Privacy Policy

Small Talk Events P/L provides conference management services in accordance with the following Privacy Policy.

Small Talk Events is committed to treating the Personal Information we collect in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act ). This Privacy Policy sets out how Small Talk Events handles Personal Information.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to Personal Information collected by Small Talk Events that is exempted under the Privacy Act

Small Talk Events may modify this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect its current privacy practices.

In this Privacy Policy, ‘Small Talk Events’, ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ is a reference to Small Talk Events Pty Ltd. ‘Personal Information’ means any information that identifies or can be used to identify you, directly or indirectly, including, but not limited to, first and last name, place of work, email address, occupation or other demographic information.

Select a section

1. Personal Information we collect 
2. How we collect and manage Personal Information  3. Direct marketing 
4. Privacy on our websites 5. Children
6. Gaining access to Personal Information we hold 
7. Keeping Personal Information current 
8. Deleting Personal Information 
9. Complaints 
10. How to contact us 
11. Privacy Policy printable version

1. Personal Information We Collect

The types of Personal Information we collect include:

  • information about your use of this website (including time and date of access, Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer, pages viewed, and materials downloaded);
  • information in identification documents (for example, passport, driver’s licence);
  • information that you provide for the purpose of registering through the website (including your name and address, job title, email address, phone and fax numbers);
  • information about transactions carried out over this website (including requests for services and transactions carried out through our secure payment gateway); and
  • any other information that you send to Small Talk Events.

Small Talk Events will not normally collect sensitive information such as your race, ethnic origin, politics, religion, trade union membership, genetics, biometrics (where used for ID purposes), health, sex life or sexual orientation. If an engagement requires collection of such details, specific consent will be requested from you.

It is generally not practical to remain anonymous or to use a pseudonym when dealing with Small Talk Events as usually we need to use your Personal Information to provide specific services to you, or which relate to or involve you.
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2. How we collect and manage Personal Information

2.1 How we collect Personal Information

Generally we collect your Personal Information from you directly (for example, when we deal with you in person or over the phone, when you send us correspondence (including via email), or when you use our website).

Sometimes it may be necessary for us to collect your Personal Information from a third party. For example, we may collect your Personal Information from a colleague who wishes to apply for membership of a Society on your behalf.

We may also collect Personal Information about you from your use of our websites and information you provide to us through contact mailboxes or through a registration process on our websites.
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2.2 Where you provide us with Personal Information about someone else

If you provide us with someone else’s Personal Information, you should only do so if you have their authority or consent to provide us with their Personal Information. You should also take reasonable steps to inform them of the matters set out in this Privacy Policy or any Privacy Collection Statement we give you.
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2.3 Holding Personal Information

We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect Personal Information from loss, misuse and unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration and destruction, taking into account the risks involved in the processing and the nature of the Personal Information. In some cases, Small Talk Events engages third parties to host electronic data (including data in relation to the services we provide) on our behalf.

Our credit card processing vendors use security measures to protect your information both during the transaction and after it is complete. Our vendors are certified as compliant with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards), a set of comprehensive requirements all businesses that handle credit and debit payments must comply with.

We will retain your information for as long as your subscription is active or as long as needed to provide you with our Services. We may also retain and use your information in order to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, prevent abuse, and enforce our Agreements.

If a security breach causes an unauthorised intrusion into our system that materially affects you then we will notify you and the relevant authorities within 72 hours of our becoming aware of the breach and later report the action we took in response.
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2.4 Purpose for collecting, holding, using and disclosing Personal Information

Small Talk Events collects, holds and uses Personal Information for a number of purposes including:

  • to provide professional services;
  • to provide technology services and solutions;
  • to respond to requests or queries;
  • to administer this website;
  • to personalise the website for you;
  • to enable your access to and use of the website services;
  • to verify your identity;
  • for seeking your feedback;
  • to meet any regulatory obligations;
  • to transfer your information in the case of a sale, merger, consolidation, liquidation, reorganisation, or acquisition;
  • for administrative purposes, including processing payment transactions;
  • to perform internal statistical analysis, including of our databases and website; and
  • for any other business related purposes.

If you do not provide us with the Personal Information we have requested, we may not be able to complete or fulfil the purpose for which such information was collected, including providing you or our clients with the services we were engaged to perform.

