Faces of Fulbright

Our 2021 cohort of Fulbright Scholars is one of the largest in our 71-year history.

We're proud to introduce you and give you some more personal insights into the research these incredible people are doing, why it matters, and what drives them to dedicate their lives to these pursuits.

2021 Fulbright Future Scholar Funded by the Kinghorn Foundation

Home: The University of Sydney Host: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Field: Biomedical Engineering

PROFESSOR HALA ZREIQAT PHD AM FAHMS FIOR FTSE FAA is is a professor of biomedical engineering at The University of Sydney and Director of the Australian Research Centre for Innovative BioEngineering. Hala is a trailblazer in the field of biomaterials and tissue engineering. Her team invented new bioceramics implants with outstanding strength and biological properties, and developed innovative technologies for 3D-printing these ceramics enabling personalized approaches to the repair and regeneration of large bone defects under load.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Hala will spend time at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the laboratory of Professor Robert Langer, a globally recognized pioneer, leader and entrepreneur in the biomedical sciences. She will learn strategies for commercialising and translating medical research into life changing products. Learnings will inform the commercialisation of regenerative medicine research in Australia.

Why is your field of research important?

Tissue Engineering and regenerative medicine is my field of research. This an exciting area with enormous potential to benefit mankind. There is a huge unmet medical need for restoring musculoskeletal tissue that is damaged due to disease, ageing and trauma.

This field provides an exceptional opportunity to unite my own areas of expertise in Biology with multi disciplines in material science engineering medicine and industry. The inspirational value of working in a team of brilliant rising stars cannot be overestimated and provides the greatest highlight in my career.

Who is your hero/role model?

My Mother, Father and Brother.

What do you hope to achieve over the next year?

That our discovery of the new bioceramics will progress to implantation in humans.

I am also hoping in the not-too-distant future that we can proceed with our patented technology of intelligent magnetic nanorobots that can selectively identify and kill cancerous cells in the human body. Another arm of our work addresses one of the biggest challenges in generating human tissue in the lab.

We have developed methods to structure synthetic tissues through material-cell interactions.

This research is being used to investigate some of the biggest unanswered questions in biology, such as how complex structure and function emerge in an organism; including shape, size, and the body coordinates of an organism.

In my experience there is the courage to step out of your comfort zone. Build successful collaborative relationships. Never give up or be intimidated by opposition and discrimination.

2021 Fulbright Scholar

Home: Australian National University Host: University of California, Berkeley

Field: Law

JOLYON FORD works on the regulation of responsible business and financial activity. Before re-joining the Australian National University law school in mid-2015, he worked in range of sectors including the federal public service, an intergovernmental organisation, academia, civil society, the private sector and a think-tank. He holds law degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), Cambridge, and the ANU. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, he became an Australian citizen in 2010.

Jolyon will use his Fulbright award to develop sustained research collaboration and networks with scholars and practitioners around the Centre for Responsible Business at the University of California, Berkeley. The focus of this work is comparative Australian-US perspectives on building effective models for regulating how corporations (and financial institutions) show transparently that they are managing the risk that their global supply chains may potentially contribute to patterns of forced labour and human trafficking.

Why is your field of study important?

Our quality of life as rich-world consumers improves year on year. Yet it is estimated that over 40 million people are caught up in human trafficking and forced labour: ‘modern slavery’. Through globalised supply chains, things that we use and consume (from cocoa to cotton, to components for electronic devices) may be sourced, at least in part, from people living and working in slavery-like conditions in source countries. Procuring firms have the power to insist on certain labour standards in source businesses lower down the supply chain. My research looks at how to leverage that power, including by regulations that force firms to ‘know and show’: know more about human conditions in their supply chains, and show what they are doing to address slavery risks.

What makes you passionate about it?

‘Transparency’ and ‘accountability’ are buzz-words for our age. I am driven by a curiosity about how we can use information to pressure for accountability and change, and passionate about increasing our understanding of how informed consumers and markets can help incentivise firms to adopt slavery-free business and buying practices.

My work explores how to design regulatory schemes to encourage or require corporate and financial actors (and government procurers) to be more transparent about their efforts to eradicate slavery. But I am sceptical of whether existing reporting schemes in fact deliver transparency, let alone accountability.

Who is your hero/role model?

Martin Luther King. Otherwise my father David, now 90. For four decades from 1950, through civil war etc., he worked in Zimbabwe to help subsistence communal farmers implement sustainable farming methods and increase food security. Passionate about soil quality, he saw soil erosion as a metaphor for the breakdown of rural social systems, as in the opening of Alan Paton’s classic apartheid novel Cry, the Beloved Country.

