Our Research Grants Committee

Professor Rod Hunt is a clinician scientist working in the field of newborn intensive care. He is the Financial Markets Foundation for Children Chair in Neonatal Paediatrics at Monash University and has a clinical appointment at Monash Health, Victoria. He is also Director of Research in Victoria for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. His research focuses on neonatal neurology, neuroimaging and neurodevelopment. Professor Hunt explores the mechanisms of perinatal brain injury and neuroprotection using various methods of neuroimaging, with the goal of reducing perinatal brain injury and improving long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes, including further reductions in rates of cerebral palsy. Along with fulfilling his clinical role at Monash, Professor Hunt is responsible for leadership and ongoing strategic development of newborn medicine research and training innovation at Monash University.

Professor Alison Calear is co-head of the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University in the ACT. Her research expertise is in youth mental health, eHealth and the prevention and early intervention of anxiety, depression and suicide. Professor Calear’s current National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) fellowship takes a public health approach to suicide prevention in young people, with a particular focus on harnessing interpersonal connectedness to reduce suicide risk. Professor Calear has extensive experience in community-based research, quantitative and qualitative research methods, and clinical trials.

Professor Alistair McEwan is a biomedical engineer, holding the Ainsworth Chair of Technology and Innovation at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA) and the University of Sydney. As Theme Leader for Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation and a key contributor to the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative Bioengineering, he explores innovation and advancements in healthcare technology. His research involves the development of early diagnostic electronic devices for conditions such as heart attack and stroke. Working with interdisciplinary teams, Professor McEwan leads research into cognitive assessments and innovative mobility and communication solutions using bionics, robotics, and artificial intelligence for individuals with cerebral palsy, enhancing their quality of life and enabling them to stay better connected to their community.

Professor Susan Walker is a maternal fetal medicine sub-specialist and an academic clinical researcher. She founded and leads the Perinatal Medicine Department at Mercy Hospital for Women, a tertiary referral site for some of the highest-risk pregnancies in Victoria. After completing maternal fetal medicine sub-specialty training, Professor Walker undertook a fellowship at the world-leading Mt Sinai Hospital, Toronto. On her return to Mercy Hospital for Women, she built capacity in the domains of complex high-risk pregnancy care, teaching, sub-specialty training and research. In 2011, she was appointed to a prestigious named chair: the Sheila Handbury Chair of Maternal Fetal Medicine, University of Melbourne. In 2018, Professor Walker received an Order of Australia Medal for distinguished service to the field of obstetrics and gynaecology as an academic and clinician, and for her enormous contribution to professional organisations.

Associate Professor Kym Rae is the Principal Research Fellow in Indigenous Health at Mater Research Institute (appointed in 2020), collaborating with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health sector across the country. Her outstanding track record in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research allows her to partner with communities to co-design research projects that meet community health needs. She is internationally recognised for her extensive expertise in successfully developing cohorts with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. She has a particular interest in understanding the origins of health and disease, and highlighting the strengths and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that have seen them survive as one of the longest continuous cultures.

Dr Jodie Avery is a social researcher with advanced skills in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. She is currently senior research fellow and Imagendo program manager in the endometriosis research group with the Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, SA. As a chronic disease epidemiologist, Dr Avery’s primary area of research has concerned the intersection of women's chronic health conditions with psychosocial factors that may influence other associated comorbidities. This includes investigating psychosocial and mental health aspects of women’s chronic conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis and incontinence throughout the life course.

Dr Nikki Boswell is a research assistant with the Tuning in to Kids® team at the University of Melbourne, Victoria. Dr Boswell completed her PhD at the University of Queensland with a focus on understanding the relationship between parenting practices, family food environments and eating behaviours during early childhood. Dr Boswell has a Master’s in Human Nutrition and a Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning (Secondary Education), and over 10 years’ experience working with families and young people through her work in health promotion, community nutrition and education. In her role at Tuning in to Kids, Dr Boswell is involved in implementing and evaluating the Tuning in to Kids® programs in the retail and research setting.

Dr Jessica Buck is an early career researcher with training in neuroscience and cancer, and is currently a Forrest Research Fellow based at the Telethon Kids Institute and the University of Western Australia. Dr Buck undertook her Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Newcastle and, following this, completed her Master of Science in Neuroscience and PhD in Oncology at the University of Oxford. Dr Buck was supported by Charlie Perkins, Chevening, and Oxford Australia scholarships, and was awarded the 2019 Young Australian Achiever of the Year in the UK award for her research, leadership and sporting achievements. Her specific areas of expertise include magnetic resonance imaging, preclinical radiation therapy, and mouse models of brain cancer.

Dr Robert Galinsky, Research Group Head of Perinatal Inflammation and Neurophysiology at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, is a fetal physiologist with a specific interest in developmental neuroscience. He has made significant contributions to understanding the patho-mechanisms of perinatal brain injury that have informed clinical practice guidelines and underpinned clinical trials for neuroprotective interventions in the fetal and newborn brain. His research focuses on identifying the cellular and physiological mechanisms that trigger abnormal development in the fetal and newborn brain. Using these discoveries, Dr Galinsky’s goal is to develop new diagnostics and therapeutics aimed at preventing brain injury and life-long disability in our smallest and sickest patients.

Dr Jessica Sexton is an epidemiologist with experience in maternal and child health epidemiology, focusing specifically on the perinatal population. Dr Sexton has two years’ experience serving as team lead, acting epidemiology manager, and principal epidemiologist at Queensland Health. Dr Sexton’s academic qualifications include tertiary training in statistics, public health, quantitative methods, spatial science, and clinical research. As an epidemiology fellow and principal epidemiologist, she has skills in applied clinical research and in analysing qualitative data. Dr Sexton is also a trained medical laboratory scientist with a background in basic sciences that include biology, microbiology, virology, physics, chemistry, statistics, biostatistics, and mathematics.

Dr Kate Vandyke is co-lead of the Myeloma Research Laboratory, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, based at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Precision Medicine Theme. Dr Vandyke’s research interests involve elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for the disease progression in the bone marrow cancer multiple myeloma. Her research is primarily aimed at identifying those patients that do very poorly, surviving less than two years, and identifying tailored treatments for these patients.

Dr Andrew Vincent is a senior biostatistician in the Freemasons Centre for Men’s Health, providing training, consultancy, supervision and services to staff, students and affiliate researchers at the University of Adelaide, SA, and affiliated institutions. He offers contemporary and advanced statistical methodologies in this consultancy role, and he is also a senior investigator on scientific and clinical programs across a broad spectrum of health and medical research. His particular focus, also embedded in his training and consultancy, is the translation of clinical questions into tractable problems with precise hypotheses and appropriate analytical techniques. He has a high level of proficiency in study design and statistical methodologies. Dr Vincent was also clinical biostatistician at the Netherlands Cancer Institute where he worked for eight years in the clinical trials unit.