Alumni Profiles

Professor Geoffrey Cockfield Distinguished Chair

Geoff is Professor in Government and Economics, and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, at the University of Southern Queensland. He worked in agriculture and rural journalism before starting an academic career. His research interests include agricultural and natural resources management policies, with specific work on climate change and agriculture, farm forestry and structural change in agriculture and rural communities.

During his Fulbright Distinguished Chair tenure, Geoff will compare agricultural policies in the U.S. and Australia. He will identify what policy instruments are being, or could be used where there are national budget constraints, trade and environmental rules and rapid technological innovation. The outcomes of the study will include analyses of policy options for the U.S. and Australia that will be promoted for consideration in policy communities in both countries.

Malcolm Feeley Distinguished Chair

“Over the past thirty years, the movement for privatisation of prisons has made substantial gains in the US, Great Britain, and Australia. As of 2010, over thirty states in the US have at least one private prison and many more privately operated jails; Great Britain has at least eleven private prisons; and Australia has at least seven.”

Professor Malcolm Feeley, Professor in law in the University of California, Berkeley has been awarded one of two Fulbright Flinders University Distinguished Chairs in American Political Science. Malcolm will come to Australia for five months to undertake research into privatisation in the criminal justice system in Australia as part of a comparative study he is undertaking of the subject in the US, England and Australia.

“I am engaged in a policy history of the role of entrepreneurs in developing the modern criminal justice system in the United States, England, and Australia,” Malcolm said.

“I am particularly interested in the role of private contractors in operating prisons and private police. I have examined private contractors in supplying police services and running jails and prisons in the United States (and to a lesser extent England and the Continent), and the next obvious place to look is Australia—New South Wales is reported to have the highest proportion of prison inmates held in private prisons than any other single jurisdiction in the world.”

Malcolm has a BA in Political Science and English from Austin College Texas; an MA in Political Science and Sociology of Law from the University of Minnesota; and a PhD in Political Science, University of Minnesota. He has an eminent teaching career and has published widely. He has received many awards including being appointed as a Russell Sage Foundation Fellow; and the Silver Gavel Award, American Bar Association. He has had a term as President American Law and Society Association. He has also been awarded numerous fellowships and grants.

Angus Rupert MD, PhD Distinguished Chair

Angus gained his PhD. in Neurophysiology from the University of Illinois in 1979 and then pursued his MD degree at the University of Toronto in his native country Canada, finishing in 1982. Following an operational tour in the Azores as a U.S. Navy flight surgeon, he began his research career at the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory in Pensacola, Florida where he specialized in vestibular psychophysics associated with the unusual acceleration environments encountered in flight and in space. As a result of the measures and countermeasures he developed for the Navy, CAPT Rupert was assigned to NASA Johnson Space Center for 12 years to continue development of solutions to aerospace mishaps.

Dr Rupert developed, based on psychophysics experiments, techniques to conduct perceptual analysis of aviation spatial disorientation mishaps for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and other nations, including Australia. To maintain pilot orientation continuously and prevent spatial disorientation mishaps, Dr Rupert developed the concept of tactile cueing as a tool for pilots and as a prosthesis device for patients with balance dysfunction. For the past 20 years, Dr Rupert has refined tactile cueing and integrated 3D auditory and traditional visual displays with tactile cues to create multisensory cueing for pilots. Due to his flight tests and tactile cueing demonstrations in the United States and Canada, the Australian MOD has recently selected Dr Rupert’s tactile cueing technology as one of five key technologies for the Capability and Technology Demonstrator program.

Angus matches his vocation of developing aerospace safety devices with his avocation of flying. While in graduate school, he obtained his commercial pilots license, aircraft mechanics license, and parachute riggers license to create a skydiving school, which in part supported his graduate education. As an avid aviator, he has flown his single engine Cessna across the north and south Atlantic to his duty stations and throughout Europe, Africa, and South America.

