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2020 ECR webinar and on-demand program
On-Demand Early Career Researchers Program Showcase
As part of the APSAD webinar series, the 2020 APSAD EMCR webinar and online program showcased new and exciting research from Australasia's early career researchers working in the field. Presentations cover a diversity of topics and included research complete and in progress.
ECR Rapid-fire Program
Click on the links to view the Rapid-fire presentations (3-minute videos)
ECR Poster Program
Click on the links below to view each poster.
| Presenter | Poster Title | ||
| 01. | Germaine Lai | Abstract | |
| 02. | Brienna Rutherford |
Depictions of Cocaine Use on TikTok and the Implications for Youth Populations: A Content Analysis |
Abstract |
| 03. | Tianze Sun |
Is Adolescent E-cigarette Use Renormalizing Traditional Cigarette Smoking? |
Abstract |
| 04. | Jack Yiu Chak Chung |
How many more young Australians say that they would use cannabis if it was legal? |
Abstract |
| 05. | Janni Leung | Abstract | |
| 06. | Vivian Chiu | Abstract | |
| 07. | Tesfa Mekonen Yimer |
Treatment rates for alcohol use disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
Abstract |
| 08. |
Carmen Lim |
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Abstract |
| 09. | Joel Keygan |
Risk Communication of High-Dose MDMA: Responses to Varying Drug Alert Content |
Abstract |
| 10. | Kaitlyn Harper | Abstract | |
| 11. | Breanna Willoughby |
Understanding Responses to High-Dose MDMA Alerts Through the Health Belief Model |
Abstract |
ECR Video Program
Click on the link to view each 3-minute video presentation
Funding Resources
The APSAD Early to Mid-Career Researcher subcommittee has compiled a list comprising of funding opportunities that support early career researchers (i.e., provide some level of salary support).
This is by no means a comprehensive list, and features of these grants can often change from year-to-year. We recommend consulting the funding rules etc. for each scheme directly by clicking the hyperlink to visit the website for the scheme. Also, many universities have their own schemes for postdocs we recommend referring to the university's website to obtain information.
If you do identify any errors in the information listed, or identify any additional schemes to be added to this list, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. (This resource was compiled on 2018.10.31)
Download a copy of the funding resource list.
We are delighted to share Dr Louise Mewton’s presentation given at the EMCR networking event held at the APSAD Hobart 2019 conference. Dr Mewton shares her experiences of being an assessor on a grant review panel and breaks down how it works, to identifying and communicating the impact of your research and offers step by step guidance.
CLICK HERE to view the presentation.
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Need help with putting together a funding/grant application?
The APSAD EMCR subcommittee has reached out to members who have recently been successful with their funding applications.
The following people are happy to be contacted and share information that may be of assistance with putting together your application.
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CONTACT
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RECENT GRANT
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Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research University of Queensland
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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E-cigarettes and vaping: Holy grail of tobacco control or gateway to a public health disaster?
Grant type: NHMRC Investigator Grants
Year: 2020–2024
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National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Quantifying and reducing the burden of alcohol and illicit drug use
Grant type: NHMRC Investigator Grants
Year: 2020–2024
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APSAD Early-Mid Career Researcher Award for most cited paper in the Drug and Alcohol Review.
APSAD Early to Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Award for the most cited paper in Drug and Alcohol Review
This annual award was first launched in 2018 for early career researchers by the APSAD Early to Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) subcommittee. In 2019 the award criteria was broadened to be inclusive of mid-career researchers.
The Award is for the most cited paper in Drug and Alcohol Review (DAR) authored by an APSAD member who is an EMCR. The award will be administered by the APSAD EMCR subcommittee based on publication metrics. This award reflects the citation period leading up to the most recent impact factor (i.e., in 2019 an award would be given for the most cited paper contributing to the 2018 impact factor).
The Award is recognition only (no monetary value), providing a measure of esteem that can be used for EMCR career development - a great addition to your CV! A certificate will be presented at the EMCR networking event held annually at the APSAD conference (emailed to the winner if they are not in attendance at the APSAD conference).
Eligibility:
- APSAD Member at the time of Award, and EMCR status at the time of publication;
- First author on the paper;
- At the time of publication, the EMCR is – a) enrolled in a post-graduate degree, or b) not more than 15 years post last postgraduate degree, and has been working in the field as a researcher or scientist for less than 15 years (career disruptions excluded); and
- Paper is an original report, brief report or comprehensive review (i.e., not letters/commentaries).
- A paper can only win the award once.
