Tiana Anthony’s PhD is more than academic. It’s a catalyst for real-world change, made possible by UNSW’s collaborative research culture and global network.
UNSW is enabling PhD students like Tiana Anthony to engage in real-world research with impact. Through collaboration, she’s not only making a difference but also creating strong connections for her future.
UNSW PhD candidate Tiana Anthony has had a keen interest in biomaterials for as long as she can remember.
Inspired by her dad’s career as an aeronautical engineer for the United States Air Force, and mother’s career as a nurse, Tiana chose to go down the biomedical engineering path for her higher education.
“Going into university, I had to choose between mechanical, material and electrical – I went with materials because I think they are the coolest thing ever,” she says.
Tiana worked in two labs during her master’s degree, including Dr Dominique Durand’s neural engineering lab at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, focusing on neural activity in metastatic melanoma. It was Dr Durand’s end-to-end experimental approach that appealed to her, getting exposure to the entire process.
This way of working led Tiana to strategically apply for PhD positions that would give her the same exposure.
“I applied to positions in the US and met with a few, then found this specific position in Australia with Bill Walsh, who is extremely well-respected.”
That position was for a PhD candidate at the School of Clinical Medicine at UNSW Sydney. Tiana was excited by the opportunity to choose a lab and apply to work with a specific supervisor – Professor Bill Walsh.
UNSW’s extensive medical and research facilities also strengthened the appeal. From Professor Walsh’s unique lab set-up with in-house capabilities to the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre offering access to high-tech equipment, Tiana was hooked.
Beyond the state-of-the-art medical technology, Tiana values the research process.
“In Bill’s lab, I love that you get to see the whole process rather than just one section,” says Tiana.
Tiana and Professor Walsh agree that research is a way of thinking. It’s about the method – and that can be applied to any topic.
Professor Walsh encourages his PhD students to focus on absorbing the research method, even if the topic is unrelated to their specialty. Students learn how to interact with the industry, embrace failure and celebrate success.
In his lab, that means creating an environment where each person is involved, gets their hands dirty and participate.
“It’s about showing, not telling. When they get out in the real world and their employer asks them to design an experiment or write a report, they’re confident because they’ve done it before in their PhD,” he explains.
Professor Walsh attributes much of what he teaches his students about research techniques to his previous PhD supervisors – Professor Nejat Guzelsu and Professor Richard Berg.
“I learned so much in terms of how to approach a problem and research, how to deal with the clinical world and use the strengths of everybody you’re working with,” he says.
He is intentional about surrounding himself with like-minded people, including Tiana, who is inquisitive and not afraid to challenge his thinking.
The work Tiana, Professor Walsh and others do at UNSW isn’t research for theory’s sake. It carries real-world application.
“We interact with surgeons and the medical industry to identify and understand problems to solve with engineering principles and a research method,” Professor Walsh explains.
His lab collaborates with the global industry in evaluating and understanding biomaterials and medical devices.
“We have a unique range experimental capabilities that allows our lab to test materials and devices during development and prior to human use,” Tiana shares.
Tiana is passionate about research for the benefit of society and believes the commercial relationships and conversations with the industry keep researchers in check.
Collaborating with Professor Walsh and a US-based medical device and solutions company Orthofix, the team is investigating bone graft materials. Tiana’s role, with Professor Walsh’s supervision, is to better understand how these materials work to improve efficacy. If successful, it could help improve the quality of life for many spinal injury patients.
This opportunity for Tiana to make a meaningful impact through her PhD research came because of existing relationships. Dr Frank Vizesi, a former UNSW PhD student of Professor Walsh, arranged the project through his employment at SeaSpine (now merged under Orthofix).
Tiana also had a voice in deciding the project’s direction.
“I sat down with SeaSpine and Bill Walsh in San Diego and we had long discussions over what direction to take my project. Bill was always welcoming, ready for a chat and enthusiastic.”
Tiana’s experience working with Professor Walsh is a prime example of the powerful intergenerational connections fostered through UNSW. And it’s just one of many. UNSW aims to provide students with empowering experiences and meaningful connections so they can grow their skills and flourish in the real world.
“We have many very talented and passionate researchers at Surgical and Orthopaedic Research Laboratories (SORL) that are always willing to lend an ear. I don’t even work directly under them but if I need help with something, I sit and we chat and I learn something new.”
Explore UNSW’s Higher Degree Research programs to find the right one for you.
This article was brought to you by UNSW Employability.