Can we create a world where people live longer while maintaining a habitable and biodiverse planet? Participate in a compelling debate between biomedical engineers and chemical engineers as they discuss the pros and cons of human longevity and its impact on our planet's sustainability.
Join our discussion on a thought-provoking glimpse into the roles that Biomedical and Chemical Engineers play in building a sustainable future for all.
PLANET OR THE APES
DATE
04/09/24
12.00PM - 1.00PM
TIME
THE LAUNCHPAD, MELBOURNE CONNECT
WHERE
MEET THE PANEL
Ray Dagastine is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at The University of Melbourne and leads a research group studying the interfacial phenomena between drops bubbles and particles to solve problems in areas such as particle technology and sustainable product formulations. He has a passion for translating both fundamental outcomes and novel nanoscale measurement methods into practice through industrial collaborations, often through long lasting partnerships. Prof. Dagastine is also the CEO and co-founder of Tiny Bright Things, a start-up company that uses a unique imaging technology in products that can characterise unknown samples, understand morphology and determine complex structure on micron to sub-micron scales in wet or dry sample environments with minimal sample preparation.
Sandra Kentish is a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at The University of Melbourne. Professor Kentish has broad interests in industrial separations, particularly the use of membrane technology for energy, food and water applications. She is a Project Leader within the ARC Dairy Innovation Hub and a researcher within the Future Fuels CRC. She was the Discipline Leader in the CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) for Membrane Technology from 2003-2015. Professor Kentish has been awarded the Grimwade Prize in Industrial Chemistry, the Caltex Teaching Award of Excellence for Training of Chemical Engineers in Australasia, the Edward Brown Award and Kelvin Medal for Teaching Excellence within the University of Melbourne and the L.R. East Medal as Valedictorian of her Bachelors Degree Class. She was named as one of Australia's Most Innovative Engineers by Engineers Australia in 2017 and as one of 100 Women of Influence by the Australian Financial Review in 2018.
Clare Anderson, PhD is the Group Director, Sustainability Performance at Worley. Clare is the Group Director of Sustainability Performance for Worley globally and is passionate about the decarbonization of the energy, chemical and resources industries. Clare is responsible for Worley’s internal sustainability program of work, embedding sustainability in the way Worley operates the business and delivers services to customers. Clare is engaged across all of Worley’s business lines and key corporate functions to continue to evolve Worley’s sustainability program, narrative and engagement with external stakeholders and develop Worley’s leadership position amongst peer companies.
Michael Halwes is a PhD student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering studying new methods for designing and fabricating cell culture models for investigating diseases. As a former R&D Project Manager for a medtech startup commercializing devices for extracorporeal therapy, Michael has been actively involved in bringing new technologies out of the university lab and into the clinic. Aside from his PhD work, Michael is also helping commercialize advanced biofabrication systems for use in clinical disease modeling.
Dr Matthew Faria is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne
I study the interactions between nanomaterials and biological systems using a mixture of computational and experimental techniques. Experience in data science, computational modelling, experimental design, quantitative biology, and software engineering. PhD in biomedical engineering from University of Melbourne. 5+ years of experience as a software engineer prior to my research career, including hiring for technical positions.
Dr. Pholpat (Big) Durongbhan is a research fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Melbourne. He applies software engineering and high-performance computing to medical signal and image analysis, focusing on identifying new pathological features. Passionate about open and reproducible research, he has collaborated with engineers and clinical partners to tackle various medical challenges from dementia diagnosis and to uncovering structural degradation of the joint during arthritis progression. Dr Durongbhan will be bringing his expertise and passion to discuss the pros and cons of extended human lifespan and the planet's ability to sustain it.
Dr Shane Huntington is the CEO at Little Big Steps, Consultant, Speaker, MC, Executive Coach, Senior Associate-Outside Opinion, Radio Producer and Host - 3RRR FM, Sales Rep for Asylum Research (Oxford Instruments) in Aus/NZ.