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Prize |
The Award is in the form of a printed / PDF certificate |
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Description |
‘Drug and Alcohol Review Most Cited ECR paper for 20xx)’ reflecting citations in the period leading up to the most recent impact factor (i.e., in 2018 an award would be given for the most cited paper contributing to the 2017 impact factor). |
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Eligibility |
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Frequency |
Annually at the APSAD Conference EMCR networking event. |
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Basis for Judging |
Most cited paper in the previous two years' impact factor period (based on ranked list of papers provided by Wiley)[1] |
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Selection Process |
Winner identified from Wiley reports prepared prior to the annual APSAD Conference held in November> Eligibility determined by a database of APSAD EMCR Members (collated by the APSAD EMCR committee). |
The winner of this award will be determined through the APSAD membership database, so to be in the running, make sure your APSAD membership is current. If you are unsure of your membership status please contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
[1] Note that this is chosen as it can be determined based on existing reports from the DAR publisher
EMCR Subcommittee
Early to Mid Career Researchers (EMCR) and Student members are welcome to contact the EMCR Subcommittee if you have a question or are seeking advice. The subcommittee is happy to share their experiences and insights.
For questions about the committee, please get in touch with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
| Dr Amy Peacock, University of Tasmania and National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW |
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Dr Amy Peacock (BA Hons, PhD) is a National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellow (2016-2019) at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, and a Research Fellow in the School of Medicine, University of Tasmania. Read More | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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| Anke van der Sterren, Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT |
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Anke is the Senior Researcher and Project Manager at the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT (ATODA). Anke is a social scientist with over 20 years of experience in research and evaluation in the areas of alcohol and other drugs, tobacco, blood-borne viruses and workforce development. Anke has worked as a public health researcher in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled, university, and non-government sectors. She currently holds the position of Senior Researcher and Project Manager at the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT (ATODA), and is in the 2020 cohort of the Future Health Leaders Program at UNSW. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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| Dr Benjamin Riordan, La Trobe University, Victoria |
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Dr Benjamin Riordan, La Trobe University. Benjamin’s research focuses on young adult alcohol use and using emerging technologies to both collect data and deliver intervention material. His PhD focused on heavy alcohol use during the transition to university and designing brief interventions for students during the transition. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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| Carmen Lim, National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland |
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Carmen Lim is a PhD candidate at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on the trends and harms associated with cannabis vaping. Prior to her PhD, she was a statistician on a WorldCarmen Lim is a PhD candidate at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on the trends and harms associated with cannabis vaping. Prior to her PhD, she was a statistician on a WorldHealth Organization project where she used the World Mental Health Surveys to examine the antecedent risk factors and outcomes of psychotic experiences and comorbidity between mental disorders. She has an MSc in Medical Statistics and holds an NHMRC PostgraduateResearch Scholarship, UQResearch Training Stipend, and a Research Higher Degree Top-Up Scholarship.
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| Dr Cassandra Wright, NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow at the Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin |
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Cassandra Wright is an NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow at the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin. Her research focuses on alcohol as a public health issue and she currently works on evaluations of major alcohol policies and programs in the Northern Territory. She is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research and Burnet Institute. Through these collaborations she continues her work focused on alcohol use among middle-aged women and working mothers (CAPR) and young people’s health and wellbeing (Burnet). She holds a PhD in public health and undergraduate qualifications in health promotion. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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Dr Cheneal Puljević, The University of Queensland
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Cheneal is the Research Operations Manager for the Centre for Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame, and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Services Research at The University of Queensland. At the Centre for Health Services Research, she is the Program Manager for the Global Substance Use and Mental Health unit, where she conducts and manages a number of research projects related to substance use, including the Queensland evaluation of the Tackling Alcohol-Fuelled Violence Policy (QUANTEM), and several projects using data from the Global Drug Survey. Cheneal is also the research group convenor at The Loop Australia, an organisation advocating for drug checking services. In 2020 Cheneal was awarded the Australasian Professional Society for Alcohol and Other Drugs (APSAD)'s Early Career Award. She completed her PhD in 2018 at Griffith Criminology Institute at Griffith University, and completed an Honours degree in psychology at the University of Cape Town in 2011. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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Dr Chrianna Bharat, , Post-doctoral Research Fellow, National Drug And Alcohol Research Centre
