RESEARCHER PROFILE
Dr Rikki Jones (Filmed July 2024)
Senior Lecturer in Nursing
University of New England,
New South Wales, Australia
Dr Rikki Jones completed her Bachelor of Nursing degree at the University of New England (UNE) in 2000 and a Ph.D in Nursing at UNE in 2021. She has over 17 years of clinical nursing experience in emergency nursing, community health, rural and remote nursing, and theatre nursing. Since undertaking her role at UNE in 2017, Dr Jones has gained extensive experience in curriculum development/design, unit coordination, and is passionate quality meaningful research and student support.
At UNE, Dr Jones has been actively involved in and undertaking leadership roles in research, teaching and student support. Dr Jones is the HDR (higher degree research) coordinator for the School of Health (SOH), and the Chair of Research Committee SOH. Recently she has been awarded an MRFF (Medical Research Future Funds)- Early to Mid-Career Researcher Initiative 2023 for her research focusing on regional, rural and remote first responders’ mental health.
Dr Jones has been awarded to date a total of over AUD$430,000 in research funding. She is currently leading four large national research teams focusing on rural health and sustainable rural health workforce (include mental health of first responders, sexual violence in rural Australia, virtual simulated nursing placements, and nursing students experience with online learning, connection and transitioning to practice).
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RESEARCH IMPACT: 35 years of kids’ health research
The Kids Research Institute Australia is one of the largest and most successful medical research institutes in Australia. The Institute has created a blueprint that brings together community, researchers, practitioners, policy makers and funders, who share our vision to improve the health and wellbeing of children through excellence in research. In November 2025, The Kids Research Institute Australia celebrated 35 years of bold ideas, groundbreaking research, and the people who find answers to the big questions about better health outcomes for children and families.
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Relationship between mental illness and mental wellbeing
Since 2015, Dr Matthew Iasiello has been working on the development and dissemination of mental wellbeing interventions across the Australian community at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). His PhD research was designed specifically to strengthen the translational work conducted by SAHMRI, and to solve problems that represented gaps in the literature that were arising when delivering mental wellbeing interventions into the community. The impact and relevance of Dr Iasiello’s work has been demonstrated with invited presentations at international academic conferences, and multiple media stories with significant online engagements.
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Superslayer taking on antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Dr Katharina Richter is a visionary leader in MedTech, acclaimed for innovation and gender diversity. With over 40 awards to her name, including MIT Innovator Under 35 Asia-Pacific, and Prime Minister’s Prize for New Innovator finalist, she has shattered barriers as an entrepreneur, scientist, and ‘superbug slayer.’ Katharina’s groundbreaking work in combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria has resulted in 6 innovative treatments, 3 of which are patented, offering hope against deadly infections.
