Inspirational speakers from the Deakin community
Seven speakers will take to the TEDx stage with talk topics ranging from forensic entomology to low-orbit space ballistics.
Shannon Ryan
Shannon Ryan is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Deakin University and Australia’s leading expert in protecting spacecraft from the impact of space debris.
His research explores how machine learning and artificial intelligence can solve complex engineering challenges, with a particular focus on protective structures. His expertise in space debris began during his PhD, when he investigated how tiny particles travelling through space could degrade scientific instruments aboard the European Space Agency’s Earth Explorer satellites.
Shannon went on to conduct postdoctoral research at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, developing protective shielding for human spacecraft. He was also part of the Space Shuttle Orbiter and International Space Station post-flight inspection team, examining spacecraft after missions for evidence of damage caused by space debris.
Before joining Deakin University, Shannon spent a decade with Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group, working on armour systems for land vehicles. His work now asks a critical question for an increasingly crowded space environment: how do we protect the technology, and people, that venture beyond Earth?
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Shannon Ryan
Aerospace engineer. Space junkie. Ballistics expert.
Shannon Ryan
Shannon Ryan is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Deakin University and Australia’s leading expert in protecting spacecraft from the impact of space debris.
His research explores how machine learning and artificial intelligence can solve complex engineering challenges, with a particular focus on protective structures. His expertise in space debris began during his PhD, when he investigated how tiny particles travelling through space could degrade scientific instruments aboard the European Space Agency’s Earth Explorer satellites.
Shannon went on to conduct postdoctoral research at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, developing protective shielding for human spacecraft. He was also part of the Space Shuttle Orbiter and International Space Station post-flight inspection team, examining spacecraft after missions for evidence of damage caused by space debris.
Before joining Deakin University, Shannon spent a decade with Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group, working on armour systems for land vehicles. His work now asks a critical question for an increasingly crowded space environment: how do we protect the technology, and people, that venture beyond Earth?
Marijke Bassani
Associate Professor Marijke Bassani is a multilingual human rights lawyer, photographer and academic, and the inaugural Associate Dean (Indigenous) in Deakin University’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment. A Lama Lama, Binthi Warra (Guugu Yimithirr Nation) and Bulgun Warra Aboriginal woman from Cape York, Marijke has dedicated her career to advancing human rights, social justice and the rights of Indigenous peoples in Australia and around the world.
The first international human rights lawyer from Cape York Peninsula, Marijke’s work sits at the intersection of Indigenous rights, international law, culture and social justice. Her scholarship and advocacy have contributed to United Nations human rights processes and explored issues including race, gender, sexuality, cultural heritage and the rights and visibility of First Nations LGBTQIA+ peoples.
A multilingual speaker whose first language is Guugu Yimithirr and second language is East Cape York Kriol Marijke comes from an ancient lineage of people with strong (kin)nections to wind and rain story, which are the cultural lores/laws binding the hearts, spirits and bodies of her people to their lands, skies, seas and each other.
When she isn’t working across law, leadership and academia Marijke can often be found behind a camera, using photography to tell powerful stories about identity, belonging and the enduring (kin)nection between community, culture and Country—a visual reminder of our shared humanity.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Marijke Bassani
Human rights lawyer. First Nations advocate. Truth teller.
Marijke Bassani
Associate Professor Marijke Bassani is a multilingual human rights lawyer, photographer and academic, and the inaugural Associate Dean (Indigenous) in Deakin University’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment. A Lama Lama, Binthi Warra (Guugu Yimithirr Nation) and Bulgun Warra Aboriginal woman from Cape York, Marijke has dedicated her career to advancing human rights, social justice and the rights of Indigenous peoples in Australia and around the world.
The first international human rights lawyer from Cape York Peninsula, Marijke’s work sits at the intersection of Indigenous rights, international law, culture and social justice. Her scholarship and advocacy have contributed to United Nations human rights processes and explored issues including race, gender, sexuality, cultural heritage and the rights and visibility of First Nations LGBTQIA+ peoples.
A multilingual speaker whose first language is Guugu Yimithirr and second language is East Cape York Kriol Marijke comes from an ancient lineage of people with strong (kin)nections to wind and rain story, which are the cultural lores/laws binding the hearts, spirits and bodies of her people to their lands, skies, seas and each other.
When she isn’t working across law, leadership and academia Marijke can often be found behind a camera, using photography to tell powerful stories about identity, belonging and the enduring (kin)nection between community, culture and Country—a visual reminder of our shared humanity.
Spencer Roberts
Dr Spencer Roberts is a Lecturer in Applied Sport Science at Deakin University’s Centre for Sport Research, within the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition.
Following an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Fellowship, he now leads multidisciplinary research exploring new ways to reduce the risks and consequences of head impacts in collision sports, including concussion.
His work investigates how individual, modifiable factors may influence the risk of head impacts and concussion, with the aim of developing practical approaches to better protect athletes.
Dr Roberts brings personal experience to this work, having played amateur Australian football for more than 20 years and experienced multiple concussions. Today, he has swapped the football field for open water, where he is a keen swimmer.
