Indian-origin scholar bags coveted industry fellowship

Dr. Alka Jaggessar has received the 2020 Advanced Queensland Industry Research Fellowships awarded by Queensland government for early career researchers, for her research project on ‘Antiviral and antibacterial surfaces using nanotechnology for Queensland hospitals’. She has bagged $180,000 funding in Queensland government’s special round of research funding to support Covid-19 research. Dr. Alka’s Advanced Queensland Industry Fellowship is sponsored by Sri Medical Devices and Healthcare Solutions Pty Ltd, Panda Health care Solutions Pty. Ltd. and Royal Brisbane Women Hospital, Metro North Hospitals and Health Services.

Dr. Alka says that due to the rise of antibiotic resistant superbugs there is a critical need to develop and implement technologies to prevent pathogen surface transmission. Her AQIRF Fellowship will use nanotechnology to develop surfaces that deactivate viruses and bacteria in Queensland hospitals, reducing the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

This Fellowship will develop nanostructured metallic surfaces which deactivate SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses, and bacterial strains, tailored for Queensland hospitals and healthcare environments. Implementation of this technology will reduce transmission to patients, staff, visitors, and the wider Queensland community. Dr. Alka’s research will benefit Queensland and implementation of research outputs will be accelerated through collaboration with three Queensland based Partners, namely, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Panda Healthcare Pty Ltd and Sri Medical Devices and Healthcare Solutions Pty Ltd and help safeguard Queensland against potential future pandemics, contain the spread of infectious disease and reduce the risk of hospital acquired infections.

Dr. Alka Jaggessar (left) with Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda

Possessing degree in chemical engineering from the University of Queensland and the industry and teaching experience, she joined the Queensland University of Technology to pursue doctoral research to understand the impact of nanotextured surface production for bactericidal surfaces on orthopaedic implants using hydrothermal synthesis. She has attempted to minimise bacterial infections and improved osseointegration in orthopaedic implant applications. Her research fills the critical gaps in knowledge on the effect of hydrothermal process conditions on the fabrication of TiO2 nanostructured surfaces with inherent bactericidal properties and osteoblast activity response.

She has undertaken hydrothermal nanostructure fabrication, characterisation, and bacterial viability testing, and proved that bactericidal efficiency is statistically correlated to the height of the TiO2 nanostructures. Her research has greatly improved minimising orthopaedic implant failures due to bacterial infection, which will further minimise the need for primary and secondary revision surgeries due to post-surgical bacterial infections.

Dr Alka Jaggessar is also an active community volunteer and has been active within the Brisbane Indian community since 2011, and awarded the GOPIO QLD Young Achiever’s Award for Community Services and the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Trailblazer Grant (2020) from the Brisbane Economic Development Agency. She volunteered at the Radio Brisvaani in 2011 and co-hosted a youth radio program until 2013, addressing youth issues. She has been a great support as Master of Ceremonies for the Federation of Indian Communities Queensland (FICQ), India Australia Society (IAS), Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin Queensland (GOPIO QLD) and Diversity with Harmony. She also represented GOPIO QLD at the GOPIO International

Convention in Paris (2016) and attended the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Jaipur in 2012. She is also a member of the Diversity with Harmony and IAS community groups, and is passionate about Kathak dance, painting and reading.

Dr. Alka is also one of the active members of Smart Structures and Bio Interfaces Research group, led by Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda at the Queensland University of Technology and developing tools and strategies to combat against bacterial and viral infections by producing antipathogenic surfaces for various industrial and healthcare applications. Her accomplishments are a huge source of pride for her Smart Structures and Bio Interface colleagues and Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda.

Dr. Alka Jaggessar