3D printing is changing the way we approach medical device manufacturing, providing a new avenue for producing one-off patient-specific surgical implants that precisely match the anatomy of each individual patient. Termed "biofabrication", this new era of personalised surgical implant manufacturing is changing the way we approach personalised healthcare, and improving outcomes for patients.
Dr Naomi Paxton is a world-leading early career researcher in the field of biofabrication: medical 3D printing. With research experience in world-leading labs in Australia, the UK, USA and Germany, Naomi's has pioneered techniques for printing new biomaterials, advanced the development of specialised medical 3D printers, and innovated in surgical implant design.

Dr Paxton is also a multi-award winning science communicator, dual TEDx speaker, and passionate advocate for diversity in STEM. For Naomi's contribution to accelerating QLD's STEM outreach & engagement agenda, and in particularly supporting Women in STEM, Naomi was awarded QUT's overall Student Leader of the Year in 2019. This prestigious prize (one awarded out of 50,000 students) demonstrates her long-standing commitment throughout her studies and academic career, to boosting the visibility, representation and retention of Women in STEM.