Research at Flinders University is changing the world for the better. The research of our innovative early career researchers is also making an important contribution to the community and is being nurtured through seed funding grants.
The Early Career Research Seed Funding program provides an opportunity for emerging researchers to facilitate their own research, mature their leadership capabilities and build their reputation both as a supervisor and a researcher.
The funds often support a researcher’s first independent research study which then provides a springboard to larger projects and greater grant opportunities. The funding also creates opportunities to showcase research on the international stage, or form collaborative partnerships with industry and government stakeholders.
Each Seed Funding recipient can access up to $10,000 to support their brave new research which is creating positive change within our community.
Through the support of the community the Early Career Research Seed Funding program has supported more than 50 emerging researchers over the past six years.
The following early career researchers have been supported by Seed Funding to tackle local and global challenges across environment, health & medical, innovation, mental health and creativity & culture:
Dr Gorica Micic is studying body temperature changes to improve sleep health.
Early Career Research Seed Funding is a community-supported program.
With your support our early career researchers can launch their unique research projects, build international collaborations, and make new, life-changing discoveries.
Dr Muktar Ahmed, College of Medicine and Public Health
Mental health impact on spouses of patients with colorectal cancer: addressing the hidden burden in cancer care.
Dr Victoria Bridgland, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
Evaluating trigger warnings in people with disordered eating.
Dr Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, College of Business, Government and Law
Probation practice and outcomes: A comparative pilot study of probation officers in Australia and Germany.
Dr Jarrad Kowlessar, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Mapping Large Scale Archaeological Landscapes in Central Australia Using Deep Learning.
Dr Jake M. Robinson, College of Science and Engineering
Advancing acoustic technology to enhance ecosystem restoration.
Dr Jolene Thomas, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Understanding the nutritional health of Home Care Package recipients, and the impact on quality of life.
Dr Anne Mette Adams GradDipNg ’08, MNg(Cwk) ’12, BNg(Hons) ’19, PhD ‘23
Clinical practice guidelines for the nonpharmacological prevention, minimisation and management of agitation in the ICU.
Dr Lisa Furlong
Mobile apps to support foundational reading skills: An evidence-based analysis of quality and efficacy.
Dr Sarah Giles BEd(Sec) ’11, BSc(Hons) ’12, PhD(Biol) ‘20
Bacteriophage: mutagenesis, therapy and wine.
Dr Ben Lohmeyer PhD(SS) ‘18
Mapping Early-life Loneliness in Built Environments: Piloting a model for co-research with young people from the SA Youth Forum.
Dr Gorica Micic BBehavSc(Hons) ’12, PhD(Psyc) ’16, MPsych(Clin) ’19
Improving sleep and wellbeing through body-clock tracking and personalised light therapy.
Dr Irene Belperio PhD(EHLT) ’13, BIntSt(Hons) ’02, DipLang ’01, BIntSt ’01)
The experiences of disability support providers supporting older adults with ID and dementia in shared disability supported accommodation.
Dr Sam Elliot (PhD(EHLT) ’14, BEd(Hons) ’11, BEd(Sec)/BHlthSc ’10)
Understanding parental violence in youth sport.
Dr Lauren Jones (PhD(Med) ’22, BSc(Hons) ’17, BMedSc, 16)
Mapping the serotonergic pathways that underpin the gut-brain axis.
Dr Craig Liddicoat (BScEnvSc ’02)
Restoring health-promoting environmental microbiomes: Examining the role of leaf litter and organic debris.
Dr Daniel Thorpe
Paracetamol lowers body temperature by a novel gut-brain pathway.
Dr Rajeev Gundur
Evaluating Technological Uptake and Acumen among Returned Citizens.
Dr Kathina Ali
Evaluating an online intervention for individuals on the waitlist for eating disorder treatment: a pilot study.
Dr Ania Kotarba
Diving into the Desert: A pilot study mapping sophisticated Indigenous water management infrastructure and practices on Mithaka Channel Country, QLD/S.
Dr Hailay Gesesew, PhD(OtherHlthSc) '19
HIV Peer Educators and The UNAIDS 90-90-90 Treatment Targets in Ethiopia: A Pilot Survey.
Dr Yee Lian Chew
How does the neurochemical dopamine drive memory formation?
