Click session titles or presenters name to find out more information.
9am – 9.25am
Registration and light refreshments
VU City Tower – foyer
9.30am – 10.30am
Opening keynote and panel discussion:
Sport for Identity, Justice & Change
295 Queen St – lecture theatre
Dr. Roshani Jayawardana (moderator),
Victoria Univeristy
Dr Damion Thomas, Smithsonian National Museum
of African American History and Culture
Melanie Taylor, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Assoc. Prof Matthew Klugman, Victoria University
10.30 – 10.45am
Break
10.45am – 12.00pm
295 Queen St – lecture theatre
12 – 1pm
Networking lunch and poster walk
VU City Tower – level 10
1.00 – 2.35pm
Research Showcase 1: ‘By community, for community’ First Nations Knowledge | Sport that inspires elite performance, community participation & healthy living
295 Queen St – lecture theatre
Dr Paola Balla – Blak Women’s Healing Project:
Listening and Healing Collectively for Change
Ms Karen Jackson – Blak Place-Making: Sovereign ways of Connecting and Belonging
Dr Kath Travis – Healing and Recovering True Stories: Decolonising the archives, re-claiming and re-reframing our stories to heal
Ms Mary Toomey – Sticks and stones may break your
bones, but your racism does hurt me
Dr Aaron Peterson – Too hot to trot: helping athletes compete in the heat
Dr Andrew Ross – Ban It or Coach It? Rethinking
Heading for Women’s and Girls’ Football
2.35 – 2.45pm
Break
2.45 – 3.45pm
The Great Debate: Should academics be entertainers?
295 Queen St – lecture theatre
If research only lives in an academic journal, can it really have an impact? In a world consumed with social media and influencers - and now the rise of AI, how far do academics need to go to make their research relevant?
3.45 – 4.00pm
Session reflections and wrap up
295 Queen St – lecture theatre
Click session titles or presenters name to find out more information.
8.00 – 8.25am
Registration and light refreshments
VU City Tower – foyer
8.30 – 9.30am
295 Queen St – lecture theatre
Dr Abi Arulanandarajah,
Chief Medical Officer, Western Health
Prof. Phong Tran,
Western Health
Prof. Clarice Tang,
Victoria University
Assoc. Prof Khandakar Ahmed, Victoria University
Prof. Alex Parker, Victoria University
9.30 – 9.45am
Break
9.45 – 11.05am
Research Showcase 2: Health & wellbeing solutions | Smart, sustainable & liveable cities
295 Queen St – lecture theatre
Mr Patrick Rowe – The future of ligament biomechanics: translation of basic science to clinical practice
Dr Shabnam Shokouhi – Predictive Biomechanics for Modelling Gait Stability and Falls Prediction
Ms Rhiannon Healy – The Sex-Specific Hormone Links Between Physical Function, Glycaemic Control and Body Composition in Type 2 Diabetes
Mr Ahmad Hassan – The Science of Fire Spread: Lessons from big Merging Bushfires
Dr Xiujian Peng – The End of Coal Power? Economic Challenges of a Global Phase-Out for China, Australia, and the World
11.05 – 11.30am
Break
11.30am – 12.50pm
Research Showcase 3: Transforming communities through policy, practice & governance | Innovating education & future-proofing Australia’s workforce
295 Queen St – lecture theatre
Assoc. Prof. Charles Mphande – A Systematic Review of Funded Projects Towards African Youth Anti-Social Behaviour in Victoria
Dr Sam Keast – Bigger Than This – Fostering Racial Literacies toward Anti-Racist Practices within Schools
Assoc. Prof. Natasha Dwyer – First Language, First Assessment: Exploring AI for Equity
Dr Andres Molina – International Trends in School Socioeconomic Segregation: A Twenty-year Analysis Using PISA
Assoc. Prof. Nina Van Dyke – What do PhD students around the world say about the non-curricular institutional barriers and supports they encounter when doing their PhD?
12.50 – 1.05pm
VU Thrive trivia
1.05 – 1.40pm
Lunch and poster encore
1.40 – 2pm
People’s Choice Awards + Festival Close
Statement of progressive inclusivity
The VU Research & Impact Portfolio values the deep diversity of the VU community as a cornerstone for collaboration and social progress. We aim to show sensitivity in acknowledging First Nation perspectives, respect Indigenous voices and commit to the sustainable protection of Country.
