Rural Health Research Institute
The Rural Health Research Institute (RHRI) has initiated research programs in Rural Health, First Nations Health, Global Health, Nanotechnology, and AI & Digital Health Technology.
Major global health collaborations with icddr,b and the Department of Health, the Philippines, have been successfully launched. As the RHRI approach the commencement of the Health Disparities study, we are fortifying existing local partnerships and forging new ones with indigenous groups (e.g., OAMS, CAMS, REDI.E) and regional health networks.
These dynamic projects involve the active enrolment of several PhD students, contributing to the Institute's commitment to advancing knowledge and fostering impactful solutions in diverse health domains at both national and international levels.
Principal supervisor: Professor Anna Walduck
Shannon Gilding, BA Languages (VU, 2011), Dip. Lab Tech (Swinburne, 2019), BSc Genetics and Biochemistry (Latrobe, 2023). Five years experience in NATA-certified testing lab. Passionate about precision and science.
Principal supervisor: Distinguished Professor Muhammad J A Shiddiky
Farjana Haque completed her Bachelor of Science (B.Sc, 2016) and Master of Science (MS, 2018) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Bangladesh. She worked as a Senior Research Officer at icddr,b (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh).
Principal supervisor: Dr Mohammad Ali Moni
Mr. Hasan has completed a Bachelor of Science in ECE (B.Sc. Engg., 2002) and a Master of Engineering (M.E., 2014) in Information and Communication Engineering in South Korea. He is also a faculty member of the ECE discipline in Khulna University, Bangladesh.
Principal supervisor: Professor Julaine Allan
Heidi Gray, a First Class Honors graduate in Psychology and Education from Charles Sturt University, excels in co-designing monitoring frameworks for marginalized populations. Her expertise lies in qualitative research methods.
Principal supervisor: Professor Allen Ross
Utpal Mondal is a public health epidemiologist with expertise in designing and implementing community-based health interventions, running surveillance platform, tackling disease outbreaks, addressing preventable causes of mortality and morbidity, and empowering underserved populations to take informed decision. Utpal is currently pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Science.
Principal supervisor: Dr Hazel Dalton
Peach, with a B Soc Sci (Psychology) (Hons) and Grad Dip in Psychology, brings a unique blend of psychological insight and journalistic finesse. Her diverse academic background, including a Grad Dip in Journalism, underpins her expertise in communications and journalism.
Principal supervisor: Dr Kedir Ahmed
Setognal completed his master’s degree (Biostatistics) in 2019, and his bachelor’s degree (Public Health Officer) in 2016, He has been working as an Assistant Professor of Biostatistics at University of Gondar (Ethiopia). His expertise lies on Biostatistics and Epidemiology.
Principal supervisor: Distinguished Professor Muhammad J A Shiddiky
Milkiyas completed his Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences in 2008 and Master of Science in Medical Microbiology in 2017 in Ethiopia. He has been working as an Assistant Professor at Debre Markos University (Ethiopia).
Principal supervisor: Professor Anna Walduck
Sophea Aing is a PhD candidate with a Masters in Biotechnology (Clinical Microbiology) and Public Health. Her research focuses on developing vaccines and drugs for Helicobacter pylori, driven by a passion for rural, national and global health.
Principal supervisor: Professor Allen Ross
Ferdous Rahman, a Bangladeshi physician with an MBBS and MPH, has five years of experience in HIV & AIDS at icddr,b. His expertise spans digital health services, substance use, Hepatitis C, HIV, and mental health. His PhD research focuses on Hepatitis C transmission among injectable substance users in Bangladesh.
Principal supervisor: Dr Mohammad Ali Moni
Sharika Nuzhat is a physician by training. She completed her diploma in Child Health in 2013. She has been working as an Associate Scientist at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b). Her areas of expertise include infectious diseases and childhood malnutrition.
Principal supervisor: Dr Mohammad Ali Moni
Aura holds a master's in Biotechnology and a bachelor's in Biomedical Sciences. She is a lecturer at Universal College Bangladesh and prior to that she worked as a research officer at North South University Genome Research Institute. Her research interests lie in the fields of bioinformatics, genetics and genomics.
Principal supervisor: Associate Professor Bernd Kalinna
Alexander (Sasha) Tynan holds a Bachelor's in Biomedical Science from Australian Catholic University and a Master's in Laboratory Medicine from RMIT. His research interests include microbiology, cell culture techniques, and data analysis.
Principal supervisor: Dr Subash Thapa
Santosh completed his Master’s degree in Public Health (with a focus on Advanced Biostatistics and Epidemiology) from The University of Sheffield (UK) and French School of Public Health (France) in 2018. He obtained a Bachelor of Public Health from Purbanchal University (Nepal) in 2011.
Principal supervisor: Distinguished Professor Jing Sun
Bei Zhang holds a bachelor's degree in Statistics and a master's degree in public health (with a specialisation in Epidemiology and Health Statistics). His research focuses on the influencing factors and predictive studies of the global burden of disease.
Principal supervisor: Dr Mohammad Ali Moni
Monjur Rahman, a computer science graduate with 20 years of experience, has worked 17+ years at icddr,b on maternal and child health research, data-system development, and large database management. He is pursuing a PhD to develop AI models predicting adverse pregnancy and child outcomes using multiomics data.
Principal supervisor: Associate Professor Bernd Kalinna
Current Project: The development of a diagnostic test for Periodontitis using CRISPR.
Principal supervisor: Associate Professor Bernd Kalinna
After completing his studies, Mohammad Nazmus Sakib joined icddr,b , where he gained substantial knowledge in the study of gut, nasal, and vaginal microbiomes. This experience broadened his understanding of microbiology and public health research. Currently, Sakib is pursuing an MPhil with a specialised focus on Vibrio cholerae.
Principal supervisor: Dr Mohammad Ali Moni
Abdullah Al Mahmud, with a Master's in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and a Bachelor's in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, specializes in pathogen detection, optical resonator design, cleanroom fabrication, radiative cooling, and materials synthesis (MOF, Mxene, etc).
