Dr Jacob Martin is the winner of the ninth Falling Walls Lab Australia event, recently hosted by the Australian Academy of Science.
Dr Martin spoke about 'breaking the wall' of green graphite. He is a lecturer in physics and astronomy at Curtin University and his research focuses on carbon materials science for energy storage materials and decarbonisation.
Second place was awarded to Dr Natasha de Alwis, a postdoctoral researcher in the Therapeutics Discovery and Vascular Function Group at the University of Melbourne. Dr de Alwis spoke about therapies in pregnancy, presenting her research on developing novel therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat pregnancy complications, particularly preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction.
Third place was awarded to Pratyush Ravichander, a third-year PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, who spoke about 'breaking the wall' of RNA-based fungicides. Mr Ravichander is passionate about sustainable agriculture and building global food security.
The three winners were selected from 16 emerging innovators, winners of the state labs held in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Each participant had just three minutes to make their pitch in front of a jury of eminent academics and leaders, chaired by Australia's Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley.
Falling Walls Lab Australia is organised by the Australian Academy of Science in association with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Australia, and with the support of event partners Merck Group and EURAXESS Worldwide Australia and New Zealand.
Winners to represent Australia in Berlin
The three winners will represent Australia in Berlin on 7 November, among 97 other finalists selected from Falling Walls Labs across the globe.
The Falling Walls Science Summit is an annual conference that fosters discussion on research and innovation and promotes the latest scientific findings among a broad audience from all parts of society. The Lab is an international forum for the next generation of outstanding innovators and creative thinkers.