Angus will work with the Australian MOD and the Defence Science & Technology Group in Melbourne to introduce and integrate tactile cueing onto helicopter platforms and ground soldiers in order to demonstrate the additional capabilities provided to pilots and soldiers. He will also provide versions of tactile cueing to the civil aviation community as well as demonstrations of tactile cueing as a prosthesis device for balance impaired patients. Lastly Dr Rupert will provide lectures and examples of perceptual analysis of aviation mishap investigation to the ATSB (Australian Transport Safety Bureau).

Dr. Rupert is looking forward to meeting and sharing new concepts and technologies with the Australian aviation community.

Nicholas Giordano Senior Scholars

Nicholas completed his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Hillman Scholar in Nursing Innovation and NIH-funded Predoctoral Fellow. Nicholas is now a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management in Rockville, Maryland.

Throughout his Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholarship, he will work with Professor Tracey Bucknall, PhD, RN, FAAN at Deakin University and Alfred Health to examine the integration and utilization of patient-reported outcomes into clinical practice settings. This work aims to guide patients and their providers in making evidenced-based care decisions that optimize pain management and post-surgical recovery. 

David Lee Senior Scholars

Dr. Lee earned his doctorate in Preventive Medicine and Community Health from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. He has been a member of the faculty of the University of Miami since 1990.
Dr. Lee is a tenured Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences within the Miller School of Medicine. Currently, he is the Project Director of the Florida Cancer Data System Cancer Registry, the Co-Founder and Leader of the University of Miami Mind-Body Medical Workgroup (http://www.umindbody.org), and the Director of the Department of Public Health Sciences Graduate Programs. Dr. Lee is also a member of the National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Advisory Council at National Institutes of Health.

He has published book chapters and monographs, over 200 peer reviewed journal articles as well as other works and abstracts. Dr. Lee has been involved in the mentoring of students including service on 25 dissertation committees Additionally, students are active members of his research teams contributing to the 50+ student-led publications in leading biomedical journals including the American Journal of Public Health, Preventive Medicine, Cancer, Circulation, Diabetes Care, and the American Journal of Ophthalmology. He is a chronic disease and occupational epidemiologist and has been continuously funded as Principal Investigator on various grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since 1993. Dr. Lee’s current research interests include: public health applications of mindfulness practices (e.g., yoga, meditation) for the prevention and management of chronic disease, enhancing the health of the US workforce, population approaches toward the reduction of eye disease, and cancer surveillance and prevention.

Dr. Lee will participate in teaching a seminar course on the intersections of psychology and spiritual/contemplative practices and will mentor students. Drs. Lee and Tiliopoulos will also undertake a cross-cultural assessment of mindfulness practices at the University of Sydney, the University of Miami, and Udayana University, Bali, Indonesia.  Physical and psychological health measures will also be assessed to determine if mindfulness practices correlate with these outcomes. Research findings and student engagement will help to further establish the University of Sydney as a leader in mindfulness research and to inspire students to pursue this field of study.

Michelle Circelli Professional Scholars

“It is a matter of national concern that the 2006 international Adult Literacy and Life Skills survey (ALLS) found that almost half of Australia’s adult population has literacy and numeracy skills below the minimum level required to adequately function on a day-to-day basis in an advanced economy.”

Ms Michelle Circelli, Senior Research Officer, National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) in South Australia, is the 2013 winner of the Fulbright Professional Scholar in Vocational Education and Training sponsored by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE). Michelle will undertake research into measuring success of adult literacy and numeracy education programs in the U.S. with the Californian Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the Office of Vocational and Adult Education in Washington D.C, for 3-4 months.

“Both national and international research demonstrates the relationship between higher adult literacy and numeracy skills and positive outcomes for individuals as well as communities and the economy,” Michelle said.

“The importance of this relationship is recognised by the federal government with recent increases in funding for programs and services.”

“This renewed recognition and increasing investment is welcomed but, unlike in the US, little is known in Australia about the returns on this investment for funders and providers, or outcomes for learners.”

