Fields of Research

Systems physiology
Cardiology (incl. cardiovascular diseases)
Endocrinology
Central nervous system
Basic pharmacology
Sensory systems
Exercise physiology
Pharmaceutical sciences
Cell physiology
Cellular nervous system
Neurology and neuromuscular diseases
Cell development, proliferation and death
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Epidemiology
Ophthalmology
Peripheral nervous system
Respiratory diseases
Animal physiology - cell
Cell metabolism
Medical physiology
Nutritional science
Autonomic nervous system
Cellular interactions (incl. adhesion, matrix, cell wall)
Animal physiology - systems
Public health nutrition
Medical biochemistry - lipids
Signal transduction
Cancer cell biology
Environmental epidemiology
Cellular immunology

Research Objectives

Clinical health
Expanding knowledge in the biomedical and clinical sciences
Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Treatment of human diseases and conditions
Prevention of human diseases and conditions
Overweight and obesity
Expanding knowledge in the health sciences
Diagnosis of human diseases and conditions
Preventive medicine
Behaviour and health
Nutrition
Health related to ageing
Health education and promotion
Evaluation of health outcomes
Allied health therapies (excl. mental health services)
Social impacts of climate change and variability
Human pharmaceutical products
Climatological hazards (e.g. extreme temperatures, drought and wildfires)
Public health (excl. specific population health)

Career Best Publications

Research Publications

A New Method for Targeted and Sustained Induction of Type 2 Diabetes in Rodents; Scientific Reports
A vascular mechanism for high-sodium-induced insulin resistance in rats; Diabetologia: Clinical and Experimental Diabetes and Metabolism
Acute and long-term changes in blood flow after ischemic stroke: challenges and opportunities; Neural Regeneration Research
Acute vascular and metabolic actions of the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin 3-gallate in rat skeletal muscle; Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry
Acute, local infusion of angiotensin II impairs microvascular and metabolic insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle; Cardiovascular Research
An abductive inference approach to assess the performance‑enhancing effects of drugs included on the World Anti‑Doping Agency Prohibited List; Sports Medicine
Are the metabolic benefits of resistance training in type 2 diabetes linked to improvements in adipose tissue microvascular blood flow?; American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism
Blueberry tea enhances insulin sensitivity by augmenting insulin-mediated metabolic and microvascular responses in skeletal muscle of high fat fed rats; International Journal of Diabetology & Vascular Disease Research
Development and characterisation of a rat model that exhibits both metabolic dysfunction and neurodegeneration seen in type 2 diabetes; Journal of Physiology
Enantioselective disposition of (R/S)-albuterol in skeletal and cardiac muscle; Drug Testing and Analysis
Impaired postprandial adipose tissue microvascular blood flow responses to a mixed-nutrient meal in first-degree relatives of adults with type 2 diabetes; American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism
Impaired postprandial skeletal muscle vascular responses to a mixed meal challenge in normoglycaemic people with a parent with type 2 diabetes; Diabetologia
Impairments in adipose tissue microcirculation in Type 2 diabetes mellitus assessed by real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasound; Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging
Insulin resistance in the brain: Evidence supporting a role for inflammation, reactive microglia, and the impact of biological sex; Neuroendocrinology
Metabolic-vascular coupling in skeletal muscle: a potential role for capillary pericytes?; Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology
Metformin improves vascular and metabolic insulin action in insulin resistant muscle; Journal of Endocrinology
Muscle insulin resistance resulting from impaired microvascular insulin sensitivity in Sprague Dawley rats; Cardiovascular Research
Muscle microvascular blood flow responses in insulin resistance and ageing; The Journal of Physiology
No effect of NOS inhibition on skeletal muscle glucose uptake during in situ hindlimb contraction in healthy and diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats; American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology
Novel short-chain quinones to treat vision loss in a rat model of diabetic retinopathy; International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Perfusion controls muscle glucose uptake by altering the rate of glucose dispersion in viv; American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism
Pharmacological PDGFRβ inhibitors imatinib and sunitinib cause human brain pericyte death in vitro; Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology
Postprandial microvascular blood flow in skeletal muscle: Similarities and disparities to the hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp; Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology
Regulation of microvascular flow and metabolism: An overview; Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology
Role for the Microvasculature in Glucose Uptake in Skeletal Muscle; Glucose Uptake: Regulation, Signaling Pathways and Health Implications (Endocrinology Research and Clinical Developments)
Skeletal muscle microvascular-linked improvements in glycemic control from resistance training in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes; Diabetes Care
Transcranial contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the rat brain reveals substantial hyperperfusion acutely post-stroke; Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
Vascular and metabolic actions of the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate; Current Medicinal Chemistry

Research Projects

Acquisition of a VS200 Research Slide Scanner for the College of Health and Medicine; Ian Potter Foundation (IPF)
Can anti-diabetic agents improve blood flow and outcome following stroke in type 2 diabetes?; Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation (RHHRF)
Can idebenone be used to reduce severity of stroke?; Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation (RHHRF)
Can metformin and exenatide improve brain vascular function in type 2 diabetes to reduce stroke severity? ; Diabetes Australia Research Program (DARP)
Cardiometabolic benefits of exercise training in type 2 diabetes independent of weight loss; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Do pericytes regulate skeletal muscle capillary blood flow in response to insulin?; Australian Physiological Society (AuPS)
Generating and characterizing a reliable rodent model type 2 diabetes; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Harnessing the dual roles of pericytes to improve stroke outcomes; National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Microvascular dysfunction in adult offspring of type 2 diabetics; Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation (RHHRF)
Special delivery to the brain: Using cutting-edge ultrasound to increase drug delivery to reduce brain damage after a stroke; Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation (RHHRF)
The role of skeletal muscle pericytes in the development of insulin resistance: friend of foe?; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Toward targeted drug delivery to the brain using ultrasound; Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation (RHHRF)
Understanding how breathing in air pollution leads to metabolic disease; Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation (RHHRF)
Short chain quinones against diabetic retinopathy

Research Candidate Supervision