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Dr Chrianna Bharat is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow and applied biostatistician at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney. She was awarded her PhD in 2023, demonstrating the utility of person-level data linkage and innovative analytical methods to generate real-world evidence about the use and outcomes of prescribed medicines among people with opioid dependence. Chrianna’s current research program involves a range of epidemiological studies, including population-linked data focusing on people with a history of drug dependence or exposure to incarceration; the safety and effectiveness of pharmaceutical medicines; post-market surveillance; and the implementation, evaluation and systematic reviews of existing and novel research methodologies. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Dr Christina Marel, Senior Research Fellow, Sydney Medical School / The Matilda Centre
APSAD EMCR Council Representative, NSW
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Dr Christina Marel is a Senior Research Fellow and NHMRC TRIP fellow (2019-2021) at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, at the University of Sydney. Her research focuses on improving our understanding of co-occurring substance use and mental disorders in complex populations and translating evidence-based resources to clinicians and community members. Read More | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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Isabelle Volpe, Drug Policy Modelling Program, University of New South Wales
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A PhD candidate in the Drug Policy Modelling Program team at UNSW’s Social Policy Research Centre. Her PhD research uses critical social science approaches to explore the intersection of young people, drugs, policy and participation. Isabelle is also a research officer at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (UNSW) and the Social and Global Studies Centre (RMIT), conducting mixed-methods research on drug alerts and drug checking. |
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Jai Whelan, University of Otago, Aotearoa/New Zealand
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Jai Whelan (Ngāi Te Rangi) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Otago. His PhD is exploring MDMA use and users in Aotearoa, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods. Jai has a wide range of interests including the therapeutic and recreational use of drugs, harm reduction and drug policy. He is the current secretary for Students for Sensible Drug Policy Aotearoa and has experience volunteering for the drug-checking service KnowYourStuffNZ: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. |
| Dr Rebecca Jenkinson, Manager, Australian Gambling Research Centre, Australian Institute of Family Studies, VIC |
| Dr Rebecca Jenkinson is a Senior Research Fellow (Gambling, Alcohol and Other Drugs) and Manager of the Australian Gambling Research Centre. She also holds an Honorary Burnet Institute Fellow position in the Behaviours and Health Risks Program at the Burnet Institute and an Adjunct Lecturer position in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. Read More | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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Ruth Canty, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University
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Having previously worked as an analytical chemist, Ruth undertook her Master’s in public health to better understand the harms related to alcohol and other drug use.Ruth’s PhD research is investigating NT stakeholder views on tobacco endgame policies to determine what types of endgame policies might be effective in reducing smoking prevalence and smoking-related harms in the NT, with a particular focus on tobacco retail. In addition to her PhD research, she works as a research assistant at Menzies School of Health Research on a range of projects. She is also an active member of the NT branch of the PHAA and assistant news editor for the journal Tobacco Control. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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| Sarah Clifford, PhD candidate with Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, NT |
| Her PhD seeks to understand how recent alcohol policy changes in the NT are impacting violence against women. She has previously worked on other alcohol policy, and social and emotional wellbeing program evaluations, as well as a number of youth health engagement projects. Read More | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Conference networking event
Early to Mid-Career Researcher Networking Event
As part of the annual APSAD conference, the Early to Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) subcommittee organises and hosts an annual networking event for EMCRs.This event provides the perfect opportunity for EMCRs and Students to chat and network informally with peers and senior researchers in the Alcohol and other Drug sector. Invited seniors include prominent researchers, along with a selection of conference keynote speakers, from a variety of scientific backgrounds who are happy to share their career experiences and insight.
This year's event will be held on at the APSAD 2022 Darwin Conference
Tuesday 11 October 7:30 am – 8:45 am
Want to meet other early and mid-career researchers in the alcohol and other drugs field? Share experiences and build collaborations in a supportive and friendly environment
The APSAD Early-Mid Career Researchers (EMCR) Networking Breakfast is an excellent opportunity to network with other EMCRs and senior researchers and hear invited speakers discuss a priority topic selected based on feedback from APSAD EMCRs.
This year’s event will focus on research leadership and management. Topics will be wide-ranging, including transitioning into a management role; establishing an active research group; fostering an inclusive culture; managing up, down and across; and building your track record of research leadership. A panel of mid-career and senior researchers includes Dr Amy Peacock from the National Alcohol and Drug Research Centre (NDARC) University of New South Wales, and Prof Billie Bonevski from Flinders University. They will briefly discuss their experience before sharing tips and advice in response to questions from attendees. There will be plenty of time allocated for networking with other EMCRs and senior researchers from the field. Other speakers are to be announced.
If you haven't already registered your interest to attend this event. Please contact the APSAD office by 9 September to receive a special link to register your interest in attending. With high level of interest in attending this event spots at breakfast will be allocated on receiving your information form on a first-in, first-serve basis, with preference given to APSAD members.
This event will be available for in-person conference delegates only. A light breakfast will be provided for attendees.
You can also follow us on Twitter @ApsadEmcr, Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
For further information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Past APSAD EMCR networking events
Do you have an idea for an event relevant for EMCRs? Let us know by reaching out to members of the APSAD EMCR subcommittee.