You can hear about what our 2021 Catalysts have to say about the program below:
You can find out who our current Catalysts are here.
In 2021 the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering launched its first IMNIS alumni program: IMNIS Catalyst.
IMNIS Catalyst is an ambassador-style program where former IMNIS mentees represent IMNIS and ATSE in the broader STEM ecosystem. Ten (10) Catalysts will attend media and communications training, engage with senior level high school students and have opportunities to interact and shape future IMNIS programs.
The IMNIS Catalyst program is powered by MTPConnect as part of the REDI initiative.
Read the full media release here.
IMNIS Catalysts
Dr Greg Bass
Greg completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2017 in computational biology and biomedical engineering. That year, he also completed an Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute internship at CSL where he developed a mathematical model of protein trafficking in cells.
He is currently employed as a Senior Scientist leading a small team in the R&D department at CSL, located in the Bio21 Institute. His main responsibility is to develop high-throughput analysis software to quantify images of cells and tissues, using image processing techniques such as machine learning and AI. In his time at CSL, he is proud of both the technical achievements and the connections that he has made locally with academic colleagues in the Parkville biomedical precinct, as well as those abroad at other global CSL sites in Europe and the US.
Connect with Greg on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Dr Edith Botchway
Edith completed her PhD in December 2019 with the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI). Her PhD focused on understanding sleep, fatigue, depression, and quality of life outcomes in young adults who sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI) in childhood.
Edith is currently a post-doctoral researcher with Deakin University (School of Psychology), and an honorary research fellow with Aston University (Birmingham, UK) and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Her post-doctoral work is relatively broad in focus, and involves studies examining rehabilitation models of care used in children and youth with traumatic injuries, and studies examining sleep and neuropsychological outcomes in children with acquired and congenital neurological conditions.
Aside from her research work, Edith is passionate about community service and youth development through mentorship, and currently mentors four students pursuing various degrees/careers in STEM.
Connect with Edith on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Dr Nick Hong Seng Lee
Nick is a biomedical engineer with 6+ years’ experience in MedTech R&D and innovation, advanced manufacturing, process development and project management. He is incredibly passionate about helping people and improving lives through medical technology.
Presently, Nick is a laser development engineer at Vaxxas, an Australian startup commercializing an exciting needle-free vaccine delivery technology. In his previous engineering roles, he worked with companies and researchers to help turn their ideas into viable prototypes/products for medical applications e.g. biomarker detection, drug delivery, biosignal sensing.
The same passion to make a difference has guided most of Nick’s education and career decisions. After obtaining a Biomedical Engineering (Hons I) degree and leading several medical research projects in MRI technology and knee biomechanics, he went on to earn my PhD, during which he developed a noninvasive microdevice for early skin cancer detection. He was fortunate to be able to present my work at international conferences and to have received several competitive scholarships and awards along the way.
Combining his entrepreneurial interests and desire to help others, he has also founded and led numerous postgraduate initiatives, international research conferences, voluntary bodies and national programs for nonprofit organisations, including New Zealand Red Cross and Engineers Without Borders.
Connect with Nick on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Dr Navpreet Kaur
Navpreet is a versatile and energetic scientist with over 5 years of experience in a laboratory environment, during which she has developed strong project management and problem-solving skills. A strong research professional with a PhD focused on Biotechnology. She is skilled in Biotechnology, Microbiology, Downstream Processing, Upstream Processing and Bioprocessing .
She is an enthusiastic team-player with an achievement-oriented mind. She has carried out several scientific projects allowing her to showcase her skills such as attention to detail, capacity to manage time and meet deadlines, while also training students.
Navpreet would like to utilise her scientific knowledge and willingness to learn to develop innovative and powerful strategies leading to a positive impact on society.
Connect with Navpreet on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Kay Myo Min
Kay is in the final stages of my PhD at the University of South Australia with the Centre for Cancer Biology, and the core focus of her research is on investigating novel pathways involved in the growth and spread of pancreatic cancer. She aims to utilise her doctoral degree to continue working in the field of cancer research in developing anti-cancer therapies that will lead to translational clinical outcomes.
Kay has a great interest in innovative research with real life translations, science communication (especially with regards to bridging the gap between the scientific community and the general public), gender equity, public policy and Sustainability science.
Kay considers herself to be a very motivated, progressive-thinking, resilient and results-driven individual. Through the course of her academic career, she has built up her investigative and technical skills (project specific), communication and engagement within the scientific community, critical thinking, scientific writing, and she has also begun to do some teaching at her university. She is also a strong advocate for student equity and supporting student culture at the university through her work as a student representative.
Connect with Kay on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Thilanka Morawakage
Thilanka Morawakage is an enthusiastic and highly driven individual with a proven track record for excellence and passion for science. Thilanka is a Project Assistant on the BRACE trial at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, where she has strong project management skills to effectively manage competing priorities in a fast-paced clinical trial environment. She has exceptional interpersonal and communication skills and enjoys working collaboratively in diverse teams.
