Immunotherapist is Queensland’s 2024 Young Tall Poppy

• Immunotherapist and extracellular vesicle researcher at The University of Queensland, Associate Professor Joy Wolfram, is Queensland’s 2024 Young Tall Poppy of the Year.
• Sixteen of Queensland’s outstanding scientists were recognised at this year’s awards.
• The awards celebrate scientific excellence and a passion for science communication, inspiring young people to enter STEM study and careers.

Associate Professor Joy Wolfram, an immunotherapist and extracellular vesicle researcher, who is working on improved medicines to counter cancer and other life-threatening diseases, is Queensland’s 2024 Young Tall Poppy of the Year.

Science Minister Leanne Linard said Associate Professor Wolfram received her award for her outstanding research to treat serious diseases like heart disease, kidney disease, and breast cancer.

Associate Professor Wolfram’s research uses tiny natural particles, called extracellular vesicles, to treat these diseases. She aims to find the right particles to go to desired locations in the body and modify them to act as medicines.

Held annually around Australia, the Young Tall Poppy Science Awards are hosted by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS). In Queensland, they are held in partnership with the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation.

The awards recognise and celebrate researchers who demonstrate scientific excellence combined with a unique passion for science communication, which can inspire young people to enter STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) study and careers.

They were inaugurated in 1998 on the centenary of the birth of Howard Florey, an Australian pharmacologist and pathologist who shared a Nobel Prize in 1945 with Ernst Chain and Sir Alexander Fleming for his role in the development of penicillin.

Quotes attributable to Science Minister, Leanne Linard:

“I congratulate our Young Tall Poppy Science award winners for 2024.

“The research being undertaken by these young scientists, and all scientists researching throughout Queensland, shows why our State is one of the leading scientific locations in Australia.

“The Miles Government is proud to partner with the Australian Institute of Policy and Science to recognise our best and brightest, celebrate their success, and raise the appreciation of science across the community.

“These annual awards recognise the achievements of our talented scientists carrying out life-changing research that will ultimately benefit all of us.

“They are shaping the future of health care, our environment and our way of life in ways that we cannot even imagine.

Quotes attributable to Australian Institute of Policy and Science General Manager, Steve Burke:

“It is truly wonderful to recognise our talented and world-leading scientists through the Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Awards.

“Congratulations to our Queensland award winners who have excelled in research achievement in so many fields of science, including biomedical, behavioural sciences, engineering, mathematics, social sciences, technology and other applied or cross disciplinary sciences.

“We know these role models will inspire young Queenslanders to follow in their steps and ensure our future workforce is equipped with people with appropriate STEM skills.

“It is a great pleasure and privilege for the Australian Institute of Policy and Science to deliver these awards and we look forward to our continued engagement with young Queensland scientists.”

Further information:

With Associate Professor Wolfram, the 2024 Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science finalists are:

• Dr Lena Oestreich (The University of Queensland) for research into the causes of mental illness, how they can be diagnosed, and the development of new treatments for them.
• Dr Taylor Dick (The University of Queensland) for research into human movement and how it underpins health and disease, and her studies into neuromuscular function, tissue imaging and musculoskeletal modelling.
• Dr Angela Guerrero (QUT) for work in sustainability, leading to an understanding of the relationships between human and natural systems and how these can lead to better management of environmental problems.
• Dr Matthew Holden (The University of Queensland) for work using mathematical tools to research biodiversity conservation, theoretical ecology, fisheries, and other branches of natural resource management with the goal of meeting people’s needs while impacting the environment as little as possible.
• Dr Shima Ziajahromi (Griffith University) for work on understanding microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, their transport to aquatic and soil environments, and their toxic impacts on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
• Dr Sophie Andrews (University of the Sunshine Coast) for brain research into dementia and the use of neuroscience techniques to treat the condition.
• Dr David Klyne (The University of Queensland) for research into the mechanisms that underlie chronic pain and how neuro-immune pathways can be targeted with interventions to alleviate these conditions.
• Dr Brooke Williams (QUT) for work with spatial information on biodiversity and the benefits people derive from nature, such as carbon sequestration, and her work to develop tools and metrics to inform decision makers of broadscale environmental policy outcomes.
• Dr Elvis Okoffo (The University of Queensland) for research into plastic residues in wastewater treatment plants and subsequent releases into the environment and developing new analytical methods for monitoring and understanding plastics pollution.
• Dr Naomi Paxton (QUT) for research into 3D printing human body parts for surgical use treating tissue loss caused by trauma, congenital abnormalities, or disease.
• Associate Professor Min Hong (University of Southern Queensland) for work on sustainable energy and mitigating wasted energy in industrial processes, vehicles, and electronic devices.
• Dr Shelley Keating (The University of Queensland) for research into Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (formerly called “fatty liver disease”) and the way personalised exercise approaches can assist people with the condition.
• Dr Nasim Amiralian (The University of Queensland) for research into repurposing and transforming agricultural waste into a commercial and sustainable products to tackle food and plastic waste issues.
• Associate Professor Toan Dinh (University of Southern Queensland) for research into respiratory disorders and work developing skin sensors to monitor respiration and biophysical signals of these conditions with high accuracy and real-time data.
• Dr Richard Bade (The University of Queensland) for research into quantifying the effects of emerging drugs and developing methods to detect trace amounts of these in wastewater. 

The Australian Institute of Policy and Science is an independent and non-partisan not-for-profit organisation first founded in 1932. The Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Awards began in 2001 and has seen more than 100 Tall Poppies named from across the state.

ENDS

Media contact: Scott Chandler – (07) 3719 7339