Dr Brooke Spaeth, BMedSc '09, BSc(Hons) '10, PhD(Med) '18
Enhancing point-of-care testing and local workforce capacity in Aboriginal communities through a continuous quality improvement approach.
Dr Michael Lawless
Usability Testing of a Co-Designed Knowledge Translation Tool for Older Adults with Multimorbidity.
Dr Mehwish Nasim
Combating vaccine related misinformation in migrant communities in Australia.
Dr Michael Roach, BBiotech(Hons) '08, PhD(Biol) '15
Understanding the virosphere of human microbiomes.
Dr Anya Arthurs
Circular RNA induction of DNA damage; a mechanism for stillbirth?
Stillbirth occurs in placentae that are prematurely aged, exhibiting high levels of DNA damage. This work would provide evidence of the first mechanism contributing to rates of stillbirth, which have remained constant for several decades.
Dr Claire Baldwin (PhD(Med) ’13)
Recommendations for older adults’ physical activity and sedentary behaviour during hospitalisation for an acute medical illness: evidence review and grading.
This project aims to develop a program to manage older adults’ physical activity and sedentary behaviour during hospitalisation for an acute medical illness.
Dr Ryan Balzan (MPsych(Clin) ’17)
Can an online self-help metacognitive training program improve outcomes for individuals at-risk of developing an eating disorder?
This project aims to reduce the onset and harmful consequences of eating disorders by investigating the effectiveness of an online early-intervention metacognitive training (MCT) program for young people at risk of developing eating disorders.
Dr Martin Breed
Investigating aerobiome exposure from urban green spaces to improve public health.
This project aims to generate the evidence for policymakers and health and environment practitioners to make informed actions on how to restore health-promoting biodiversity in urban green spaces via exposure to airborne microbial communities – the aerobiome.
Dr Joseph Fabian
Using insect brains to understand the variability of neuronal signals.
This fundamental study will use an identified visual circuit in the hoverfly as a simple model to quantify neuronal responses during flight. The motion vision pathway of hoverfly nervous system will help to inform both neuroscience and human medicine.
Dr Harriet Whiley (BMedSC ’09, BSc(Hons) ’17, PhD(EnvHlth) ’15, GradDipEnvHlthP ’18)
Hospital water as a source of antimicrobial resistant infections.
The first pilot study in Australia to investigate the role of hospital water and plumbing surfaces as a source of antimicrobial resistant microbes. The findings will support control of water transmitted healthcare acquired infections.
Dr Ashley Hopkins
Advancing the precision use of medicines in lung cancer treatment: Informing the impacts of gut microbiota affecting medicines on clinical outcomes.
The balance of a cancer patient’s gut bacteria can disrupt drug therapies. This study will collect data on the impact of non-cancer medicines on lung cancer treatment efficacy, aiding clinical decisions and improving patient outcomes.
Dr James McEvoy-May
Immunosuppression of acute respiratory inflammation by low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation.
This project aims to modulate the proinflammatory response during acute respiratory inflammation caused by diseases such as pneumonia or coronavirus by exposure to a low-to-moderate dose of X-ray ionising radiation.
Dr Madelé van Dyk (BMedSc ‘13, BSc (Hons) ’13, PhD(Med) ’18)
The Evaluation of Imatinib Pharmacokinetics and Precision Dosing Strategies in Children with Chronic Meyloid Leukemia and Acute Leukemia.
This study will collect data on dosages and effectiveness of imatinib, a leukemia treatment used by children patients with leukemia. About one-third of these patients discontinue treatment with imatinib due to toxicity (overdosing) or treatment failure.
Dr Justin Chalker New Frontiers in Sulfur Polymers
Justin’s project will explore the use of waste sulfur to develop non-polluting polymers that could acts as replacements for plastics, create a new generation of Infrared films, and aid the recycling of precious metals from electronic devices.
Dr Daniel Fassnacht A pilot study of a novel Podcast to improve knowledge and help-seeking for people with eating disorder symptoms
Dan’s study seeks to understand why the vast majority of those with eating disorders don’t seek professional intervention, and aims to harness the power of broadcast to heighten awareness and break down barriers to potentially life-saving help.
