Lab Notes

If growth is a science, Dr. Anastasia Volkova has cracked the formula.  For the last five years her company Flurosat has been developing sensing tools and analytics that help farmers optimise crop production, and Anastasia's approach has won her influential supporters including Main Sequence Ventures, Cicada Innovations and Microsoft's M12 fund. Now with offices across Australia, Europe and the US...

There is no doubt that social distancing has forced us all to reimagine how we live, curtailing face-to-face interactions and accelerating our transition towards a digital world. For Dr. Johanna Howes - this shift presents challenges and opportunities in equal measure.  Johanna is an award winning science communicator, freelance writer and experience manager at the Science Space outreach centre an...

In today's episode we are joined by Dr. Dennis Antiohos to take stock of the startups and technologies emerging from Australian nanotechnology research, from carbon super capacitors and water splitting electrodes to smart surfaces and geo-textiles. As well as delving into his expertise in materials science and electrode design, we'll hear about Dennis' career in industry as part of Aquahydrex, a c...

Rural Zimbabwe is a world apart from the research labs of Australia, but Dr. Liz Barbour's childhood on the fertile plains of Africa fostered a curiosity in botany that has only grown over a lifetime at the intersection of science, agriculture and business. Now the CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre in Honey Bee Products, Liz manages a collaborative network of researchers and industry partners...

Researchers spend years immersing themselves in study, yet pushing back the frontiers of knowledge requires not only technical expertise but also an ability to communicate to a broad audience. For many scientists the greatest challenge is not in the lab, but in crafting compelling communication for funding bodies, industry partners and the public. Molly Patton believes the solution is visual.  Wit...

As lead researcher for the Surf Flex Lab - Prof. Marc in het Panhuis can regularly be found testing the limits of surfboard and fin design both in the lab and on the ocean. Yet these projects are truely a world away from Marc's roots as a history-loving teen from the Netherlands. In many ways Marc's career is even more wide ranging than it first appears - spanning not only geographies, but also te...

Few people know the Australian technology sector quite like Alan Jones From a vantage point in marketing in the early 90's Alan had a front row seat to the boom. Yet watching from the sidelines was never going to satisfy Alan's entrepreneurial itch - and he soon dove head first into the fast-paced world of the early internet.  As a key hire for Yahoo's expansion into Australia - Alan experienced t...

Michael Sharpe is the National Director of Australia's Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre - an organisation at the heart of the manufacturing industry's transition into the new age of digital fabrication. In this role Michael has travelled the length and breadth of Australia, forging links between businesses, academia and the government to ensure Australia’s manufacturers are innovative and comp...

On this week's show we sit down with science-communicator and ecologist Toni Stevens to hear about the Australian Science Communicators Conference in Melbourne and how science communication is changing to confront the impacts of climate change. Toni also shares her tips on how young researchers can build a personal brand to position themselves for success in competitive landscape of research grant...

Born in 1958 in Belfast, Northern Ireland - Gordon Wallace's childhood was shaped by The Troubles, a religious and cultural schism that rocked the region for almost 50 years. A diligent work ethic and a passion for soccer helped Gordon keep his head above the fray, and ultimately allowed him to make the most of a fresh start in Australia when his family fled the increasingly violent conflict in 19...

The drive towards to a low-carbon future has driven tremendous progress in clean-energy solutions like solar power and wind turbines. In many cases these technologies are now economically-competitive with coal, nuclear and other base-load power sources on a per-kilowatt basis, however  a key challenge remains in ensuring this renewable energy can provide reliable electricity 24/7. To complete our...

Chris Gilbey's career spans both industries and continents. Born in the UK in the aftermath of WWII and educated in South Africa in the midst of Apartheid, Chris Gilbey’s early life had its fair share of challenges. Yet they also fostered an entrepreneurial spirit that has seen Chris work well beyond the bounds of his engineering qualifications to take up careers as diverse as a guitarist, leather...

Welcome to Lab Notes! This episode is a quick primer about what to expect from the series - so dive on in! In future episodes we'll be joined by Australia's most illuminating luminaries to talk science, innovation, entrepreneurship and explore the wilderness between fundamental discovery and commercial success.  HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ EON LABS :  https://...