DOCTOR
Spencer Roberts
Sports scientist. Concussion expert. All things athletes.
Spencer Roberts
Dr Spencer Roberts is a Lecturer in Applied Sport Science at Deakin University’s Centre for Sport Research, within the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition.
Following an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Fellowship, he now leads multidisciplinary research exploring new ways to reduce the risks and consequences of head impacts in collision sports, including concussion.
His work investigates how individual, modifiable factors may influence the risk of head impacts and concussion, with the aim of developing practical approaches to better protect athletes.
Dr Roberts brings personal experience to this work, having played amateur Australian football for more than 20 years and experienced multiple concussions. Today, he has swapped the football field for open water, where he is a keen swimmer.
Michelle Harvey
Professor Michelle Harvey is an international expert on blowflies, and she’s fascinated by what makes maggots tick. A Professor of Medical Entomology and Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning in Deakin’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, Michelle’s work explores the behaviour and biology of some of nature’s most misunderstood creatures.
She describes her laboratory as a ‘scratch and sniff experience’, where flies and maggots are part of the everyday scenery.
Beyond the lab, Michelle is a passionate advocate for STEM education and serves as Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning in the Australian Council of Deans of Science. And when she’s not chasing flys, she’s chasing a rather different target - a little white ball, as a keen golfer.
PROFESSOR
Michelle Harvey
Forensics. Blowflies. Maggots. Medicine.
Michelle Harvey
Professor Michelle Harvey is an international expert on blowflies, and she’s fascinated by what makes maggots tick. A Professor of Medical Entomology and Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning in Deakin’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, Michelle’s work explores the behaviour and biology of some of nature’s most misunderstood creatures.
She describes her laboratory as a ‘scratch and sniff experience’, where flies and maggots are part of the everyday scenery.
Beyond the lab, Michelle is a passionate advocate for STEM education and serves as Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning in the Australian Council of Deans of Science. And when she’s not chasing flys, she’s chasing a rather different target - a little white ball, as a keen golfer.
Amelia McGuiness
Dr Amelia McGuinness is a Research Fellow at Deakin University’s Food & Mood Centre, where she leads and collaborates on clinical trials investigating microbiome-modulating interventions for mental and physical health.
Her research focuses on health conditions that disproportionately affect women, including depression, Long COVID, chronic pain and menstrual cycle-related mental health. She is particularly interested in translating emerging scientific discoveries into evidence-based healthcare, and in understanding how health research is communicated, understood and ultimately applied in the real world.
Beyond her research, Amelia enjoys reading, travelling, discovering new restaurants and cafés, spending time with friends and family, and finding her next great Netflix series.
DOCTOR
Amelia McGuiness
Microbiome–gut–brain axis. Women’s health. Busting myths.
Amelia McGuiness
Dr Amelia McGuinness is a Research Fellow at Deakin University’s Food & Mood Centre, where she leads and collaborates on clinical trials investigating microbiome-modulating interventions for mental and physical health.
Her research focuses on health conditions that disproportionately affect women, including depression, Long COVID, chronic pain and menstrual cycle-related mental health. She is particularly interested in translating emerging scientific discoveries into evidence-based healthcare, and in understanding how health research is communicated, understood and ultimately applied in the real world.
Beyond her research, Amelia enjoys reading, travelling, discovering new restaurants and cafés, spending time with friends and family, and finding her next great Netflix series.
Tim Harte
Tim Harte, GAICD, MRACI, DLI is a materials chemist, educator, governance leader and disability advocate exploring how science and innovation can create a more sustainable and inclusive future.
A graduate of Deakin University and CSIRO, Tim completed a PhD in engineering focused on advanced materials that can both store energy and carry structural loads, helping pave the way for lighter, smarter, and more sustainable technologies. Through electrolyte optimisation, Tim developed experimental systems that achieved up to nine times greater efficiency, helping move these multifunctional materials closer to real-world application.
Beyond academia, he holds leadership roles across science and disability advocacy and has addressed the United Nations on disability rights and facilitated official side events at UN conferences.
Drawing on lived experience of disability, Tim is passionate about making science, education and leadership more accessible and inclusive. Away from work, he enjoys life on his small Victorian farm.
PHD CANDIDATE
Tim Harte
Materials scientist. United Nations presenter. Former ballet dancer.
Tim Harte
Tim Harte, GAICD, MRACI, DLI is a materials chemist, educator, governance leader and disability advocate exploring how science and innovation can create a more sustainable and inclusive future.
A graduate of Deakin University and CSIRO, Tim completed a PhD in engineering focused on advanced materials that can both store energy and carry structural loads, helping pave the way for lighter, smarter, and more sustainable technologies. Through electrolyte optimisation, Tim developed experimental systems that achieved up to nine times greater efficiency, helping move these multifunctional materials closer to real-world application.
Beyond academia, he holds leadership roles across science and disability advocacy and has addressed the United Nations on disability rights and facilitated official side events at UN conferences.
Drawing on lived experience of disability, Tim is passionate about making science, education and leadership more accessible and inclusive. Away from work, he enjoys life on his small Victorian farm.
