A/ProfCindy Gunawan

Cindy Gunawan is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Nanomaterial Engineering at the Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection (AIMI), 

A/Prof Cindy Gunawan is a microbiologist, with expertise at the interface of microbiology, cellular biology and nanomaterial engineering. She joined UTS as a Chancellor's Research Fellow (CRF) (2015-2018) and now leads the Biofunctional Nanomaterials Research Group in AIMI. Her group focuses on the challenges of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), seeking to understand at molecular levels how bacterial pathogens evolve adaptive resistance to multi-targeting antimicrobials, including nanoparticles, and to develop technologies to overcome the phenomena. Gunawan also contributes to the development of smart nanoparticle antimicrobials and therapeutics as well as in studies of environmental AMR and human health impact of particulate matter. 

The pioneering research have resulted in publications in prestigious journals, including Small, ACS Nano and Biomaterials, as well as being featured in Nature Nanotechnology as Research Highlights. Gunawan's team discovered the phenomena of bacterial resistance to nanosilver, one of the most developed and commercialized antimicrobial nanoparticles. The workhas featured in scientific and public media outlets, including the ARC (http://www.arc.gov.au/news-media/news/resilient-bacteria-adapt-nanosilver). The team further highlights the genuine potential of the current indiscriminate use of nanosilver to facilitate resistance development and its spread, calling for judicial and effectively regulated use of the nanoparticle. Gunawan has attracted over AUD 1.6 millions in research grants and fellowship, including ARC Discovery Projects (2018-2021, 2022-2026) and Australian Academy of Science (2020-2021) fundings as Lead CI.

Gunawan received her Bachelor of Engineering in Bioprocess Engineering (Honours Class I and The University Medal, UNSW Sydney) in 2002. Awarded with The International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS), she pursued her PhD in Biotechnology (UNSW), developing an efficient biotransformation system for production of pharmaceutical precursor, which was completed in 2006. In 2008-2014, Dr Gunawan joined the Particle and Catalysis Research Group as Postdoctoral in the School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW.