of Agriculture to identify the impact of soil constraints on the American Agricultural industry.

Dr. Behnam Sadeghi Postdoctoral Scholars

Behnam is a Geoscientist at the University of Sydney. His research is focused on mathematical and computational geosciences applied to exploration geochemistry through which he integrates GIS, data science, geomathematics, and geostatistics and simulations, to develop new advanced and efficient decision-making models to discover new mineral deposits considering the associated uncertainties. He will be hosted by Carnegie Institution for Science, Earth and Planets Laboratory (EPL), Washington, D.C., USA, which has close collaborations with NASA. Therefore the outcomes of this project could potentially be applied to the exploration of mineral deposits and resources on other planets (e.g., Mars) in the future.

Dr Elise Stephenson Postdoctoral Scholars

Elise is a multi award-winning gender and international relations scholar, social entrepreneur, and Research Fellow in the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at the Australian National University. She is a collaborative leader dedicated to excellence and innovation, recognized by Google, Deloitte and Energy Australia as one of Australia’s Top 50 Outstanding LGBTIQ+ Leaders, the United Nations Australia Association as a Community Awardee, and as Griffith University’s Overall Outstanding Young Alumni for 2020, with the Chancellor’s and University Medal for Excellence in Research. Elise is a 2022 Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholar, focusing on “Women at the Frontier: Diversity in Space”.

Hannah M. Twiddy Postdoctoral Scholars

Hannah is completing her PhD in Human Movement Science and Certificate in Global Health at Old Dominion University. Her research focus lies in investigating tools to properly assess healthy aging. Recently, Hannah compared the perspectives of successful-healthy aging with older adults in Costa Rica and the U.S. She will use this data as a guide to inquire further into extended periods of good health for prevention of age-related or noncommunicable disease across cultures. This exploration into perspectives of healthy aging from multiple countries will expand the concept, experience, and environment of successful-healthy aging.

Dr Ruby J. Wright Postdoctoral Scholars

Ruby is a computational astrophysicist, interested in understanding how galaxies like our own Milky Way form and evolve. To do so, she uses computer-generated “mini-Universes” that can be analysed in ways that the real Universe cannot. These tools form an imperative framework with which astronomers can interpret results from cutting-edge observational facilities. As a Fulbright scholar, Ruby will work with world-leading experts to understand the differences between state-of-the-art galaxy formation simulations. Her work will maximise the physical insight to be gained from the next generation of telescope facilities, such as the Square Kilometer Array and James Webb Space Telescope.

Dr Salvador Zarco-Perello Postdoctoral Scholars

“The integration of trophic ecology and management strategies for biodiversity conservation and sustainability has been generally overlooked worldwide. This project will advance our understanding about the interactions between these elements while exploring possible solutions for the consequences of climate change on the functioning and ecosystem’s services provided by kelp forests.”

Salvador is a marine biologist interested in understanding the function of marine ecosystems under different environments. Currently Salvador is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Murdoch University researching the trophic networks of marine ecosystems in Western Australia. As a Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholar, Salvador will collaborate with the research groups of Professor Jenn Caselle (UCSB) and Dr. Easton White (UNH) to analyze the relationship between trophic dynamics, resource management strategies and ecological services of the giant kelp forests of California in current and future environmental conditions.

James R. Beattie Postgraduate Students

James is a theoretical astrophysicist and PhD candidate at the Australian National University. He studies many aspects of the turbulent interstellar medium — the birthplace of stars in the modern Universe — by running some of the largest supercomputer simulations in the world and developing analytical, mathematical models involving turbulent, magnetised plasma dynamics. James has broad research interests and has collaborated upon studies in ecology, robotics vision, solar physics, cosmic ray dynamics, magnetic dynamo and interstellar medium physics. He is passionate about inspiring the next generation in STEM and helps run the Young Stars science outreach program in Canberra, which provides inspiring science discussions and activities for kids across Canberra.

As a Fulbright scholar, James will collaborate with Prof. Brant Robertson and Dr Philip Mocz at the University of California Santa Cruz and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, respectively, to understand the connections between local sites of star formation and the large-scale, observable properties of star-forming gas.