The types of third parties to whom we may disclose your Personal Information include:

  • experts or other third parties contracted as part of an engagement;
  • our agents, contractors and external service providers;
  • our professional advisers; or
  • government or regulatory bodies or agencies (for example, the Australian Taxation Office).

We do not disclose Personal Information to third parties for the purpose of allowing them to send marketing material to you. However, we may share non personal, de-identified or aggregated information with them for research or promotional purposes.
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2.5 Disclosure of Personal Information overseas and sharing Personal Information

Depending on the nature of the engagement or circumstances of collection, we may disclose your Personal Information to other entities overseas to fulfil the purpose for which the Personal Information was collected, or a related or ancillary purpose or otherwise in accordance with the Privacy Act. The countries to which such disclosures are made, and types of Personal Information disclosed, depend on the specific circumstances of the engagement.

Our servers are primarily located in Singapore. In addition, we or our subcontractors, may use cloud technology to store or process Personal Information, which may result in storage of data outside Australia. It is not practicable for us to specify in advance which country will have jurisdiction over this type of off-shore activity. All of our subcontractors, however, where relevant are required to comply with the Privacy Act in relation to the transfer or storage of Personal Information overseas.
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3. Marketing

We will not use or disclose Personal Information for the purpose of our direct marketing to you unless: you have consented to receive direct marketing; you would reasonably expect us to use your personal details for the marketing; or we believe you may be interested in the material but it is impractical for us to obtain your consent. You may opt out of any marketing materials we send to you through an unsubscribe mechanism or by contacting us directly. If you have requested not to receive further direct marketing messages, we may continue to provide you with messages that are not regarded as “direct marketing” under the Privacy Act, including changes to our terms, system alerts, and other information related to your subscription.

Small Talk Events may also use your Personal Information for the purpose of providing information about the Society or an event for which you have provided your information.

If you do not want to receive any such material from us, you can contact us as detailed below:

  • for electronic communications, you can click on the unsubscribe function in the communication or
  • for hard copy communications, you can email us or
  • use the contact details provided here.
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4. Privacy on our Websites

4.1 Automatic collection of Personal Information

Cookies and other technologies may be used by Small Talk Events and its service providers on some Small Talk Events websites and through email to automatically collect certain types of information. The collection of this information allows us to customise your online experience, improve the performance, usability and effectiveness of Small Talk Events’ online presence and to measure the effectiveness of our marketing activities.

If you register or log into a Small Talk Events web site and provide information about your preferences, we may use your information to personalise your user experience. If you register or log into a Small Talk Events web site using a third party account (such as LinkedIn, Google or Twitter), we may collect any information you have permitted the third party service to share, including your name and email address, depending on the privacy settings you have set with the third party service and their privacy policy.
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4.1.1 IP address

An IP address is a number assigned to your computer whenever you access the internet. It allows computers and servers to recognise and communicate with one another. Public IP addresses from which visitors appear to originate may be recorded for IT security and system diagnostic purposes. This information may also be used in aggregate form to conduct web site trend and performance analysis, and to personalise your user experience.
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4.1.2 Cookies

Cookies may be placed on your computer or internet-enabled device whenever you visit us online. This allows the site to remember your computer or device and serves a number of purposes.

Although most browsers automatically accept cookies, you can choose whether or not to accept cookies via your browser’s settings (often found in your browser’s Tools or Preferences menu). You may also delete cookies from your device at any time. However, please be aware that if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to fully experience some of our web sites’ features.

Cookies by themselves do not tell us your email address or otherwise identify you personally. In our analytical reports, we may obtain other identifiers including public IP addresses, but this is for the purpose of identifying the number of unique visitors to our web sites and geographic origin of visitor trends, and not to identify individual visitors.
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4.1.3 Analytics Tools

Small Talk Events may use analytics tools, such as Google Analytics. To provide website visitors with more choice on how their data is collected by Google Analytics, Google have developed the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on . The add-on communicates with the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js) to indicate that information about the website visit should not be sent to Google Analytics. The Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on does not prevent information from being sent to the website itself or to other web analytics services.
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4.1.4 Embedded Links

In some of our newsletters and other communications, we may monitor recipient actions such as email open rates through embedded links within the messages. We collect this information to gauge user interest and to enhance future user experiences.
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4.1.5 Social media widgets and applications

Small Talk Events web sites may include functionality to enable sharing via third party social media applications, such as the Facebook Like button and Twitter widget. These social media applications may collect and use information regarding your use of Small Talk Events web sites. Any Personal Information that you provide via such social media applications may be collected and used by other members of that social media application and such interactions are governed by the privacy policies of the companies that provide the application. We do not have control over, or responsibility for, those companies or their use of your information.

