Research Opportunities
Below is an outline of NCHECR staff who are able to provide supervision, and an outline of their research interests.
Post graduate students who are interested in being supervised or co-supervised by a member of NCHECR staff should contact the relevant staff member or the Post Graduate Coordinator Dr Libby Topp (using the online enquiry form).
Scientia Professor David Cooper
BSc(Med) MB BS Syd, MD, DSc UNSW, FRACP, FRCPA, FRCP, AO
Clinical research in HIV/AIDS including antiretroviral therapy, drug toxicities, immune-based therapies, primary HIV infection, vaccines, cellular immune response to HIV, chemoprophylaxis and other biomedical methods of prevention of HIV infection and access and implementation of antiretroviral therapy in the developing world.
Professor Sean Emery
BSc, PhD (Brunel)
The evaluation of new treatments, new treatment strategies and biomedical preventive measures for HIV infection. The design and implementation of clinical research programs and projects to generate quality evidence to advise healthcare providers and policy makers. To balance high tech medicine with the reality of limited resources in countries where needs are greatest.
Professor Andrew Grulich
MB BS (Adel), PhD (UNSW), MScEpid (Lond), DipObst (Flinders), FAFPHM, DRACOG
Epidemiology and prevention of HIV infection; biomedical methods of HIV prevention; malignancies associated with HIV infection and other immunodeficient states; epidemiology of lymphoma; epidemiological methods.
Professor John Kaldor
PhD (Calif)
Epidemiology and prevention of HIV infection, hepatitis C infection and other sexually transmissable diseases and blood-borne viruses; Epidemiology and prevention of cancer; Epidemiological methods.
Professor Gregory Dore
BSc MB BS UNSW, MPH, FRACP, PhD (UNSW)
Clinical epidemiology and clinical research in the areas of viral hepatitis and HIV/viral hepatitis co-infection are broad research focus areas. More specifically, natural history of hepatitis C infection and natural history and therapeutic research in HIV/viral hepatitis co-infection. Other specific areas of research interest include quality of life in hepatitis C, HIV-related hepatotoxicity, and modelling of the epidemiology of hepatitis C.
Professor Basil Donovan
MB BS, MD, DipVen, FAFPHM, FRCPI, FAChSHM
In the field of sexual health, key populations warrant special attention as a public health priority. Such populations include sex workers, men who have sex with men, indigenous people living in remote settings, and prisoners. The molecular epidemiology of specific sexually transmissible infections (STIs) enables new insights into the spread and containment of STIs in populations.
Professor Tony Kelleher
MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FRCPA
The laboratory concentrates on comparing the interaction between virus and the immune system in treated and untreated individuals with HIV-infection in an attempt to define protective immune responses with the objective of applying these observations to rational treatment and vaccine design. We have started an exciting project on transcriptional gene silencing of HIV-1 by siRNAs. We have developed new methodologies for describing Treg cells and antigen specific cells.
Professor Matthew Law
MA Oxon, MSc Kent PhD (UNSW)
Broad interests in clinical research and epidemiology, in the areas of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C virus. Specific recent interests include the Australian HIV Observational Database, a national database of antiretroviral treatment uptake and outcomes, biostatistical methodology and mathematical models of infectious disease epidemics.
Professor Lisa Maher
BA Ql'd, MA PhD (Rutgers)
Ethnographic and epidemiological studies of blood-borne viral infection and transmission among injecting drug users, risk behaviours, social, cultural and environmental contexts of drug-related harm, participatory action research with PLWHA, IDUs and vulnerable communities.
Associate Professor David Wilson
BInfTech, BAppSc(Hons), PhD
David Wilson is Head of the Surveillance and Evaluation Program for Public Health. Research interests include understanding HIV transmission risk, monitoring the trends, understanding the drivers, and forecasting the future trajectories of HIV, viral hepatitis and STI epidemics, along with evaluating public health programs and interventions.
Dr Janaki Amin
BSc, MPH, PhD (UNSW)
HIV/AIDS and viral hepattiis epidemiology and clinical trials are of primary interest
Dr Tanya Applegate
BSc (Hons), PhD
Dr Tanya Applegate is a senior lecturer in the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program of the Kirby Institute for infection and immunity in Society (formerly known as the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research). Tanya leads the Hepatitis C virology research laboratory located in the St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research in Darlinghurst, Sydney. This recently established laboratory conducts both original research and manages external research to increase the output of Hepatitis clinical trials. The laboratory team also manages the HepBank sample repository for all retrospective and prospective HCV trials managed by the Kirby Institute. Research interests include Hepatitis C virus translational research, including molecular diagnostics, resistance and and molecular virology.
