Molecular Maverick Award

The prestigious Molecular Maverick Award steps beyond academic accolades.

This award rewards and encourages innovators and changemakers — final-year HDR students in chemistry-related disciplines with the drive, creativity, scientific knowledge and collaborative capacity to leave an indelible mark on the world around them.

The Molecular Maverick Award celebrates those who see opportunity where others see challenge; those with exceptional vision and skill, and the courage to break free from traditional boundaries in academia and industry, and change the game entirely.

The panel

Moderator

Professor Trent Munro

Trent Munro is an accomplished biotechnology and innovation leader with over 25 years of experience across Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. His career spans senior roles in the biopharmaceutical industry, major research institutions, and emerging innovation precincts, reflecting a long‑standing commitment to advancing scientific discovery and translating research into real‑world impact.

Currently based in Brisbane, Trent plays a pivotal role within the region’s innovation landscape through his leadership at Boggo Road Innovation Junction, where he contributes to building and supporting collaborative ecosystems that accelerate scientific and commercial outcomes. His professional background includes extensive experience in biotechnology, research translation and organisational leadership.

Trent’s global career has included significant appointments in both industry and academia, with previous roles in major biotechnology hubs such as Thousand Oaks, California, where he contributed to advanced biopharmaceutical development initiatives. His work has consistently focused on driving innovation, strengthening industry-research partnerships, and fostering high‑impact teams across multiple international locations.

A graduate of UQ, where he completed both undergraduate and postgraduate studies, Trent brings deep scientific expertise alongside a demonstrated track record of executive leadership. He remains an influential figure within the life sciences community, with thousands of professional connections and a reputation for shaping strategic growth within Australia’s expanding biotechnology sector.

Panellists

Dr Alisa Selimovic

Alisa is a Senior Investment Manager in Life Sciences at IP Group, where she has been building new life science companies for the last 8 years. In her role, Alisa works with leading researchers and TTOs to source new opportunities, develop them into investable proposals, and create new companies. Alisa is on the boards of several IP Group portfolio companies as observer or director.

Alisa holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Oxford University. Before returning to Australia in 2017, she spent several more years in the UK working with global pharma and biotech as a life science-focused management consultant, followed by 2 years focused on fundraising and M&A in a UK biotech.

Ms Sarah Meibusch

Sarah is a Partner and Head of Healthcare at OneVentures, one of Australia’s largest venture capital firms. Founded in 2010, the firm now manages over $1 billion in funds, investing across healthcare and technology.​​ She backs life sciences companies developing transformative technologies with global potential, drawing on more than 20 years of leadership experience across start-ups, ASX and NASDAQ-listed companies, multinational pharma and research institutions.

An experienced dealmaker, she has led transactions from early-stage investments to major global pharma partnerships. Sarah is Chair of Vaxxas and serves on the boards of Kira Biotech and Vertero Therapeutics. She previously served on the board of Life Sciences Queensland.

Professor Keith Chappell

Keith Chappell is a Molecular Virologist focused on structure-based design of vaccines. Along with Daniel Watterson and Paul Young, he is one of the 3 inventors of the Molecular Clamp platform. In July 2025, Sanofi announced its intent to acquire Vicebio, a biotech spinout based on UQ’s Molecular Clamp technology, for an upfront payment of US$1.15 billion, with potential milestone payments of up to US$450 million. This landmark deal sets a record for intellectual property originating from an Australian university.

Keith leads a team of 20 research scientists within the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. This team is split between 2 major programs utilising the molecular: not for profit pandemic preparedness and contract research performed for Vicebio Ltd. Keith is also the lead scientific advisor. In 2020, Keith co-led UQ’s effort to produce a COVID vaccine, which progressed from sequence information to clinical trial dosing within 6 months.