Molecular Maverick Award

2025 Molecular Maverick pitch event

Tuesday 3 June
6pm–8pm
308 Queen St, Brisbane

Molecular Mavericks are that unique combination of scientist, innovator and entrepreneur. In 2025, five rising-star contenders will pitch for a coveted prize — the newly-established Molecular Maverick Award.

Register to attend

Special guest speaker

Dr Christopher Jeffery
Dr Jeffery is a seasoned medtech entrepreneur and third-time founder with a proven track record of building, scaling, and exiting high-impact ventures. He previously founded Field Orthopaedics and Audeara, the latter successfully listed on the ASX. As a former army officer, Dr Jeffery brings a unique blend of military discipline, engineering precision, and clinical insight to his ventures. He is an engineer with a focus on robotics and a medical doctor trained in orthopaedics. His latest company, Convergence Medical, is developing the world’s first arthroscopic surgical robot, the V01, a groundbreaking innovation set to transform minimally invasive joint surgery. Dr Jeffery's expertise combines deep tech knowledge with clinical and commercial expertise, making him a great leader in the next generation of surgical robotics innovation.
linkedin.com/in/chris-jeffery-convergence

Molecular Maverick contestants

These are the shortlisted PhD students distinguished by their ground-breaking ideas and true entrepreneurial potential.

Ruyi Chen
A pioneering researcher in computational biology, Ruyi focuses on the intersection between molecular evolution, precision medicine and RNA therapeutics. Her innovative dual-representation method is improving disease effect classification and she is developing a circRNA language model with applications in RNA-based therapies and vaccines. Ruyi is committed to green chemistry, sustainable biotechnologies and open-source development. She actively engages with both industry and the scientific community.

Michaela George
Bridging the gap between research and industry, Michaela was an intern in UniQuest’s life sciences commercialisation start-up portfolio. She is part of the 2025 Bridge Program and completed an internship at Dynomics, reviewing IP strategies. Michaela is active in the Australian startup community, involved in hackathons and programs like Startmate. She volunteers with Engineers Without Borders and Orange Sky, and is president of the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology [AIBN] student association.
linkedin.com/in/michaela-george-5b226b238

Maxim Harding
From Maxim’s participation in programs like CSIRO ON Prime, his passion for research commercialisation is clear. Industry placements at a synthetic biology startup and a venture capital firm have fed that passion and bolstered his ability to contribute purposefully to research translation and industry collaboration.
linkedin.com/in/max-harding-13389a1a6

Shaun McAnally
Shaun’s research aims to simplify solar panel manufacturing through next-generation ‘printable’ solar, enabling new applications beyond rooftops. He excels in leadership and communication, having served as Lead Curator of TEDxUQ 2023 and won Best Pitch at UniQuest’s Commercialisation Workshop. At UQ, he coordinated the Student Led Observations for Course Improvement (SLOCI) program to strengthen student–staff partnerships in science education, and mentors young innovators through the Future Problem Solving Program, fostering curiosity and real-world problem-solving skills.
linkedin.com/in/shaunmcanally

Diana Sanabria
Diana’s research focuses on the use of microorganisms to convert greenhouse gases into valuable commodities. She explores metagenomic approaches to identifying and cultivating microbes from extreme environments, aiming to design scalable bioprocesses for industrial application. Diana is passionate about translating science into commercial solutions, receiving a UQ Entrepreneurial PhD Top-Up Scholarship. Active in entrepreneurial and scientific communities, she fosters student/industry connections and is an Industry Coordinator for COMBINE.
linkedin.com/in/dianasanabria137