Gianni is a research assistant in the Cardiometabolic Health and Exercise Physiology laboratory exploring the role of the sympathetic nervous system in health and disease. Overactivity of this system contributes strongly to the development and maintenance of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and heart failure. Gianni’s work has looked at therapies that target this system in the form of renal denervation — a surgical approach to lowering blood pressure by ‘silencing’ the nerves which control the kidneys and consequently drive-up blood pressure. They continue to work on projects investigating the role of the microbiome in the development of a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system in patients with hypertension and understanding which brain regions controls blood pressure.

Dr. Lindsea Booth is an Allan and Maria Myers Senior Research Fellow and head of the Neurocardiovascular Physiology Group at the Florey Institute. Her laboratory is focused on understanding how the brain communicates with other vital organs (heart and kidneys) via autonomic nerves in disease and, using state-of-art genetic engineering techniques, investigating how modifying activity within these nerves can improve outcome. Her research group is embedded within Florey's Stroke and Critical Care Research Priority area.

I'm an endocrinologist and PhD candidate at the Garvan Institute, where my research focuses on cardiometabolic contributors to cognitive ageing.

Dr Sultana Shajahan is a Sydney, Australia-based dementia and cardiovascular researcher with a background in clinical medicine, public health, and epidemiology. After completing her medical degree, she earned a Master’s degree in Public Health Research with High Distinction, followed by several years of research in stroke, women’s health, dementia, and cardiovascular disease at The George Institute for Global Health. She is completing her PhD on blood pressure parameters and dementia at The George Institute and the University of New South Wales (UNSW). She has expertise in systematic reviews and statistical analysis of large clinical trials and cohort studies. She was the recipient of the Young Investigator Award at the European Stroke Organisation Conference in 2023. She also brings experience in building local and international research networks through her work at The George Institute and an invited research exchange program (2024) at Linköping University in Sweden.

Dr. Audrey Adji is a research scientist at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and a research fellow at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. Her work explores pulsatile function in cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, including mechanical circulatory support devices in heart failure. She has authored >80 peer-reviewed publications, presented at international conferences, and fostered collaborative research networks. Dr. Adji has received multiple scientific awards and serves on editorial boards of hypertension journals. She mentors postdoctoral fellows and supervises higher degree students across medicine and engineering. As Chair of the Women in Hypertension (Research) Committee at Hypertension Australia and the Early Career Research Network of Pulse of Asia, she advocates for equity and emerging researchers. She is a member of the Hypertension Australia Taskforce and a Fellow of both the International Society of Hypertension and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Dr. Adji actively cultivates national and global research partnerships.

Dr Ruslan Pustovit completed a PhD in Veterinary Surgery (2006) in Ukraine and spent more than 10 years in private veterinary surgical practice and lecturing the Veterinary Surgery. From 2013–2023, Dr Pustovit worked with Professor John Furness on establishing the neural pathways that control bowel function. Ruslan made the striking discovery that defecation is dependent on ghrelin receptors, but not ghrelin (PMID:28801520). From 2023 onwards, Dr Pustovit was recruited to The Florey’s Translational Cardiovascular and Renal Research Group led by Professor Yugeesh Lankadeva. Dr Pustovit’s current research focuses on understanding the impact of seizures on cardiac sympathetic nerve activity and heart dysfunction. His aim is to develop new therapies to mitigate sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). This collaborative research program across The Florey’s Epilepsy Mission and Systems Neuroscience Theme is supported by a MRFF grant [2022–2025].