Meet Khouloud Kamalmaz, doctoral researcher and research assistant at Central Queensland University and the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research. Here she talks about her work in social impact, food insecurity and food waste, and the power of interdisciplinary research.

What is your current role and how did you get to be there?

I’m a keen multidisciplinary researcher who takes on diverse social impact research and advisory roles. 

I am a research assistant and doctoral researcher nearing completion of my PhD in business and informatics. My thesis explores ways to enhance stakeholder engagement of non-profits.

I’m also a Voluntary Research Advisor at UNAA (United Nations Association of Australia, NSW Division). I have a strong background in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which made me the ideal research advisor for the project. I value the work that the United Nations does when it comes to the SDG space so am passionate about the project.  

Finally, I am a Bilingual Research Assistant in the Psycho-oncology Research Group at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research. What excites me about this role is that I can contribute to providing better information/resources to women from CALD backgrounds who want to know more about breast cancer and breast reconstruction

How does your work contribute to the field and/or overall health and wellbeing of the community? 

My current PhD project is focusing on enhancing Foodbank Australia’s stakeholder engagement and reducing food waste and food insecurity in Australia. I am currently working on several publications in my area of research on stakeholder engagement of non-profits to reduce food waste and food insecurity across food relief supply chains. In the health field I am also working on a paper that discusses implications related to the piloting of breast reconstruction decision aids in the CALD community.  

I am still in the process of finalising my PhD chapters/papers, but one of my findings is that better stakeholder engagement is not only achieved by improving daily operational issues within organisations; engaging stakeholders on a people level is also very important. Going back to human links and why I do research. 

What is a project you would love to get off the ground or a skill you would like to develop, if you had the opportunity?

I would love to be able to develop a social enterprise or become a full-time researcher for vulnerable families and children who are experiencing all sorts of disadvantages, ranging from hunger to intellectual development issues to financial insecurity. I really enjoy social impact research. I would also like to start a research project targeting the interlinkages of all the United Nations SDGs.

What are your loves outside of work?

I always love spending time with relatives and family. Making a child laugh is closely linked to my PhD where I want to make the world a better place for children. I also really enjoy expanding my knowledge in diverse areas by undertaking professional development in diverse fields of study and expanding the scope of my understanding through short courses.

What is one piece of advice you could pass onto others following their own career in health and medical research sector? 

There is great power in interdisciplinary research in the health field, where ideas and research skills can be transferable between different industry sectors. Having a diverse research team can add extreme value to research projects as they add a different lens to research, particularly when it is action-based research that involves change in the community.