Research Team

  • Chantelle Sansness

    Chantelle is passionate about supporting the design of curriculum aligned learning opportunities that leverage technology, deepen understanding of real world issues and empower students to discover, synthesise and express learning in purposeful ways. She has worked as an Head of Curriculum across Primary and Secondary, and as a STEM Project...

  • Dr Heena Akbar

    Dr Heena Akbar is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research, working on the Feeding our Mana Project. Heena has extensive experience in community development, community-based participatory action research, with strong application of qualitative, quantitative and Indigenous methodologies and approaches in cross-cultural settings including the Indigenous (Aboriginal...

  • Dr Jeremy Kerr

    Dr Jeremy Kerr is a senior lecturer in the QUT School of Design and the lead investigator for the CCNR Co-Design Framework and Toolkit project. Jeremy’s research explores new design frameworks and methods to advance community capacity building and self-advocacy. His research projects include design-led initiatives in the areas of mental...

  • Dr Rebecca Byrne

    Dr Rebecca Byrne is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology. Rebecca practised as a clinical dietitian in hospital and domiciliary settings before commencing her PhD at QUT. Her PhD examining the dietary intake of toddlers, sat within the NOURISH randomised controlled trial. NOURISH was...

  • Dr Smita Nambiar-Mann

    Dr Smita Nambiar-Mann is an Accredited Practising Dietitian with over 15 years experience in clinical dietetics (private practice), research (industry & academia) and teaching. Smita is passionate about paediatric nutrition, particularly in relation to the prevention of childhood obesity. Her career in dietetics began as a research dietitian for the Healthy...

  • Dr Tina Gingell

    Tina completed her Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics (Honours) at QUT in 2019 and is an Accredited Practising Dietitian.  Tina completed her PhD through CCNR in 2024, Connecting with Cultural Foods. This research used strengths-based principles and co-design methods to explore how people with lived refugee experiences overcome challenges in the...