Dr Safavi-Naeini is the Acting Leader of the Centre for Accelerator Science. She is a particle physicist and previously had a role as a research leader at the Human Health group.
Herr two main research areas are: particle therapy - where we use the nuclei of atoms to target cancers with poor prognosis - and using radiation to probe the internal workings of the human body through advanced medical imaging techniques. She is the co-inventor of neutron capture enhanced particle therapy (NCEPT). Together with my multi-disciplinary team of chemists, biologists, physicists, mathematicians and clinicians, we have established a large group of international industry and academic partners from all around the world around the NCEPT technology and its sustainable translation.
Ever the innovator and tapping into my multi-disciplinary background, I have led teams in three successful hackathons in 2020 - the Australian Computer Society #flattenthecurvehack, the ANZ Defence #shockproof hackathon, and the NASA SpaceApps COVID-19 Challenge. Dr Safavi-Naeini is also the CEO of GaiaPOD Pty Ltd, an Australian technology research and development (R&D) company developing scalable, autonomous and sustainable telecommunications and positioning, navigation and timing solutions for remote or contested theatres of operation. Her dream is to establish the first multi-ion therapy facility in Australia. She suggests that it will cost less than the amount pet owners will spend on animal costumes this Halloween.