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 |
|
Amy Peacock is an Associate Professor and and Deputy Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales. She holds adjunct positions in the School of Psychological Sciences, University of Tasmania, and at the National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University. Her research combines epidemiology, surveillance and evaluation to generate evidence on alcohol and other drug use, harms and interventions that informs policy, health services and public health responses in Australia and internationally. |
| Anke van der Sterren, Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT |
|
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 Deputy CEO at the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT (ATODA), and is in the 2020 cohort of the Future Health Leaders Program at UNSW.
|
| Dr Benjamin Riordan, La Trobe University |
|
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.
|
| Dr Carmen Lim, National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland |
|
Dr Carmen Lim is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland. Her work also examines emerging issues including digital and social media influences on substance use and the application of artificial intelligence in prevention. |
|
Dr Cheneal Puljević, The University of Queensland
|
|
Cheneal is a UQ Amplify Senior Research Fellow at the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame at the School of Public Health at The University of Queensland, where she leads the ITTOD Research Program. Her research focuses on illicit markets for legal products, particularly tobacco and alcohol, and their implications for public health, regulation, and enforcement. Cheneal is also a core research team member for the Global Drug Survey, an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Drug Policy, a Deputy Editor for Drug and Alcohol Review, and a volunteer (and former Queensland Research Lead) for The Loop Australia. |
|
Dr Christina Marel, The Matilda Centre
APSAD EMCR Council Representative
|
|
Christina Marel is an Associate Professor and Deputy Director of Treatment and Translation research, and Program Lead of Treatment and Translation in Complex Populations at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney. Her research focuses on improving our understanding of, and responses to, co-occurring mental and substance use disorders in complex populations, and developing innovative, evidence-based resources to support the translation of research into clinical practice. |
| Dr Courtney Weber, Emerging Drugs Network of Australia |
|
Courtney Weber is an early career researcher whose interests span substance use, public health surveillance, and translating complex data into meaningful health outcomes. She is currently the National Data Manager for the Emerging Drugs Network of Australia (EDNA), a five-year national research collaboration involving emergency physicians, clinical toxicologists, and forensic laboratories. EDNA aims to identify emerging drugs causing acute harm in emergency departments across Australia. Briefly, Courtney completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Honours) in 2014 and a Master of Public Health (Distinction) in 2017 at the University of Western Australia. She was awarded her PhD in 2023 through research that examined the epidemiological trends and burden of atrial fibrillation and heart failure using linked hospitalisation and mortality datasets in Western Australia. Outside of EDNA, Courtney is a cohost of The Meaning of Health Podcast, an early career researcher-led series that explores contemporary public health issues, combining voices from lived experience, clinical practice, and academic research. |
|
Dr Jai Whelan, University of Otago
|
|
Jai Whelan (Ngāi Te Rangi) recently completed his PhD in the Department of Psychology, Otago, which focussed on MDMA use in Aotearoa. He is interested in all drug use and the ways in which they are used across society. He is particularly interested in research that pertains to reducing harm, stigma, and increasing public education regarding drug use.He is the current secretary for Students for Sensible Drug Policy Aotearoa and has experience volunteering for the drug-checking service KnowYourStuffNZ. |
| Kelsey Sharrad, Adelaide University |
|
Kelsey is a PhD candidate and early career researcher with approximately 4.5 years (FTE) research opportunity, and approximately 14 years’ experience working in the field of health research. Her work currently focuses on tobacco control, respiratory medicine, behavioural science, and health services research, with a strong focus on generating evidence that informs policy and practice. Her long-term goal is to lead translational research that bridges the gap between evidence generation and implementation in healthcare and health policy. She is particularly passionate about ensuring that public health and health policy interventions are co-designed, accessible, equitable, and tailored to priority populations. |
| Dr Pyi Pyi Phyo, School of Population Health, University of Auckland |
|
Dr Pyi Pyi Phyo is a public health expert and Research Fellow currently pursuing a PhD in Population Health at the University of Auckland. With a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from Myanmar and a Master of Public Health (International) from the University of Leeds, UK, she brings a strong interdisciplinary background to her work. Over the past 15 years, she has led and supported public health initiatives in HIV prevention, drug addiction, tobacco control, nutrition, and non-communicable disease management. Her experience spans grassroots organisations, NGOs, UN agencies, and WHO regional offices across Southeast Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Europe, along with collaborations with the Asian Development Bank. Dr Phyo’s current research focuses on the illicit tobacco trade, using behavioural science and trials to explore its complexities. Her work aims to advance evidence-based policy and support global efforts to mitigate the impact of illicit tobacco on public health and the economy.
|
|
Ruth Canty, Flinders University
|
|
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. She is also an active member of the NT branch of the PHAA and assistant news editor for the journal Tobacco Control.
|
| Sarah Clifford, Drug Policy Modelling Program, UNSW |
| Sarah Clifford is a postdoctoral researcher whose research program concentrates on alcohol policy and regulation, treatment systems, and harm reduction. She combines qualitative and quantitative methods to generate policy-relevant evidence that has influenced real‑world decision‑making, particularly in the Northern Territory, where she holds an honorary position in the Alcohol and Other Team at Menzies School of Health Research. She has a background in health promotion. Read More |
|
|