Fields of Research

Aged health care
Central nervous system
Neurology and neuromuscular diseases
Geriatrics and gerontology
Health promotion
Health services and systems
Cognitive neuroscience
Neurosciences
Behavioural neuroscience
Preventative health care
Causes and prevention of crime
Cellular nervous system
Biological oceanography
Cell development, proliferation and death
Food properties (incl. characteristics and health benefits)
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Other psychology
Learning analytics
Other biological sciences
Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Psychiatry (incl. psychotherapy)
Primary health care
Health psychology
Physiotherapy
Major global burdens of disease
Applications in health
Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine
Implementation science and evaluation
Community psychology
Sociology of family and relationships
Health informatics and information systems
Virtual and mixed reality
Social determinants of health
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health promotion
Natural language processing
Speech recognition

Research Objectives

Health related to ageing
Clinical health
Health education and promotion
Preventive medicine
Diagnosis of human diseases and conditions
Prevention of human diseases and conditions
Mental health
Behaviour and health
Evaluation of health and support services
Crime prevention
Treatment of human diseases and conditions
Equity and access to education
Palliative care
Higher education
Marine biodiversity
Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Allied health therapies (excl. mental health services)
Criminal justice
Disability and functional capacity
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander determinants of health
Expanding knowledge in the information and computing sciences
Artificial intelligence
Health status (incl. wellbeing)
Expanding knowledge in human society
Expanding knowledge in psychology

Career Best Publications

Research Publications

A shifting profile of students in a university-based distance dementia education program: implications for policy and practice; Australasian Journal of Ageing
Are tomorrow’s doctors prepared to prevent dementia? A cross-sectional study of Tasmanian medical students’ knowledge of dementia risk factors; Journal of Clinical Neuroscience
Association Between Components of Cognitive Reserve and Serum BDNF in Healthy Older Adults; Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
Building dementia knowledge globally through the Understanding Dementia Massive Open Online Course (MOOC); npj Science of Learning
Change in modifiable dementia risk factors during COVID-19 lockdown: the experience of over 50s in Tasmania, Australia; Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions
Clinical impact of antipsychotic and benzodiazepine reduction: findings from a multicomponent psychotropic reduction program within long-term aged care; International Psychogeriatrics
Cognitive reserve in the baseline data of Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project: No effect of age or interaction with gender; The fourth annual NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research (NNIDR) Australian Dementia Forum
Exploring perceptions of eating with dementia: Findings from a massive open online course; Appetite
Exploring uptake of a university-level educational intervention to prevent cognitive decline and reduce dementia risk: The Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project
Factors influencing the habitat use of sympatric albatrosses from Macquarie Island, Australia; Marine Ecology - Progress Series
Family carers of people living with dementia and discussion board engagement in the Understanding Dementia massive open online course; Aging and Mental Health
Geolocator tagging links distributions in the non-breeding season to population genetic structure in a sentinel North Pacific seabird; PLoS ONE
How is palliative care understood in the context of dementia? Results from a massive open online course; Palliative medicine
ID: 434 - Is a massive open online course accessible and effective for everyone? Native vs non-native English speakers; 34th Virtual International Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International - Hope in the age of dementia - New science. New knowledge. New solutions
ID: 594 / OS18 - Building knowledge and understanding of dementia in aged care personnel: the understanding dementia massive open online course; 34th Virtual International Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International - Hope in the age of dementia - New science. New knowledge. New solutions
Implementing dementia risk reduction in primary care: Views of enrollees in the Preventing Dementia Massive Open Online Course; Australian Journal of Primary Health
Improving Knowledge and Practice through Massive Open Online Dementia Education: The Understanding Dementia and Preventing Dementia MOOCs; Alzheimer's Association International Conference
Increased age and higher levels of cognitive reserve are associated with lower serum BDNF levels in healthy older adults; Australian Dementia Forum 2021
Interactive effects of the APOE and BDNF polymorphisms on functional brain connectivity: the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project; Scientific Reports
Iron is increased in the brains of ageing mice lacking the neurofilament light gene; PLoS ONE
Is the understanding dementia massive open online course accessible and effective for everyone? Native versus Non-Native English speakers; International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Island Study Linking Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease (ISLAND) targeting dementia risk reduction: protocol for a prospective web-based cohort study; JMIR Research Protocols
Low intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation modulates skilled motor learning in adult mice; Scientific Reports
Lysosomal alterations and decreased electrophysiological activity in CLN3 disease patient-derived cortical neurons; Disease Models & Mechanisms
Measuring consumer access, appraisal and application of services and information for dementia (CAAASI-Dem): a key component of dementia literacy; BMC Geriatrics
Mindfulness is associated with lower stress and higher work engagement in a large sample of MOOC participants; Frontiers in Psychology
Physical activity for dementia risk reduction - not as easy as it sounds; 2021 Australian Dementia Forum
Poster - The island study linking ageing and neurodegenerative disease (ISLAND): a longitudinal public health research program targeting dementia risk reduction; 2020 Alzheimer's Association International Conference
RedUSe: reducing antipsychotic and benzodiazepine prescribing in residential aged care facilities; Medical Journal of Australia
Regional differences in beta amyloid plaque deposition and variable response to midlife environmental enrichment in the cortex of APP/PS1 mice; Journal of Comparative Neurology
Room for improvement: an online survey of allied health professionals' dementia knowledge; Australasian Journal on Ageing
Sex-specific protective effects of cognitive reserve on age-related cognitive decline: A 5-Year prospective cohort study; Neurology
Studying at university in later life slows cognitive decline: A long-term prospective study; Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions
Subthreshold repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation drives structural synaptic plasticity in the young and aged motor cortex; Brain Stimulation
TasTest: moving towards a digital screening test for pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease; Biomarkers
Temporal changes in the microglial proteome of male and female mice after a diffuse brain injury using label-free quantitative proteomics; Glia
The BDNF Val66Met polymorphism moderates the effect of cognitive reserve on 36-month cognitive change in healthy older adults; Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions
The critical importance of adopting a ‘personhood lens’ in reframing support and care for those with dementia; Dementia as Social Experience: Valuing Life and Care
The critical importance of adopting a ‘personhood lens’ in reframing support and care for those with dementia; Dementia as Social Experience: Valuing Life and Care
The Island Study Linking Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease (ISLAND): A longitudinal public health research program targeting dementia risk reduction
The TAS Test project: a prospective longitudinal validation of new online motor-cognitive tests to detect preclinical Alzheimer’s disease and estimate 5-year risks of cognitive decline and dementia; BMC Neurology
Transforming Knowledge of Dementia through the Understanding Dementia Massive Open Online Course (UDMOOC); Alzheimer's Association International Conference
Translating dementia knowledge to non-traditional settings and students; Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI)
Twilight-free geolocation from noisy light data; Methods in Ecology and Evolution

Research Projects

Development of a non-invasive screening test to detect risk of Alzheimer's disease pathology; Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation (RHHRF)
Enhancing Early Detection of Cognitive Impairment in the Criminal Justice System; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
The future in our hands: Screening for preclinical Alzheimer's disease by analysing hand movements; National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Advancing understanding of the social and behavioural correlates of mindfulness - Phase 2: refinement and re-validation of the Observed Mindfulness Measure

Research Candidate Supervision