A/Prof Lana McClements is a qualified Clinical Pharmacist with a PhD in Molecular Therapeutics from Queen’s University Belfast, UK. She is currently an Associate Professor and a Heart Foundation Future Fellow at the Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. She leads the Cardio-Obstetrics Research group that is focused on developing better monitoring and treatment strategies for preeclampsia and building advanced 3D bioprinted and multicellular models of placental, vascular and heart tissue. She made seminal discoveries in preeclampsia prediction and diagnosis attracting >300K commercialisation funding and co-founded a spin-out company for high-risk pregnancies. In 2022, she received a prestigious Reproduction Emerging Research Leader Award by the Society for Reproductive Biology (SRB, 2022) in New Zealand. In 2024, she was selected as a member of the Preventative Cardiology Council of the CSANZ. At UTS, she chairs Science Inclusion, Diversity and Equity committee.

Ms. Dinh Nguyen Thuy Duyen is currently working as a product training specialist in the field of vitamins and minerals, where they focus on delivering scientific education and practical knowledge to healthcare professionals and industry partners. With a strong background in microbiology, Ms. Duyen is also actively involved in research related to microbial applications and host–microbe interactions. Their recent work explores the use of the wax moth larva (Galleria mellonella) as an alternative model to traditional vertebrate animals for in vivo testing, offering a more ethical and cost-effective platform for evaluating microbial pathogenicity and probiotic safety. By bridging product knowledge with ongoing scientific research, Ms. Duyen aims to support evidence-based applications in both nutritional supplementation and microbial biotechnology. Their interdisciplinary approach reflects a commitment to innovation, ethical research practices, and knowledge transfer between science and health-related industries.

Zhiwei Shen is a third-year PhD student at Macquarie University. His research focuses on nasal airway airflow and drug particle deposition via the nasal route using a combination of research techniques that includes computational modelling, and laser diagnostics techniques to investigate the fluidisation behaviour of fine particles, and their deposition mechanisms using optical coherent tomography. To date, he has published three peer-reviewed papers on nasal airway particle deposition, contributing to an understanding of deposition dynamics in respiratory drug delivery.

Dr. Manish K. Chourasia is a Senior Principal Scientist in the Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics at CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), India. He earned his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Dr. Harisingh Gour University and completed postdoctoral research at the National University of Singapore. With nearly two decades at CSIR-CDRI, Dr. Chourasia’s work focuses on advanced drug delivery systems, including nanoparticle-based therapies for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and visceral leishmaniasis. He has published over 100 research papers (h-index 35, i10 index 60, 5860 citations), edited scientific books, and holds multiple patents. Dr. Chourasia has mentored over 50 MS and 12 PhD students, with 8 PhD students currently under his supervision. He has secured major funding from agencies like DBT, DST, and ICMR, and is an active reviewer and committee member for research funding bodies. His work bridges academic innovation with translational outcomes for improved healthcare solutions.

Dr Claire Richards is a Lecturer in Biotechnology at the University of Technology Sydney. Dr Richards was awarded her PhD in Medical Science in 2024 following investigations into pregnancy complications and the development of 3D cell models of early pregnancy placental tissue.