About the workshop
The EMCRs Professional Development Workshop will empower you to sidestep some common pitfalls and gain valuable tips on how to progress in your own career journey.
The first session entitled ‘How to...!' allows our expert presenters to share invaluable insights on:
- leadership and effective management of research groups
- managing budgets and agreements
- human resources responsibility
The second session ‘Career journey – what would I do differently?’ offers an honest appraisal from mid-career and emerging senior TRI-based researchers as to what they would change if they could turn back time. Topics include:
- navigating career advancement despite the occasional misstep
- embracing unexpected opportunities as a catalyst for change
- overcoming stress and thriving in academia.
Both sessions include dedicated time for audience Q and A, allowing you to make the most of this unique opportunity to learn from our experts!
Below you can download the full program, register and view details on the speakers.
Speakers
Dr Aideen McInerney-Leo - GROUP LEADER, frazer institute
Presentation title: 'Unexpected opportunities'
Dr Aideen McInerney-Leo is from Ireland and trained as a genetic counsellor in the UK before moving to the US. At the National Institutes of Health she worked clinically and learned about clinical research. She was also associate director of the Johns Hopkins Masters of Genetic Counselling program. Upon arrival in Australia, Aideen accepted a clinical position before leaving to undertake a PhD when her daughters were in primary school. She now leads her group, Integrating Genomics into Medicine, which develops educational interventions for clinicians and patients, to facilitate access to genetic testing. Aideen chairs the Frazer Institute Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is a vocal advocate for EMCRs generally and women in STEMM in particular.
Emily Bailey - DIRECTOR OPERATIONS, Mater Research
Presentation title: 'People and Money – HR and financial management for research Group Leaders'
Emily Bailey is the Director of Operations within Mater Research Ltd, overseeing a portfolio responsible for the operational management of the institute (including finance, facilities, and compliance), continuing to strengthen existing and new partnerships, and research commercialization activities. The principal existing partnerships involve the University of Queensland (UQ), as part of the Mater Research Institute–University of Queensland (MRI-UQ), and the Translational Research Institute (TRI). Emily manages the strategic and operational aspects arising from these partnerships.
DR Joshua Tobin - SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, Mater research
Presentation title: 'Failing Forwards: How to progress your career through inevitable EMCR missteps'
Dr Joshua Tobin is a staff specialist haematologist at PA Hospital and clinician scientist at UQ-MRI. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship and clinical training at MD Anderson Cancer Center where he received both the American Society of Haematology Global Scholar Award and the ASCO Conquer Cancer, Young Investigator Award for his studies in immunometabolomic axis in novel immunotherapies. Dr Tobin is the current Snowdome Haematology Fellow and has ongoing NHMRC Funding to apply translational findings to ongoing clinical trials to develop biomarkers that guide precision immunotherapies in non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
DR Sandra Richardson - GROUP LEADER, MATER RESEARCH
Presentation title: 'Reflections on the path to independence'
Dr Sandy Richardson leads the Developmental Molecular Genetics group at Mater Research. She earned her PhD studying mobile DNA “jumping genes” at the University of Michigan, USA, then in 2013 made her own jump across the Pacific to post-doc with Prof Geoff Faulkner (Mater Research, UQ). In the ensuing years she has navigated her EMCR career journey whilst raising a young family. In 2021, supported by an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Investigator Grant, she was appointed as a Group Leader at Mater Research. Her team of four investigates the potential of jumping gene activity to impact genome evolution and reproductive health.
A/PROF Sumaira Hasnain - GROUP LEADER, Mater research
Presentation title: 'Overcoming stress and thriving in academia'
A/Prof Sumaira Hasnain graduated with her PhD in December 2010 from The University of Manchester. She leads the Immunopathology Group at Mater Research. She holds 3 approved patents and 1 provisional patent for targeted immunotherapy which has led to the formation of a spin-off company, Jetra Therapeutics and venture capitalist funding. She has been awarded more than $7 million in competitive funding and has won 21 awards to date, including the Commercialisation Award from UQ in 2022. She is the chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee at Mater Research and serves on the National Equity in STEMM committee.
A/PROF Tony Kenna - GROUP LEADER, QUT, SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Presentation title: 'Learning to lead a research group'
A/Prof Tony Kenna is a cellular immunologist and a Principal Research Fellow at Queensland University of Technology. His research career has focused on human immunology and identification of novel therapeutic approaches for treatment of immune-mediated diseases including ankylosing spondylitis, AS and systemic sclerosis. Working closely with leading human geneticists A/Prof Kenna’s research integrates world-first genomic data with cellular and molecular immunology to unravel the key drivers of disease pathogenesis. He is also Academic Lead Research in the School of Biomedical Sciences and is an Executive Director of the Australian Society for Medical Research.