Eli Scott Bieri Postgraduate Students

Eli is an amphibian biologist committed to using data to inform management decisions to produce positive conservation outcomes. While completing a Biology degree at Northern Michigan University, Eli led research projects and conservation initiatives around North and South America. He is currently working on a project that aims to better understand poison frog behavior in Peru. As a Fulbright Scholar, Eli is studying amphibian responses to Australian bushfires in the context of deadly amphibian disease. He is excited to use this opportunity to learn from both Australian and American researchers about effective fire management and conservation techniques.

Katja Bignall-Daly Postgraduate Students

Katja is a criminal defence lawyer at the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement servicing some of the most remote areas of South Australia. She is committed to exploration of the institutional power abuses which hinder the administration of justice and the protection of human rights, particularly through the lens of Aboriginal affairs within the Australian context. Her project seeks to research the potential for law reform to ensure Indigenous Australians, particularly residents in remote communities, will have culturally relevant access to the justice system and equal enjoyment of rights and self-determination.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Katja plans to study a Masters of Law at New York University. She looks forward to gaining knowledge through research in Native American Nation building for self-governance and expanded jurisdiction; and returning insights towards ensuring equitable access to justice and empowerment for Indigenous Australians.

William Bruffey Postgraduate Students

William is a lawyer at the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. He holds a BA/LLB (Hons 1) from the University of New South Wales, where he was the President of the Student Representative Council. He was a Tipstaff in the Supreme Court of NSW, before working as a criminal defence lawyer at the Aboriginal Legal Service and Legal Aid in Western New South Wales.

As the Fulbright Sir John Carrick NSW Scholar, William will build on his prosecution and defence experience to undertake a Master of Laws, specialising in criminal justice. He will study the causes of and solutions to wrongful convictions and mass-incarceration, and how disadvantaged people can receive a fair trial when charged with serious crimes.

Dr Yun Young (Vanessa) Cho Postgraduate Students

Vanessa is a specialist paediatric dentist and a clinical academic who is passionate about understanding the psychology of young children to respond to their oral health needs and treat them. She has published several scientific papers in high impact factor dentistry journals, a monograph and obtained several awards – the recent one being the first prize from the Australia New Zealand Society of Paediatric Dentistry Colgate postgraduate research competition. To obtain an objective assessment of a child’s perspective, she embraced eye-tracking technology for her PhD to conduct Eye Movement Analysis In chiLdren (EMAIL).

The goal of Vanessa’s research is to better understand what children see and connect the visual search patterns to common oral health problems affecting children. In turn, the results be translated if visual search can be used as an early predictor for children at risk of common oral health conditions.

Jennifer Sarah Darmody Postgraduate Students

As a female athlete and lawyer, Jennifer has witnessed the impact of gender discrimination and abuse in sport and knows that much needs to change. Having graduated from the Australian National University with First Class Honours in Law, she worked as a tipstaff at the NSW Supreme Court before working as a lawyer at a top tier law firm. Struggling to find purpose in her work she resigned to pursue life as an athlete and to teach law at the Australian National University where she where she received the 2019 Award for Excellence in Tutoring and was nominated for the 2020 Vice Chancellor’s Teacher’s Award. In 2021 she lectured in Equity at Sydney University Law School.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Jennifer will study an LLM to evolve as a lawyer in the civil and human rights movement for women, transgender and minority athletes. She intends to return to Australia to lecture on the intersect between sports law and human rights and to establish the first student-run pro bono program for athletes in Australia.

Sarah Davis Postgraduate Students

Sarah graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelors of Advanced Science with First Class Honours and Arts with Distinction. During university, Sarah undertook research at the Garvan Institute and worked and studied in China and Singapore. After this, she was a consultant where her work focused on strategy and reform in the public sector. She is passionate about social equity and currently works in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory where she has created the first high school STEM mentoring program for the NT. Sarah believes strongly in Australia’s potential as a modern, 21st century scientific society and she will use her Fulbright scholarship to explore public and private sector mechanisms to accelerate the capture and translation of scientific and technological advances from the laboratory to Australian society.

Lucy Milani Fasano Postgraduate Students

“My Fulbright research aims to develop a method of eliminating implicit bias using embodiment in virtual environments. Specifically, I plan to use virtual reality to help eliminate specific implicit biases against women that contribute to the victim-blaming of sexual violence survivors.”

