Our SIESTA Rising Stars (SIESTArs) are a committee of early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) within the SIESTA network. They are dedicated to supporting the training and development of fellow EMCRs across the network.

SIESTArs Committee

Aaron Lam

CHAIR

University of Sydney

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher specialising in the connection between sleep disorders and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease.

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Zoe Menczel Schrire

University of Sydney

I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow running a clinical trial investigating music in at-risk dementia, and also researching sleep and circadian rhythms.

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Shaun Eslick

Macquarie University

I’m a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Cognition, Molecular Biomarkers and preventative Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease (COMBAT-AD group). My research focuses on early diagnosis and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Rhearne Ryan

Macquarie University

I’m a Postdoctoral Research Fellow exploring whether a sleep drug can help reduce the risk of conditions like Alzheimer’s. I am excited by making science accessible and I thrive when I’m learning, collaborating and helping others through research.

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Mahnoosh Kholghi

CSIRO

I am a research scientist at CSIRO’s eHealth Centre. I have a background in computer science and my focus is on emerging technologies to improve health outcomes for ageing and disability.

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Victor Vidal

University of Sydney

I am a PhD candidate investigating the link between sleep, the brain’s waste clearance system, and neurodegeneration. My work centres on the locus coeruleus, a small but crucial region that regulates this clearance process during sleep. Through neuroimaging and PSG data, I seek to understand how its function can help prevent conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

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Chiettha Prajnadewie

Macquarie University

I am a postdoctoral researcher investigating sleep in the context of ageing. My work bridges neural mechanisms and user perspectives to inform non-invasive approaches for monitoring and managing sleep health.

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Weiran Zhang

Macquarie University

I am a Master of Research student. My research focuses on the relationship between hypothalamic structure, sleep, and plasma metabolites in Alzheimer’s disease.

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Andrea Ricciardiello

Woolcock Institute of Medical Research

I am a postdoctoral research fellow focusing on using novel interventions such as non-invasive brain stimulation, and common sleeping medications to improve cognition in older adults with sleep disorders. My hope is that these interventions will reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disease in vulnerable populations.

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