Plenary Speakers
Professor Shokoofeh Shamsi
Professor Shokoofeh Shamsi is a biologist with a specialised interest in parasitism. Holding qualifications in both medical science and veterinary science, she has dedicated her career to advancing the understanding of parasites and their interactions with hosts. Through her research, Prof. Shamsi has discovered several new species of parasites previously unknown to science, as well as identified new parasites in Australia for the first time. Her work has also shed light on the transmission patterns of these introduced parasites. Prof. Shamsi’s vision is to create a world where professionals and the public are well-informed about parasites, from decision-makers to end-users. Her contributions have been pivotal in fostering a deeper awareness and understanding of parasitic diseases and their impact on health and ecosystems.
Professor Mike Bunce
The ability to effectively wield genetic tools radically transformed how we made decisions and managed the Covid-19 pandemic. Likewise, the field of Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a ‘game changer’ in how we listen what nature is telling us, and plot a course towards ‘nature positive’.
In both of these examples it is not simply enough to ‘do the science’. Genetic data and information needs to accessible and transformed into intelligence that is actionable by decision makers.
This presentation will explore some recent experiences from Aotearoa, New Zealand where, since 2019, I have worked as a governmental science advisor in the areas of environmental policy, pandemic management and conservation outcomes. How we take decision makers and communities on their ‘genetic journey’ becomes a vital step in achieving outcomes with our science missions. How do we, as a community of practice, walk these pathways to impact?
Keynote Speakers
Microbiology
On behalf of the Australian Microbiology Society
Dr Padraig Strappe
Dr Padraig Strappe is a senior lecturer at Curtin Medical School at Curtin University, Western Australia. His teaching creativity has seen the use of 3D printed models of virus particles to engage university learners across Central Queensland to Western Australia. He leads the Applied Virology Research Group at Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute.
With a history and international collaborations in stem cell biology, tissue engineering and microbiology, Padraig has a diverse research track record in Molecular virology, Lentiviral vector technology and also the development of functional foods. His latest research includes the extraction of collagen from Australian saltwater crocodile carcass and development of high value products to support the growth of the farming industry. He is also leading a COVID-19 research project investigating the sensitivity of commercial Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) to variants of SARS-Cov-2, funded by the WA Department of Health.
Dr Lucy Furfaro
Dr Lucy Furfaro is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow within the Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Western Australia (UWA). After completing her PhD in 2019, she was awarded Raine/Robson and Forrest Prospect Fellowships to accelerate her research focusing on the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections such as Group B Streptococcus, which are a major cause of death and disability during pregnancy and early life.
Lucy leads the perinatal phage team investigating the role of bacteriophages (natural predators of bacteria) in the perinatal period and as future targeted therapeutic agents. Lucy has a strong discovery to translation focus to her research and is an active science communicator aiming to contribute to improving outcomes for mums and their babies.
Biodiversity
Dr Chong Wei
Dr. Chong Wei is a Research Associate at the Centre for Marine Science and Technology at Curtin University and a Forrest Fellow at the Forrest Research Foundation. His research focuses on sound production, propagation, and reception in toothed whales, as well as hearing in marine fauna and the impact of noise on the auditory systems of marine life.
Dr. Wei holds a PhD in Marine Physics from Xiamen University, China, and completed a two-year joint PhD at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, USA. After obtaining his PhD, he was as a Research Fellow at the Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore.
Dr Harriet Mills
I grew up in the Perth Hills and spent my childhood holidays at family farms near Kojonup in the wheatbelt of Western Australia, instilling a love of the bush and the natural world.
After beginning an Arts degree at the University of Western Australia, I developed a strong interest native Australian mammals and switched to studying a BSc in Natural Resource Management. This led to an honours project on the spatial ecology of chuditch in the Jarrah forest, followed by a PhD on the reproductive biology and genetics of dibblers. During my PhD I worked as a Lecturer in Wildlife Management and Conservation Biology at UWA before moving to Edith Cowan University, where I also coordinated a large Work Integrated Learning program in the School of Science.
After over 20 years in academia I joined the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions in my current role as Program Leader for Perth Zoo Science.
Frontiers in Genetics
Dr Sam Buckberry
Dr Sam Buckberry is the Head of Epigenetics in the Indigenous Genomics team at the Telethon Kids Institute. His research focuses on using genomics technologies and cutting-edge data analytics to advance chronic disease prediction, prevention, and treatment for Indigenous Australians.
After completing his PhD at the University of Adelaide in 2015, his postdoctoral research focused on understanding the fundamentals of DNA methylation and epigenetic gene regulation in Professor Ryan Lister’s lab at The University of Western Australia (2015-2022). There, his research program led to fundamental discoveries in stem cell reprogramming and the ability to erase epigenetic memory.
Dr Buckberry has been awarded the 2023 Australian Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Society Mid-Career Research Award, the 2019 Raine Research Prize, an NHMRC-ARC Research Development Fellowship (2015-2019), and an NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellowship (2025-2029).
Professor Silvana Gaudieri
Professor Gaudieri is the head of a research group and has >20 years of experience in examining the immunogenetics of the host’s immune response to infectious agents.
She completed her PhD at the University of Western Australia (UWA) then went on to several postdoctoral positions at the National Institute of Genetics in Japan and the Department of Pathology, at Cambridge University. She returned to UWA and took up an academic position within the School of Human Sciences. She also holds a position at the Division of Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (USA).
More recently, she has been examining the role of host/viral interactions in influencing infection outcome using multi-omics approaches.
Cell & Developmental Biology
Dr Omar Elaskalani
Dr. Omar Elaskalani is a cancer researcher who studies the distinctive microenvironment of paediatric cancers. Omar and his team develop and apply innovative preclinical models and cutting-edge single-cell omics to uncover age-specific immune-targeted therapies to effectively treat children with cancer.
Dr Tara Richman
Dr Tara Richman is an NHMRC EL1/Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Senior Fellow at the University of Western Australia, and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Science and she holds an Adjunct appointment at the Telethon Kids Institute.
Dr Richman completed her PhD in 2014 at the University of Western Australia with a focus on mitochondrial gene expression and disease models of mitochondrial dysfunction. Her current interests are in mitochondrial biology in particular developing CRISPR models of energy dysfunction, with a focus on platelet and megakaryocyte structure and function and using synthetic biology to rewire energy metabolism in different systems.
Dr Ben Dwyer
Dr Benjamin Dwyer is a Senior Research Fellow at Curtin University and is the Liver Cancer Collaborative Scientific Lead.
He received his PhD from the University of Western Australia in 2015. During his postdoctoral research at the University of Edinburgh he defined new signals controlling crosstalk between macrophages and tumour cells to drive development of the stromal niche in cholangiocarcinoma, was a part of the management team of a clinical trial of macrophage therapy for liver cirrhosis, and lead the development of GMP-compatible methods to engineer therapeutic macrophages, which are now being commercially developed.
He currently leads a team developing patient derived organoid models of primary liver cancer for drug development.