RAMPT PhD scholarship
Dr Mark Boyd
BA (Tas), BM, BS, MHID (FUSA), MD (UNSW), FRACP
I have broad interests in the field of HIV/AIDS including the conduct of interventional clinical trials to provide the evidence for its optimal management across high-, middle- and low-income countries. We work with a very broad and engaged network of research collaborators in Asia, Australasia, Europe, Canada, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa. Other interests include tuberculosis and in particular HIV/TB co-infection as well as investigation of antiretroviral toxicity and the bioethics of the conduct of research trials.
Ms Dianne Carey
BPharm MPH (Syd)
Treatment and adverse effects of antiretroviral therapy including HIV lipodystrophy
Dr Louise Causer
MBBS, MSc, DTM&H
Research interests include prevention and diagnosis of HIV, STIs, and other diseases of global public health significance, including malaria and Tb.
Current research focuses on rapid point of care (RPOC) tests for STIs. In order for RPOC tests to be considered for programmatic implementation they must demonstrate accuracy, reliability, acceptability and cost effectiveness in the required setting. Collaborative work with colleagues in Sydney, Melbourne and PNG aims to evaluate RPOC tests for Syphilis and investigate the feasibility of their use at a programatic level in a variety of settings.
Dr Fengyi Jin
MB, MPH, PhD
Epidemiology and prevention of HIV and other sexually transmissible infections
Dr Stephen Kerr
BPharm(Hons), MIPH, PhD
Rational drug use is about the clinical use of the right drug, for the right patient, for the right indication, at the right dose, for the right duration, at the lowest cost to the patient and the community. Using drugs in this way helps to optimise the safety and quality of health care. One important first step is the conduct of well conceived clinical trials. Since 1996, the HIV-Netherlands Australia Thailand Research collaboration has been conducting clinical trials of anti-retroviral agents in Thailand, providing information on safety and efficacy of these drugs in Asian people.
Dr Gail Matthews
MbChB MRCP (UK) FRACP PhD
General areas of interest include therapeutic research in the fields of viral hepatitis (hepatitis B and hepatitis C) and HIV, with a particular focus on indiviuals with viral hepatitis/ HIV coinfection. Specific areas of research interest include acute hepatitis C infection, antiviral resistance and HIV-HBV coinfection.
RAMPT PhD scholarship
Dr Anna Olsen
BSc/BA (Hons), PhD
With a background in illicit drug research and policy Anna is particularly interested in social research methods as applied to illicit drug use, hepatitis B and C experience and treatment, sexual and reproductive health, social inequalities and Indigenous health. Her theoretical and methodological training lies across the anthropology of health and illness, qualitative research methods and public health with a particular interest in illness discourse and thematic analysis.
In her current role as a NHMRC post-doctoral fellow at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research Anna is working on viral hepatitis, sexual health and Indigenous health. In addition to her continuing work on women and hepatitis C, Anna is conducting research on hepatitis B treatment needs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Prior to her post-doctoral research she was involved in a capacity building project training young Indigenous people and Indigenous health care workers in research methods and survey interviewing. Anna also teaches mixed-methods research to education and community studies students at the University of Canberra.
Dr Sarah Pett
BSc Hons, MBBS Hons, DTM&H, MRCP(UK), FRACP
In the field of clinical trials, immunotherapy and new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of HIV-1-infection in the developed and developing world.
Dr Garrett Prestage
BA (Hons) Sociology, PhD Sociology (UNSW)
Sexuality and sexual identity; Transmission, prevention and treatment of HIV other sexually transmissible infections; Gay men's health. Projects include both cross-sectional surveys and cohort studies of health and behaviour, as well as interview-based qualitative studies.
Dr Rebekah Puls
BSc Hons PhD (UWA)
Currently conducting clinical trials with HIV vaccines and new combinations of antiretroviral therapies, both in Australia and internationally.
Dr David Regan
PhD
The mathematical modelling group at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical research develops models for evaluating intervenitons aimed at controlling or preventing the transmission of transmissible diseases and, in particular, sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, Chlamydia and human papillomavirus.
Dr Libby Topp
BSc (Psych) (Hons 1), PhD
Epidemiological studies of illicit drug users, their patterns and contexts of drug use, related harms, risk behaviours, blood-borne virus transmission and intervention needs and preferences; surveillance of prevalent and incident blood-borne viral infections among illicit drug users.