What do you hope to achieve over the next year?

As Australia and other countries roll out mandatory corporate reporting modern slavery legislation based on an influential decade-old Californian model, my research will enable us to understand better whether (or under what conditions) such reporting schemes in fact help (a) shed light on forced labour in global supply chains and (b) drive cultural change within the firms that must report.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to succeed in the way you have?

Persistence and perseverance matter more than ‘natural talent’, even if luck plays a big role.

What is bringing you joy right now?

Canberra’s beautiful mild Spring weather and the joys of gardening, especially when my daughters join in.

Home: University of New South Wales/Western Sydney University Host: University of Virginia

Field: Water Engineering

CLARE STEPHENS is a postdoctoral researcher at the UNSW Water Research Centre. Her work focuses on the implications of climate change for water resources, specifically the complex interactions between landscape processes and climate that impact the hydrologic cycle.

She will use her Fulbright Scholarship to visit a leading ecohydrology group at the University of Virginia and learn how to better apply advanced modelling tools to simulate the Australian environment under change. This project aims to provide new insights into future shifts in vegetation growth, fire regimes and nutrient cycling across Australia’s unique landscapes, focussing on hydrologic impacts at the spatial scales most useful to water managers. Clare’s time at the University of Virginia will allow her to build valuable networks while enhancing her knowledge of important vegetation processes and adaptive strategies.

Why is your field of study important?

Sometimes we forget that the natural world provides so many of the resources we rely on, and of course water is no exception. Water security isn’t just about dams and pipes; it’s also about healthy forests and soils that allow rainfall to infiltrate and flow through the system, recharging groundwater and improving water quality. Plants are dynamic organisms that respond to environmental change, including shifts in temperature, rainfall and CO2 concentrations, so it follows that climate change could have serious impacts on ecosystems and the services they provide us. However, there’s still a lot we don’t know about how forests are responding. This is especially true for Australia, where over 80% of trees are endemic (meaning they only occur here) so it can be difficult to generalise learnings from research in other places.

Ecohydrologic research aims to untangle the complex interactions between plants, climate and water. This involves developing and applying models that simulate the movement of water through the landscape along with vegetation response to changing conditions. Ultimately, I hope my work will contribute to informing water policy and environmental conservation strategies in a changing world.

What makes you passionate about it?

I’ve always wanted to work at the intersection of human society and the wider environment, but I didn’t originally think it would be in science. As an undergraduate, I studied engineering thinking it would be easier to make a difference on the ground. However, after four years in industry, I felt that we didn’t have the tools we needed to adapt to climate change. I decided to take some time to do my PhD, and within a few months I was hooked on research and never went back.

Ecohydrologic research inspires me because I believe there is still so much to be learned about the interactions between landscapes and water, and the answers will make a real difference to communities in the future. At the same time, I love thinking about trees all day; they are beautiful, fascinating and sometimes quite secretive! Many of the processes we need to understand are very difficult to measure. But of course, that’s part of the challenge that makes research so rewarding.

Who is your hero/role model?

My grandmother was a huge influence on me growing up, and she really encouraged my love of the natural world. We used to find special places to go – our favourite was a secluded beach near her house that was covered in the most beautiful mother-of-pearl shells. I hope I can maintain the same sense of wonder and natural curiosity that she had all her life.

What do you hope to achieve over the next year?

I recently moved to the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, so the next year will be all about developing new skills and getting to know my colleagues. I’m learning a lot more about the physiology of Australian vegetation in particular, and the diversity of ecosystems we have here. My Fulbright exchange will focus on applying a detailed ecohydrologic model in Australia for the first time, so the information I’m learning at Hawkesbury will be extremely useful.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to succeed in the way you have?

The early stages of academia can be quite stressful, partly because everyone’s path looks different and it’s difficult to benchmark your progress (cue imposter syndrome!). My advice is to work with a supervisor or mentor to set goals for yourself, and avoid comparing against the achievements of other people.

Everyone goes through stages of fast and slow progress, and we tend to compare our ‘slow’ times against whoever is currently ‘fastest’. For me, meditation can be a great way to practice self-compassion, but you should explore what works for you. Research is a long game, not a sprint.

What is bringing you joy right now?

Conversations with my new colleagues about plants! I love discussing potential reasons why different species have the traits that they do – for example, why do eucalypts have large leaves when they are young but smaller leaves as they mature? Often these questions can’t be answered with the data we have, but it’s a lot of fun to hypothesise and debate different ideas. I’ve also been loving long walks with my dog – we’re lucky to live in Sydney’s east so there are plenty of stunning ocean views.

