Thomas Iosifidis is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre and Telethon Kids Institute focusing on novel therapeutic avenues for respiratory diseases such as wheezing illnesses and asthma. His research interests revolve around understanding the mechanisms involved in tissue injury and repair in health and disease, and the development of therapeutics to enhance mucosal healing.

Dr Budden is an early career Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of Newcastle, investigating the impact of environmental particulates on epithelial functions in chronic respiratory diseases.

Kak-Ming is an early career researcher from the Telethon Kids Institute. Her expertise lies in pediatric respiratory health, particularly concerning Cystic Fibrosis (CF). She explores the differences in CF mucus, aiming to understand phage activity against specific bacteria in the mucus-rich CF lung environment, dedicate to advance phage therapy in respiratory health.

Dr Lucas was awarded her PhD in 2019 and is a postdoctoral fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical research, University of Tasmania. She has a strong interest in identifying rare disease-causing variants in familial disease. Currently, she is coordinating the Genetic Research in Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (GRIPF Study).

Rashad Mohammad Mahbub, a final PhD candidate at the University of Technology Sydney, is a molecular biologist turned bioinformatician. His research delves into the molecular landscape of chronic lung diseases, focusing on microbiome influence, transcriptomic responses, and therapeutic strategies. He is the recipient of the ERS Young Scientist 2023.

Dr Prabuddha Pathinayake is an early career postdoctoral researcher at the University of Newcastle. His research work broadly focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms underpinning chronic airway diseases, particularly severe asthma. He has a specific interest in studying protein folding biology in the airways and its significance in chronic airway diseases.

Dr Alen Faiz is a molecular pharmacologist and cellular biologist with expertise in bioinformatics and genetic editing. His research aims to understand the biology of respiratory systems at the genetic and epigenetic levels, including under conditions of exposure to cigarette smoke and current medications (i.e. corticosteroids). Dr Faiz’s multidisciplinary skills in high-level integrative bioinformatics and advanced cell culture ensure his research program can identify associations and then elucidate causal pathways and mechanisms, ultimately impacting to help the development of improved therapies.

Dr Rhiannon Werder is a Team Leader at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, utilising stem cell models of the lung to transform the discovery of new therapies for respiratory disease. She received a PhD from the University of Queensland in 2017. Dr Werder was awarded a NHMRC CJ Martin Early Career Fellowship to undertake postdoctoral work at a world-leading stem cell institute (Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University). Dr Werder now leads a multidisciplinary team at MCRI, combining expertise in stem cell biology and immunology, to develop new therapies for respiratory infections and chronic lung diseases.