Michelle’s research will shed light on how the success of a learner and a program can be measured and how this information is used for continuous improvement.

Michelle has BSc (Hons) in psychology from the University of Adelaide and an MSocSc (Applied Social Research) from the University of South Australia. She has been a joint winner of the 2003 Excellence in Policing Awards for research on improving policing for women, has published widely and, before joining NCVER  built a career in research at the Australasian Centre for Policing Research and University of South Australia. Michelle is a member of reference groups for the Australian Industry Group ‘Building Employer Commitment to Workplace Literacy’ and Australian Bureau of Statistics Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies.

Professor Susan Harris Rimmer Professional Scholars

As the Director of the Griffith University Policy Innovation Hub, Susan opens the front door to government, industry and community knowledge partnerships with academic talent. The Hub provides insights and analysis that help to shape the future of Queensland, Australia and the Indo-Pacific. Susan will use her Fulbright fellowship to explore how the Ambassadors for Gender Equality in the US and Australian foreign ministries can work together in the Indo-Pacific region to broaden and deepen the Alliance. This is especially in the promotion of the UN Security Council Women, Peace and Security agenda, and women’s economic empowerment within forums such as APEC, ASEAN and the G20.

Susan will use her research focus on diplomacy, international human rights law, strategic studies and public policy to build relationships with the Institute for Women, Peace and Security at Georgetown University and the Future of Diplomacy project in the Harvard Kennedy School.

Jean-Paul Hobbs Postdoctoral Scholars

“America and Australia contain global hotspots for endemic marine species.”

Jean-Paul Hobbs is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Western Australia Oceans Institute, where he is focused on the conservation of marine biodiversity, after completing his PhD at James Cook University. Jean-Paul will study at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii from August 2014 to May 2015 with a focus on determining and mitigating the risk of extinction for marine endemic species.

The research, with a Mentorship by Professor Brian Bowen, a world expert in marine conservation research, will be used to develop management strategies to reduce the risk of extinction for marine endemics.

“America and Australia contain, and are therefore custodians of, global hotspots for endemic marine species; my project will provide real-world solutions for conserving marine biodiversity in Australia, the U.S. and elsewhere around the world.”

Stephanie Reuter Lange Postdoctoral Scholars

“The development of pharmaceutical products is, by large, expensive, time‐consuming and inefficient with the clinical use of medications seldom optimal. The emerging science of pharmacometrics offers the opportunity to improve the process and address these issues.”

Dr Stephanie Reuter Lange is a postdoctoral researcher in medical sciences at the University of South Australia. She is one of two winners of the 2012 Fulbright South Australia Scholarship, sponsored by the South Australian Government and the universities in South Australia.

Through her Fulbright, she will spend four months at the State University of New York, University at Buffalo undertaking workshops and research in computational modelling (pharmacometrics).

“Pharmacometrics offers the ability to use mathematical and statistical models to fully exploit data generated during the drug development program and from clinical practice in order to streamline, facilitate and optimise the development and use of pharmaceutical products,” Stephanie said.

“The knowledge acquired as part of this scholarship will be used to facilitate drug development and the translation of health discoveries into clinical practice, in keeping with health research priorities of Australia and the U.S.”

Stephanie will focus on improving the treatment of malaria and carnitine deficiency.

In relation to malaria, the project will determine the factors that contribute to the action of antimalarial medications from which more effective strategies for the treatment of malaria can be established, ultimately resulting in improved clinical outcomes, particularly in vulnerable patient groups.

Carnitine is a naturally occurring substance that the body needs for healthy functioning of fat metabolism. Patients with kidney disease who are on dialysis often lack this essential compound. The project will combine Stephanie’s knowledge in the field of carnitine deficiency with expertise in disease progression modelling from researchers at the University at Buffalo in order to better understand the medical use of carnitine. These findings may then be extrapolated to provide information on the development and treatment of other forms of carnitine deficiency as well as the use of naturally occurring compounds in medicine.