Home: The University of Sydney Host: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Field: Engineering

PROFESSOR ANTONIO TRICOLI is Professor of Materials Science at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Sydney, where he leads the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory. His research focuses on understanding light-matter interactions over multiscale interfaces for the design of innovative materials and devices with application in Personalized Medicine and Renewable Energy.

He is a founding member and co-chair of the inaugural 2017 ANU Grand Challenge strategic research program “Our Health in Our Hands”, which brings together a large multidisciplinary team of scientists from HASS and STEM disciplines aiming at developing transformative technologies to better manage our health. He is author of more than 100 scientific publications, including book chapters and journal articles. He is recipient of the 2010 HILTI Prize for the most innovative PhD thesis of ETH Zurich, the 2012 Future Engineering Research Leadership Fellowship of the Australian National University, a 2015 Westpac Research Fellowships, a 2016 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Award and a 2020 ARC Future Fellowship.

Antonio will spend his Fulbright Scholarship with the group of Prof Jennifer L. M. Rupp at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he will explore the use of neuromorphic design principles for the engineering of future miniaturized biomedical diagnostic technologies.

Why is your field of study/research important?

Our bodies interact continuously with our environment via a variety of biomolecular paths. However, our capability to detect biomolecules is limited and mostly confined to bulk equipment in pathology and analytical laboratories. This limits our understanding of key biological process and blinds us from observing important events happening in our body and in our surroundings.

For instance, a major challenge for stopping the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has been the difficulty in identifying asymptomatic yet infectious individuals. Similarly, antibioticresistant superbugs can thrive in hospitals and other dangerous settings without being detected. My research focuses on developing nano-scale bio-transducers that can be integrated in miniaturized sensors for point-of-care, portable, and wearable detection of biomolecules. The development of nanoscale biosensing technology can be a game changer, contributing to the deep personalization of healthcare and transforming public biosecurity for better prevention of future pandemics.

What makes you passionate about it?

I have always been fascinated by the complexity and yet elegant simplicity of nature. The ability of cells to replicate into forming a human body, the development of functional biological structures capable to repel liquids such as the lotus leaf, and the capacity of living matter to evolve are mediated by sophisticated biochemical interactions.

I am passionate about creating ways to unravel these powerful mechanisms with the aim to enhance our understanding and capability to care for our health. I envision that the convergence of emerging miniaturized biosensors and Big Data approaches will lead to a transformation of our healthcare system from the current one based on rough statistics to a deep personalization of diagnostics and treatments.

Who is your hero/role model?

As a child, I was always a great fan of Indiana Jones, Einstein, Archimedes and Pythagoras. While I may not have taken anyone in particular as role model, I admit to have been inspired by their search for knowledge despite often adverse circumstances. I also have profound respect for political leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Malcom X who have dedicated their life to improve our society and ethical values.

What do you hope to achieve over the next year?

I have recently moved from the Australian National University to the University of Sydney. I am looking forward to complete the establishment of our new research infrastructure and group that will enable to rapidly advance my nanoscale biosensor research program. We are also working on validating some of our miniaturized biosensor platforms for application in Type 1 Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis that may be able to improve the efficacy of diagnostics, treatment and management of these diseases. I am also looking forward to my Fulbright research period at MIT in Boston, where I plan to expand my research and cultural horizons.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to succeed in the way you have?

Success is relative and, in my opinion, makes only sense if it brings upon happiness. I would not be trying to focus on succeeding but instead on finding what makes me passionate and drives me to become better. It is often the case that finding one's true passion also leads to achievements and on a successful life.

What is bringing you joy right now?

I am planning to visit my family in Italy during Christmas. I've not been able to meet them for the past two years due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions on travel. Being finally able to see my mother, my father and my sister this year makes me very joyful. I am also enjoying being able to regain some of the freedoms that were lost during the past lockdowns. Spending time with friends and resuming a more human dimension of getting together is uplifting my days.

Visit Fulbright.org.au to apply for a scholarship

Annual Deadlines:

Australian candidates (all)........................6 January – 6 July U.S. Postdoctoral/Scholar/Distinguished Chair candidates........6 January – 15 September U.S. Postgraduate candidates....................31 March – 6 October Fulbright Specialist Program.................1 July – 30 September

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Visit Fulbright.org.au to apply for a scholarship

Annual Deadlines:

Australian candidates (all)........................6 January – 6 July U.S. Postdoctoral/Scholar/Distinguished Chair candidates........6 January – 15 September U.S. Postgraduate candidates....................31 March – 6 October Fulbright Specialist Program.................1 July – 30 September