Author: Jennifer Podesta

Meet our new Research Training Coordinator

Jennifer Podesta Candidate support 0 Comment

The Office of Graduate Research is delighted to welcome our newest team member, Annette Messell. Annette has stepped into the position of Research Training Coordinator, recently vacated by Arif Khan. She will also be working in this shared role as part of the Library team. Annette will be conducting a number of our writing workshops and our Shut Up & Write and Writing Bootcamps.   She will also be working with the HDR Support team on the ongoing review and development of our training resources. We look forward to working with her and all the fresh ideas that she brings to the role.

Meet Annette (and Mickey)!

Hello everyone! My name is Annette, and I am new to Charles Sturt as Research Training Coordinator. I have worked in academic libraries at universities for almost 10 years. I am passionate about helping students on their research journey and look forward to meeting all of you soon. When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending time with my rescue greyhound Mickey.

Summertime is Shut Up & Write time!

Jennifer Podesta Researcher Development, Writing tips 0 Comment

Summer is here and what better way to celebrate than to pour yourself a nice cool drink and settle in for a productive session of writing.

AS_Photography / Pixabay

Block out the kids, the Christmas carols, the neighbour’s lawn mower and that nagging feeling that you are never going to get everything ready in time for Christmas and just WRITE!

Shut Up & Write! in December (all times are AEDT)

  • Monday December 2 – 12.00-15.00
  • Friday December 5 – 9.30-12.30
  • Monday December 8 – 12.00-15.00
  • Friday December 12 – 9.30-12.30

But, if the pre-Christmas rush gets the better of you, we also have some dedicated writing sessions in the New Year – by then you will have hopefully moved to the banana lounge and be able to relax into the task at hand!

Mariakray / Pixabay

Shut Up & Write! in January 2026 (all times are AEDT)

  • Monday January 5 – 10:00 – 12:00 (Highlight – Goal setting theme)
  • Friday January 9 – 14:00 – 16:00 (Highlight – Goal setting theme)
  • Monday January 19 – 14:00 – 16:00
  • Friday January 23 – 10:00-12:00
  • Friday January 30 – 10:00-12:00

You can find links to join all of these sessions in the HDR Candidates’ Hub Calendar in Brightspace

All of these sessions are with our newest team member and Academic Training Coordinator, Annette Messell.

PhD candidate wins Research Allied Health Professional of the Year

Jennifer Podesta Excellence, Latest News 0 Comment

On the recently celebrated Allied Health Professions Day, Michelle Grigg, first class Honours graduate and PhD candidate from our School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Science, was awarded the Research Allied Health Professional of the Year – Occupational Therapy, Inland North

Michelle also works as an Allied Health Professional at Southern NSW Local Health District, and is featured in the latest Three Rivers Department of Rural Health newsletter “research student spotlight” section: https://mailchi.mp/csu.edu.au/three-rivers-drh-enews-october2025

“Michelle has used her unique position of being a clinician, a manager, a leader and researcher to identify and pursue opportunities for the profession, demonstrating her passion for the importance of Occupational Therapy in the public health system.”

This award reflects Michelle’s exceptional work and dedication, as stated by the SNSWLHD Chief Executive, “The Southern 2025 Excellence in Allied Health Awards highlight the contributions of allied health professionals and their support staff, and on this of all days, I am delighted to acknowledge our winners.

“These individuals excel in the delivery of a compassionate and innovative service and play a vital role in providing patient-centred care to our community.”

READ MORE

Congratulations, Michelle!

 

Wine Australia PhD top-up scholarship – apply now!

Jennifer Podesta Funding Support, Scholarship 0 Comment

The PhD top-up scholarship program is an important part of Wine Australia’s investment in developing researcher capacity and ability, ensuring we have researchers developing the skills and expertise needed for working on opportunities that will help improve sustainability and profitability of the Australian grape and wine sector.

While this opportunity is open to applications from PhD candidates delivering innovative research aligned to the One Grape and Wine Sector Plan themes addressed in Wine Australia’s Strategic Plan 2025-2030, this year we have identified several priority topic areas of interest. Preference may be given to applicants addressing a topic from the below list:

  • Etienne-F59 / Pixabay

    Novel strategies for pest, disease and virus management in Australian vineyards.

  • Plant breeding and gene target identification.
  • Novel mid-strength wine production processes.
  • Nonchemical control of disease, for example using UV-C and autonomous technology.
  • Environmental, Social and Governance challenges as outlined in the ESG Investment Plan.
  • Novel strategies across waste circularity, treatment, safe reuse of secondary materials and circular markets.
  • Consumer insights, with a focus on moderation and health, export and emerging markets, macro and external drivers, value perception.
  • Development and adoption of digital, data and Artificial Intelligence.

Read more

Ready to Apply Your Research in the Real World?

Jennifer Podesta Careers, Engagement, Industry, Innovation 0 Comment

Are you looking to gain real-world experience and expand your career horizons? The Office of Graduate Research has launched a new suite of resources to help you explore and prepare for PhD internships.

Why Consider a PhD Internship?

