The Team

Manager R&D: Ben Wright BSc Grad Dip Biomed Eng

Ben is an experienced biomedical researcher and project manager. He has been involved with clinical drug trials, run a surgical experimental laboratory, designed and developed experimental protocols and has had a wide range of interactions with biomedical researchers, including surgeons, ethics committees and animal management staff.

Marketing Manager: Lyndal Brodie BA Dip Nutrition

Lyndal joined the company after undertaking several marketing assignments for Diakyne while working with a health services consultancy firm. Her background includes graphic design and television production, managing a complimentary medicine practice and nutrition consulting.

Scientific Advisory Board

Dr Hugh K Herbert BSc MSc PhD (Scientific Director)

The co-inventor of TraceSmart, Dr Herbert is Diakyne's chief Technical and Scientific Adviser. Dr Herbert holds the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from the Universities of Western Australia and New England. He has forty years experience in industry, academe, consultancy and government and has served as Federal Treasurer of the Geological Society of Australia Inc. and as a member of Government Expert Working Parties and Advisory Boards. He has had appointments as visiting professor and research scientist at North American Universities and is the author of over 65 papers in National and International Journals together with some 200 major internal program reports for industry and government instrumentalities.

His specialist areas include process, forensic, occupational and environmental mineralogy and chemistry, biogeochemistry and pollution monitoring. As co-developer of gold, diamond and cannabis fingerprinting technology, he was awarded a 1994 Advance Australia Award for "Outstanding Contribution in Science". Dr Herbert is Principal of H K Herbert & Associates Pty Ltd.

Professor Julian Mercer BSc (Hons) PhD

Professor Mercer is Professor of Cell Biology and the Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Deakin University. He has honorary appointments as an Associate Professor, Department of Genetics, University of Melbourne and Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University. He is specialist in the research in Menkes and Wilson’s disease, in particular examining the role copper plays in the disease etiology. In 2003, he was awarded the Alfred Deakin Professorship by Deakin University - the highest honour the university can bestow on a staff member. In 2004, Professor Mercer was awarded the inaugural David Danks Award at the 4th International Meeting on Copper Homeostasis and its Disorders (Ischia, Italy) for sustained excellence research into the biology of copper. Professor Mercer is also a member of the Research Network for Metals in Medicine.

Dr Simon Jackson BSc (Hons) PhD

Dr Jackson is a Senior Lecturer for the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Macquarie University and is an expert in LA-ICPMS. His work has been fundamental in the development of ICPMS and, more particularly, the application of Laser Ablation (LA)-ICPMS. Dr Jackson graduated with honours in earth sciences from the University of Leeds (UK) then completed his PhD at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Following post doctoral fellowships in the UK and Canada, he left his position as Associate Professor at the Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada) to take up his position as lecturer in 1997 then Senior Lecturer (2002) at GEMOC, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Macquarie University.