Find Academic Supervisors

Dr Kathina Ali is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at the University of the Sunshine Coast's School of Health, where she co-leads the Be Well Lab. Her research focuses on eating disorders, mental health, and digital interventions to improve wellbeing, with collaborations extending to SAHMRI and international institutions. Education: PhD in Clinical Psychology (Australian National University), MSc in Psychology (University of Hagen, Germany), BSc in Psychology (University of Hagen, Germany) Ali’s work addresses help-seeking barriers for eating disorders, leveraging digital platforms to develop scalable mental health solutions. Her 15 most recent publications highlight themes in University student mental health Acculturative stress in international students Online intervention efficacy Stigma and mental health literacy Wellbeing measurement frameworks Compulsive buying disorder criteria Scientific accolades include 2022 SA Science Excellence and Innovation Award (Innovator of the Year finalist) 2021 Vice-Chancellor’s Early Career Researcher Award 2021 APS Excellent PhD Thesis Award Multiple grants, including $294,983 from Movember for veteran mental health programs

• Eating Disorders
• Mental Health
• Wellbeing
• +6 more

Dr. Yuri Kriel is a Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), School of Health. He holds a PhD from UniSC and degrees in Commerce (H.M.S. P.Elizabeth) and Biokinetics (University of Cape Town). His clinical expertise spans exercise physiology roles in Australia, the UK, and South Africa, focusing on cardiopulmonary, metabolic, and cancer-related conditions. He is a member of the VasoActive research group, specializing in microvascular perfusion assessment via near-infrared spectroscopy and clinical exercise testing. Education: PhD, University of the Sunshine Coast Bachelor of Commerce, H.M.S. P.Elizabeth Bachelor of Science (Medical Honours) in Exercise Science (Biokinetics), University of Cape Town Research Interests: Dr. Kriel’s work centers on physical activity’s role in managing chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular, metabolic, and cancer-related conditions. He investigates novel interventions to improve health outcomes, leveraging technologies like near-infrared spectroscopy and contrast-enhanced ultrasound. His recent projects include studies on parkrun rehabilitation for cancer survivors, microvascular function in aging populations, and HIIT efficacy in sedentary individuals. Teaching & Supervision: He teaches courses on clinical exercise physiology, including SPX301 (cardiorespiratory/metabolic health), SPX410 (exercise management for chronic disease), and cardiac pathophysiology. Labs/Teams: Member of the VasoActive research group, collaborating nationally and internationally on vascular health and clinical exercise science.

• Exercise Physiology
• Chronic Disease Management
• Cardiovascular Health
• +3 more

Professor Daniel Hermens is a Deputy Director at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), leading the Youth Mental Health and Neurobiology program. He holds a BSc, Grad Dip (Psychol), and PhD from Australian universities. His research focuses on brain development, psychiatric disorders (e.g., ADHD, schizophrenia), substance use in youth, and neurobiological interventions like ketamine treatments. He oversees the Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study (LABS), tracking brain development and mental health predictors in adolescents. Deputy Director, Thompson Institute Program Coordinator: Mental Health and Neuroscience postgraduate programs Research Interests: Adolescent neurobiology, mental health biomarkers, neuroimaging (EEG, MRI), and clinical trials for mood disorders. His work includes studying ketamine's effects on suicidality and alcohol-induced brain impairments. Articles Trends: Recent works emphasize cyberbullying neurophysiology, ketamine treatment efficacy, and brain structure correlates of mental health in youth. His research often integrates multimodal data (neuroimaging, cognitive assessments) to identify early biomarkers for disorders. Awards: 2023 Excellence in Supervision Award, NHMRC grants, Early Career Awards Grants/Supervision: Secured over $7.3M in grants, supervised >30 HDR students. Current projects include ketamine trials for depression and ketamine/zinc treatments for anorexia nervosa. Labs/Teams: Thompson Institute's Youth Mental Health group, collaborating on projects like the LABS cohort and neuroimaging studies.