The research festival organising committee is dedicated to ensuring the Research Festival mirrors the rich diversity of the VU community, with a balanced representation of genders, First Nations staff and students, and an explicit focus on profiling diverse social identities, including cultural identity, sexuality, ability, age, stage of career, discipline of research and employment type.
We appreciate any feedback before, during and after the festival. You can contact the Research Festival organising committee at [email protected].
Get in touch
Connect with VU Melbourne
We acknowledge the Ancestors, Elders and families of the Kulin Nation (Melbourne Campuses), the Eora Nation (Sydney Campus) and the Yulara/YUgarapul and Turrbal Nation (Brisbane Campus) who are the traditional owners of University land.
To learn more, please contact the Moondani Balluk Academic Unit on +61 3 9919 2836 or [email protected]
Copyright © 2026. Victoria University, CRICOS No. 00124K (Melbourne), 02475D (Sydney and Brisbane), RTO 3113, TEQSA No. PRV12152
Dr Damion Thomas will open the 2025 Victoria University Research Festival with a keynote presentation and panel discussion. He will be joined by Smithsonian Museum Specialist, Melanie Taylor, and Victoria University's ARC Future Fellow, Associate Professor Matthew Klugman, to explore the potential of sport as an agent of change – comparing U.S. and Australian perspectives and what we can learn from each other.
Dr Abi Arulanandarajah will open the second day of the festival with a morning keynote and panel discussion. She will be joined by Western Health's Head of Orthopaedics, Professor Phong Tran, and Victoria University's Professor Clarice Tang, Professor Alex Parker, and Associate Professor Khandakar Ahmed. This expert discussion will draw connections between clinical leadership, research translation, and collaborative impact, and highlight research projects that have made meaningful change in Melbourne’s west.
Meet the Vice Chancellor’s Research and Impact Fellows at a special ResFest showcase and panel discussion.
In a format inspired by the “3-Minute Thesis competition,” each Fellow will deliver a short, sharp, and engaging five-minute talk introducing their research focus, vision, and its impact.
The showcase will serve as one of their first official engagements and highlight VU’s commitment to advancing innovative, high-impact research. This much-anticipated event will be a central feature of the program, marking an important milestone in the university’s research strategy.
Professor Andy Hill, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research & Impact, will open the event, and following the presentations, lead a panel discussion and Q&A. Rosanna Baini, runner up of the 3-Minute Thesis competition, will MC the event.
Dr Damion Thomas
Damion Thomas is the Museum Curator of Sports for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies.
He earned his PhD in United States History from UCLA and has held academic appointments at the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign where his teaching focused on the intersections of sport, race, and masculinity in American society.
Damion is the author of Globetrotting: African American Athletes and Cold War Politics and has been a part of numerous publications and exhibitions that examine sports as a lens for understanding Black freedom movements, cultural diplomacy, and internationalism. He is also a frequent speaker and commentator on the social and political impact of African American athletes.
He is currently overseeing the Smithsonian’s exhibition, Sports: Leveling the Playing Field, which explores the contributions of athletes, both on and off the field. Some athletes have been symbolic figures of Black ability, while others have taken their activism beyond the court to the courtroom, boardroom and the newsroom.
Dr Abarna (Abi) Arulanandarajah
Abi is a Medical Executive with more than two decades of experience in health, spanning the NHS in the United Kingdom and the Victorian health system in Australia. She currently serves as Chief Medical Officer at Western Health since 2022, where her portfolio includes oversight of the medical workforce unit, the medical education unit, and the office of research.
After graduating with Honours from the University of Liverpool in 2005, Abi worked across multiple clinical specialties before pursuing Fellowship training with the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) and completing a Master of Health Administration (MHA).
Drawing on her expertise in clinical governance, workforce strategy, and medical leadership development, Abi is committed to driving system reform that delivers safe, effective, and sustainable services—while preserving the human connection at the heart of care
Melanie Taylor
Melanie Taylor is a Museum Specialist at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. There she demonstrates the power and appeal of sports to foster positive social change through the Sports and Race Initiative’s programs and collaborative projects. Melanie is also part of the curatorial team for the inaugural Sports: Leveling the Playing Field exhibition while contributing research, administrative and programmatic support to other curatorial projects.
Melanie holds a Bachelors in Sport Management from Union University, an MA in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Certificate from Georgetown University’s Center on Faith + Justice.