In addition, Small Talk Events web sites may host blogs, forums and other applications or services (collectively “social media features”). The purpose of social media features is to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and content. Any Personal Information that you provide on any Small Talk Events social media feature may be shared with other users of that social media feature (unless otherwise stated at the point of collection), over whom we may have limited or no control.
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4.2 Links to third party websites

Small Talk Events’ websites may contain links to third parties’ websites. Those other websites are not subject to our privacy policy and procedures. You will need to review those websites to view a copy of their privacy policy.

Small Talk Events also does not endorse, approve or recommend the services or products provided on third party websites.
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4.3 Your choices

You have several choices regarding your use of Small Talk Events’ websites. In general, you are not required to provide Personal Information when you visit our websites. However, if you apply to receive information about our services, events and industry updates or wish to join a Society or register for an event, provision of certain Personal Information will generally be required.
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5. Children

We understand the importance of protecting children’s privacy, especially in an online environment.

In particular, our websites are not intentionally designed for or directed at children under the age of 18.

It is our policy to never knowingly collect or maintain information about anyone under the age of 18, except as part of a specific engagement to provide services which necessitates such Personal Information be collected.
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6. Gaining Access to personal Information We Hold

You can request access to your Personal Information, subject to some limited exceptions permitted or required by law. Access can be provided online through the ‘Update Registration’ page on this website. Requests can also be made in writing. Please see How to contact us for details.

Small Talk Events may charge reasonable costs for providing you access to your Personal Information.
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7. Keeping Personal Information Current

We do our best to keep your data accurate and up to date, to the extent that you provide us with the information we need to do so. If your data changes (for example, if you have a new email address), then you are responsible for notifying us of those changes. If you think the information we hold about you is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, we will take reasonable steps, consistent with our obligations under the Privacy Act, to correct that information upon your request. Corrections can be made online through the ‘Update Registration’ page on this website.

Corrections can also be made by contacting us, in which case we will take reasonable steps to correct it in accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act. Please see How to contact us for details.
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8. Deleting Personal Information

You can request the permanent deletion of your Personal Information from our records at any time. Deletion requests should be made in writing, please see How to contact us for details. We will respond to such written requests within 7 business days, either by confirming that the information has been deleted or by providing reasons why deletion has not been carried out. Some information, such as financial transactions, cannot be deleted due to fiduciary or other legal obligations. Once deleted, information cannot be recovered in whole or in part.
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9. Complaints

If you wish to make a complaint to Small Talk Events about our handling of your Personal Information, you can contact us as set out in How to contact us.

Small Talk Events will endeavour to reply to you within 30 days of receipt of the complaint and, where appropriate, will advise you of the general reasons for the outcome of the complaint. In some circumstances, the Privacy Officer may decline to investigate the complaint, for example if the complaint relates to an act or practice that is not an interference of the privacy of the person making the complaint.

If you are unsatisfied with our response to a privacy matter then you may consult either an independent advisor or contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner for additional help. We will provide our full cooperation if you pursue this course of action.
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10. How To Contact Us

If you have a query in relation to this Privacy Policy or you would like to notify Small Talk Events that you no longer wish to receive marketing material from us, access or correct your Personal Information or to make a complaint about Small Talk Events’ handling of your Personal Information, please contact Small Talk Events as follows:

Privacy Officer
Small Talk Events
PO Box 490
West Ryde NSW 1685
Australia
T 0422 116 849
E info@smalltalkevents.com.au
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11. Privacy Policy Printable Version

View a full version of the Small Talk Events Privacy Policy (PDF 65KB) .
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Quenten Schwartz
Head of the Neurovascular Research Laboratory, Centre for Cancer Biology, Adelaide University

Dr. Quenten Schwarz is a developmental neuroscientist heading the Neurovascular Research Laboratory at the Centre for Cancer Biology. Following a PhD in Human Genetics obtained from the Univresity of Adelaide he relocated to London to undertake Postdoctoral training at University College London. In this time he investigated the molecular control of neuronal and vascular development. Since returning to Australia to establish his laboratory in 2010 he has been awarded several NHMRC project grants, an NHMRC CDA Fellowship and is a current National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow.

