Workshop 5: From pipettes to policy: a world of career choices
Tracks
Track 2
| Tuesday, December 9, 2025 |
| 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM |
| Hall E2 |
Overview
ASCEPT & HA Career Development Workshop
Details
The purpose of this workshop is to raise awareness among students and early career researchers about opportunities and career trajectories in a range of fields, including academia, industry and teaching.
The workshop will feature successful scientists at an early-mid stage of their careers who have, importantly, faced the same questions that most students grapple with: what’s the next step after I submit my thesis; do I want to stay in research; should I pursue a postdoc in Australia or overseas; do I have what it takes to forge a successful career?
Panellists from a range of research backgrounds and careers will discuss their career paths, day-to-day tasks, positive and negative aspects of their jobs, etc. There will also be plenty of opportunity for questions during a panel discussion.
The target audience are honours/PhD students and early-mid career researchers.
Panellists from a range of research backgrounds and careers will discuss their career paths, day-to-day tasks, positive and negative aspects of their jobs, etc. There will also be plenty of opportunity for questions during a panel discussion.
The target audience are honours/PhD students and early-mid career researchers.
Speaker
Dr Wubshet Tesfaye
Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy
The University of Queensland
Panellist
Biography
Wubshet is a pharmacist with a credential in medication review and a licensed Mental Health First Aid Instructor at the University of Queensland’s Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. He also holds an Affiliate Research Fellow position at the University of Sydney School of Pharmacy. Currently, he is the fourth-year course coordinator for Pharmacy Practice and Medicines Management in the BPharm (Hons) program.
He completed his PhD at the University of Tasmania in 2019. Following that, he held postdoctoral researcher roles at the University of Canberra and University of Sydney, where he coordinated multiple government- and industry-funded clinical trials.
Wubshet's research primarily centres around understanding medication and patient outcomes in individuals with chronic diseases, with a special emphasis on kidney diseases. In collaboration with several researchers and stakeholders in Australia, Wubshet has attracted ~$2.1 million in grant funding. Currently, he is actively involved as an investigator in a large-scale cluster randomised trial (ACTRN12622000329763) funded by the Medical Research Future Fund and led by the University of Sydney. This trial is investigating the effectiveness of a community pharmacy-led point-of-care screening in improving the detection of chronic kidney disease and quality use of medicines.
Dr Aili Langford
Lecturer, Research Fellow
The University of Sydney
Panellist
Biography
Dr Aili Langford is a pharmacist, Lecturer and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHRMRC) Emerging Leader Research Fellow at the Sydney Pharmacy School. Dr Langford’s research focuses on reducing medication-related harm through deprescribing.
Dr George Tan
Research Fellow
Monash University
Panellist
Biography
George is a Research Fellow in Pharmacoepidemiology and Real-world Evidence at the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Monash University. His research focuses on generating real-world evidence on medication use patterns and outcomes. George has a specific interest in generating and validating drug repurposing hypotheses using real-world data. George currently serves as the Deputy Chair of the ASCEPT Pharmacoepidemiology SIG. George also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate topics such as Medication Safety, Evidence-based Practice, as well as coordinating the Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). He is also a practising pharmacist, with experience in both community and hospital pharmacy.
Dr Quynh Dinh
Research Fellow
RMIT University
Panellist
Biography
Dr Quynh Dinh is a lecturer in Pharmaceutical Sciences at RMIT University. Dr Dinh's research focuses on understanding inflammatory pathways that contribute to the development of cognitive impairment in cardiovascular disease and dementia.
Dr Audrey Adji
Research Scientist
Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research
Panellist
Biography
Dr. Audrey Adji is a research scientist at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and a research fellow at St Vincent’s Centre for Applied Medical Research. Dr. Adji has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications on cardiovascular haemodynamics during her research career, participated in and invited to speak at national and international conferences, and contributed to collaborative research networks. As Chair of the Women in Hypertension (Research) Committee at Hypertension Australia, she supports early-career and female researchers.
Dr Rikeish R Muralitharan
Research Fellow
Monash University, Victorian Heart Institute
Panellist
Biography
Dr Rikeish R. Muralitharan is a Level A Research Fellow at the Hypertension Research Laboratory, Monash University, where he investigates ways to leverage the gut microbiome for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. With a clinical background in medicine (MD) and a PhD in Genetics and Physiology (Sept 2023), his research bridges molecular biology, nutrition and diet, physiology, immunology, and translational cardiovascular science. Dr R Muralitharan has authored over 20 publications in journals including Circulation Research, Hypertension, Cardiovascular Research and Nature Communications. He has been shortlisted for multiple national and international awards including the Ralph Reader Prize from the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. He has secured competitive research funding as both chief and co-investigator from the Foundation of High Blood Pressure Research Australia, National Heart Foundation Australia, and Australia Stroke and Heart Research Accelerator. He is deeply engaged in mentoring, science communication, and equity advocacy, serving on committees across institutional, national, and international levels. His career path reflects a commitment to rigorous science, collaborative leadership, and creating inclusive research environments.
Chair
Hericka Figueiredo Galvao
Research Officer
La Trobe University
Alemayehu Jufar
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Aisling McEvoy
Phd Student
Monash University
Mariah Stavrou
PhD Candidate
UNSW Sydney