The July Lunch Club had it all! The CBT Community had the pleasure of hearing Professor Peter Pivonka present his research on deep-learning-based framework for automated analysis of bone responses using micro-CT imaging data of small animal models. Dr Antonia Sun (right) shared her research in spatial immunological microenvironment in osteoarthritis and PhD Candidate, Buddhika Sinhasana (left), talked about his research on developing bactericidal nanostructures on polymeric 3D surfaces.
Congratulations to the CBT April Awardees
Jonathan Gospos, PhD Candidate received the CBT June Outstanding HDR Award, nominated by Dr Jacqui McGovern and Briony Claxton with the motivation: Jonathan is an exceptional team player, frequently supporting team projects using his skills as a qualified radiographer and contributing to many large animal studies. He has also mastered complex surgical skills crucial to his PhD research, enhancing his scientific skill set. Recently, Jonathan submitted his first primary data manuscript to Bone Research (IF 16.4) and contributed to a manuscript submitted to Cancer and Metastasis Reviews (IF 10.3), both of which are currently under review, marking a significant milestone in his journey. His achievements include an invited presentation at the TRI Annual Orthopaedic Research Showcase in 2023 and an oral presentation at the 7th TERMIS World Congress in Seattle. At TERMIS, he was awarded the Young Investigator Scientific Excellence Award, being selected from the top 10% of over 1200 abstracts, underscoring his outstanding achievements throughout his PhD journey.
The Best Publication Award – April-June 2024 went to Dr Nathalie Bock and Markus Laubach. Dr Laubach is a researcher and surgeon, taking research into the operating theatre. He’s a crucial part of the translation process, making sure that the new bone defect treatment technology helps patients most effectively. Title of the winning article: An innovative intramedullary bone graft harvesting concept as a fundamental component of scaffold-guided bone regeneration: A preclinical in vivo validation. Authors: Markus Laubach, Buddhi Herath, Sinduja Suresh, Siamak Saifzadeh, Bronwin Dargaville, Silvia Cometta, Victoria Schemenz, Marie-Luise Wille, Jacqui McGovern, Dietmar W. Hutmacher, Flavia M Savi and Nathalie Bock. Published in Journal of Orthopaedic Translation, Impact Factor: 5.9 Read the article here.
Lunch Club Speakers:
More information about the speakers:
Prof Peter Pivonka Deputy Director ARC ITTC for Joint Biomechanics, Co-director Queensland Unit for Advanced Shoulder Research. Peter finished his PhD with distinction at the Institute for Mechanics of Materials and Structures at Vienna University of Technology (TU-Vienna) in 2001. In 2007 he completed his Doctor of Science thesis at TU-Vienna leading to the award of the Venia Docendi in Continuum Mechanics and Biomechanics. At the beginning of 2017 Peter was appointed the Professor and Chair of Biomedical Engineering and Spinal Disorders in the School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering at Queensland University of Technology. Peter leads biomechanics research across the Faculty of Science and Engineering with a focus on musculoskeletal (MSK) and mechanobiology research in a multidisciplinary environment bringing together engineers, clinicians, surgeons and basic scientist. Utilizing a synergist approach closely linking experimental and computational methods allows for innovative solutions to challenging MSK problems. Peter is the Deputy Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) International Trainings and Transformation Centre (ITTC) for Joint Biomechanics recently established at QUT. He also holds the position of Research Director of the Queensland Unit of Advanced Shoulder Research (QUASR). Dr Pivonka is the immediate past President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Biomechanics (ANZSB). He has published 170 peer-reviewed papers, edited 1 book and 8 book chapters.
Dr Antonia Sun Antonia is a postdoctoral researcher in the Biomimetic Technologies for Cartilage Repair & Arthritis Group (BT-CRA) at the Centre for Biomedical Technologies (CBT) within the School of Mechanical, Medical, and Process Engineering at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). She obtained her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from QUT. Dr. Sun’s research focuses on developing advanced therapeutic strategies for osteoarthritis, particularly in obesity-associated cases, by targeting synovial inflammation and promoting cartilage regeneration. Currently, she collaborates on projects involving molecular analyses and spatial proteogenomic profiling to study joint tissue changes in osteoarthritis and nanotechnology-based therapies for osteoarthritis.
Buddhika Sinhasan is currently a PhD candidate affiliated with the School of Mechanical, Medical & Process Engineering at QUT. His research focus revolves in the development of methodologies for fabricating bactericidal polymeric nanostructured surfaces tailored in biomedical devices. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, in 2017. Prior to his doctoral studies, Buddhika amassed 3.5 years of industrial experience as the Lead R&D Engineer at the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology. He played a pivotal part in establishing Sri Lanka’s first graphene manufacturing facility. His expertise spans the domains of design and manufacturing. Following his industry stint, Buddhika delved into academia, dedicating 2.5 years to lecturing at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. Concurrently, he held consultant roles in various Sri Lankan industries, focusing on pilot plant fabrications. Additionally, he is serving as a sessional academic within the School of Mechanical, Medical & Process Engineering at QUT.
Did you miss the event? Here’s a snapshot for you!
The CBT Lunch Club offers our HDR students and early career researchers an opportunity to network with like-minded, give practice talks and be inspired by external presenters. The sessions are arranged by Dr Jacqui McGovern and Dr Nathalie Bock, CBT Internal Engagement Leads.
Contact us if you have questions or would like to come as a guest speaker: https://research.qut.edu.au/cbt/