Vice Chancellor's Research Excellence Award winners for 2017
RESEARCH LEADERSHIP AWARD
The award for excellence in research leadership was awarded to Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen, Director of Griffith University’s Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre.
Professor Nguyen is a pioneer researcher in the field of microfluidics and is considered an international authority with one of his 10 authored books used as a text book in universities across the world. Professor Nguyen has an impressive publication record with a H-index of 53, a number of patents, and research income of approximately $1.9M through ARC Linkage, Discovery, LIEF and IMCRC grants.
As the QMNC Director, Nam-Trung has established numerous research strategies and collaborations which have improved the volume and quality of publications and exceeded targeted performance of centre members. He is currently supervising 14 HDR candidates and has supervised 9 PhD students to completion since starting at Griffith in 2013. He is editor in chief, editor and associate editor of various established journals and is a serving member of the ARC College of Experts.
EARLY CAREER RESEARCHER AWARD
Dr Amanda Ullman from the Menzies Health Institute Queensland is the winner of the award for excellence for an early career researcher.
Dr Ullman conducts research on improving the use of central venous access devices in paediatric patients to prevent complications such as infection and currently has an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship to support this research.
Since commencing the Fellowship in February 2017, Amanda has been awarded over $1.4M as a Chief Investigator from competitive grant bodies including the NHMRC, Children’s Hospital Foundation, RBWH Foundation, and the US based Association for Vascular Access Foundation to further develop this work.
RESEARCH SUPERVISION AWARD
Professor Rod Barrett from the School of Allied Health and the Menzies Health Institute Queensland, was recognised for his distinguished record in research supervision.
In addition to achieving excellent results as a supervisor where he has supervised 20 PhD, 4 Research Masters, 9 Honours student to completion, Professor Barrett has also contributed to HDR research education at the School, Group, and University level. As the Deputy Head of School Research, he led the development of the School of Allied Health Sciences HDR candidate recruitment plan and in building the HDR research culture of the School. At the Group level, he has contributed by taking up the important position of HDR Convenor where he has worked closely with the Health Group HDR Convenors in all aspects of HDR education. At the University level he led the development of the University’s Principles to Promote Excellence in HDR Supervision Practices at Griffith University which now forms the basis of HDR supervision training in the University.
RESEARCH GROUP / TEAM AWARD
Cancer Survivorship Collaborative Research Group – Team members: Professor Suzanne Chambers, Professor Tamara Onsworth, Associate Professor Stefano Occhipinti, Professor Paul Scuffham, Dr Shu-Kay Ng and Professor David Shum
The Cancer Survivorship Collaborative Research Group team jointly led by Professors Suzanne Chambers and Tamara Onwsworth from the Menzies Health Institute Queensland won the award for Research Group/Team.
The Cancer Survivorship Collaborative Research Group are leaders in cancer survivorship research and has a clear vision: to undertake high quality research in the health and behavioural sciences that will deliver to the community effective and accessible psychosocial and survivorship care for people affected by cancer. The Group focuses on prostate, lung, breast and colorectal cancer that relates to the high prevalence of these cancers and on brain cancer as a disease that has a notably high patient and family burden. Their approach involves psychology, health economics, neurosurgery, exercise physiology, specialist oncology clinicians, nursing, epidemiology, sociology, vocational rehabilitation, dietetics and they collaborate with clinical groups and universities across Australia and globally including the major Cancer Councils and Cancer funding agencies.
Mid-Career Researcher Awards
The awards for excellence for an individual mid-career went to Dr Lara Herrero, from Institute for Glycomics and Associate Professor Guillermo Diaz-Pulido from the Australian Rivers Institute.
Dr Lara Herrero
Dr Herrero is a Research Leader and NHMRC Research Fellow at the Institute for Glycomics where she leads a group primarily focused on studying the glycobiology of viral inflammatory diseases. Her research has examined the pathobiology of emerging mosquito-borne viruses such as Chikungunya, dengue, Ross River and Barma Forest. Her research involves various aspects of virus and cell interactions with a particular focus of the role of glycans and is aimed at developing new treatment strategies.
Since joining Griffith in 2013 Dr Herrero has either been a lead or co-investigator on ARC and NHMRC grants valued at over $2 million.
