What is your role and what does your work focus on? 

I am a Senior Lecturer in Human Anatomy within the Discipline of Anatomy, Histology and Pathology in the CMPH, and the Group Lead of the Pain and Sensory Cell Biology Lab at FHMRI.

Where did you work before joining CMPH?

I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Neurotrophins in Dementia Lab under the leadership of Prof. Coulson within the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland

What journey brought you to this point in your career? 

Really just trial, error and sense of adventure…. and for better part relatively cheap education in Australia. Rather than paying exorbitant sums of money to study pre-med in a prestigious North American University, I discovered HECS and the most amazing quality of life in Australia. Then it was just insatiable curiosity and passion for neuroscience that drove the rest. Of course it helped tremendously that I had a few really supportive mentors along the way. My PhD supervisor Emeritus Professor Robert Rush allowed me to design the majority of my projects, and Professor Rainer Haberberger was a massive source of strength in my drive for independence, both as a teaching academic and a neuroscientist.

What is something you love most about your work? 

For research: The fact that nature does not give up its secrets very easily, and regardless how well you design an experiment, or the significance of a discovery, the answer always creates more questions.

For teaching: that moment where I see students grasp a difficult concept and open the door to deeper knowledge, relevance and application they had no idea existed just a few seconds ago.

If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be? 

Tell people you appreciate them more often.

If you had a super power what would it be?

This might be a consequence of  my socialist upbringing behind the iron curtain, but history clearly shows that humanity struggles with regular powers, so no human deserves superpowers. But if I really had to, I’d go with time travel.

How do you like to relax or spend your spare time? 

Osteoarthritis as a result of four decades of ice hockey and tennis, means swimming has been my only enjoyable exercise for the last few years. I also love spending time in my music studio, or camping in this amazing country….and of course in Adelaide the fine food and wine is among the best in the world, so it would be criminal not to enjoy it!