July 2025 Researcher Profiles

Mihin Perera

Mihin Perera is a PhD student in the Department of Chemical Engineering (FEIT) and Structural Biology Division at WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute). His work spans several engineering disciplines to accelerate research workflows and improve data quality for researchers using cryogenic electron microscopy, a Nobel-Prize winning technology that enables scientists to discover mechanisms underlying rare diseases and cancer. This includes artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, nano-fabrication and materials characterization to develop new instruments, software and consumables for researchers. He previously completed his Bachelor of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering and Bachelor of Commerce at Monash University. He hopes to be able to commercialise these tools with support from WEHI Ventures and make them widely available to the broader research community.

Recent Achievements:

• Judge’s Award and People’s Choice Awards (WEHI Ventures InnoVision Pitch Competition 2024)
• Most Popular Oral Presentation (CCeMMP Research Symposium 2024)
• Pitch Competition Finalist (Proto Axiom Challenger Summit 2024)
• First Place - Art of Science (Still Image) (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research 2024)

Maya Robertson

Maya Robertson is a second-year PhD student at the University of Melbourne, jointly affiliated with the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health and the Department of Chemical Engineering. Her research sits at the intersection of reproductive biology and nanomedicine, focusing on the development of placenta-targeted lipid nanoparticles for the treatment of preeclampsia.

Recent achievements

• Attended the International NanoMedicine Conference in Sydney in June where Maya was awarded 'Best Poster Presentation' in the 3MT competition.
• Received the Henry and Rachael Ackman travelling scholarship, 2025.
• Selected to present my research in the New Investigator oral presentation award session at the International Federation of Placental Associations (IFPA) in Germany in September 2025. Maya also received a travel award from IFPA to assist with conference attendance.

Gabriel Oyarzo Ojeda

Gabriel is a researcher and entrepreneur passionate about transforming healthcare through advanced optical sensing technologies. Currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Physics at the University of Melbourne, Gabriel’s research is dedicated to advancing simulation-based inference techniques for spectral data analysis. This research effort is integral to a broader vision of enabling multi-biomarker health monitoring through optical sensing, laying the groundwork for future breakthroughs such as real-time monitoring in critical care medicine and advanced diagnostic capabilities for wearable technology. Beyond academia, Gabriel is the Founder and CEO of Chyral, an early-stage medtech startup committed to commercialising novel optical sensing technologies for real-time blood diagnostics.