Associate Professor Guillermo Diaz-Pulido
Associate Professor Diaz-Pulido’s research is devoted to understanding the biology and ecology of algae and coral reefs, and how human activities affect these organisms and ecosystems. His research at the Australian Rivers Institute has generated new knowledge that is important for the sustainable use and management of coral reefs, particularly in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Associate Professor Diaz-Pulido has an outstanding track record of attracting competitive research grants with a total value of $2.5 million in research funding from the ARC and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Remarkable minutes competition winning entries
Dr Diana Tolmie
Explore the lives of musicians who contribute to the economic and cultural growth of Australia.
Dr Catheryn Khoo-Lattimore
Women in tourism and gender equality.
Previous award winners
Research Leadership Award
| 2016 | Professor Paul Tacon | Director, Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Professor Ron Quinn AM | Foundation Director, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery |
| 2014 | Professor Huijun Zhao | Director of the Centre for Clean Environment and Energy, Deputy Director of the Environmental Futures Research Institute |
| 2013 | Professor Wendy Chaboyer | Centre of Research Excellence in Nursing, Menzies Health Institute Queensland |
| 2012 | Professor Mark Von Itzstein | Director, Institute for Glycomics |
| 2011 | Professor Debra Bernhardt | Director, Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre |
| 2010 | Professor Stuart Bunn | Director, Australian Rivers Institute |
| 2009 | Professor Patrick Weller | Director, Centre for Governance and Public Policy |
| 2009 | Professor Ron Quinn | Director, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery |
Research Supervision Award
| 2016 | Professor Cordia Chu | Centre for Environment and Population Health, Menzies Health Institute Queensland |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Professor Donna Pendergast | School of Education and Professional Studies |
| 2014 | Associate Professor Michael Haugh | School of Languages and Linguistics |
| 2013 | Professor Jane Hughes | Australian Rivers Institute |
Mid-Senior Career Researcher Award
| 2016 | Professor Vicky Avery | Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Professor Shanqing (Eddie) Zhang | Centre for Clean Environment and Energy, Environmental Futures Research Institute |
| 2014 | Professor Diego de Leo AO | Director of the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention |
| 2013 | Professor Geoff Pryde | Centre for Quantum Dynamics |
| 2012 | Professor Adrian Wilkinson | Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing |
| 2011 | Professor David Lambert | Australian Rivers Institute |
| 2010 | Professor Alfred Lam | Griffith Health Institute |
| 2009 | Professor Lyn Griffiths | Griffith Health Institute |
Early Career Researcher Award
| 2016 | Dr Lyndel Bates | School of Criminology and Criminal Justice |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Dr Lauren Ball | Menzies Health Institute Queensland |
| 2014 | Dr Kyra Hamilton | School of Applied Psychology |
| 2013 | Dr Olivera Simic | Socio-Legal Research Centre |
| 2012 | Dr Wendy Steele | Urban Research Program |
| 2011 | Dr Jennifer Whitty | Population and Social Health Research |
| 2010 | Dr Keith Townsend | Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing |
| 2009 | Dr Elena Marchetti | Socio-Legal Research Centre |
Research Group or Team Award
| 2016 | Laboratory for Vaccines for the Developing World, Institute for Glycomics | Led by Professor Michael Good |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Centre for Applied Health Economics | Led by Professor Paul Scuffham |
| 2014 | Advancing Life-Course Criminology, Queensland Linkage Project, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice | Led by Professor Anna Stewart |
| 2013 | Applied Cognitive Neuroscience - Improving Human Functioning by Understanding Brain-Behaviour Relationships, Behavioural Basis of Health | Led by Professor David Shum |
| 2012 | Highly Commended: Assessment, Literacy and Equity team; and | Led by Professor Joy Cumming |
| 2012 | Highly Commended: Enhancing treatment outcomes for childhood anxiety disorders: A multidisciplinary approach to innovative interventions | Led by Associate Professor Alison Waters |
| 2011 | Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre | Led by Professor Huib Schippers |
| 2010 | Quantum Information Science, Centre for Quantum Dynamics | Led by Professor Howard Wiseman |
| 2009 | Health Places Healthy People research program | Led by Professor Elizabeth Kendall |
Outstanding Research Achievement Award
| 2014 | Associate Professor Maxime Aubert | Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Associate Professor Adam Brumm | Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute |
Remarkable Minutes Competition Winners
| 2017 | Mr Chris Little | School of Engineering and Queensland College of Art for 'Creating Windows Into our Past' |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Dr Jason van de Merwe | Australian Rivers Institute for 'Marine Wildlife Cell-based Toxicology' |