Lucy is a J.D. candidate at Duke University School of Law. While at Davidson College, she investigated the impact of popular media on rape myth acceptance using pupil dilation and eye/mouse tracking. Her research demonstrated that a person’s bias towards survivors of sexual violence impacts how he watches media depictions of sexual violence. As a Fulbright Scholar, Lucy will investigate whether embodiment in virtual environments can reduce bias in the context of sexual violence. By placing a man in the avatar of a woman, she hopes to reduce implicit bias by giving male participants the illusion of having a female identity.

Kathleen Garland Postgraduate Students

Kate is a PhD candidate at Monash University, Melbourne. She has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Queensland and a double degree from the Erasmus Mundus Master Programme in Evolutionary Biology. Throughout her education in science, Kate became fascinated by growth processes underpinning the evolution of the diverse morphological adaptations across the tree of life. For her PhD, Kate is studying how one such universal model of growth may determine the evolution of bird beak shape.

As a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, Kate aims to reveal how the primordial chicken beak shape is formed by a universal model of growth and how that shape is then maintained or altered from embryogenesis to adulthood. This study is unique in its pursuit to understand a growth process across multiple areas of science, including mathematics, genetics and morphology.

Audrée Grand'Pierre Postgraduate Students

“My Fulbright research aims to further deepen the understanding of minority experiences through the lens of mental health to create innovative ways for the psychology community to challenge racial inequalities and promote inclusion and diversity in all aspects of the field.”

Audrée is a researcher working towards a better understanding of minority experiences in the treatment of mental health to create innovative ways for the psychology community to challenge racial inequalities and promote inclusion and diversity in all aspects of the field. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Visual Arts, and Anthropology from Bowdoin College and has clinical experience from the Maine Medical Research Institute. Blending her Psychology and Anthropology studies, Audrée gained a unique perspective of looking into psychological phenomena through the lens of an anthropologist looking at how cultural and social factors influence the ‘why’ of human behavior. Her undergraduate studies fuel her curiosity in exploring how psychological research techniques can be used to investigate systemic racism issues often overlooked in mainstream psychological research.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Audrée will be beginning her first year of her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Queensland. Specifically, her thesis will look into a lesser-explored, subtler form of prejudice within interracial encounters where minority group members often feel pressure to perform in a certain positive way to appease majority audiences and overcompensate for negative stereotypes about their race. Their emotional labor, she suggests, can lead to debilitating minority burnout, and psychological distress. Long term, Audrée hopes to one day start a coalition of licensed professionals to provide free mental health care to low-income and uninsured minority patients statistically less likely to seek mental health care in mainstream facilities.

Nicholas Harvey-Doyle Postgraduate Students

Nick Harvey-Doyle is a descendant of the Anaiwan People from the Northern Tablelands of NSW and is passionate about undertaking work that creates a more culturally diverse and inclusive Australia. Since graduating from the University of Newcastle with degrees in Arts and Law, Nick has worked in corporate law, business development, and most recently as an Account Director at First Nations social change and communications agency, Cox Inall Ridgeway. Through this work Nick advises various government, corporate and third sector clients on a range of Indigenous Affairs projects.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Nick will examine the intersection of media, culture and communication through a global lens to understand how these cyclical relationships can be better managed to break down systemic racism in mainstream media.

Professor Clare Heal Postgraduate Students

Clare is academic lead in General Practice for James Cook University, based at the Rural Clinical School in Mackay, and a practicing GP. Her research has a strong focus on meeting the needs of rural, remote and tropical populations and she is an International leader in primary care research. She will complete a Masters program in biostatistics, epidemiology and research methods. She plans to return to her community and continue to increase local research capacity by delivery of research training and mentorship, as well as leading the development of regionally based, primary care led, low cost
clinical trials.
Clare is passionate about improving health outcomes for underserved communities. Core to this is increasing research capacity in Rural and Regional North Queensland. Her Fulbright scholarship will equip her with the skills required to increase local research expertise, strengthen existing and emerging projects and nurture grass root research ideas.