Dr Emily Fobert Artificial Light at Night in Marine Systems
Just as people have trouble sleeping with the light on, Emily’s work is examining how artificial light affects animals, such as stopping fish from breeding. She aims to form an extended network of experts to address light pollution so all creatures can get a good night’s sleep.
Dr Luke Grundy Maladaptive Response to Urinary Tract Infection in Chronic Pelvic Pain
Why does some pelvic pain linger long after the infection that caused it has resolved? Luke is seeking to understand why some nerves between the bladder and spine become hypersensitive, in a quest for a solution to a currently untreatable chronic pain problem that affects some 10% of the population.
Dr Julie-Ann Hulin UGT8: a new factor linking environment and genetics in colon cancer?
Colorectal cancer, the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, is attributed to both genetic and environmental factors, but ultimately is the result of over-growth of the intestinal stem cell population. This research aims to identify enzyme signalling pathways which may result in novel drug target development.
Dr Alyce Martin The role of mechanically-induced serotonin release in regulating gastrointestinal motility
Serotonin has an important role in the body, from affecting moods to contributing to digestive processes. Alyce’s research will examine ways of activating serotonin to aid smooth bowel function and address issues such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Dr Ian Moffat Reconstructing Rock Art Landscapes Using Digital Technologies: A Case Study from Red Lilly Lagoon
Using innovative drone imagery and geophysical survey Ian aims to reconstruct the palaeogeography of the Red Lilly region of Arnhem Land to understanding how rock art was influenced by factors such as elevation, distance to the ocean and local vegetation.
Harnessing techniques never before applied to rock art research, it promises to inform rock art studies world-wide.
Dr Joshua Newman Using Research to Make Better Public Policy
Using interviews with a range of public servants across multiple departments within a single government, this project aims to uncover the barriers and enablers of evidence-based policy-making. Previous international studies have demonstrated that major decisions, including what infrastructure to build, what health care services to offer, and how to educate children are often based on non-scientific principles such as intuition, ideology and conventional wisdom.
Dr Fiona Rillotta ‘Further Up the Hill’ – 20 years of inclusion of people with intellectual disability at university: Where to Next?
Fiona was inspired by the experience of Matthew who yearned to attend university, but his parents feared it was an impossible dream – until discovering Flinders offered Australia’s first and only program to support him to achieve his ambitions. This research will look beyond the program to understand how it is received by the wider University community and how that might translate to life beyond Flinders and into the workforce.
Dr Shelda Sajeev Accurate and reliable risk prediction for cardiovascular disease using machine learning
Development of an automated tool using machine learning could enable more accurate clinical prediction, timely intervention and earlier treatment to prevent cardiovascular disease-related illness and death. If the accuracy of the CVD risk prediction could be improved by 5% using the new tool, it could benefit 200,000 Australians.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Robert Saint, centre, with recipients of this year's Impact Seed Grants. Dr Luke Grundy, left, Dr Emily Fobert, Dr Joshua Newman, Dr Justin Chalker, Dr Fiona Rillotta, Dr Julie-Ann Hulin and Dr Daniel Fassnacht, right. Absent: Dr Ian Moffatt, Dr Alyce Martin and Dr Shelda Sanjeev.
Dr Catherine Attard is using genomic data to address the conservation of blue whales. Read more >
Dr Alice Clement is investigating the evolution of the nervous system and geographic distribution of Devonian lungfishes.
Dr Vanessa Conn is using NanoString technology in her research to quantify specific RNA in infants with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. Read more >
Dr Esther Erlings is studying the outcomes of children’s competency from family mediation.
Dr Oren Griffiths is researching covert attention in human learning.
Dr Linlin Ma is investigating the use of gold nanoparticles in the imaging and treatment of colorectal cancer.
Dr Deidre Morgan is measuring how people with advancing disease are adapting to functional decline.
Dr Lua Perimal- Lewis is empowering caregivers of people who suffer from mild mental impairment or early-stage dementia. Read more >
Dr Rodrigo Praino is researching the impact of non-traditional approaches on voting decision-making in modern politics.
Dr David Smith is researching psychological treatment for people with borderline personality disorder. Read more >
From left to right: Dr Deidre Morgan, Dr Vanessa Conn, Dr Esther Erlings, Dr Rodrigo Praino, Professor Robert Saint, Dr David Smith, Dr Lua Perimal-Lewis and Dr Catherine Attard.
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