University of Technology Sydney

Hala Zreiqat, is a Payne-Scott Professor of biomedical engineering at The University of Sydney. The focus of her lab is on engineering functional synthetic biomaterials for use in regenerative medicine using cutting-edge materials, biological and nano techniques, and novel 3D-printing technologies. Prof. Zreiqat’s contribution to regenerative medicine and orthopaedic research has led to a number of national and international awards, including being named a Member of the Order of Australia (2019), 2021-2022 Fulbright Senior Scholar; Laureate TAKREEM Foundation 2022 “Scientific & Technological Achievement”; 2021 Finalist AmCham Alliance Award (Biotechnology); the 2018 New South Wales Premier’s Woman of the Year, the King Abdullah II Order of Distinction of the Second Class (2018), Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University (2016-2017); Eureka Prize winner for Innovative Use of Technology (2019); and University of Sydney Payne-Scott Professorial Distinction (2019). She is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences (2021); the Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering (2020), the International Association of Advanced Materials (2022), the Royal Society of New South Wales (2019); Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (2019), and the International Orthopaedic Research Society (2019). She is the past president of the Australian & New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society. She was the Director of the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative BioEngineering (2017-2022) and a National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellow (2006-2020). She is the Chair of the Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR) (2020-2026); an Associate of the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University and an Honorary Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Prof. Zreiqat has authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications and her research in the field of musculoskeletal disorders and biomaterials has led to four awarded and four provisional patents and more than $20.5M in competitive funding, including major grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council and the New South Wales Medical Devices Fund. As well as her pioneering work in biomaterials development, Prof. Zreiqat is committed to improving opportunities for women and young scientists around the world. She is the founder and Chair of the BIOTech Futures, a science and engineering mentorship program for high school students.

Dr Jiao Jiao Li FRSN FRSB is a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Her research in regenerative medicine focuses on developing combinatorial approaches including stem cells and biomaterials to treat chronic diseases, particularly bone and joint disorders. She was a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellow, Co-Deputy Director on the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative BioEngineering, and a Science & Technology Australia 2021-22 Superstar of STEM. She is a Board Director and Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee for Science & Technology Australia. Her research has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Young Investigator Award from Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society, Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research, Premier’s Prize for NSW Early Career Researcher of the Year (Physical Sciences), and NSW Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year. She currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.

Andrew McKay is the Regional Market Manager for CAS covering Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific as well as Pakistan and Bangladesh. He has specialised in analytical chemistry, working in previous roles with application and sales support for several analytical instrumentation manufacturers. He has worked at CAS for 8 years and graduated from the University of Tasmania in Australia.

Dayong Jin is a distinguished professor at UTS, an ARC Laureate Fellow, Fellow of Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, and a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, with expertise covering biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, microscopy, microfluidics, and analytical chemistry, to enable rapid detection of cells and molecules. He established the UTS Institute for Biomedical Materials & Devices (IBMD) to transform advances in phonics and materials into disruptive biotechnologies.

Brian Oliver is a translational researcher whose research programs span basic to clinical research.  He was initially trained in the UK (National Heart and Lung Institute – Prof Peter Barnes, and Imperial College – Prof Seb Johnston).  Following the award of his PhD (2005 – The University of Sydney), he was employed by The University of Sydney and then the University Technology of Sydney.    He leads a research group of around 25 people of basic and clinician researchers who investigate the pathobiology and treatment of respiratory diseases.  Along with his team he has published over 250 publications.