His work is primarily focused on understanding how interactions between neural crest cells, neurons and endothelial cells control morphogenesis of embryonic structures including the craniofacial skeleton, heart and brain. In the past 5 years he has 24 publications in high-impacting journals, including 14 as first or senior author. In recognition of his achievements he has been honoured with several prestigious awards, including the 2011 South Australia Bioinnovation Award, the 2014 AW Campbell Award by the Australasian Neuroscience Society for early career research excellence, and the 2015 South Australian ASMR Leading Light Award.

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Simon Cool
Chief Executive Officer of the SMART CRC

Professor Simon Cool is Chief Executive Officer of the SMART CRC (Solutions for Manufacturing Advanced Regenerative Therapies), leading national efforts to accelerate the development and translation of regenerative therapies into tangible health solutions that improve lives. With more than three decades of experience, he is focused on forging collaborations across industry, government and academia to address critical manufacturing challenges in regenerative therapies through multidisciplinary innovation that accelerates patient access to life-changing therapies. His work in this area supports the development of the skilled workforce needed to support a rapidly growing regenerative therapies sector.

Professor Cool is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and the inaugural chair of the AusBiotech and Medicines AustraliaAdvanced Therapies Advisory Group. He is also the former director of the Advanced Cell Therapy Manufacturing Initiative at The University of Queensland (UQ).

Prior to returning to UQ in 2022, he spent nearly two decades at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR Singapore, where he progressed from Principal Investigator to Research Director.

An internationally recognised leader, Professor Cool holds over 50 granted patents and more than 150 publications, while fostering global partnerships that accelerate innovation, translation, and real-world impact.

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Snehlata Kumari
Senior Research Fellow, Frazer Institute, The University of Queensland

Dr Snehlata Kumari is a group leader and head of the Skin Inflammation and Immunity Laboratory at the University of Queensland, Frazer Institute in Brisbane, Australia. She is a board member and co-chair of the Scientific Program and Award Committee of the Australasian Society for Dermatology Research (ASDR), and a councillor of the International Psoriasis Council (IPC).

Her research focuses on uncovering the mechanisms of skin inflammation and paving the way for the translation of new, effective, and safe therapies for skin diseases, including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and hidradenitis suppurativa. Her research findings, defining novel mechanisms of skin inflammation initiation and persistence, were published in top-tier journals, including Nature, Nature Communications, and Immunity.

She has received multiple international recognitions, including the Christina Fleishmann Award from the International Cytokine and Interferon Society (ICIS) for Young Women Investigator, and honours from the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR), the Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (JSID) and the German National Academy of Sciences.

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Jess Frith
Professor & Deputy Head, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Monash University

Jess is Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Monash University, where she leads an interdisciplinary research group at the interface of cell biology and tissue engineering. After completing her PhD at the University of York (UK), she undertook postdoctoral research at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology before joining Monash in 2015. Her research focuses on understanding mechanobiology and developing bioengineered systems, such as hydrogels and microstructured materials, to control cell proliferation, differentiation, and function for improved tissue regeneration. Professor Frith has been recognised with several prestigious awards, including an ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award (2013), a Young Tall Poppy Science Award (2017), and an ARC Future Fellowship (2024).

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Khoon Lim
University of Sydney, Australia

Professor Khoon Lim is currently an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and the Co-Director of the Sydney Biomanufacturing Incubator at the University of Sydney, Australia. His research focuses on using light-activated macromolecular chemistry to design dynamic biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. These include musculoskeletal regeneration, cardiovascular health, chronic wounds and in vitro tissue models (cancer and aging). He has generated >120 journal publications and raised a total of >$13 Million research grant funding ($8 Million as CIA). He is the Past-President of the Australasian Society for Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering, Treasurer of the International Society for Biofabrication and Committee Member of Standards Australia (HE-012 Surgical Implants). He has won >20 competitive national/international awards, included in the World’s Top 2% Scientist List by Stanford University for 2022 – 2025. He currently serves on the Editorial Board of Biofabrication, Advanced Chemical Engineering, Advanced NanoBiomed Research, Tissue Engineering Part B, RSC Biomaterials Science, Macromolecular Bioscience and Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine. His research has also led to commercialisation of biomaterials licensed to a US-based company and commercial contracts with industry partners.

