Academics receive leadership award

Dr Gareth Forde and Associate Professor James Friend.

Dr Gareth Forde from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Associate Professor James Friend from the Department of Mechanical Engineering have been awarded Future Summit Leadership awards.

The awards are an initiative of the Australian Davos Connection, a not-for-profit organisation committed to encouraging individuals and organisations to make a difference.

The awards recognise outstanding "new-generation" leaders for their achievements and contribution to a vision for Australia's future.

Dr Forde was acknowledged for his work in establishing the Bio Engineering Laboratory which he manages on behalf of the faculty.

Dr Forde is currently working on a project to create a particle that can deliver a DNA prime-and-protein-boost vaccine via nasal inhalation. This technology could be of huge benefit to immunise large numbers of people in case of a pandemic or when there is limited access to trained medical staff.

Associate Professor Friend is the Director of the Micro-Nano Robotics Laboratory (MNRL) a world-renowned research group investigating novel applications of nano-engineering in medical, industrial and biological industries.

He is currently working on the development of an aerosol drug delivery device for the treatment of chemotherapy-driven fatigue and a means to rapidly infuse stem cells into special implantable scaffold structure for the effective treatment of spinal cord injuries and organ generation.

Further information on the summit can be found at the Future Summit website.