Lauren Suzanne Heller Postgraduate Students

In 2018, Lauren graduated from Berea College with a Bachelor of Arts in Health Science and a minor in Business Administration. During her time there, she became interested in the field of genetics and public health. This led Lauren to pursue her current role as a Clinical Translational Research Coordinator at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in the Division of Pediatric Medical Genetics. At Vanderbilt, she works to improve the lives of patients with complex and intriguing genetic disorders, such as Achondroplasia, Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorder, Angelman Syndrome, and Phenylketonuria. Through her Fulbright Anne Wexler Scholarship, Lauren will attend Western Sydney University, where she will pursue a Master of Public Health degree. She will focus her studies on Public Health and its impact on marginalized populations in Australia. Lauren will also study Australia’s hybrid healthcare system and its history with Indigenous, migrant, and refugee populations.

Adam Hines Postgraduate Students

Adam is a neuroscience PhD candidate at The University of Queensland, studying the way general anaesthesia allows complex surgeries to proceed safely and painlessly. General anaesthetic drugs have been used for over 150 years, however we still do not completely understand how they work.

Adam’s Fulbright Scholarship will take him to the University of Pennsylvania to work with Professor Roderic Eckenhoff and his team of experts in general anaesthesia to unravel how these drugs affect neurons at the molecular scale. Upon returning from the US, Adam will use his new skills to undertake translational, multidisciplinary neuroscience research in Australia.

Kahlia Hogg Postgraduate Students

Kahlia is an engineer and professional women’s footballer. As a student scholar-athlete at the University of Colorado, Kahlia graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering. With a passion for AI-driven social change, Kahlia is now focused on AI engineering and utilising human-centred artificial intelligence to address climate change and inequality. Her passion for equality was instilled from a young age while growing up in the Pacific. As a Fulbright Scholar, Kahlia will undertake a Master of Computer Science in Artificial Intelligence. By engaging with academic and industry leaders at the forefront of AI innovation, she hopes to contribute to the development of AI for social good and be an active advocate for women in AI.

Joelle Kim Postgraduate Students

Joelle received her Bachelor of Science from Baylor University, concentrating in biochemistry and genetics. Through scientific research at Baylor and beyond, she was amazed by the potential for modern biological technologies to revolutionize healthcare. In particular, she is interested in harnessing the power of the immune system to target cancer, and she aspires to make novel contributions for cancer medicine as a physician scientist.

For her Fulbright project, Joelle will work with Dr. Paul Beavis and Prof. Phil Darcy at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre to engineer T cells that directly engage the host immune system and enhance immune activation against solid cancers, such as breast cancer and melanoma. She is hopeful that this research will contribute valuable insights into clinical applications and benefit Australian and American health in the universal fight against cancer.

Anna Lachenauer Postgraduate Students

Anna is a M.D. candidate at Stanford Medical School. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a secondary degree in Global Health and Health Policy from Harvard University in 2018. Prior to medical school, Anna developed genomic technologies to detect new and ongoing viral outbreaks, including Ebola and Lassa fever. As a Fulbright Scholar, Anna will continue her research on pathogenic outbreaks at the University of Sydney. Working with renowned virologist Dr. Edward Holmes, she will use metagenomic techniques to investigate mechanisms by which pathogens emerge in new hosts, focusing on Australian tick-borne disease.

Yiling Liu Postgraduate Students

Yiling is a PhD candidate working in collaboration with the Laboratory for Advanced Biomaterials & Matrix Engineering and the Centre of Macromolecular Design at the University of New South Wales. She has a strong interest in using tissue engineering to improve the understanding of growth and progression in cancer. She believes this will improve the matching of patients to therapeutics with a high probability of being efficacious for their disease subtype. Her doctoral research aims to create tissue engineered melanoma models that replicate patient tumour characteristics for the development of therapies that attenuate resistance and disrupt metastatic processes.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Yiling will extend her research at the Cancer Biology and Translational Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Florida. She aims to develop a microtumour array with patient derived cells for high-throughput evaluation of novel cancer therapies including nanomedicines, biomedicines, and combinational drug therapies.

Dr Honor Magon Postgraduate Students

Honor is a doctor who is passionate about improving the lives of healthcare workers through digital innovation. She has carved her own path by being the first digital health junior doctor for Metro South Health, uncovering frontline clinician needs and translating them to digital solutions. Honor is also working towards specialist qualifications in Occupational and Environmental Medicine through the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). Here, she helps organisations realise the health benefits of good work, through creating physically and psychologically safe workplaces. Honor will be studying a Master of Clinical Informatics Management to be a part of the next wave of Australia’s digital health leaders.