Email – khoon.lim@sydney.edu.au
Twitter/X – @Khoonono
LinkedIn

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Joanneke Maitz
Burns Surgeon-scientist at the ANZAC Research Institute, Concord Hospital

Specialist surgeon in burns, plastics, and reconstruction, and an accomplished researcher in translational burn injury and skin tissue engineering. She leads the Burns & Reconstructive Surgery Research Group at the ANZAC Research Institute, Concord Hospital and is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney.

Dr Maitz’s research focuses on advancing bioengineered solutions for burns treatment and reconstructive surgery, with emphasis on next-generation skin substitutes and improving outcomes for patients with severe soft-tissue loss. In 2025, the Concord Hospital Burns Unit received the NSW Health Innovation Award in recognition of this landmark research program. The Unit’s pioneering 3D-bioprinted skin project, now in a first-in-human clinical trial, represents a major step forward in personalised regenerative medicine. Initially developed for burns victims, this technology has the potential to transform treatment for a wide range of soft tissue defects, offering new hope for patients who previously had limited reconstructive options.

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Yiwei Wang
Distinguished Professor at Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China

Professor Yiwei Wang is a Distinguished Professor at Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China. She received her PhD from Kingston University London and completed postdoctoral training at the UK National Physical Laboratory and the University of Queensland. She previously served as Principal Research Scientist in the Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit at Concord Hospital, affiliated with the University of Sydney. Her research focuses on tissue engineering, wound healing, scar management, and drug delivery systems. Professor Wang has published over 100 SCI papers in leading journals and currently serves on the editorial boards of  Burns & Trauma and Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 

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Artur Schmidtchen
Professor and Senior Consultant in Dermatology at Lund University and Lund University Hospital, Sweden

Artur Schmidtchen, MD, PhD is Professor and Senior Consultant in Dermatology at Lund University and Lund University Hospital, Sweden, where he leads the Division of Dermatology and Venereology. His research bridges basic science and clinical innovation, focusing on the role of innate immunity in wound healing, infection, and inflammation. Applications include novel strategies for treating dysfunctional wound healing and systemic inflammatory diseases.

His work is grounded in the concept that the human body encodes innate immune regulators within its own proteins, released dynamically during proteolysis. Using an integrated approach combining mass spectrometry, computational modeling, biochemistry, microbiology, cell biology, and translational in vivo models, his lab has developed new therapeutic and diagnostic tools.

Prof. Schmidtchen’s group discovered thrombin-derived C-terminal peptides (TCPs), including TCP-25, which exert dual effects—direct antimicrobial activity and anti-inflammatory effects mediated via CD14/TLR inhibition (Nat Commun, 2018). TCP-25 has demonstrated efficacy in large animal wound models (Sci Transl Med, 2020), successfully completed Phase I clinical trials (Orphanet J Rare Dis, 2025; Clin Transl Sci, 2026), and is currently in Phase II/III clinical development for treatment of epidermolysis bullosa (EB). In 2024, TCP-25 also received FDA Orphan Drug Designation for EB. Building on the TCP structure, his team designed stapled peptide mimetics with improved systemic stability and efficacy in preclinical models of sepsis and systemic inflammation (Nat Commun, 2023). In parallel, his group has developed peptidomic methods for identifying proteolytic signatures and infection endotypes in wounds, supporting the development of precision diagnostics (eLife, 2021; Nat Commun, 2024).

Prof. Schmidtchen has held international academic roles, including Professor and Scientific Director at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and Affiliated Professor at the University of Copenhagen. He has published over 180 peer-reviewed articles and is the founder of Xinnate AB, Transient Pharma AB, and in2cure AB, which translate peptide-based discoveries into clinical applications.

