Bio: Matt Trau is an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow. He is a Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Centre for Personalised Nanomedicine at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. He is also senior group leader and co-founder of the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN). His research is dedicated towards developing innovative nano-diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to help transform the healthcare system towards early detection and effective personalized treatment of disease. Since graduating from the University of Sydney (BSc Hons I, University Medal) and the University of Melbourne (PhD in Physical Chemistry), he has held positions within industry and academia across the globe. These include a Fulbright Research Fellowship at Princeton University, USA, a research scientist at Dow Chemical and ICI Pty Ltd. Matt has also been a visiting academic at The Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre, Seattle. Matt is internationally recognised for his innovative and cross-disciplinary research at the interface between chemistry, nanotechnology, biology and medicine. He has co-authored more than 300 publications, many of which appear in the highest impact journals in his field, e.g., sixteen Science and Nature family journal publications overall to date. His major awards and honours include an ARC Federation Fellowship (one of the most prestigious scientific Fellowships in Australia), a Fulbright Research Fellowship to the US, a "Young Tall Poppy" Award for Queensland, a UQ Foundation/Vice Chancellor's Research Excellence Award, a Paul Harris Fellowship, and a Pink Circle Award for breast cancer research excellence. Matt is passionate about science communication, has delivered more than 100 Plenary/keynote lectures at conferences around the world, a TEDx lecture (“An end to cancer mortality with Nanodiagnostics”) and frequently appears in the print, radio and television media on topics related to nanomedicine. His passion for research translation has led to the creation of 4 companies directly from technologies developed in his laboratory.

Talk title: Catching, Reading, and “Playing Around” with Single Molecules and Nanoparticles: Applications in the Clinic and Nanomanufacturing

The capacity to detect, manipulate, and analyse single molecules and nanoparticles is profoundly influencing molecular science, diagnostics, and nanomanufacturing. Our team has developed a suite of capture, manipulation and readout technologies that exploit nanoscale interfaces, molecular bioengineering, nanoscaled electrohydrodynamics, and advanced biosensing to achieve ultra-sensitive, multiplexed analyses of biomolecules in complex samples(1-6). These innovations are enabling new clinical applications and biological insights, such as minimally invasive liquid biopsies and trace level monitoring of the human immune system, as well as nanomanufacturing approaches that allow programmable assembly of functional materials (such as extracellular vesicles and vaccines) at the single-particle level. This talk will explore how combining fundamental single-molecule insights with practical engineering leads to translational platforms for both healthcare and scalable nanofabrication. By “playing around” at the interface of chemistry, bioengineering and nanotechnology, we can uncover powerful strategies for precision diagnostics and next-generation materials design.

Bio: Dr. Deok‐Ho Kim is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medicine, as well as thefounding Director of the Center for Microphysiological Systems at The Johns Hopkins University. Previously, he held a tenured Associate Professorship in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington, Seattle (2011-2019), and worked as a Research Scientist at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), including an academic visit to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich (ETH‐Zurich) (2000-2005). He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from POSTECH, Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University, and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2010. Dr. Kim’s research focuses on developing advanced biomaterials/devices and stem cell/tissue engineering technologies for disease modeling, drug development, and regenerative medicine. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, 2 books, and 11 book chapters. His papers have been cited over 19,000 times (H-index: 71) and have been highlighted in Science Magazine, the JHU Gazette, UW Today, CNN, and various newspapers. He is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Heart Association, and the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening. His innovative work at the intersection of biological, physical, and engineering sciences for medicine has been recognized by numerous honors, including the Samsung Humantech Thesis Award, the Harold M. Weintraub Award in Biological Science, the American Heart Association National Scientist Development Award, the Young Innovator Award of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering from the Biomedical Engineering Society, the IEEE NANOMED Innovator Award, the Mid-Career Award from International Society of Biofabrication (ISBF), and the KSEA Engineer of the Year Award from the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies. He has filed over 40 patents, many of which have been licensed for commercialization. In 2015, he founded a biotech startup company, Curi Bio Inc., which integrates advanced 3D tissue models of human disease, biosystems enabling clinically relevant functional analyses, and AI/ML-enabled insights. Curi Bio received the 2020 Tibbetts Award by the US Small Business Administration and the 2021 Edison Award. He currently serves on the scientific advisory board for several companies including Samsung Biologics, Samsung Bioepis, Vita Therapeutics, and Curi Bio. Additionally, he currently serves as the President of Korean-American Biomedical Engineering Society, and as a founding Director of the JHU-Korea Global Biotechnology Innovation Center sponsored by the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Talk title: Automated Human Heart-on-a-Chip: Pioneering a New Frontier in Space Biology and Medicine

Bio: Prof. Zreiqat’s contribution to regenerative medicine and orthopaedic research has led to a number of national and international awards, including being named a Member of the Order of Australia (2019), 2021-2022 Fulbright Senior Scholar (MIT); Harvard Radcliffe Fellow, Harvard University (2016-2017) (one of only two awarded in Australia); the 2018 New South Wales Premier’s Woman of the Year, the King Abdullah II Order of Distinction (2018), Eureka Prize winner for Innovative Use of Technology; Laureate TAKREEM Foundation 2022 “Scientific & Technological Achievement” and the University of Sydney Payne-Scott Professorial Distinction. She has been named one of Australia’s most influential engineers by the nation’s peak industry body. She is an elected Fellow of the International College of Orthopaedic Research (first Australian woman) and the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering. In Australia she is elected Fellow of four learnt National Academies; Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science; the Australian Academy of Health & Medical Sciences, Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering, and the Royal Society of New South Wales (oldest learned society in the Southern Hemisphere).

She is the past president of the Australian & New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society. Director of the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative BioEngineering (2017-2022) and a National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellow (2006-2020). 2021 Finalist American Chamber Alliance Award (Biotechnology). She is currently serving as the chair of the Australia-Arab Council, having held the position for two terms (2020 to 2023, and 2024 to 2026). She is an Associate of the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University and an Honorary Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Prof. Zreiqat has authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications and her research in the field of musculoskeletal disorders and biomaterials has led to four awarded and four provisional patents and more than $20.5M in competitive funding, including major grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council and the New South Wales Medical Devices Fund.

As well as her pioneering work in biomaterials development, Prof. Zreiqat is committed to improving opportunities for women and young scientists around the world. She is the founder and Chair of the BIOTech Futures, a science and engineering mentorship program for high school students.

Bio: Professor Yeong’s research work focuses on 3D bioprinting, as well as 3D printing of functional materials. She has been recognized with multiple awards including Top 50 Asia Women Tech Leaders 2024, NRF Investigatorship Class of 2022, Singapore 100 Women in Tech (SG100WIT) 2021 and the Inaugural TCT Woman in 3D Printing Award 2019. 

She is listed in the Top 2% Scientists Worldwide in a study from Stanford University since 2021, and named Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher for 2022 & 2024. In 2025, she is ranked #1 in 3D printing (highly ranked scholar - prior 5 years) by ScholarGPS. 

Prof Yeong is the founding editor of International Journal of AI for Materials and Design, and the associate editor for journals International Journal of Bioprinting, and Virtual & Physical Prototyping.