Snow Fellow Conference 2026
The Snow Fellows Conference 2026 brought together Snow Fellows, research teams, program managers and invited guests, for connection, learning and collaboration at beautiful Willinga Park on the NSW South Coast. This was our 5th annual event, and has become a cornerstone of the Snow Fellow network and leadership development program, providing a unique opportunity for participants to share research progress, strengthen relationships across disciplines, and explore new eays of tackling some of the most significant challenges in medicine.
Guided by the theme of "Doing Science Differently", the conference challenged attendees to think beyond traditional academic models and consider how bold ideas, collaboration and entrepreneurial approaches can accelerate research impact. Alongside presentations from Snow Fellows and emerging research leaders, the program featured peer mentoring, professional development sessions, poster presentations and interactive workshops designed to foster a connected and supportive scientific community.
We were delighted to officially welcome our three newest Snow Fellows into our growing network: Dr Deborah Burnett from UNSW, A Prof Sudarshini Ramanathan from USyd, and Dr Ira Deveson from the Garvan Institute (all from Sydney), commencing their Snow Fellowships in 2027.
3-Minute Thesis prizes were awarded to Chelisa Cardinez and Lucas Mitchell.
A heartfelt thank you to Tom and Ginette Snow for generously hosting this year’s conference, and to the incredible events team at Willinga Park for their continued support.
We look forward to seeing you all again next year!
Our Guest Speakers for 2026
Professor Fiona Wood AO FRCS, FRACS
Director of the Burns Service of Western Australia
Professor Fiona Wood has been a burns surgeon and researcher for over 30 years and is Director of the Burns
Service of Western Australia (BSWA). She is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Perth
Children’s Hospital; cofounder of the first skin cell laboratory in WA; Winthrop Professor in the School of
Surgery at The University of Western Australia; and cofounder of the Fiona Wood Foundation (formerly The
McComb Foundation).
Professor Wood’s greatest contribution and enduring legacy is her work with co-inventor Marie Stoner,
pioneering the innovative ‘spray-on skin’ technique (Recell), where today the technique is used worldwide. In October 2002, Fiona was propelled into the media spotlight when the largest proportion of survivors from
the 2002 Bali bombings arrived in Perth where Fiona led the medical team at Royal Perth Hospital to save
many lives.
Fiona has received many prestigious accolades, including Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) (2024), Australian of the Year (2005), WA Science Hall of Fame Inductee (2024), Australian Society for Medical Research Medallist (2022) and the Monash Medal (2023).
Fiona is married to fellow surgeon Tony Kierath, is mother to four boys and two girls and a proud
grandmother.
Professor Stephen Simpson AC FAA FRSN FRS
Chair, Fellowship Scientific Review and Advisory Committee
Professor Stephen Simpson AC is a Professor in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney and Executive Director of Obesity Australia. He was inaugural Academic Director
of Charles Perkins Centre from 2012-2025.
Stephen was born in Melbourne. After completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Queensland,
he undertook his PhD at the University of London. He spent 22 years at the University of Oxford, first in
Experimental Psychology, then in the Department of Zoology and the Oxford University Museum of
Natural History, before returning to Australia in 2005 as an ARC Federation Fellow.
In 2013 Stephen was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London as “one of the world’s foremost entomologists and nutritional biologists”, and in 2015 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia “for eminent service to biological and biomedical science.”
Tom and Ginette Snow, with Profs Simpson (L) and Wood (R)