Stephanie has a BSc from The University of Adelaide and a PhD in medical sciences from the University of South Australia. Stephanie is an executive committee member of the Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association and a scientific reviewer for Bellberry Human Research Ethics Committee. She has twice received the APSA Annual Conference Award and has published widely. In her spare time she enjoys travel, golf and photography.

Dr Emma Rowe Postdoctoral Scholars

Emma is a Senior Lecturer in Education at Deakin University, and passionate about education as an instrument of social mobility and broader forms of societal and structural equity.

Emma will use her Fulbright Scholarship to study innovation in charter schools, based at Indiana University. The aim of the study is to understand innovation in practice and innovation for equity. Emma will engage with key stakeholders including school leaders and teachers to better understand how innovation is conceptualised, applied and measured in day-to-day practice. Emma serves in a leadership position at Deakin University, and is a recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Educational Research Association (Qualitative Research SIG), and Deakin University Excellence in Research Award (School of Education). She maintains a national and international profile in education. 

Kamel Awayda Postgraduate Students

Kamel Awayda is a graduate of the University of Rochester’s Undergraduate Program in Biology and Medicine, having received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. During his time at the University of Rochester, he became interested in RNA. Kamel’s research focuses on the ability of RNA molecules to be modified by the human protein THUMPD1, and the functional impacts of these modifications.

Kamel will work with Dr Thomas Preiss, a renowned expert in RNA biochemistry at the Australian National University, to better understand the significance of THUMPD1 in the modification of small RNAs. As THUMPD1 has been identified as a candidate gene for disease, he hopes to uncover the mechanism by which a loss of function of this protein leads to negative outcomes.

Kathryn Field Postgraduate Students

“To truly effectively understand cancer research necessitates a sound scientific background – how to marry the clinical rationale with scientific rigor.”

Dr Kathryn Field, a medical oncologist with the Royal Melbourne Hospital and a clinical research fellow at the Ludwig Institute Cancer Research in Melbourne is the 2012 winner of the Fulbright Postgraduate Alumni (WG Walker) Scholarship, which is funded through donations by Fulbright Alumni and awarded to the highest ranked Postgraduate Scholar.

Through her Fulbright, Kathryn will go to the U.S. for a year to enrol in a Masters of Science in Clinical Research or Masters of Public Health focusing on biostatistics, clinical epidemiology, health services research, research design and data analysis.

“These are the exact skills in which I need gain in order to further my expertise in this field. By studying in the U.S. I will be trained by world-renowned professionals in these areas and will obtain a global view of the issues facing clinical researchers around the world,” Kathryn said.

These skills will also significantly benefit the researchers, clinicians and cancer patients that Kathryn works with in Australia.

“Rigorous training in epidemiology and biostatistics will give me the tools to better formulate and apply research questions and to personally analyse data arising from research projects – not only my own but the many projects being generated through the team I work with,” Kathryn said.

Kathryn said that expertise in this area would result in significant gains for the young researchers who are currently completing research projects with the BioGrid data repository (an Australian-developed data repository for cancer research databases).

Kathryn is currently completing a Doctor of Medical Science through the University of Melbourne, and has a MBBS (with honours) from the University of Melbourne. She has won many awards and prizes including top medical student and Australian Medical Association Prize 1999; top student in medicine, orthopaedics, obstetrics/gynaecology, pathology, pharmacology, anatomy, biochemistry and biology in her undergraduate years. In more recent years she has been awarded three American Society of Clinical Oncology Merit Awards, the Cancer Trials Australia Award in 2010 for being the top student in the University of Melbourne’s Certificate in Clinical Research course, and the Cleveland Young Investigator Award in 2011 for the top abstract presented at Melbourne Health Research Week. In her spare time she is interested in travel, photography, long-distance running (half-marathon), cooking, music and languages.