In 2017, Thilanka graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Pharmacology. She then completed a Master of Biomedical and Health Science at Monash University in 2020. During her master’s degree she undertook a research project in the Department of Pharmacology, culminating in a thesis focusing on the inhibition of a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of fibrosis. She also had the opportunity to intern at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson, where she provided support to the Australia and New Zealand Diversity and Inclusion Council to deliver their 2020 strategy.
Thilanka has demonstrated active involvement in various other clinical research roles, volunteering activities/programs and student societies where she has displayed professionalism and strong leadership skills to inspire and motivate others.
Connect with Thilanka on LinkedIn.
Catriona Nguyen Robertson
Catriona Nguyen-Robertson is a singing scientist: she sings in the laboratory and contemplates immunology experiments in the shower. As a PhD candidate and Research Assistant at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, she studies tuberculosis vaccine strategies and hypersensitivities to antibiotics, drugs, and skincare products. She is also Associate Editor for the scientific journal, Immunology and Cell Biology.
Catriona is passionate about encouraging diversity in STEM fields and engaging students in science. She was Industry Liaison and then Vice President of Women in Science and Engineering at the University of Melbourne. She is a Lecturer in Science Communications at The University of Melbourne and works as the Science Communications Officer for the Royal Society of Victoria and Convergence Science Network. She regularly engages with science mentoring and outreach programs, such as Skype a Scientist, Pint of Science, In2Science, BrainSTEM, Day of Immunology and the Gene Technology Access Centre – sharing science online, in pubs, and in schools across Victoria.
Connect with Catriona on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Dr Olumide O. Opeyemi
Olumide was born in Ondo Town, Ondo State, Nigeria. He has lived in numerous places across 4 continents. He emigrated with my family to the UK at age 15 and attended The Princess Margaret Royal Free School in Windsor, Berkshire, where he was voted Head Boy of the school by students, faculty, and staff.
In his undergraduate years, he studied Aerospace Engineering at the prestigious Queen Mary College at University of London and Sports Science at Kingston University with a study abroad scholarship at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. Afterwards, he moved to the mountains in Boone, North Carolina for graduate school.
At Appalachian State University, he earned a Master of Science in Exercise Science (research concentration), completing my research thesis in the autumn of 2014. He also specialised and published in two more concentrations (Clinical and Strength & Conditioning). Post-graduation, he was offered an adjunct professor position for 2 semesters. He returned to London afterward to start/grow a family healthcare HR business. His work experience spans Charity/Non-profit startup, IT, Sales, University Administration, Pedagogy, and Medical Writing/Editing
His Ph.D. project involves the use of non-invasive in-vivo MRI scans and computational fluid dynamics to diagnose occult cardiovascular disorders.
Connect with Olumide on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Dr Samantha Papavasiliou
Samantha completed her PhD specialising in digital transformation and adoption in the Australian Public Sector. She also holds a Bachelor of Psychological Science (2014) and Bachelor of Social Science with Honours (2015), from the University of Adelaide. In 2017, Samantha completed her Master of Project Management Project Systems, and in 2018 her Master of International Trade and Development, also from the University of Adelaide.
She currently works at the Australian Taxation Office as a Service Review and Redesign Project Manager and data analyst, focusing on service redesign and digital transformation. Samantha also teaches at the University of Adelaide, focusing on post graduate project management, system design and research methods. Her key field of research is understanding digital adoption behaviours in the Australian Public Sector (APS). Her research aims at informing and tailoring communication channels used by the APS moving forward.
Samantha’s other areas of interest are behavioural analytics in public sector digital adoption and the application of predictive modelling to tailor communications between organisations and users.
Connect with Samantha on LinkedIn.
Dr Fatematuz Zohora
Fatematuz is a PhD graduate from the Engineering Faculty at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Her research project is pipeline damage monitoring using the acoustic emission (sound wave) technique. The significance of this project is to develop a monitoring tool so that the pipeline damages can be monitored in real-time and save valuable energy by minimising the wastage due to pipe leakage.
Fatematuz completed her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh and Master of Engineering (Research) at QUT, Brisbane. She completed her doctoral journey in Mechanical Engineering from QUT in 2021. She is a passionate Research Engineer and a sessional academic at QUT.
She is a Graduate member of Engineers Australia (GradIEAust) and an Associate Fellow of Advanced Higher Education (AFHEA). She attended several professional workshops, seminars, and training to upscale her research, learning & teaching, and professional development skills.
She was one of the finalists in STARS 2018, a sessional academic teaching innovation and reflection showcase. She is very enthusiastic about involving STEM communication to inspire future leaders about STEM, particularly Engineering. She is looking forward to inspiring young leaders to be involved in research.
Connect with Fatematuz on Twitter and LinkedIn.
If you have any further queries about IMNIS Catalyst, please contact the IMNIS team at [email protected].
IMNIS is the flagship industry engagement initiative of the Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering.