Daniel Gan
Daniel is a Research Fellow at Orygen/Centre for Youth Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry of Health Sciences. He is currently involved in two NHMRC-funded data linkage studies aimed at identifying better alternative pathways to mental health support services by young people in Australia.Daniel's broad research focus in youth mental health builds upon his doctoral research program, which was undertaken at the Black Dog Institute / University of New South Wales. For his PhD (awarded 22 February 2024), Daniel co-designed and evaluated a novel strategy for improving user engagement with a smartphone app for young people with suicidal ideation. His candidature was funded by an Australian Government RTP scholarship and a NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Suicide Prevention top-up scholarship.Daniel's early career research achievements include being Highly Commended by The Mental Health Services Awards of Australia and New Zealand (Aug 2024), and a Best Oral Presentation award at the Society for Mental Health Research conference (Nov 2024).Prior to his transition to academia, Daniel was a researcher in the Singapore Public Service.

Deanna Varley
Deanna is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use. Her research interests span social, developmental, and clinical psychology, with a focus on understanding how early life experiences contribute to psychological distress and other mental health outcomes. Her previous research has examined variations in responses to distress across attachment patterns and evaluated brief interventions for improving mental health outcomes. Currently, Deanna’s research aims to examine age, period, and cohort trends in psychological distress by harmonising population-based datasets to enhance our understanding of determinants of psychological distress to inform prevention, intervention, and policy.

Huan Liao
Dr Huan Liao is a clinician neuroscientist in the Epigenetics and Neural Plasticity Laboratory at The Florey. Dr Liao’s current research focuses on investigating multigenerational impacts of paternal immune activation as well as the role of microglia and environmental enrichment in neurodegenerative disorders.Dr Liao completed his PhD in Experimental Medicine at the University of Bonn, Germany in 2021. His doctoral research explored how low molecular weight polysialic acid can protect against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory dopaminergic neurodegeneration by interacting with microglia membrane receptors known as SIGLECs.Dr Liao’s research contributions are evident through his extensive publication record, with multiple publications in leading journals (e.g. Glia, Stroke, Hypertension, BMC Medicine, eClinicalMedicine, Scientific Reports, British Journal of Ophthalmology, American Journal of Ophthalmology, Age and Ageing) and one patent. He recently received the prestigious Fellowship from the Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation (BGRF) to uncover the hidden mechanisms behind the benefits of environmental enrichment, offering hope for future treatments and a brighter future for those affected by Alzheimer’s.

Ivana Kihas
Ivana is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney. She holds a Bachelor of Advanced Science (Psychology Honours) and a PhD in Medicine (2023). Her PhD investigated the common and complex comorbidity of post-traumatic stress disorder, disordered eating and substance use disorder among young people (12-25 years of age). Ivana is currently coordinating the Inroads study, a randomised controlled trial examining the efficacy of an online, cognitive behavioural therapy-based early intervention to reduce anxiety and hazardous alcohol use among young people (17-30 years of age). Ivana has previously held positions as a Research Officer at the Matilda Centre, University of Sydney (2018-2023), National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales (2013-2018), and the Emotional Health Clinic, Macquarie University (2012-2014) working across several projects with young people and adults, focusing on the comorbidity of mental health and substance use. Ivana’s research aims to improve health outcomes for young people facing adversity and co-occurrence of complex mental health issues.