Rameen Hayat Malik Postgraduate Students

Rameen graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Laws. She is currently a policy officer at the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources working on the energy transition and electricity market reform in Australia. Rameen is also deeply passionate about creating spaces for diverse communities in STEM, the arts and sports by working closely with community organisations such as the Bankstown Poetry Slam and Swim Sisters.

As a Fulbright Anne Wexler Scholar, Rameen will study a Master of Public Policy, with a specialisation in energy. Rameen aims to cast a multidisciplinary lens on the transition to a low-emissions electricity sector with a focus on energy justice, emerging energy technologies and data driven policy development. Rameen hopes to apply this learning to help shape the future of Australian energy policy and drive equitable and sustainable outcomes. Rameen will also use her time in the US to learn from minority run organisations working to increase diverse representation in STEM and the arts.

Eamonn William McKenna Postgraduate Students

Eamonn is a tissue engineering PhD candidate at the Queensland University of Technology developing an exciting breakthrough treatment to heal Diabetic Foot Ulcers. In addition to his research, Eamonn works as a business analyst for a MedTech venture capital fund where he evaluates emerging medical technologies for heart and lung diseases. As a Fulbright Future Scholar, Eamonn will undertake a project at the University of Arizona that compares breakthrough treatments for Diabetic Foot Ulcer repair. The Fulbright Future Scholarship will allow Eamonn to access world-class expertise, networks, and infrastructure, as well as formally establish a partnership for ongoing collaboration.

“My Fulbright research will compare breakthrough treatments for Diabetic Foot Ulcer repair, with the aim of identifying the most effective strategy for wound healing. After identifying the optimal treatment, our collaborative partnership will seek to use the world-class expertise, networks, and infrastructure available to accelerate translation and undertake clinical trials.”

Jane Millward Postgraduate Students

Jane recently completed her Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with Honours Class I at the University of New South Wales. She is interested in signal processing and stochastic control in defence applications, in particular in radar systems. Jane has interned with cybersecurity company Penten and the Department of Defence. As a Fulbright Scholar, Jane will pursue a PhD in electrical engineering specialising in signal processing and stochastic control research.

Ariane Moore Postgraduate Students

Ariane Moore is a PhD candidate in philosophy of religion at the University of Tasmania. Ariane researches the intersection between belief and non-belief, investigating whether secular people can access experiences that are traditionally exclusive to faith. She graduated from Deakin University with first class Honours for her thesis on the coherence of ritual atheism. As a Fulbright Scholar, Ariane will study in the Philosophy Department of the University of Texas at Austin under the supervision of Professor Paul B. Woodruff. She aims to contrast a Kantian experience of the sublime with a secular mystical experience.

Bryce Geoffrey Mullens Postgraduate Students

Bryce is completing a PhD in Chemistry under the supervision of Professor Brendan Kennedy. His studies are concerned with the development of materials capable of safely storing radioactive waste, with a focus on understanding how their structure influences their functionality.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Bryce will spend 4 months with Professor Karena Chapman, a renowned materials scientist and expert in disseminating relationships between structure and reactivity in functional energy materials. There, he will develop techniques for understanding the long- and short-range ordering of various materials to design further nuclear storage media.

Dr Alexandra Murphy Postgraduate Students

Dr Alexandra Murphy graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2012 with a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medical Science. She entered the Cardiology Advanced Training program at the Austin Hospital in 2017 following which she became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP). Alex is currently a Cardiologist at Austin Hospital and is the lead physician in the Cardio-Haematology service where she manages patients with cardiac issues who have cancer. Her other interests include women’s cardiac health and imaging for structural intervention. She has published extensively, and her manuscripts have been featured in the world’s top cardiology journals. She was recently awarded scholarships from the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, the National Health and Medical Research Council, National Heart Foundation and the Epworth Medical Research Foundation to undertake a PhD on “Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in Cancer Patients” through the University of Melbourne. Alex has developed a SmartPhone based cardiovascular risk reduction program called ‘BreastMate’ aimed to care for the cardiac health of women with breast cancer. This has been rolled out in a state-wide randomised controlled trial called SMART-BREAST which is due to continue as an International trial in New York City in 2022 with the support of the Fulbright Future Scholarship.

