Healing the world: Health science careers for global impact
Celebrate World Health Day by exploring how a career in health science can help your students to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges.
Healing the world: Health science careers for global impact
🎓 Healing the world: Health science careers for global impact
🗓️ Thursday 2 April 2026
🕚 11:15AM – 12:00PM AEDT (Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne time)
Celebrate World Health Day by exploring how a career in health science can help your students to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. From developing life-saving technologies to improving global health systems, this Shape Your Future webinar will highlight how science, engineering and medicine work together to improve lives across the globe.
Proudly presented by STELR, a national education initiative from ATSE – the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
Why should you attend?
Health science is how we discover new treatments, understand complex diseases, and develop new ways of helping people live healthy lives. It includes disciplines such as biotechnology, biomedical engineering, public health, data science and medicine, all contributing to our understanding of how people live. As the world faces challenges like emerging diseases, ageing populations and health inequities, skilled professionals drive innovation and deliver solutions that improve wellbeing locally and globally.
This engaging session will introduce students to some of the many ways health science careers can create meaningful global impact and the journey they could take to get there.
What will students learn?
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Real-world impact: Discover how health scientists are helping address global health challenges and improve quality of life.
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Career pathways: Explore the huge range of careers in health science, from biomedical research and biotechnology to public health and medical innovation.
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Skills for the future: Learn about the knowledge, skills and experiences that can help you pursue a career that contributes to better health outcomes worldwide.
Join our expert panel as they share their career journeys, insights and advice for students interested in making a difference through science and innovation.
Practical and inspiring, this webinar is designed for students, educators and anyone interested in how STEM careers can contribute to healthier communities and a better future for all.
This webinar is the next in our 2026 Shape Your Future series, an educational initiative from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), which brings experts in science, technology and engineering live into Australian classrooms for a virtual chat with students on career pathways in STEM.
FREE CAREERS IN STEM WEBINARS — Brought to you by STELR
Shape Your Future webinars show students the different pathways that Australian scientists, engineers & technologists have taken in their careers. To watch previous sessions, visit Shape Your Future webinars
STELR
ATSE’s STEM in schools' education initiative — STELR (Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance) — modules include equipment, curriculum resources for classrooms, and teacher support. Teachers can access professional learning sessions as well as online and telephone support.
Speakers
FTSE FAHMS
Academic Director, Centre for Drug Discovery Innovation, University of Sydney
Academic Director, Centre for Drug Discovery Innovation, University of Sydney
Professor Michael Kassiou is a world-leading medicinal chemist with expertise in drug discovery. His innovative approach combines chemistry and molecular design. His innovations have been commercialised in several companies, most notably Prokardia Therapeutics which are producing entirely new medicines for cardiovascular disease, and Kinoxis Therapeutics who are targeting mental health conditions including substance use disorders. He holds more than 20 patents, several of which have been licensed to pharmaceutical companies.
Kassiou leads the Centre for Drug Discovery Innovation and the New South Wales Organoid Innovation Centre – a multi-institution facility applying cutting-edge stem-cell techniques to accelerate drug discovery and design. He is also a node leader of MedChem Australia, a national initiative aiming to bridge the gap between research and commercialisation.
His remarkable achievements have been recognised with the Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science and Innovation in 2023 and the Australian Financial Review Higher Education Award for Research Commercialisation in 2024.
Kassiou leads the Centre for Drug Discovery Innovation and the New South Wales Organoid Innovation Centre – a multi-institution facility applying cutting-edge stem-cell techniques to accelerate drug discovery and design. He is also a node leader of MedChem Australia, a national initiative aiming to bridge the gap between research and commercialisation.
His remarkable achievements have been recognised with the Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science and Innovation in 2023 and the Australian Financial Review Higher Education Award for Research Commercialisation in 2024.
Professor Noushin Nasiri
Head of the NanoTech Laboratory, Macquarie University
Head of the NanoTech Laboratory, Macquarie University
Professor Noushin Nasiri is a materials scientist and engineer at Macquarie University, where she leads the NanoTech Laboratory. She develops smart nanomaterials and nanosensors to improve health diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and sustainable technologies, translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact. Her work has been recognised with major national awards, including including the 2025 Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology, the 2025 Engineers Australia Professional Engineer of the Year (Sydney), and the 2025 David and Valerie Solomon Award from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE). She is an ARC Industry Fellow and serves as Global Chair of IEEE Women in Nanotechnology, supporting leadership and equity in STEM worldwide. She is also a three-time TEDx speaker, passionate about inspiring young people to pursue careers in STEM.
Alicja Kaczynska
Elevate Post-Graduate Scholar
Elevate Post-Graduate Scholar
Alicja is a PhD candidate in medical physics at the University of Sydney, researching technology to improve the accuracy of cancer radiotherapy treatment. Her work spans software development, experiments with radiotherapy machines, and clinical data analysis - all aimed at tracking tumour movement in real time so radiation can be delivered more precisely. Alicja has presented her work at national and international conferences and collaborates with clinical and academic researchers. Outside of her research, Alicja is passionate about creating opportunities for the next generation of STEM students.
