Otago researchers visit the University of Auckland for a collaboration workshop
We were delighted to welcome two visiting researchers from the University of Otago, Dr Mina Rajabi and Associate Professor Jaydee Cabral, to the University of Auckland for a focused two-day workshop and collaboration visit!
Mina is a postdoctoral research fellow with a background spanning molecular biology, cell culture, and bioengineering. Jaydee brings expertise in chemistry and biomaterials, including hydrogel design and tissue engineering approaches relevant to biomedical applications. Across the visit, we shared ideas, explored complementary capabilities, and workshopped how our teams can align around future research directions for our TRIP programme.
A key highlight was a hands-on human anatomy session supported by Mr Steven Tran, with anatomical models of human temporal bones. Mina and Jaydee also spent time in the lab observing real inner ear anatomy across both human and sheep specimens with Dr. Haruna Suzuki-Kerr and Ms. Song Park. We also had a great discussion session with Jaydee, Mina, Haruna & Professor Peter Thorne.
The visit also included a tour and discussions with the Biophotonics Laboratory in the Department of Physics, hosted by Professor Frederique Van Housbeek and Cushla McGovern. Mina and Jaydee observed Fred and Cushla's amazing setups for optical coherence tomography (OCT) and spectroscopy, and the impressive photonics capabilities available within the department.
For me, this visit marks an important milestone in building teamwork and knowledge exchange for our TRIP programme. We are excited to continue developing this collaboration in the months ahead!!
Haruna Suzuki-Kerr
Co-leads, TRIP programme