Yamini Narayanan
Yamini Narayanan is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow at Deakin University and the author of the multi-award-winning book Mother Cow, Mother India. An activist-scholar working at the intersection of animal politics, scholarship and advocacy, Yamini explores what becomes possible when humans remember that we, too, are animals.
More than a decade ago, an encounter with a rabbit changed the course of her life. In a moment of profound recognition between one animal and another, Yamini followed her instincts and left her previous research — literally overnight — to enter the then largely uncharted field of animal studies.
Today, her work asks us to reconsider our relationship with other animals and what we have forgotten about our own animal ancestry. In her free time, Yamini continues to reflect on, and honour, the animal nature that connects us all.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Yamini Narayanan
Author. Animal advocate. Justice seeker.
Yamini Narayanan
Yamini Narayanan is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow at Deakin University and the author of the multi-award-winning book Mother Cow, Mother India. An activist-scholar working at the intersection of animal politics, scholarship and advocacy, Yamini explores what becomes possible when humans remember that we, too, are animals.
More than a decade ago, an encounter with a rabbit changed the course of her life. In a moment of profound recognition between one animal and another, Yamini followed her instincts and left her previous research — literally overnight — to enter the then largely uncharted field of animal studies.
Today, her work asks us to reconsider our relationship with other animals and what we have forgotten about our own animal ancestry. In her free time, Yamini continues to reflect on, and honour, the animal nature that connects us all.
Nick Grage-Perry
Nick Grage-Perry is Associate Director, Leadership and Organisational Development, in the People and Culture division at Deakin. He leads a team of leadership facilitators and loves working with groups and individuals through development programs and coaching, including Deakin’s own suite of Cultivate_U leadership development programs (Know the Way, Go the Way, and Show the Way).
Nick’s time at Deakin presented him with the wonderful possibility of applying his skills to the MC role, earning his spot at our TEDx event by safely navigating Deakin’s mentoring program and Vice-Chancellor’s awards events.
Nick started his career in the public service, before moving into the fields of organisational and leadership development through consulting and in-house roles.
Nick’s long-standing interest in people, behaviour and capability brought him to Deakin in 2022, when — while pursuing a mid-life crisis career change as a pool lifeguard — he realised he still couldn’t stop thinking about why people do what they do, even when the signs clearly say “no running”.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Nick Grage-Perry
Leadership coach. Facilitator. Former lifeguard.
Nick Grage-Perry
Nick Grage-Perry is Associate Director, Leadership and Organisational Development, in the People and Culture division at Deakin. He leads a team of leadership facilitators and loves working with groups and individuals through development programs and coaching, including Deakin’s own suite of Cultivate_U leadership development programs (Know the Way, Go the Way, and Show the Way).
Nick’s time at Deakin presented him with the wonderful possibility of applying his skills to the MC role, earning his spot at our TEDx event by safely navigating Deakin’s mentoring program and Vice-Chancellor’s awards events.
Nick started his career in the public service, before moving into the fields of organisational and leadership development through consulting and in-house roles.
Nick’s long-standing interest in people, behaviour and capability brought him to Deakin in 2022, when — while pursuing a mid-life crisis career change as a pool lifeguard — he realised he still couldn’t stop thinking about why people do what they do, even when the signs clearly say “no running”.
Getting there
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood
Rusden Theatre (LT13), building HC
221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, VIC 3125
Parking
Deakin’s Burwood campus is a 30-minute drive from Melbourne’s CBD, depending on traffic. The closest carpark is the CP6 multi-level.
Public transport
You can catch the 75 Vermont South - Central Pier Docklands tram from Melbourne CBD. Hop off at stop #63. The theatre is a 10-minute walk across campus.
Program
1.00 pm to 5.00 pm
Arrival and check-in from 12.30 pm
Settle in for an afternoon of bold ideas, curated talks, and moments of entertainment woven throughout.
Light refreshments and canapés will be served.
Not sure what to expect? Check out the video playlist from last year’s event.
Organising committee
EXECUTIVE SUPPORTER
Deakin Distinguished Professor Nick Birbilis
Executive Dean, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment
EXECUTIVE SUPPORTER
Professor Lambert Bräu
Deputy Dean, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment
LICENSEE, ORGANISER
Alexandria Lewis
Partner, Faculty Research Marketing
SPEAKER COACH
Tania Palich
Senior Coordinator, Communications
EVENT LOGISTICS
Jess Holmes
Specialist, Conferences and Venues
EVENT DESIGN
Nick Stone
Digital Producer, Faculty Research Marketing
SPEAKER COACH
Jon Yeo
Brightstar Consulting
This independent TEDx event is operated under licence from TED
What is TEDx?
In the spirit of discovering and spreading ideas, TED created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is TEDxDeakin Uni Melbourne, where x = independently organised TED event. Speakers never pay to join a TEDx event. Consideration, speaker coaching and event participation along with attendance are all provided free of charge. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organised.
About TEDx, x = independently organised event
In the spirit of discovering and spreading ideas, TEDx is a program of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.
At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organised. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About TED
TED is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organisation is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.
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