ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JOHN MCGHEE – DIRECTOR
John McGhee is a praciticing 3D Computer Artist and the Director of the 3D Visualisation Aesthetics Lab. His visual practice explores art and design-led modes of visualising complex scientific and biomedical data using 3D computer arts approaches, most recently Virtual Reality (VR) Head Mounted Displays (HMD). In early 2016, he was recognised as one of UNSW Sydney’s 20 ‘Rising Stars’ and emerging research leaders. John’s full research profile can be found here . You can follow John on Twitter at @johninnerpixel .
JOHN BAILEY – PhD student
John Bailey is the lead Virtual Reality developer of the 3D Visualisation Aesthetics Lab. Coming from a background in the advertising and games industries, he specialises in real-time 3D worldbuilding and serves as the creative and technical lead for the lab's interactive VR projects.
Dr KATE PATTERSON – Research Fellow
Kate Patterson is a visual science communicator and biomedical animator. Using narrative driven CGI and 3D animation, Kate transforms raw scientific data using the tools of visual arts and cinematography into a form that can be used for education, communication and awareness purposes. She is currently the VR Multimedia and Biomedical Animation project leader at the Garvan-Weizmann Centre for Cellular Genomics and is undertaking a Research Masters with the 3D Visualisation and Aesthetics Lab. You can follow Kate on Twitter at @katepatt.
Dr ANDREW LILJA – Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Having an extensive research background in biomedical science and a longstanding interest in the visual arts, Andrew works as the lead pre-rendered content developer in the lab. He specialises in developing creative solutions to complex visualisations in addition to carrying out a supportive role in the lab’s interactive VR content development. You can follow Andrew on Twitter at @andylilja.
MARK ARREBOLA — Application Developer
Mark is a 3D Artist and Virtual Reality Developer working with both the 3D Visualisation Aesthetics Lab and the Garvan-Weizmann Centre for Cellular Genomics. Coming from a background in video games and other screen media, he specialises in visual storytelling and presenting biomedical data in new and approachable ways. Mark can be found on Twitter @markybola.
Dr ROWAN HUGHES — Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Rowan Hughes grew up in Galway, Ireland, an altogether wonderful place (if a bit wet). Having a PhD in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin and experience in the VFX business, Rowan is a veteran computer scientist and researcher with a passion for computer graphics, simulation, data science and Star Wars. He’s on Twitter @rowanthughes.
CAMPBELL STRONG — Senior Application Developer
Campbell acts as lead technical developer in the lab. He has a background in molecular microbiology, film VFX, and making movies about molecular machines. The adoption of game and film 3D modelling software for showcasing biological systems has afforded great directorial freedoms, but are often lacking in the tools required to bring in raw scientific data sets and work with them in accurate and articulated ways. Campbell spends time addressing this gap by mashing his keyboard.
Dr SHEREEN KADIR — Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Shereen Kadir is originally from London, UK, and has a background in Biochemistry. She worked as a post-doctoral research scientist for many years specialising in cell biology and microscopy. Having a passion for art, she transitioned into a career in medical visualisation and science communication. She is particularly interested in 3D animation and VR to help scientists explain difficult concepts and hypotheses.
NICK GUNN — Lead Unity Artist
Nick Gunn is the lead 3D Unity Artist at the 3D Visualisation Aesthetics Lab. With a background in architecture, game design and multimedia production, Nick's work explores new forms of communication through 3D spatiality and virtual kinaesthetics. Nick is on Twitter @nickjaygunn.
LAB AFFILIATES:
CBNS
PROFESSOR MARIA KAVALLARIS
Maria is Head of the Tumour Biology and Targeting Program at Children's Cancer Institute and Director of the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine at UNSW. Her contributions to the fields of nanomedicine and cancer have been recognised by a multitude of international and national awards. As a co-leader of the JTCC project, Maria and her team generate ground-breaking imaging data that allows for immersive reconstructions of cellular environments. Follow Maria on Twitter at @MK_CCI.
PROFESSOR TOM DAVIS
Tom is a leading polymer scientist, nanotechnologist and Director of the CBNS who is based at Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science. Professor Davis was nominated for the prestigious Eureka Prize for his outstanding mentorship of early career researchers. He co-leads the JTCC project and has a strategic role in directing the immersive cellular project outputs and collaborations.
DR ANGUS JOHNSTON
Angus is leader of the NanoMaterials for Biology group at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and CBNS co-leader of the JTCC project. His research focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of the interaction between nanomaterials and biological systems to improve the delivery of therapeutics. Angus has a keen interest in the latest visualisation technologies and their use as scientific discovery tools and contemporary education platforms. Follow Angus on Twitter at @bio_nano.
DR LAURA SELBY
Laura is a visiting researcher from CBNS. She is part of the Nanomaterials for Biology (NanoMB) group at Monash University. Her research focuses on the development of fluorescent sensors to study the interaction of nanoparticles and proteins with cells. Laura is co-developing an interactive VR tool with 3DVAL for helping undergraduate students improve their understanding of chemistry.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR KRIS THURECHT
Kris is Group Leader and Principal Research Fellow at the Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland. His research focuses on the development of nanomedicines and imaging modalities involved in pre-clinical evaluations. Kris is a co-leader of the CBNS JTCC project and works closely with 3DVAL to provide cutting-edge imaging data for novel immersive nanoparticle VR visualisations. Follow his group’s tweets at @ThurechtGroup.
PROFESSOR ROB PARTON
Rob is Group Leader of the Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine Division at the Institute of Molecular Bioscience (University of Queensland). As a CBNS Chief Investigator and co-leader of the JTCC project, Rob and his team generate cellular and molecular imaging data in astonishing detail which forms the foundational structures of the interactive cellular VR landscapes. Rob has a keen interest in immersive visualisations of cellular imaging data and how the platform might enhance our understanding of the living world.
St Vincent's Hospital
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR STEVEN FAUX
Steven is the Director of the Departments of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney and a Conjoint Associate Professor of Medicine at UNSW. His contributions to the fields of rehabilitation and patient safety have been recognised both nationally (NSW Premier’s Award Finalist) and internationally (Ko Awatea International Excellence Award). Steven co-developed an award-winning personalised immersive VR program for stroke education and rehabilitation with the 3DVAL and conducted the first Australian trial in the use of VR for stroke education. His current research focuses on VR for pain management and student education. Steven is on Twitter at @sfaux1.
DR CHRISTINE SHINER
Christine is a neuroscientist and clinical research officer working in the Departments of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney. She has particular interests in stroke, neurorehabilitation, and exploring novel uses of technology to improve patient outcomes and optimise recovery. Christine collaborates with the 3DVAL on a number of projects, exploring how immersive VR and visualisation can be used to aid in stroke education, stroke prevention, rehabilitation and pain management. You can follow Christine on Twitter at @C_Shiner_.
Past Members
MIKA MUNCH
Mika interned at 3DVAL while on exchange at UNSW from Georgia Tech. She completed her computer science degree at Georgia Tech in December 2017 and is returning to pursue a Master of Industrial Design. She enjoys human-computer interaction, data visualisation, and new applications of technology to the visual world.
POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS:
- Vaughan Wozniak-O’Connor
- Aria Ahmed-Cox