University of Melbourne
Live streamed from Melbourne to Conference Hubs and Gold Coast (G03_theatre 1)
Matthew Watt obtained his PhD from the Deakin University in 2002, completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Guelph (Canada), RMIT University and St. Vincent's Institute, then
established a research team in the Department of Physiology at Monash University where he was supported by continuous National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) fellowships for over a decade. Matt moved to the University of Melbourne in 2018 where he is currently Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology. Matt has enduring links with the Australian Physiological Society and served as the National Secretary from 2013-2016. He has served as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Physiology and the American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Matt's research vision is to deconvolute complex metabolic and endocrine regulation to facilitate the development of new therapies for obesity-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cancer. His laboratory has worked with many local and international teams to achieve these goals, and they have established and share a comprehensive suite of analytical tools including real-time metabolic assessment in cells, tissues and mice, and lipidomic and proteomic evaluation using advanced mass spectrometry. Most recently, he has established and oversees the open-access Melbourne Murine Metabolic Phenotyping Platform to advance Victoria's capacity for in vivo metabolic testing. At the end of this pipeline, he works closely with industry partners, including Gilead Sciences and CSL, to advance the discoveries made in pre-clinical models towards real world solutions for patients.
University of Woolongong
G03_theatre 1 and Live streamed to Conference Hubs
Distinguished Professor David Adams is CEO and Executive Director of the Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong since December 2015.
David has been an elected Council member of the Australian Physiological Society (AuPS; 1995-98, 2003-04) and is a past President of AuPS (2004-10). He is a member of four Editorial Boards of international scientific journals and is an ARC grant reviewer, a member of NHMRC Ideas Grant Review Panel and member of NSW Cardiovascular Disease Research Advisory Committee (2018-22). His research focuses on membrane receptors and ion channels which has been continuously funded by an NHMRC Project and Program Grants (2005-19) and ARC Discovery Grants.
David is internationally recognised for his contributions to membrane physiology, in particular that of ion channel function and modulation using electrophysiological recording techniques. In the last 20 years, he has identified novel venom-derived peptides (conotoxins) from cone snails as probes for ion channel structure and function and to identify novel pain therapeutics. This research has focused on investigating conotoxins that selectively target the voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and G protein-coupled receptor modulation of calcium and potassium channels.
UNSW Sydney
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Assoc Prof Andrew Moorhouse was awarded the 2019 Michael Roberts Price for excellence in teaching.
Andrew was delighted to receive the Michael Roberts award in 2019, being nominated for "a sustained and collegial contribution to excellence in Physiology education at a National and International level, and for the development of innovative Physiology teaching activities". He has built a strong national and International profile in teaching development and leadership, but is happiest when engaging directly with students and inspiring them to develop awe and understanding of the discipline. At UNSW Sydney he contributes to the teaching of over 1500 students per year in Science and Medicine, through course development, lectures, practicals and online learning. Andrew is currently Head of Physiology Teaching at UNSW Sydney, and the Education Officer for AuPS.
University of Melbourne
G03_theatre 1 and Live streamed to Conference Hubs
Dr Charles Sevigny was awarded the 2020 Michael Roberts Price for excellence in teaching.
Charles is the proud recipient of the 2020 Michael Roberts award, cited for his "active engagement and excellence in teaching and learning, focus and development of digital learning modalities in the School and recognition of his outstanding pastoral care". Charles is the Director of Digital Learning for the School of Biomedical Sciences and the Director of Teaching and Learning in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Melbourne. He also coordinates three units and delivers over 100 lectures per year to more than 1200 students. These combined interests in digitally-enabled and face-to-face teaching are underpinned by the desire to deliver a blended, student centred experience which involves students as individuals despite online learning and large class sizes.