Julian O'Shea Postgraduate Students

Julian is a designer, educator, social innovator and researcher within the Mobility Design Lab at Monash University. His project, Vehicle for Change, explores how sustainable vehicles – from solar tuk tuks to plastic bottle kayaks – can be used in public engagement and outreach. His Fulbright project will explore the design of e-bikes and scooters, incorporating the use of sustainable materials including bamboo – as well as video outreach and storytelling. Julian creates engaging educational video content for YouTube and TikTok, and was named the YouTube Breakout Creator for 2021 for his Unknown Melbourne series exploring urban design topics.

Captain Kent O'Sullivan Postgraduate Students

Captain Kent O’Sullivan is a Signals Officer in the Australian Regular Army. He has experience in conventional and special operations, has deployed to the Middle East and is currently posted to the Royal Military College – Duntroon where he oversees the Leadership, Character and Ethics curriculum. He has a Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours) from the University of New South Wales and is completing a Master of Data Science from the University of Southern Queensland in early 2022. Kent’s study interest is in gaining a deep understanding of Artificial Intelligence technologies so he can be an effective, ethical, technical leader within the Australian Defence Force.

Helen Pelak Postgraduate Students

Helen completed a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Kalamazoo College in 2021. Her current research focuses on the United States rate of cesarean section, with particular focus on the factors that contribute to medically unnecessary c-sections through the frameworks of Intersectionality and Reproductive Justice. She will apply the knowledge that she has garnered from the United States system of maternal care in the Australian context, where she plans to complete a Master of Public Health while researching alongside Professor Hannah Dahlen in the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Jack Rudrum Postgraduate Students

Jack is a medical research scientist with the predominant goal of improving and saving the lives of others through developing urgently needed therapies that can treat superbugs. He has completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science with a double major in Microbiology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, as well as a Master of Infectious Diseases, with high distinction, at the University of Western Australia. For completion of his master’s dissertation, he conducted research at the Telethon Kids Institute. Whilst completing his studies, Jack worked part-time as a phlebotomist, diagnostic laboratory technician and a state public health surveillance officer. He also volunteered with St John Ambulance as an advanced event health medic. In the 6 months prior to beginning his Fulbright Scholarship, Jack will be working as a molecular biologist for a Perth biotechnology company, helping to develop an alternative COVID-19 diagnostic test which is more accurate and high-throughput than existing options.

Elizabeth Schmidt Postgraduate Students

Elizabeth (Liz) earned her Bachelor of Arts in Applied Conflict Management from Kent State University’s School of Peace and Conflict Studies. Liz’s work and research have centered around immigration, grassroots peacebuilding, and narrative in identity-based conflict. With experience at the International Organization for Migration, the International Institute of Akron, Lighthouse Relief, and Kent State University’s Center for Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services, Liz is dedicated to promoting migrants’ rights, safety, and stories and the inclusion of diverse voices within communities. 

For her Fulbright Anne Wexler Scholarship, Liz will conduct a policy and media analysis of global and Australian discourses concerning LGBTQ refugees for a Master of Research at Western Sydney University. Through her research, Liz aims to promote dialogue and further research on the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ people in displacement. She hopes that by bringing these challenges to awareness, stronger human rights protections can be developed to include LGBTQ people. 

Michael Traeger Postgraduate Students

Michael completed a Master of Science in Epidemiology at the University of Melbourne in 2017 and is currently undertaking a PhD at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne. Michael’s research involves analysing large surveillance data to examine epidemiological trends in infectious diseases and evaluate large-scale public health interventions, with a particular focus on STI epidemiology among gay and bisexual men using the HIV prevention drug PrEP. As a Fulbright Scholar, Michael will spend 6 months at the Fenway Institute in Boston under the supervision of world-renowned HIV researcher Professor Kenneth Mayer, to undertake a program of epidemiological research to further understand the impact of HIV PrEP on behavioural epidemiology and related health outcomes among sexual and gender minority populations.

