I am a physiotherapist with special expertise in ergonomics. My research aims to improve health outcomes through an understanding the physical impact of new technology use.
Reduction Of Chronic Post-surgical Pain With Ketamine - ROCKet Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,823,395.00
Summary
Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) is a common complication of major surgery, and a significant burden on quality of life and ongoing health costs. Ketamine is a drug used by anaesthetists to treat severe acute surgical pain. Various small studies suggest that it may be unique in its ability to reduce the risk of CPSP. We propose a large trial of ketamine during & after anaesthesia for major surgery to test this. Demonstration of effectiveness would promote widespread change in clinical practice.
Physical, Lifestyle And Psychosocial Determinants Of Spinal Pain Development In Adolescents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$682,800.00
Summary
This project aims to understand the development of back and neck pain in adolescence. By the age of 16 around half of all adolescents have suffered back pain and one third have suffered neck pain. For many adolescents this pain is disabling and over a third of sufferers miss school, miss recreation and seek medical help. The current understanding of back and neck pain in adolescence is quite limited - restricting the effectiveness of initiatives to prevent adolescents having to suffer spinal pai ....This project aims to understand the development of back and neck pain in adolescence. By the age of 16 around half of all adolescents have suffered back pain and one third have suffered neck pain. For many adolescents this pain is disabling and over a third of sufferers miss school, miss recreation and seek medical help. The current understanding of back and neck pain in adolescence is quite limited - restricting the effectiveness of initiatives to prevent adolescents having to suffer spinal pain and of treatment of those adolescents unlucky enough to have an episode. Better understanding and interventions for adolescent spinal pain will also have longer term implications by reducing adult spinal pain. Four out of 5 adults will experience spinal pain. In the USA treating adult back pain is the 4th largest health care cost. Many adults with chronic back pain had their first episode during adolescence. A better understanding of spinal pain in adolescence may help prevent it developing into a lifelong disability. We will collect information from 2,000 adolescents on their experience of back and neck pain and on potential physical, lifestyle and psychosocial risk factors. We believe factors such as their posture, muscle capacity, TV and computer use, mental health and social situation all combine to influence whether a person develops back or neck pain. The project is unique as it will not only collect a broad range of information during adolescence, but will also make use of a large database of health, developmental and psychosocial information already collected from these children since birth. With a better understanding of the development of spinal pain we will be able to develop guidelines to help prevent these problems. We will also be able to develop better treatment plans for sub-groups of adolescents with a particular combination of risk factors. Together these initiatives will assist in understanding and breaking the pathway to chronic spinal pain.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100206
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$423,154.00
Summary
Pain: Open to interpretation? This project aims to determine how pain interpretation drives pain experience, using rigorous state-of-the-art lab research. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the psychological mechanisms maintaining pain experience and avoidance behaviour, using novel techniques to measure interpretation of pain sensations. Expected outcomes include the development of an evidence-based psychological model of pain interpretation, enhanced capacity to build interna ....Pain: Open to interpretation? This project aims to determine how pain interpretation drives pain experience, using rigorous state-of-the-art lab research. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the psychological mechanisms maintaining pain experience and avoidance behaviour, using novel techniques to measure interpretation of pain sensations. Expected outcomes include the development of an evidence-based psychological model of pain interpretation, enhanced capacity to build international collaborations, and ecologically valid methods for measuring pain interpretation. This research forms a solid platform for further translational research, to build novel, scalable interventions to improve outcomes for the one in five Australians living with chronic pain.Read moreRead less
Technology is changing the lives of Australians. We need to understand the impact on health to gain the benefits with minimal harm. This fellowship will support a program of internationally leading research drawing together ergonomics, physiotherapy and physical activity expertise. Example projects include the impact of electronic games on children’s activity, walking workstations to increase physical activity of office workers and a family-based program for overweight adolescents.
Discovering how termites use vibrations to thrive in a predators' world. Our recent research revealed termites use vibrations to avoid predators/competitors for survival. However, the enabling mechanisms of this amazing ability remain unknown. The project aims at unlocking the secrets of these mechanisms by relating the mechanical properties of termite, legs, antennae and sensing organs (measured with advanced micro measurement techniques) to vibration signatures of ants and termites (extracted ....Discovering how termites use vibrations to thrive in a predators' world. Our recent research revealed termites use vibrations to avoid predators/competitors for survival. However, the enabling mechanisms of this amazing ability remain unknown. The project aims at unlocking the secrets of these mechanisms by relating the mechanical properties of termite, legs, antennae and sensing organs (measured with advanced micro measurement techniques) to vibration signatures of ants and termites (extracted using innovative signal processing techniques and nonlinear dynamics). We will develop novel bio-dynamics models that incorporate machine learning. We will test the models’ ability to manipulate termites foraging behaviour, with the ultimate objective of developing chemical-free, vibration-based pest control devices. Read moreRead less
Modelling and estimation methods for discrete multi-dimensional systems. Multi-dimensional signal processing plays a role in a variety of application areas, ranging from remote sensing for environmental monitoring and geological mapping, to medical imaging and the automatic control of industrial processes. The success of the project will provide mathematical tools for the advancement of the state-of-the-art in these broad areas.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170101062
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
A geometric approach to in-hand manipulation with rolling contact. This project aims to eradicate barriers to in-hand manipulation and design robot hands as dexterous and adaptable as the human hand. It will use the curvature theory of smooth surfaces and Lie Group theory to establish a coordinate-independent kinematic formulation of a robot hand with rolling contact and rectify the current singularity theory of in-hand manipulation. It will also use discrete differential geometry to establish a ....A geometric approach to in-hand manipulation with rolling contact. This project aims to eradicate barriers to in-hand manipulation and design robot hands as dexterous and adaptable as the human hand. It will use the curvature theory of smooth surfaces and Lie Group theory to establish a coordinate-independent kinematic formulation of a robot hand with rolling contact and rectify the current singularity theory of in-hand manipulation. It will also use discrete differential geometry to establish a discrete contact theory, which will be integrated into the proposed geometric framework to fully exploit modern tactile fingertips’ functionality. The expected outcome is robot hands with the dexterity and adaptability of the human hand.Read moreRead less
Distributionally robust dynamic optimisation for nonlinear switched system. Biochemical production utilising fermentation processes evidences poor product repeatability. This project aims to control and optimise 1,3-propanediol production via microbial fermentation. 1,3-propanediol is an essential ingredient for many polymeric materials and is present in cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products. New theory and parallel algorithms will be developed for the control and optimisation of the mi ....Distributionally robust dynamic optimisation for nonlinear switched system. Biochemical production utilising fermentation processes evidences poor product repeatability. This project aims to control and optimise 1,3-propanediol production via microbial fermentation. 1,3-propanediol is an essential ingredient for many polymeric materials and is present in cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products. New theory and parallel algorithms will be developed for the control and optimisation of the microbial fermentation of 1,3-propanediol production, where the bacteria kinetic parameters are uncertain without full knowledge of the probability distribution. This theory will also be applicable to other fermentation processes. The project outcomes are expected to significantly improve the productivity of the biochemical engineering industry involving fermentation processes.Read moreRead less