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Sabine Werner
Professor of Cell Biology at the Swiss Technical University (ETH) Zürich

Sabine Werner is Professor of Cell Biology at the Swiss Technical University (ETH) Zurich. She studied Biochemistry at the Universities of Tubingen and Munich, Germany, and earned her Ph.D. at the University of Munich, after having completed her dissertation at the Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany, in the field of cancer research. As a postdoctoral researcher she worked at the University of California San Francisco, where she studied the functions and mechanisms of action of growth factors in tissue repair. After her return to Europe and until her move to Zurich, she was a group leader at the Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried and Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich.

Her group studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms of wound repair and the parallels to inflammatory skin diseases and cancer with a focus on the roles of growth factors and their downstream targets in these processes.

Sabine Werner is an elected member of EMBO, the German Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina), and the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc), and the chair of the interdisciplinary skin research consortium SKINTEGRITY.CH.

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Rob Fitridge
Vascular Surgeon at the Royal Adelaide and The Queen Elizabeth Hospitals

Professor Rob Fitridge is a Vascular Surgeon at the Royal Adelaide and The Queen Elizabeth Hospitals.

He is a member of the International Working Group for the Diabetic Foot (and co-chair of its Peripheral Arterial Disease guideline writing group which is collaborating with the European Society for Vascular Surgery [ESVS] and the Society for Vascular Surgery [SVS]). He is a member of the steering committee for the Global Guidelines for Chronic Limb-threatening Ischaemia (CLTI) and has also been an author of the ESVS Asymptomatic PAD and Claudication guideline.

He is managing editor for the fourth edition of “Mechanisms of Vascular Disease: A Textbook for Vascular Specialists”, which is a core reference for vascular traning.

Prof Fitridge has a research interest in wound healing in diabetes, assessment and management of diabetes-related foot complications and has a major interest in optimising care for rural, remote and First Nations people with DRFCs and CLTI using advanced telehealth.

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Zlatko Kopecki
Industry Research Fellow, Adelaide University

Dr. Kopecki is a past NHMRC ECR Fellow, inaugural Future Industries Institute (FII) Foundation Fellow, Mid-Career Fellow in Childhood Wound Infections at University of South Australia and is a current Industry Research Fellow in Wound Healing at University of Adelaide. He is also a Principal Scientist at PolyNovo Biomaterials Pty Ltd. His research integrates cell therapy and biomaterials to develop frontier technologies for improved wound care, and management of clinical infection and wound biofilms. He leads a team focused on preclinical studies aimed at developing disruptive technologies and innovative medical devices to improve patient outcomes and reimagine the standard of care.

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Susan Volk
Professor of Small Animal Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine

Susan Volk VMD, PhD, DACVS is the Corinne R and Henry Bower Endowed Professor of Small Animal Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. As a veterinary surgeon-scientist, she is interested in developing innovative translational strategies which close clinical gaps in patient care, particularly when “the scalpel doesn’t cut it.” Her research program focuses on understanding dynamic reciprocity between cells and their surrounding extracellular matrix in both regenerative and tumor microenvironments. The success of her program capitalizes on her ability to lead a cross-disciplinary collaborative team capable of efficiently developing novel therapies for surgical and cancer patients, including her patented approach to reengineering the tumor microenvironment. This National Institutes of Health, private foundation, and industry-sponsored research has basic and translational components, including clinical trials in veterinary patients.

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Xanthe Venn
Senior Research Fellow, Future Industries Institute

Dr Xanthe Venn is Senior Research Fellow in Regenerative Medicine at Adelaide University’s Future Industries Institute (FII) and Vice President of the Australasian Wound and Tissue Repair Society (AWTRS). Awarded her PhD from the University of South Australia for the investigation of the role of the cytoskeletal protein Flightless I in tissue regeneration in 2016, Xanthe has more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and received over $1.5 million in research income. A molecular biologist with a deep research background in impaired wound healing, her research in burns, fibrosis and chronic non-healing wounds has been recognised nationally and internationally having won Young Investigator awards from both the AWTRS and European Tissue Repair Society (ETRS) and named a South Australian Young Tall Poppy of Science. Currently, there are no effective diagnostic tools to predict whether a patient will develop a chronic non-healing wound or suffer from debilitating scar formation, nor effective treatments to prevent this. Therefore, Xanthe is working closely with both clinicians and industry to improve healing outcomes for burns patients and reduce the risk of amputation and increased mortality due to non-healing wounds for diabetic patients.