• Youth Mental Health
• Neurobiology
• Brain Development
• +5 more

Dr. Christina Driver is a Lecturer and Course Coordinator at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), specializing in Mental Health and Neuroscience. She coordinates postgraduate programs including the Graduate Certificate, Diploma, and Master's in Mental Health and Neuroscience. Her research focuses on youth mental health, adolescent brain development, lifestyle behaviors, and traumatic stress, contributing to the Thompson Institute's Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study . Dr. Driver holds a PhD from UniSC, a Postgraduate Diploma in Neuroscience from the University of New England, and a First-Class Honors BSc from St Mary’s University, UK. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and a Science Mentor for Frontiers for Young Minds . Her research interests span psychosocial strategies in healthcare, biopsychosocial models of care, and neurobiological impacts of cyberbullying. Notably, she received the 2021 Vice Chancellor and President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, shared with Liz Askew, for developing innovative online MHN programs. Dr. Driver’s work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, combining neuroimaging, longitudinal cohort studies, and clinical interventions. She supervises research in youth mental health and neurodevelopmental mechanisms, with publications addressing cyberbullying effects, brain structural changes, and early intervention strategies.

• Youth Mental Health
• Adolescent Brain Development
• Lifestyle Behaviors and Mental Health
• +3 more

Associate Professor Peter Dunn is a Biostatistics faculty member at the School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast. He holds a PhD from the University of Queensland and has expertise in statistical theory, particularly generalized linear models and Tweedie distributions. His work includes developing R packages like 'tweedie' and co-authoring the textbook Generalized Linear Models With Examples in R . Education: PhD (Mathematical Statistics) Qld, BInfTech (Honours) S.Qld, BAppSci UCS Qld, GradCertProfLearning Sunshine Coast. Previously worked as a climate scientist at Queensland Department of Primary Industries and lectured at the University of Southern Queensland before joining USC in 2008. Research Focus: GLMs, statistical education, epidemiology, environmental statistics Contributions: Dunn-Smyth residuals, R packages, educational resources Research interests span theoretical statistics, applied statistical methods in health/ environment, and innovative pedagogy. Awards include the 2012 Office of Learning and Teaching Citation for educational excellence and the EJ Pitman Prize (2002). Teaching areas include epidemiology, biostatistics, and research methodology. He serves on editorial boards and professional societies like the Statistical Society of Australia.

• Biostatistics
• Generalized Linear Models
• Statistical Applications
• +5 more

Gina Absalom is a Lecturer in Nutrition at Charles Darwin University's Faculty of Health. An accredited practising dietitian, she holds a Bachelor of Food and Nutrition Sciences (Honours), Graduate Certificate in Public Health, and Master of Dietetics. Her research employs participatory methods like action research and systems thinking to address chronic disease prevention, health equity, and policy impacts on community health. Absalom's current projects include investigating food insecurity among university students and developing sustainable food policies. Her published research focuses on dietetic care models for gestational diabetes management and maternal-neonatal health outcomes.

• Nutrition
• Chronic Disease Prevention
• Health Equity
• +2 more

Professor Dot Dumuid holds the position of Enterprise Fellow at the University of South Australia's Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), located at City East Campus. Her research develops novel analytical models to optimize 24-hour time allocation across sleep, screen time, and physical activity for holistic health improvement. Research focuses on: Compositional data analysis frameworks for time-use epidemiology Multidimensional health impacts of movement behaviors Algorithmic optimization of daily activity patterns Her publication corpus demonstrates consistent focus on physical behavior compositions and their health implications, predominantly using longitudinal datasets and machine learning approaches. Recent methodological innovations include Bayesian multilevel compositional modeling. Honors include: SA Cardiovascular Research Network Excellence Award (2024) Women's Research Excellence Award (2024) National Heart Foundation Innovation Award (2018) She leads international collaborations as President of the Compositional Data Association and Treasurer of the International Network of Time-Use Epidemiologists.

• Behavioural Epidemiology
• Time-Use Optimization
• 24-hour Movement Behaviours
• +2 more

Dr. Ty Stanford is a Research Fellow and Research Degree Supervisor at UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance, focusing on advanced statistical methodologies for health behavior research. His work pioneers compositional data analysis techniques to understand 24-hour activity cycles encompassing physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep. Current projects include biomechanical studies of movement variability and machine learning approaches to medical device safety monitoring. Research contributions include: Novel statistical frameworks for analyzing time-use data Pediatric obesity prevention through activity optimization Clinical informatics for surgical outcome prediction Dr. Stanford's methodological innovations enable more nuanced understanding of how daily activity patterns influence chronic disease risk across the lifespan.