Melanie’s career spans roles in higher education, church ministry, contract support for minority-owned businesses, and cultural heritage work with the Smithsonian and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Outside of her role with the museum, Melanie also volunteers as a Resident Minister at Georgetown University.
Professor Phong Tran
Professor Phong Tran is Head of the Orthopaedic Department at Western Health and co-lead of the Waitlist Project, a multidisciplinary collaboration with Victoria University. His work focuses on improving the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of patients awaiting specialist care, particularly in Melbourne’s West. Through innovative approaches like low-cost e-health tools, Professor Tran’s research exemplifies the translation of clinical insight into community impact.
Associate Professor Matthew Klugman
Associate Professor Matthew Klugman (they/them) is an ARC Future Fellow at Victoria University’s Institute for Health & Sport and the Community, Identity and Displacement Research Network, and a Research Fellow with the Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair Program at the University of South Africa. Their fellowship project, Representing, Debating & Protesting the Nation: The Visual Legacy of Sport, will result in an exhibition at the Australian Sports Museum and curriculum resources using sport imagery for truth-telling around Australian history.
Matthew’s research explores the intersecting histories of sport, race, gender, migration, bodies, and visual culture, with a focus on how sport operates as a passionate popular culture—at once a site of exclusion and sovereignty, injustice and resistance, liberation and truth-telling. Their co-authored book Black and Proud won multiple national awards, including the NSW Premier’s Literary Award, and their collaborative work has been internationally recognised
Professor Clarice Tang
Clarice Tang is a Professor of Physiotherapy at Victoria University, where she leads the physiotherapy program and conducts research focused on chronic disease management and health equity. Her work uses consumer partnership methodologies to co-design culturally responsive health interventions, particularly with CALD communities. Clarice is also a clinical expert—one of Australia’s first advanced scope physiotherapy practitioners—with experience across diverse health settings.
Dr Asif Mahmood
Dr Asif Mahmood is a materials scientist specialising in battery materials and nanomaterials for energy applications, with a focus on lithium- and sodium-ion batteries. His work spans electrode and electrolyte design, interphase engineering, electrocatalysis, and water treatment—linking fundamental chemistry with practical performance.
Dr Mahmood earned his PhD at Peking University and held research roles at the University of Sydney before joining the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) as a Chancellor’s Research Fellow at the Centre for Clean Energy Technology. He received UTS’s Research Excellence Award for Research Translation, alongside prior Innovation and Best Researcher awards in China and a Higher Education Rising Star award in Australia. He has published over 100 research papers in top journal including Advanced Materials, Energy Environment Science, Advanced Energy Materials, ACS Nano, etc. which have accumulated over 13,000 citations with an H-index >51. He has received over $ 3 million in funding and is leading multiple ARC-funded projects including ARC DP, ARC LP and ARC LIEF projects with industry and government partners.
As he joins Victoria University as a Senior Research Fellow, Dr Mahmood will apply his battery-materials expertise to a fellowship program focused on battery fire safety, circular economy, and post-incident materials recovery—working with fire engineers, emergency services, and policymakers to develop evidence-based protocols and sustainable pathways for next-generation energy systems.
Dr James Broatch
Dr James Broatch is an early-career researcher with a diverse background in exercise physiology, molecular biology, and neurophysiology. A key focus of his current research is to unravel the complex biological mechanisms by which exercise protects the brain, and to translate this knowledge into improved clinical outcomes in both healthy and at-risk populations.
After being awarded his PhD, Dr Broatch was recruited as a joint research fellow between Victoria University and the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra. Upon relocation back to Melbourne in 2020, Dr Broatch established a unique, multidisciplinary ‘Exercise and Brain Health’ research program that utilises cutting-edge neuroimaging and molecular biology techniques to advance our understanding of exercise neuroprotection. In collaboration with the Florey/University of Melbourne, Dr. Broatch was awarded a MRFF Fellowship (2020) to lead a multi-centre clinical trial investigating the effects of cardiorespiratory exercise training on markers of brain health in sedentary middle-aged adults (The Train Smart Study).
Dr Broatch has collaborated with numerous domestic and international universities and institutes, published research from funded collaborations with industry partners, and given multiple media interviews translating the importance of his research findings to the community. He research has been acknowledged with numerous awards, invited presentations, and editorial roles.
