معرفی
Professor Puspha Sinnayah is a Professor and Associate Dean of Research and Research Training with the First Year College at Victoria University, and a Research Fellow with the Institute for Health and Sport (IHES). She has a distinguished career spanning over two decades in both neuroscience research and innovative physiology education.
Her educational background includes a PhD in neuroscience from the Howard Florey Institute (1999), a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Monash University (1992), and a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education from Victoria University (2014). Prior to her current position, she spent a decade (1999-2009) in the United States conducting postdoctoral research on neural mechanisms regulating appetite and cardiovascular homeostasis.
Professor Sinnayah specializes in physiology education, curriculum innovation, and active learning pedagogy. Her work has led to the development of a flipped learning approach in anatomy and physiology, incorporating H5P interactive content, vodcasts, and inquiry-based learning. She leads initiatives such as the Head Start physiology bridging program and a collaborative peer observation learning model to support both students and academic staff.
Her research outputs demonstrate high quality, collaboration and impact with 40 publications, 90% in ERA A*/A (Q1) journals, an H-index of 20, and over 2800 citations. Her recent scholarly work shows a strong emphasis on educational innovation within the Block Model, with research spanning physiology education, student engagement strategies, and the application of educational technology in higher education contexts.
Her scientific achievements have been recognized with several prestigious awards:
- 2018 Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT) citation for improving engagement in first-year bioscience
- 2020 AAUT team award for innovation in curriculum design aligned with VU's Block Model
- Michael Roberts Award for excellence in anatomy and physiology education
Professor Sinnayah has secured significant research funding, including a $284,000 grant from GENCOR PACIFIC LIMITED (2023-2026) for research on appetite regulation. She has supervised research projects on topics including satiety signaling in obesity and the effects of Caralluma Fimbriata on appetite behavior, demonstrating her continued connection to neuroscience research alongside her educational scholarship.
She is actively involved in academic leadership, currently serving on the VU Academic Board, as Vice President of the International Block and Intensive Learning and Teaching Association, Managing Editor of the Journal of Intensive Learning and Teaching, and as CHAIR of HERDSA Victoria Executive Committee.