• Compositional Data Analysis
• Physical Activity
• Sedentary Behavior
• +3 more

Dr. Scott Coussens is a Researcher at the University of South Australia (UniSA), affiliated with the UniSA Justice & Society school and the Cognitive Ageing and Impairment Neurosciences Laboratory. He holds a PhD and serves as a Research Degree Supervisor. His primary role is Manager of Technical Services within the Justice & Society unit, bridging technical expertise with academic research. Dr. Coussens specializes in Electroencephalography (EEG), sleep science, child health, and cognitive neuroscience. His work spans pediatric sleep patterns, neurocognitive outcomes of sleep disorders, and the impact of vision impairment on mental health. Research Interests: Dr. Coussens focuses on EEG analysis, sleep physiology, and neurological vulnerabilities in aging populations. His studies investigate sleep-spindle dynamics, delirium prediction in postoperative settings, and the effects of sleep deprivation on adolescent cognition. He also explores how environmental factors (e.g., ceiling heights) influence cognitive performance in academic settings. Collaborations include the Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre and the Centre for Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience. Key Projects: He has contributed to systematic reviews on pediatric sleep actigraphy, longitudinal studies on cognitive recovery post-adenotonsillectomy, and EEG-based assessments of delirium vulnerability. Recent work includes analyzing font disfluency effects on children’s reading and simulating age-related macular degeneration to study psychological impacts. Publications: Dr. Coussens has authored/co-authored over 25 peer-reviewed articles, including high-impact studies in Journal of Neuroscience , Sleep Medicine , and Brain Communications . His research emphasizes translational applications, such as improving sleep disorder management and enhancing educational environments for optimal cognitive function.

• Electroencephalography (EEG)
• Sleep
• Child Health
• +4 more

Professor Lennie Barblett AM serves as Professor of Early Childhood Education at Edith Cowan University's School of Education, Mount Lawley campus. With formal affiliations including the WA Schools Curriculum and Assessment Authority and Early Childhood Australia, she holds significant leadership roles in national early childhood initiatives. Her educational background includes a PhD from Edith Cowan University, a Bachelor of Education (Upper Second Class Honours) from the same institution (1993), and a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Western Australia (1990). Barblett's research centers on play-based pedagogy, quality curriculum development, teaching standards, integrated service delivery, social-emotional learning, and early childhood policy. Her work consistently emphasizes child agency, family engagement, and equity-focused approaches across diverse educational contexts. Analysis of her recent publications reveals strong thematic trends in digital literacy integration, transition-to-school frameworks, participatory research methodologies, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Her scholarship increasingly focuses on co-design approaches with children and families, particularly regarding health literacy and policy development. Winner, Engagement Australia Excellence Awards in the category of Outstanding Engagement for Research Impact (2021) for the 'Better Beginnings' family literacy program partnership Longstanding editorial role with the Australasian Journal of Early Childhood Key contributor to national framework updates including Australia's Early Years Learning Framework Her supervision portfolio includes doctoral research on infant-toddler teaching excellence, trauma-informed practice, and digital health literacy. Major funded projects demonstrate sustained engagement with the Association of Independent Schools of WA, State Library of WA, and Australian Research Council, with recent grants totaling over $1.2 million focused on transitions, digital tools, and family literacy initiatives. Barblett actively contributes to the Partners in Literacy and Numeracy (PLaN) program, creating university-community partnerships that directly impact educational practice.

• Play and pedagogy
• Quality curriculum
• Teaching standards
• +3 more

Holly McAlister is a researcher at Charles Sturt University's Children's Voices Centre within the Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences school. Her work focuses on speech-language pathology, multilingual development, and culturally responsive practices for Pacific Islander communities. She has contributed to 25 research outputs since 2020, emphasizing child-centered methodologies like participatory action research and arts-based approaches. Her research aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly regarding global health equity and child rights. Key projects include the Children Draw Talking Project , which analyzes communication patterns across 24 countries, and studies on Fijian English speech development. McAlister received the 2023 Charles Sturt Excellence Award for her role in interdisciplinary research. Collaborations span institutions globally, with emphasis on Pacific Islander health equity. Her work addresses clinical practice gaps through culturally sensitive approaches and advocates for children's voices in policy-making. Research outputs include conference presentations, peer-reviewed abstracts, and contributions to international health initiatives. McAlister's expertise bridges linguistics, child development, and global health, with active participation in conferences like the Asia Pacific Society of Speech, Language and Hearing Symposium. Her current interests include decolonizing research methodologies and improving access to speech-language services for marginalized communities.