Associate Professor Lesley Cheng
Associate Professor Lesley Cheng is a molecular and cell biologist whose research explores how tiny biological messengers, known as extracellular vesicles (EVs), can reveal early signs of brain disease. Joining Victoria University as a Vice-Chancellor’s Principal Research and Impact Fellow, Lesley is advancing her pioneering work to create a simple blood test for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Her research focuses on understanding how EVs cross the blood–brain barrier to carry molecular signals between the brain and body, knowledge that is helping transform how neurological diseases are diagnosed and treated. She completed her PhD at Monash University and Postdoctoral research at The University of Melbourne and La Trobe University.
Associate Professor Cheng is a co-founder of a start-up biotechnology company (Excelligent P/L) and Treasurer of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ANZSEV). A TEDxMelbourne speaker and recipient of the STEM Sisters 2025 Women of Colour in STEM Innovator and Entrepreneur Award, she is a passionate advocate for women and early-career researchers, inspiring the next generation to connect science, innovation, and impact.
At Victoria University, Lesley’s program will integrate fundamental discovery with translation, bridging academia and industry to drive innovations in brain health and preventative diagnostics.
Associate Professor Lia Kent
Situated in peace and conflict studies, Associate Professor Lia Kent’s research focuses on the myriad ways in which communities seek to repair and rebuild in the aftermath of state violence and protracted conflict. With a long-term connection to Timor-Leste, she has worked as both a practitioner and researcher since 2000, and in more recent years, extended her research to Aceh, Sri Lanka, and the settler-colonial context of Australia.
A/Prof Kent is committed to working in collaboration with local researchers and communities, seeking to use research to promote social change. Her most recent project, funded by an ARC Future Fellowship (2021-2025), examined the enduring social and political presence of missing and dead bodies in the aftermath of conflict, and led to the establishment of the Afterlives network <Home - Afterlives Research>.
Her work has been published widely, as two monographs, The Dynamics of Transitional Justice: International Models and Local Realities in East Timor (Routledge, 2012), and The Unruly Dead: Spirits, Memory and State Formation in Timor-Leste (University of Wisconsin Press, 2024), seven edited books, and numerous journal articles and book chapters. The Unruly Dead has been awarded the 2026 Best Female Scholar Book Award by the International Studies Association Peace Studies Section.
Associate Professor Khandakar Ahmed
Khandakar Ahmed is an Associate Professor of Information Technology in the College of Arts, Business, Law, Education and IT (CoABLEIT) and Discipline Leader for Emerging Trends in Science, IT & Engineering at the Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities (ISILC), Victoria University. He has expertise spanning Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Digital Health, Federated Learning, Quantum Computing, and the Internet of Things. A/Prof Ahmed’s research translates cutting-edge AI into practical solutions for healthcare and community impact, particularly in Melbourne’s West. As Chief Investigator, he has successfully led numerous research and industry projects since 2018, securing over $3.4 million in funding from partners such as Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA), Western Health, Maribyrnong City Council, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Tourism Research Australia.
Professor Alex Parker
Alexandra (Alex) is the Executive Director, Institute for Health and Sport, and Professor of Physical Activity and Mental Health. Alex leads a multidisciplinary research group that aims to measure, understand, and promote physical activity to optimise mental wellbeing and prevent and treat mental illness. Her research aims to maximise the potential of physical activity in achieving better clinical outcomes, improved functioning and wellbeing in those at risk of, or experiencing, mental health problems. Alex’s major research interests include: investigating the effectiveness of physical activity, behavioural and lifestyle interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental disorders; and safety, inclusion and mental wellbeing in elite and community sports. She is also a practising clinical psychologist specialising in youth mental health.
Dr. Roshani Jayawardana
Dr. Roshani Jayawardana is a researcher at Victoria University who works with Moondani Balluk, the Community Identity Displacement Research Network, and the Institute for Health & Sport. Roshani holds a PhD in critical community psychology, and her doctoral work engaged with young people who are placed on the margins due to their race, gender, and class within Brimbank, documenting how creative and expressive methods, such as radio-making, can facilitate the formation of stories and meanings about their identities and worlds. Roshani's research interests focus on how young people engage in community-based practices and settings of art and sport, and how these vehicles can foreground processes of understanding ethnic identity and responding to displacement, exclusion and forms of symbolic and structural violence.