Mater Research celebrated the outstanding achievements of its higher degree research students and early-mid career researchers at the 2025 Future Leaders Symposium, held on Wednesday 3 September at the Translational Research Institute (TRI)—home to Mater Research’s biomedical research laboratories.
The annual symposium is a cornerstone event that showcases the next generation of researchers and their contributions to advancing health outcomes. Attendees included Mater researchers and students, Mater clinicians, Mater Foundation donors and members of the Health Consumer Network, who also served as judges for the Early Career Researcher (ECR) Seeding Grants.
The event opened with a welcome address and housekeeping by PhD student Ms Nikita Rosendahl, followed by an Acknowledgement of Country delivered by Career Track Fellow Dr Kylie Alexander.
Highlight talk presenters included Dr Salma Ahmed and Ms Davina Smith (Indigenous Health Research Group), Ms Nikita Rosendahl (Cancer Immunotherapies Research Group), Dr Elizabeth Hurrion (Mater Mothers’ Hospital neonatologist), Dr Joshua Tobina (Blood Cancer Research Group) and Dr Hamid Karimi-Rouzbahani (Mater Epilespy Research Group), who showcased their cutting-edge research projects aimed at improving human health and wellbeing across the lifespan.
Topics ranged from introducing the Strong Families Study which is improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, to exploring the immune system’s role in disease detection and treatment, protecting infant brain development, advancing personalised cancer therapies and monitoring neurological activity in epilepsy.
The audience also enjoyed a special presentation by PhD student Ms Anastasia Gandini, who delivered her Three Minute Thesis ahead of competing in The University of Queensland final later this month.
A highlight of the afternoon was the prestigious John Prins Oration, delivered by Professor Sailesh Kumar, clinician-researcher and leader of the Fetal Growth Clinic at Mater Mothers’ Hospital. Prof Kumar shared insights about improving outcomes for vulnerable babies, and was joined by Margaux Charbonnière, a former patient who shared her personal experience with preterm birth and the care she received at Mater’s Fetal Growth Clinic.
Thanks to the generous support of Mater Foundation, several awards were presented to recognise excellence in research:
Early Career Researcher Seeding Grants
Clinical/Health Services Research Winner: Mrs Renee Muirhead
Renee is a clinician-researcher whose work is focused on improving the care for Mater’s tiniest patients. . This grant will support the next phase of her research, translating clinical insights into meaningful change for premature infants and their families.
This $30,000 grant will help Renee progress her research project, titled Nasal Sedation to Reduce Pain in Premature Infants During Eye Examinations in the Neonatal Critical Care Unit.
Clinical/Health Services Research Finalist: Dr Thomas Yeung
Dr Yeung is a clinician-researcher whose work aims to improve surgical outcomes and quality of life for people living with endometriosis.
Biomedical Research Winner: Dr Michaela Kindlova
Dr Kindlova is a member of the Translational Bioinformatics Research Group at Mater Research. Her work focuses on identifying innovative biomarkers and computational approaches to detect pancreatic cancer earlier—potentially transforming outcomes for patients facing this challenging disease.
This $30,000 grant will enable Dr Kindlova to advance her research project, titled Exploring novel strategies for early detection of pancreatic cancer.
Biomedical Research Finalist: Dr Conan O’Brien
Dr O’Brien is a member of the Macrophage Biology Research Group at Mater Research. His work focuses on understanding how lipid metabolism and immune cell function intersect in the liver, with the goal of uncovering new therapeutic strategies for inflammatory and metabolic diseases.
Biomedical Research Finalist: Dr Cheng Foo
Dr Foo is a member of the Infection, Immunity and Metabolism Research Group at Mater Research. His work explores the role of cholesterol pathways in immune response, with the potential to uncover new strategies for managing respiratory infections and improving patient outcomes.
Mater Research Awards
Dr David Serisier Student Training Award Winner: Ms Lucy Du
Lucy is a PhD student in the Diabetes and Metabolism Research Group, whose research is focused on RAGE Against Type 1 Diabetes—exploring the role of the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) in the development and progression of the disease.
This award will enable her to present her research findings at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna this month.
Mater Research International Travel Awards Winner: Dr Uyen Pham
Dr Pham is a consultant endocrinologist and clinical member within the Diabetes and Metabolism Research Group. This award will enable her to present her research findings at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna this month.
Mater Research International Travel Awards Winner: Ms Halimat Atanda
Halimat is a PhD student in the Translational Bioinformatics Research Group at Mater Research.
The award will enable Halimat to present her research findings at the Basel Computational Biology Conference in Switzerland this month.
The event concluded with the announcement of ECR Seeding Grant winners and closing remarks by Associate Professor Lucy Burr, followed by a vibrant networking and poster session.
