School Based Members
Arua Kalu
Dr Arua Kalu is an early‑career researcher and Lecturer in Food Science and Nutrition at Western Sydney University. His research integrates food compositional analysis, AI‑driven dietary assessment, and nutrition interventions for healthy ageing, with a particular focus on supporting older adults and culturally diverse communities.
He has published multiple peer‑reviewed articles in Q1 nutrition journals as first or corresponding author, and currently supervises both Master’s and PhD students across projects involving food chemistry, nutrition science, and digital health innovation. His international collaborations extend to AI‑enabled choking prevention research, nutrient adequacy modelling in vulnerable populations, and cardiovascular disease interventions in Sub‑Saharan Africa.
Bobby Cheema
Dr Cheema is an Associate Professor of Sport & Exercise Science within the School of Health Sciences and has held research affiliation with NICM since 2014. His research is currently focussed on exercise and ancient mind-body practices (e.g. yoga, qigong, meditation, breath work, etc.) on endocannabinoid system responses, and how these responses relate to other physiological responses, symptom experiences and mental health outcomes. He is also interested in cannabis supplementation to improve clinical, health-related, and quality of life outcomes in chronic disease states, particularly cancer. Dr. Cheema has completed exercise science degrees at the University of British Columbia (Bachelor of Human Kinetics, 1999) and the University of Victoria in Canada (Master of Science, 2002), and completed his doctorate (PhD) at the University of Sydney in 2006.
Gerald Muench
Gerald Muench started work at the University of Würzburg, Germany in 1995 and was then appointed Lecturer in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 1999. In May 2008 Gerald was appointed as Associate Professor of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine at the University of Western Sydney, and he was promoted to Professor with effect from 1 January 2012. His major project focus is on Alzheimer's disease with a special emphasis on brain inflammation as a major progression factor in Alzheimer's disease. He investigates the functional implications of glial activation on neuronal functions, particularly in relation to local inflammatory processes in Alzheimer's disease and has highlighted the potential suitability of activated astrocytes and microglia as drug targets in Alzheimer's disease.
Isabelle Leung
Lecturer in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Western Sydney University.
Jerry Zhou
Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow at Western Sydney University School of Medicine.
Lei Si
Dr Lei Si is an Associate Professor in Health Services Management at Western Sydney University. He is an Honorary Senior Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health and an Adjunct Professor at Nanjing Medical University. Lei has previously held an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship. Dr Si undertakes research that employs health economics methods to promote efficient and equitable distribution of healthcare sources and has published over 90 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Dr Si serves as an Associate Editor for BMJ Global Health and is on the editorial boards of International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases and Frontiers in Public Health. He has been an External Evaluator of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).
Michelle O'Shea
Senior Lecturer in the School of Business at Western Sydney University.
Ritesh Raju
Dr Ritesh Raju is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology, at the School of Medicine, Western Sydney University. He completed his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Queensland and has more than 15 years’ experience in the field of natural products chemistry. Dr Raju has expertise in natural products chemistry with experience in isolating and elucidating bioactive molecules from microbial and plant sources. His research interests include isolating and elucidating structures of complex molecules mainly by utilizing spectroscopic techniques, mainly NMR (600 MHz) and HRMS. He has published over 60 research articles and has a high level of expertise in the structural elucidation of organic molecules.
Rocco Cavaleri
Dr Rocco Cavaleri is a Senior Lecturer in the Physiotherapy department at Western Sydney University. Rocco was awarded his PhD in 2023 and also holds a B Health Science (Hons I)/ M Physiotherapy from Western Sydney. Rocco currently leads the Brain Stimulation and Rehabilitation (BrainStAR) Lab in the School of Health Sciences. His research is dedicated towards understanding the neurophysiological processes underpinning musculoskeletal and neurological disorders. Rocco uses non-invasive brain stimulation techniques to assess brain changes in response to processes such as pain and motor learning, facilitating the development of novel diagnostic and treatment strategies.
Srivinas Nammi
Dr Srinivas Nammi is is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology at the Discipline of Medical Sciences, School of Science, Western Sydney University (WSU), Australia. Dr Nammi holds a doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences, specialized in Pharmacology from Andhra University, India. Dr Nammi has distinguished track record in Ayurvedic and Western herbal medicines research for more than 20 years and has made significant contributions to both basic and applied research related to drug discovery, biological evaluation and mechanistic studies with a special focus on metabolic disorders.
Valentina Naumovski
Dr Valentina (Tina) Naumovski (BE (Hons), BSc (Chem.), PhD, GCULT, FHEA) is a Senior Research Fellow in Diabetes at the Macarthur Clinical School, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Australia. Tina is one of very few researchers in the world with a multidisciplinary approach spanning the cultivation, analytical (isolating and identifying bioactive compounds), pharmacological/preclinical (mechanism of action predominantly in diabetes/metabolic syndrome, drug interactions, pharmacokinetics) and clinical (medicinal cannabis for symptom relief) and qualitative research. Tina is a TGA Statutory Advisory Committee member in Complementary Medicines and is the Research Chair for the ISCMR.
Woojeong Kim
Dr Woojeong Kim is a Lecturer in Food Science at the School of Science and a School-based Member of the NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University. Her research expertise spans food process engineering, encapsulation, particle technology, and physical chemistry for functional food development. She received her PhD from School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW and has worked across the food and biopharmaceutical sectors, including previous roles at Teva Pharmaceuticals (2024–2026), UNSW Sydney (2023–2024), and the Korea Food Research Institute (2019–2020). Her research aims to advance sustainable, accessible, and healthy food production.
Xiaoshu Zhu
Professor Zhu is Director of Academic Program and Senior Lecturer of the Chinese Medicine Program in School of Science and Health at Western Sydney University. She is also inaugural Practitioner Member of the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia and she serves as Working Editor for the Cochrane Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group, the Cochrane Collaboration.
Professor Zhu has built up a strong research profile and expertise over the years in the field of clinical research and systematic reviews. Her particular research interests are in the field of cancer care and women's health.
Yu-Ting Sun
Dr Yu-Ting Sun is an Academic Program Lead and Lecturer in Chinese Medicine at Western Sydney University and a researcher at the NICM Health Research Institute. Her research focuses on the integration of traditional medicine into contemporary healthcare through translational, clinical, educational, and health services research. Her work encompasses traditional medicinal plants, acupuncture, gut health, and chronic disease, with an emphasis on strengthening the evidence base for integrative healthcare and translating research into clinical practice. She also conducts research on Chinese medicine education, professional identity, and workforce sustainability. As a registered Chinese medicine practitioner in Australia and New Zealand, Dr Sun is committed to advancing interdisciplinary collaboration and evidence-based integrative healthcare through research, education, and clinical innovation.