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Katharina Richter
Theme Lead Pharmaceutical Sciences, Adelaide University

Associate Professor Katharina Richter is an enthusiastic biomedical scientist, entrepreneur, and medical innovator on a mission to outsmart superbugs and transform healthcare. With a background in pharmacy and a PhD in medicine/applied microbiology, she leads a research group at Adelaide University focused on real-world solutions to antibiotic resistance. Her innovations have already progressed to 3 clinical trials and 1 industry field trial, improving patient care and food safety.

Katharina has lived and worked in 7 countries and collaborates with scientists, clinicians and industry to push research from bench to bedside. A passionate science communicator and mentor, she champions the next generation of STEM leaders through outreach, workshops, and public engagement.

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Emma Solly
Postdoctoral Research Scientist, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute

Dr Emma Solly is a postdoctoral research scientist at the South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute and Adelaide University. Her research in diabetes-related vascular biology has led to first-time discoveries in diabetes-impaired angiogenesis, identifying novel molecular regulators with high translational potential to improve diabetes-related wound healing and vascular outcomes.

She completed her undergraduate degrees at Flinders University (Bachelor of Medical Science and Bachelor of Science (Hons)), where she was awarded the Flinders University Medal for academic achievement. She completed her PhD at the University of Adelaide in 2023, receiving the University Doctoral Research Medal and Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence. Her leadership roles on the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance Emerging Leaders Committee (2024-2025) and Director on the Australian Society for Medical Research Board (2025) underscore her growing contributions to the field.

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Fiona Wood
Director of the Burns Service of Western Australia

Prof. Dr. Fiona M. Wood has been a burns surgeon and researcher for over 30 years and is Director of the Burns Service of Western Australia. She is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Perth Children’s Hospital; Winthrop Professor in the School of Surgery at The University of Western Australia; and co-founder of the Fiona Wood Foundation (formerly The McComb Foundation). Professor Wood leads the Paediatric Burn Care team at Telethon Kids Institute and is Co-Head of the Perioperative Care Research Program.

Professor Wood’s has made a significant contribution with her work with co-inventor Marie Stoner, inventing the innovative ‘spray-on skin’ technique (Recell), awarded  the Clunies Ross award by the ATSE.

Fiona was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2003 in recognition of the response to the Bai bombing. In 2004 she was awarded the Western Australia Citizen of the Year award for her contribution to Medicine in the field of burns research. Fiona was then named Australian of the Year for 2005. She is an Australian Living Treasure. She is a founding Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science and the 2022 Australian Society of Medical Research medallist. Her continued work has led to the being awarded an officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and being inducted into the WA science hall of fame in 2024.

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    Yuval Rinkevich
    Director of the Helmholtz Institute of Regenerative Biology and Medicine at the Helmholtz Center, Munich, Germany

    Dr. Rinkevich has been working at the cutting edge of our understanding of tissue/organ repair and regeneration for the last 20 years. The scientific focus of the Rinkevich lab lies in identifying principles of tissue/organ repair and regeneration, and developing a knowledge foundation for therapeutic strategies in clinical use. His lab explores the stem cells, cellular lineages and mechanisms by which tissues/organs repair and regenerate following injury.

    His passion for healing responses and tissue rejuvenation can be traced throughout his career track, obtaining his PhD degree from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, where he studied whole body regeneration from single blood vessels in Protochordates. Dr Rinkevich moved to Stanford University in the US to join the renowned immunology lab of Prof. Irving L. Weissman, where he explored the cellular lineages and stem cells in mammalian tissue repair and regeneration. His work at Stanford projected Dr Rinkevich into the forefront of the tissue repair field for his pioneering work uncovering the role of fibroblast lineages in the transition from scarless to scar forming tissue responses.

    Today Dr Rinkevich is the Director of the Helmholtz Institute of Regenerative Biology and Medicine at the Helmholtz Center, Munich, Germany. His lab continues to push forward our understanding of tissue/organ repair and regeneration. His latest work describing the fascia in tissue fibrosis in multiple organ systems is reinventing the way we look at tissue repair and regeneration, opening our minds to a revolution in antifibrotic therapy and the potential to prevent and potentially resolve fibrotic disease.

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