1st “Research Bites” in Victoria


The first Research Bites (RB) organized by the Victoria (Australia) delegation of the Spanish Researchers in Australia-Pacific association (SRAP-IEAP) was held in La Trobe University (Melbourne) on Friday, 11th December 2015, from 5 – 8 pm. This event was organised by our member  Dr. Álvaro Roura, who works at  La Trobe University (Melbourne) with a postdoctoral contract.

15 Spanish researchers participated in this event. Seven of them talked about their research and how did they end up working in Australia:

  1. Marta Portela-Esteban, Biologist, postdoc at La Trobe University. She works in human diseases Drosophila melanogaster, particularly in cancer and Alzheimer.
  2. Marta Enciso, Chemist-Physicist, research officer at La Trobe University. She works on molecular modelization, and simulating biologic systems
  3. Iván Martínez Botella, Chemist, Experimental Scientist CSIRO (Clayton). He works on organic synthesis (mainly in polymers) in continuum flux.
  4. Francisco Gómez Carrasco, Physicist, Postdoc Monash University. He works on Computational Fluid Dynamics.
  5. David Rodríguez Sánchez, Mechanical engineer, PhD student at RMIT. He works in optics of solar concentrators.
  6. David Perez Guaita, Chemist, postdoc at Monash Univ. He works in biomedical applications of the vibrational spectroscopy.
  7. Paula Sánchez Rodríguez, Biologist, currently searching for a grant or contract to start her PhD.

However, the event was interrupted before finished because a fire alarm forced to evacuate the building.

Primer Reseach Bites en Melbourne

First Research Bites of the SRAP-IEAP in Victoria, Australia. Credit: Álvaro Roura.

This first Research Bites of SRAP-IEAP in Victoria was not exclusive for researchers, but the Spanish Consul in Melbourne, D. Juan Carlos Gafo Acevedo, with some relatives and friends of the SRAP-IEAP members, also attended. After the Research Bites all participants enjoyed some Spanish tapas  (tortilla de patatas, empanada de carne, mejillones a la vinagreta, embutidos y quesos ibéricos) with Rioja wine and beers.

 

Álvaro Roura was interviewed in radio 3ZZZ on 8th December 2015 to talk about the SRAP-IEAP and publicise the first Research Bites in Victoria. The link to the radio interview can be found here, it starts in minute 38.

 

 

Congratulations to all participants to the first Research Bites of the SRAP-IEAP association in Vitoria!


Angel.Lopez-Sanchez

About Angel.Lopez-Sanchez

A/Prof Ángel R. López-Sánchez is an astrophysicist and science communicator working at the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University (MQ). He is a recognised expert in the study of how the gas is converted into stars in galaxies and how this affects galaxy evolution. He graduated in Theoretical Physics at the University of Granada (2000) and completed his PhD Thesis in Astrophysics at the prestigious “Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias” (IAC, Spain) and the University of La Laguna (Spain) in 2006. He moved to Australia in 2007, joining CSIRO “Astronomy and Space Science” to perform radio-interferometric observations of gas-rich galaxies at the Australian Telescope Compact Array. In 2011 he joined the Australian Astronomical Observatory and Macquarie University combining instrumentation support, research, lecturing, and outreach. He was appointed as a full-time research academic at the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at Macquarie University in May 2023. He is the president of the association of Spanish Researchers in Australia-Pacific (SRAP), the vice-president of the Astronomical Association of Córdoba (AAC, Spain), representative in the Andalusian Astronomy Network (RAdA), and member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the Spanish Astronomy Society (SEA), and the Australian Astronomy Society (ASA). He is a globally-recognised science communicator, with visibility in Spanish and Australian printed, broadcast, and social media. He is also a passionate amateur astronomer that uses his own equipment for capturing the beauty of the Cosmos. His stunning astronomy time-lapse videos and photos have received +1/2 million views in YouTube and have been seen in TV channels in USA, Australia and Spain, science museums worldwide, and textbooks.