PhD internships offer:

  • Hands-on experience in a professional setting
  • Transferable skills in communication, teamwork, and project management
  • Opportunities to apply your research to real-world challenges
  • Expanded career pathways—both within and beyond academia

Take the Next Step

Explore our new resources and discover how a PhD internship can enrich your research journey and boost your career prospects:

HDR Candidates Website – PhD Internships – Researchers

Brightspace – HDR Candidates Hub

PhD Internships Module 1 and PhD Internships Module 2

Whether you’re curious or ready to get started, we’re here to support you.

Any questions? Email: graduateresearch@csu.edu.au

Pacific Bio-Innovation Hackathon: From Lab to Impact

Jennifer Podesta Innovation, Uncategorized 0 Comment

The Embassy of France in Australia is organizing a Hackathon on Bio-Innovation, titled “Pacific Bio-Innovation Hackathon: From Lab to Impact”, which will take place at the Alliance Française of Sydney on 21–22 October 2025.

This two-day event offers a unique opportunity for students and young professionals to explore entrepreneurship through the lens of bio-innovation. Participants will be challenged to transform cutting-edge research into tangible real-world applications, discover how business and innovation ecosystems can support scientific creativity, and learn to bridge the gap between research complexity and market expectations.

The Hackathon will focus on start-up concepts grounded in Pacific regional perspectives, drawing on Australian strengths in biotechnology, bioeconomy, and the circular economy. It will run in parallel with the Australian-French Association for Research and Innovation (AFRAN) Forum 2025, themed “Evolving Pacific: Shared Pathways for a Sustainable Future”, which will bring together stakeholders from France, Australia, and the Pacific region to foster innovative, locally driven solutions to sustainability challenges. Read more

HDR candidates having impact with their research

Jennifer Podesta Research Impact 0 Comment

We are always pleased to report on the achievements of our HDR candidates and how they are creating impact with their research.

Congratulations to Josephine Bampoe, a HDR candidate in the School of Allied Health and Exercise Science on her three recent publications.

Bampoe, J. O., Verdon, S., Hoffman, L., & Wylie, K. (2025). Conceptualisation of a culturally responsive speech and language assessment for Ghanaian-English speaking children. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2025.2532790

Bampoe, J. O., Verdon, S. E., Hoffman, L., & Wylie, K. (2025). Speech-language pathologists’ perspectives on a prototype of the first Ghanaian-English speech and language assessment tool. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2025.2542459

Bampoe, J. O., Verdon, S., Hoffman, L., & Wylie, K. (2025). Piloting a speech and language assessment tool for Ghanaian English-speaking children: A qualitative content analysis of video stimulated recall. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica. https://doi.org/10.1159/000547150

 

Kathleen Flegerbein, PhD candidate from BJBS, recently spoke with Eddie Williams on ABC Southeast NSW’s Breakfast program to share insights from her research. Her project explores the experiences of employees who relocate to rural and regional NSW for work and aims to understand what attracts people to these areas, how they adapt to new communities, and what influences their decision to stay. Her study seeks to identify the systems that support attraction and retention in regional employment and she is still looking for potential research participants.
The interview was broadcast across multiple ABC stations and can be found at around 3:06:00 in the linked program.

Industry Internships: HDR candidates reaping the benefits

Jennifer Podesta Engagement, Industry, Researcher Development 0 Comment

Charles Sturt encourages our HDR candidates to engage with industry and research end-users during their candidature through internships: short-term collaborations aimed at tackling specific industry challenges. The industry partners can be SMEs, large corporations, government or community organisations or not-for-profits (NFP) and the projects concomitant with, but not part of the candidate’s doctoral research.

This year we have seen strong growth in interest in internships from our HDR candidates who recognise how these opportunities help them to apply their research skills in real-word settings, build professional connections, explore career opportunities and gain valuable skills. Read more

Three-minute thesis 2025 Finals

Jennifer Podesta Uncategorized 0 Comment

The 3 Minute Thesis final was held on 13 August 2025, at the CSU Riverina Playhouse. With an audience of over 150 watching (face to face and online) the 8 finalists presented their research in less than 3 minutes and with the use of 1 power point slide.

They represented schools and faculties across the university, and all presentations were of the highest order. Congratulations to all the finalists and those who supported them.

3MT Finalists
3MT 2025 Finalists

Sophea Aing                 New drugs and vaccines against H. pylori 

School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences / Rural Health Research Institute

Kirstie Northfield     From Grunts to Giggles: Understanding Your Teen’s Mental Health

School of Psychology

Jennifer Sharp          Virtual friends: technology for social connection in space

School of Psychology

Sarah Smorhun          Beyond Bollards: Protecting Australian Crowded Places

Centre for Law and Justice

Muhammad Riaz Hasib Hossain    Mob-Based Cattle Weight Gain Forecasting Using ML Models

School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering

Alexander Tynan          Deworming the world

School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences / Rural Health Research Institute

Nushrat Azam               Reflections in the Mirror: The Impact of Othering on Self & Social Identity

School of Social Work and Arts

Katrina Gersbach        In their own words: Wellbeing in the heart of the bush

School of Social Work and Arts Read more

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