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Multilingual Development
• Pacific Islander Families
• +3 more

Debra Rickwood is a Professor in Psychology at the University of Canberra and serves as Chief Scientific Advisor at the National Youth Mental Health Foundation. She holds a PhD from Australian National University. Her research focuses on youth mental health services, preventive interventions, and digital health solutions. Key areas include eHealth applications for cardiovascular disease prevention in adolescents, development of novel outcome measures for online mental health services, and population-level analysis of youth mental health service utilization patterns. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on innovative assessment methodologies in mental health, epidemiological studies of youth well-being, and service delivery optimization in primary care settings. As Graduate Chair, she mentors doctoral students and leads multiple large-scale research initiatives including the 5W Research Program investigating primary youth mental health care and the Triple E Project enhancing eHealth engagement.

• Mental Health
• Youth Mental Health
• Mental Health Services
• +3 more

Ingo Koeper is a physical chemist and Lecturer at Flinders University, currently serving as Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) in the College of Science and Engineering and Head of the STEM Academy. His research focuses on nanotechnology applications in biological systems, including model membrane systems for drug delivery and sensor development. He employs advanced techniques like neutron scattering and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. Koeper holds a PhD from Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI) and has held postdoctoral positions at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research. His teaching accolades include multiple Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Teaching Excellence (2019, 2023) and a focus on STEM education innovation. He actively engages in science outreach through the STEM Professionals in Schools program. Education: MS (Diploma) in Chemistry: University of Dortmund (1998) PhD in Chemistry: Université Paris VI (2002) Graduate Certificates in Higher Education and Digital Learning (2013, 2022) Research Interests: Nanoparticle-membrane interactions Biomimetic membrane systems Antimicrobial drug delivery Science education reform Awards: Executive Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching (2013) Vice-Chancellor's Innovation in Teaching Award (2019) Leadership Roles: Research Leader, Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology Coordinator of CHEM2004 and STEM3001 courses His recent work emphasizes nanoplastics' ecological impacts and the structural characterization of membrane proteins using neutron scattering. Koeper's educational initiatives integrate biomimetic research with pedagogical innovation to enhance graduate employability in STEM fields.

• Nanotechnology
• Biophysical Chemistry
• Membrane Biology
• +3 more

Brook Galna is Associate Professor at Murdoch University's School of Allied Health and Centre for Healthy Ageing. Her interdisciplinary research program examines movement changes across the lifespan, from children with disabilities to athletes and older adults with neurodegenerative conditions. Dr. Galna develops digital biomarkers using wearable sensors to detect preclinical disease states, track neurodegeneration, and predict adverse outcomes like falls. Her work on gait signatures combines biomechanics, neuroscience, and clinical diagnostics. Core research areas include: Movement profiling in Parkinson's and dementia Physical activity in paediatric visual impairment Sport-specific biomechanics in elite athletes Real-world mobility assessment technologies Her recent publications demonstrate strong methodological innovation in movement analytics, with applications spanning clinical neurology, sports science, and public health. Dominant themes include validation of wearable algorithms for disease classification, environmental influences on mobility, and pandemic impacts on physical activity. Her team frequently collaborates with sports organizations including Australian national teams.

• Gait Analysis
• Movement Disorders
• Wearable Sensors
• +3 more

Peter Devereux is a Senior Lecturer specializing in Sustainability and International Volunteering, focusing on global development challenges. His research explores the intersection of volunteerism with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), international development policies, and environmental governance. He has conducted extensive longitudinal studies on Australian volunteers and their impacts on peacebuilding and sustainability in global contexts. Key themes include volunteerism as a crosscutting methodology for SDG achievement, challenges in measuring volunteer contributions, and the role of universities in advancing sustainability practices. Research Interests: His work spans sustainable development frameworks, transnational volunteering dynamics, and the transformative potential of volunteerism in governance and peace processes. He critically examines issues like voluntourism ethics, solidarity-based development models, and the integration of volunteer networks into global policy agendas. Publications Highlight: Over 30 peer-reviewed articles since 1994, including influential works on Bhutan’s sustainability models, Curtin University’s institutional practices, and the UN’s volunteerism reports. His 2012 discussion paper on post-2015 development frameworks remains a benchmark in SDG policy discourse. Advising & Grants: While formal student advisement records are not listed, his extensive collaborative research with international organizations (e.g., UNDP) and peer networks suggests significant contributions to global development projects. He has engaged with institutions like Curtin and Murdoch Universities in case studies analyzing sustainability implementation.

• Sustainability
• International Volunteering
• International Development
• +3 more