Constantine Tsounis Postgraduate Students

Constantine is a chemical engineer developing catalysts that can generate sustainable fuels such as hydrogen, supporting our global clean energy transition. He is currently pursuing a PhD in the Particles and Catalysis Research Group, UNSW, and has spent time researching at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), and ETH Zürich. Constantine is a co-founder of switcH2 engineering, a VC-backed start-up developing technologies which can convert industrial wastewater into hydrogen fuel. He is also an elected member of the UNSW Council, with a particular interest in university governance, research impact, and the interface between government, industry, and university.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Constantine will spend time researching a new class of materials known as MXenes, at their birthplace, the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute. The tailorable chemical properties of MXenes have the potential to revolutionise our energy systems. They can act as catalysts for key reactions that produce sustainable chemicals and fuels, accelerating our global net zero ambitions.

Isaac Tucker Postgraduate Students

Isaac is a biotechnologist developing treatments for previously untreatable conditions. His PhD research focuses on transforming laboratory leads into peptide therapeutics for Irritable Bowel Disease and stroke. Through collaborative work with crucial domestic and international research organisations, he has strengthened his multi-disciplinary expertise in the biotechnology and business sectors. Over the course of Isaac’s Fulbright Future Scholarship, he will investigate novel technologies for the safe and targeted delivery of therapeutics throughout the body. Isaac aims to develop candidates ready for human trials by bringing together leading prowess at both Harvard and MIT, ultimately strengthening ties between leading Australian and US research groups.

Liam Turner Postgraduate Students

Liam is committed to accelerating the uptake of Hydrogen as a reduced carbon emission fuel for heavy transport. His current research is focussed on the design of liquid Hydrogen storage systems through his PhD studies with the Woodside-Monash Energy Partnership. Storing Hydrogen as a liquid can offer increased density and transportation efficiency compared to storing Hydrogen as a gas. However, liquid Hydrogen currently requires significant energy input for cooling and high capital costs for storage tank materials. Liam will work with Jacob Leachman in the HYPER Lab at Washington State University to study the behaviour of liquid Hydrogen to inform the optimisation of large scale liquid Hydrogen storage designs.

As a Fulbright Future Scholar, Liam will develop practical liquid Hydrogen experimental handling skills. Liam intends to share this knowledge with Australian industry and government to guide the development of liquid Hydrogen expertise and applications in Australia. Ultimately, Liam aims to help Australia realise its potential as a clean energy hub for the world, where Hydrogen, made from renewable energy can be distributed to growing world population centres.

Emily Westwood Postgraduate Students

Emily’s PhD research focuses on the effects of environmental light exposures, including daylight and artificial light throughout the day, on sleep and circadian processes in young children. Her research contributes to growing evidence of the importance of light for children’s development, and lighting modification as a novel way to support sleep and health in children and families.

As a Fulbright Future Scholar, Emily will work with global leaders in the area supervised by Prof. Monique LeBourgeois. This overseas study will see her contribute to ground-breaking experimental research measuring light and sleep for young children in home environments.

Grace Wright Postgraduate Students

Grace is a public policy and international development practitioner committed to disability inclusive policy development. At World Education in Vientiane, Laos, she supported program implementation and monitoring for disability inclusion and rehabilitation, mine risk education, unexploded ordnance victims’ assistance, and entrepreneurship projects. While working on a social and behavior change communication campaign on access to services and employment for disabled people, she discovered the U.S. and Australia’s shared focus on disability inclusion. Most recently, she developed proposals for U.S. Agency for International Development projects in Asia. Grace earned her Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies and Political Science from the George Washington University. Through her Fulbright scholarship, Grace will pursue a Master of Public Policy and Management from the University of Melbourne and research the barriers disabled people face in disaster preparedness. She will use this experience to create, implement, and evaluate social, disaster response, and international development policy with a disability inclusive focus.

Yasmin Zaman Postgraduate Students

Yasmin currently works in the Office of the Chief Technology Officer at the Australian Space Agency. She supports the development of technical roadmaps that will help shape the future of the Australian space industry. She graduated from the University of New South Wales with a dual degree in Aerospace Engineering and Science, majoring in Neuroscience. In 2020, Yasmin won the Western Sydney Young Woman of the Year award. Driven by her passion to break boundaries, she aims to create greater spaces for diversity in STEM and advance human space exploration. As a Fulbright Scholar, Yasmin will be researching wearable neurotechnology to inform and improve the wellbeing of humans in space. She hopes for her work to contribute to and further Australia’s space life sciences capabilities. Yasmin ultimately aspires to become an astronaut, deploy her work in space and travel to Mars.