EARLIER IDENTIFICATION AND EARLY INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING
With
Professor Greg Leigh AO, Director
NextSense Institute, Australia &
Conjoint Professor, Macquarie School of Education
Macquarie University, Sydney
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | June 2025
As Director of NextSense Institute, Professor Leigh is responsible for leading the not-for-profit organisation’s world-class research and education programs and facilities.
Professor Leigh held a variety of positions in the education of children who are deaf or hard of hearing before entering academia. He holds a degree in Special Education from Griffith University, a Master of Science (Speech and Hearing) from Washington University and a PhD in Special Education from Monash University. In 2001, he was made a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators and in 2014, he was invested as an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished services to the deaf and hard of hearing community.
He is a member of the Editorial Board of The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and has researched widely on issues related to the early development and education of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
A former National President of the Education Commission for the World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf, Professor Leigh has also Chaired the International Steering Committees of both the Asia-Pacific Congress on Deafness (APCD) and the International Congress on Education of the Deaf (ICED).
He has served on several Australian Government consultative committees, including the New South Wales Ministerial Standing Committee on Hearing, the National Neonatal Hearing Screening Working Party, and the Key Scientists Committee of the Hearing Cooperative Research Centre.
For the last 19 years, Professor Leigh has chaired the Australasian Newborn Hearing Screening Committee.
In his spare time, Professor Leigh is an active member/supporter of the Sydney Swans Football Club, and he and his wife enjoy symphonic music. He is also actively involved in the work of the St Vincent de Paul Society as a volunteer for the Vinnie’s Van program.
Source: Supplied
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Lymphoma, Myeloma and Genomics
Professor Dipti Talaulikar is a clinical and laboratory haematologist with expertise in genomics, working at Canberra Health Services, and Professor at ANU. She has a clinical and research interest in lymphoma, myeloma and genomics, and has authored close to 100 peer reviewed papers, including several clinical guidelines that have had a significant impact on clinical practice.
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Post stroke brain recovery targeting blood flow and vessel health
Dr Daniel Beard is a Senior Lecturer and Group Leader of the Neurovascular Research Laboratory at the University of Newcastle, with a distinguished career in stroke research. Dr Beard completed his PhD in Human Physiology in 2015, uncovering the impact of intracranial pressure on collateral vessel failure. He has held prestigious research and teaching roles at the University of Oxford and Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, contributing to international collaborations on neurovascular protection. His research has been supported by competitive grants, including an NHMRC Ideas Grant, and he has received numerous awards for innovation, research excellence and teaching excellence.
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Behavioural science in cancer screening, control and communication
Dr Dodd has an established international reputation as a behavioural scientist in cancer control and communication. Since completing her PhD in 2016, Dr Dodd has been awarded a three-year University of Sydney Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2018-2021) and a three-year Research Fellowship at The Daffodil Centre (current). Dr Dodd is the co-chair of the ‘Strengthening and optimising approaches to cancer prevention, screening, and early detection’ hub at The Daffodil Centre (with more than 130 staff and students).
