Dr Noushin Nasiri

IMG_Noushin_Nasiri

Dr Noushin Nasiri

Head of NanoTech Laboratory

Macquarie University

Did you know that you smell different when you are sick?  In much the same way as a police officer can detect if you are drunk, it is possible to detect disease with a breath analyser.

Dr Noushin Nasiri is the Head of NanoTech Laboratory at Macquarie University, and the recipient of NSW 2019 Young Tall Poppy Award. She is working on developing very small sensors that can detect diseases like diabetes and lung cancer through analysing breath. Growing up in a small town in the north of Iran, her childhood was filled with nature, colour and curiosity, and she was taught by her Dad to not simply accept anything as a fact but look for a scientific explanation: why is the sky blue? Why are rain droplets spherical?

Inspired by her own childhood, she believes that an interest in STEM must be nurtured from a young age, so she takes every opportunity to share her passion for STEM and plant the seed of curiosity in the next generation of STEM researchers. She is a passionate science communicator who has received considerable outside recognition for her research through TEDx Sydney Salon, TEDx Macquarie University, TEDx BlighStreet and ABC Ockham's Razor.