With just three minutes to sell their idea, our competitors need to convince the judges and public that their project is most worthy to receive funding.
Catch up on the Big Science Pitch 2025
Our 2025 pitchers
Dr Gayathri Gopakumar
Gaya studies host–virus interactions and develops vaccines for animal viral diseases. She holds a master's degree in biotechnology and a PhD in virology from the University of Melbourne. She led clinical trials for the first deletion-mutant vaccine for infectious laryngotracheitis in poultry, developed by her lab group, and secured its registration in Australia. Her current research is focused on developing a vaccine for herpes viruses that affect marsupials.
Fighting the hidden threat: A vaccine for marsupial herpesviruses
Herpesviruses are a hidden threat to Australia’s marsupials, causing disease, deaths, and infertility. Ironically, conservation programs can unintentionally fuel their spread to wild populations. I am developing the world’s first vaccine to protect marsupials from these viruses, ensuring conservation efforts truly safeguard these iconic animals and Australia’s biodiversity.
Dr Jason Jung
Jason completed his PhD in Systems Neuroscience in 2021 at the University of Melbourne. He is a Research Fellow in Physics and a former Lions Vision Research Fellow, the latter role recognising him as an emerging leader in medical research. His work advances high-resolution neural implants, brain–machine interfaces, and implantable systems for seizure prediction and neurological monitoring.
Stopping seizures before they start
Epilepsy affects 50 million people worldwide, with seizures striking suddenly and dangerously. My research uses high-resolution neural implants and ultra-fast software to detect the brain’s tipping point before a seizure begins. By processing signals in real time on tiny chips, we can intervene early—transforming seizures from unpredictable to preventable.
Dr Katherine Morgan
Katherine is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Chemistry. Her research focuses on designing new, personalised treatments for cancer using metallic radionuclides. She is developing molecular cages purpose-built to trap these radioactive metals and attach them to tumour-targeting antibodies and peptides.
From molecules to medicines: Targeting metastatic breast cancer with precision radiation.
I’m developing a way to treat metastatic breast cancer using precision radiation. By creating new molecular cages designed to trap a single atom of radioactive terbium-161 and attaching these cages to tumour-seeking peptides, my research aims to deliver a dose of radiation directly to cancer cells with molecular precision.
Dr Kimberley Reid
Kim’s PhD at the University of Melbourne focused on ‘atmospheric rivers’ – streams of moisture in the atmosphere that cause heavy rainfall. At Monash University, she investigated the 2022 East Australian floods and gave evidence to the related parliamentary inquiries. Now at the Centre of Excellence for Weather of the 21st Century, she is researching hazards and resources associated with fog. A passionate science communicator, Kim often chats to the media about weather events.
Harvesting clean water from fog
As the driest inhabited continent in the world, water availability is a big challenge for Australia, especially in remote communities. Fog harvesting is a cheap method of extracting clean drinking water from the air without rain. My project involves testing how much water we could harvest under different weather conditions.
Dr Megan Lucas
Megan is an award-winning lecturer and animal welfare scientist in the Melbourne Veterinary School. With broad expertise in animal welfare across species, she focuses on pig welfare and behaviour, studying factors such as the human-animal relationship, early-life experiences, the physical environment, and thermal conditions. She is passionate about applied research that can be directly translated on-farm to improve the lives of pigs and the people who work with them.
Saving piglets, sustaining the industry
Tiny piglets face a big risk: being accidentally crushed by their mothers in cold conditions. I’m working with the pig industry to retrofit housing systems with clever, low-cost innovations that keep piglets warm and protected. These improvements will enhance both animal welfare and farm productivity, creating benefits for animals, farmers and the wider community.
Dr Mia Cobb
As the Chaser Innovation Research Fellow in Canine Welfare Science at the University of Melbourne, Mia aims to improve the welfare of dogs, from working colleagues to couch companions. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on understanding how people think about dogs and how dogs experience the world. Having previously worked in shelters and working dog kennels, Mia specialises in research that translates into practical outcomes to benefit dogs and the people who rely on them.
Happy dog science: helping our canine co-workers and companions to thrive
Ever wonder if your dog is truly happy? Australians love our dogs, spending over $20 billion on them annually. Around the world, science has focused on measuring canine stress, not joy. I want to develop the first tools to understand dog happiness, helping our canine co-workers and companions to thrive.
Dr Simon Higham
A post-doctoral researcher in the School of Physics, Simon is developing carbon-fibre-based neural implants. He completed his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at RMIT and has more than six years’ experience working with micro electrodes for neural interfacing, including neural recording and stimulation, and electrochemical neurotransmitter sensing.
Precision electrodes for restoring movement after traumatic spinal cord injury
Every day movement is something most of us take for granted, yet over 20,000 Australians have lost the ability to walk due to spinal cord injury. Using novel manufacturing techniques, we are developing multi-channel carbon-fibre electrodes to safely reconnect spinal communication, restoring natural movement and offering new hope for people living with paralysis.
Watch the Big Science Pitch 2025
Pitchers
- Dr Gayathri Gopakumar – Fighting the hidden threat: A vaccine for marsupial herpesviruses
- Dr Jason Jung – Stopping seizures before they start
- Dr Katherine Morgan – From molecules to medicines: Targeting metastatic breast cancer with precision radiation
- Dr Kimberley Reid – Harvesting clean water from fog
- Dr Megan Lucas – Saving piglets, sustaining the industry
- Dr Mia Cobb – Happy dog science: helping our canine co-workers and companions to thrive
- Dr Simon Higham – Precision electrodes for restoring movement after traumatic spinal cord injury
Watch the Big Science Pitch 2024
Pitchers
- Dr Felipe Martelli Soares Da Silva – Protecting non-pest insects from climate change and pesticides
- Dr Ludovica Monti – Tracing the path of drug resistance in superbugs
- Dr Marie Dade – The big contribution of small green spaces in cities
- Dr Oliver Eales – Mathematical modelling of mpox in Australia
- Dr Rebecca Webb – A frog-friendly way to fight fungal infections
- Dr Veronique Paris – Reclaiming our backyards: New avenues to sustainable mosquito control
Watch the Big Science Pitch 2023
Pitchers
- Dr Rachele Wilson – Conserving sugarbag bees in Arnhem Land
- Dr Wing Yan Chan – The secrets of extreme corals
- Dr Brendan Lanham – Bringing back Victoria’s lost shellfish reefs from the brink of extinction
- Dr Laura Bibiana Ospina-Rozo – Interview with the green beetle: How to keep our cities cool?
- Dr Claire Taylor – Does nature always nurture? Investing in young in a changing world
- Dr Joshua Barrow – Are fishways a silver bullet solution or just another obstacle for native fish?