FTSE, FAHMS, HonFIEAust, PhD, MSc, MA, BA(Hons)

Professor Karen Reynolds is Director of the Medical Device Research Institute (MDRI) and the Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP)  at Flinders University.  Bridging the divide between research and industry, Karen is considered as one of Australia’s leading researchers in biomedical engineering and has been recognised for her outstanding contributions.  She became an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia in 2017, awarded Engineers Australia David Dewhurst award in 2016, South Australian Scientist of the Year 2012, elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (2011), and awarded Australian Professional Engineer of the Year (2010).  Karen has held a number of external roles including Member, Australian Medical Research Advisory Board and Director, Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering Board.

Stephen joined the Medical Device Partnering Program as Innovations Manager in 2019. Prior to this he held roles within the Health and Medical team at the Department for Trade and Investment at the Government of South Australia and medical device cluster organisation MedTEC South Australia. Stephen led a South Australian Health and Life Sciences trade mission to China in 2018. Stephen started his career a mechanical design engineer and has previously worked for medical device companies in Australia and the UK, on a variety of devices from Deep Brain Stimulation to ophthalmic devices and laparoscopic surgical equipment so he brings a great breadth of experience to the role.

Stephen is the first point of contact for MDPP applicants, assessing the viability of new ideas and connecting them with the right expertise. 

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BSc BEng (Biomed) (Hons)

Research and Development Manager Jodie Hobbs is a Biomedical Engineer with over 16 years’ experience in medical device design and prototyping.  Working with medical practitioners, researchers and allied health she has developed many technology solutions incorporating sensing, measurement, electronics, software, data analysis and wireless communications.  Jodie has been involved across all stages of the research and development process from literature review and project scoping to assembly and user trials.  She enjoys the challenge of problem solving with the aim to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

Debbie is the Research Support Officer with the Medical Device Research Institute and Medical Device Partnering Program at Flinders University. Debbie joined the team in 2012 and provides research, project and administrative support. Debbie’s role involves co-ordinating network functions and events, overseeing MDPP finances, assisting with grant submissions, responsible for website and social platform updates, and database management.

Debbie is also Personal Assistant to Professor Karen Reynolds, managing her diary and administrative needs.

PhD BEng BSci (hons)

Angus is a biomedical engineer who specialises in all things data. He is interested in the design of robust and resilient systems to collect and organise data and from it inform decision-making processes, whether interactive or automatic. He has wide experience in data science, and has analysed/modelled systems from many sectors, including biomedical, power electric, agricultural, and genomic, and runs the gamut from linear models to machine learning.

Angus also has experience in the design and building of embedded systems and the software architectures that are needed to support them.

BSc (Electrical Engineering), MSc (Medical Informatics), MTech (Software Engineering)

Denny joined the MDPP team in May 2021 as an Electronics Design Engineer, supporting medical device design and prototyping.

Denny previously worked for research institutions in Taiwan, where he was responsible for coordinating and advancing the process of innovative medical device design as well as developing technology solutions.

He has participated in all stages of the innovative medical device research and development process, from project initiation to technology transfer and patent application.

He has a strong interest in engineering craftsmanship in embedded hardware and software design, aiming to dedicate himself and constantly contribute to the field of medical devices. 

MDes (Industrial Design)

John joined the Medical Device Partnering Program in November 2021 as a Mechanical Design Engineer, bringing a background of knowledge from the field of Industrial Design to support medical device design and prototyping.

In the past John has worked as a freelance industrial designer and as a researcher, designing habitation spaces onboard submarines. Bringing 4 years of experience with human centred design processes at the Studio for Confined Human Environment Design (SCHED) at the university of South Australia, John looks to implement seamless interactions between users and medical device technology.

PhD BSc BHlthSc (Hons)

Alex is the Innovations Manager within the Medical Device Partnering Program. As Innovations Manager she intends to build on the experience she obtained in her previous role as Innovations Officer. Alex has experience in understanding the commercialisation pathway for medical technologies and enjoys exploring new innovations and building relationships with stakeholders.

Before joining MDPP Alex previously worked as a Research Associate at the University of South Australia on an industry/CRC funded project to develop antimicrobial orthopaedic devices. She was responsible for developing and conducting preclinical models in addition to collaborating with industry partners and end-users. During this time, she undertook the BridgeTech Program where her desire in connecting industry with researchers to develop new innovations grew.

M.PharmSci (Research)

Parth is the Innovations Officer within the Medical Device Partnering Program. As Innovations Officer, he intends to learn & build on the experience he obtained in his previous role as Intern at Adelaide Intermediary Program (AIP), MTPConnect. Parth has experience in understanding the different investors in the Medtech Pharma sector and the ABMC precinct basic capabilities.

Before joining MDPP, Parth previously worked as an Intern at the Adelaide Intermediary Program and worked on capability mappings for investors in Medtech-Pharma sector, nephrology sector, RNA sector and helped with their events. He has also undertaken business internship at University of British Columbia (Vancouver), Production Trainee at Raptakos Brett & Co. Ltd., Pharmacy Internship at Kasturba Medical Hospital & founded a retail start-up business in India.

During his time at AIP, his interests for collaborating with industry researchers w.r.t. medical devices & new innovations grew and is further exploring his interests.