Professor Kirstin Ross

Professor

College of Science and Engineering

place Health Sciences (5.24)
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Kirstin is currently the course coordinator for the Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health Practice and Master of Environmental Health. She is an active member of Environmental Health Australia, the professional body representing environmental health practitioners in Australia. Her research is focussed on anything in the environment that affects human health, including methamphetamine contamination of houses from cooking or smoking meth, the gastrointestinal parasite Strongyloides stercoralis, the toxicity of tattoo inks and their removal products resulting from laser removal…food, air, soil, water, wastewater. She is interested in engaging with communities in environmental health issues, particularly with remote First Nations communities.

Kirstin is available for Honours, Masters and PhD supervision.

Kirstin is also available for contract research projects and has experience collaborating with industry partners to deliever specific research outcomes.

https://www.microbialtestingandresearchservices.net/

Qualifications
  • Grad. Dip. (Environmental Health Practice). Flinders University, Adelaide, SA (2009)
  • Ph.D. (Health Sciences). University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA (2001)
  • B.Sc. (Hons) (Environmental Toxicology) University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA (1997)
  • B.Sc. (Environmental Science) Murdoch University of Western Australia, Perth, WA (1996)
Honours, awards and grants

2021 STEMM Educator of the Year (University or Registered Training Organisation) Finalist 2021

Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning "Engaging students with Environmental Health through creative curricula and accessible, industry informed, authentic learning experiences” 2021

National Institute of Forensic Science Best Case Study Award 2020 for: Wright, J., Kenneally, M., Ross, K. and Walker, S., 2020. Environmental methamphetamine exposures and health effects in 25 case studies. Toxics, 8(3), p.61

Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching 2017

Vice President and Executive Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching 2017

Vice Chancellor's Teaching and Learning Innovation Grant "Online authentic learning: teaching students involved in emergency response to use social media tools effectively" with Michael Taylor and Mitchell Fitzgerald 2013

Faculty of Science and Engineering Executive Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching 2014

Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning "For embracing, exploring and evaluating an 'authentic-experiences' approach to teaching Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in public health" 2010

Key responsibilities

Course coordinator of the Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health Practice
Course coordinator of the Master of Environmental Health

Teaching interests

I am interested in exploring and evaluating novel teaching approaches such as developing online teaching tools that make use of emerging technologies, particularly for distance teaching. 

Topic coordinator
ENVH9712 Environmental Health Policy, Management and Adminstration
ENVH9721 Public Health Toxicology
ENVH7731 Sustainable Development - Health Issues
Topic lecturer
ENVH7731 Sustainable Development - Health Issues
ENVH9721 Public Health Toxicology
Supervisory interests
Education, environmental health
Engaging with communities
Environmental health
Environmental health education and workforce
Indigenous communities
Parasites
Higher degree by research supervision
Current
Principal supervisor: Methamphetamine contamination of property and public health risks (1), Phytophthora - environmental sources and control (1), Food safety (1), Characterising wastewater dump points (1), Rainwater and antimicrobial resistant bacteria and metals (1), Waste and water in Indonesia and the role of Waste Banks (1)
Associate supervisor: Toxicity of tattoo inks and their metabolic products (1), Legionella and amoeba (1), Healthcare associated infections and the role of water and biofilms (1), Passive sampling devices for wastewater-based epidemiology (1)
Completion
Principal supervisor: Indonesian and Australian farmworkers' exposure to organophosphate pesticides (1), Solid waste management in a rapidly urbanising area in Thailand (1), Public health aspects of using rainwater for drinking water (1), Environmental control of Strongyloides (1)
Associate supervisor: Mercury and fatty acids in farmed Southern bluefin tuna (1), Analysis of biofilms containing Legionella (1), Legionella and MAC in drinking and reuse water (1), Control of Salmonella risk from eggs (1), Pathogens in lizards (1), Toxicity of tattoo inks and their metabolic products (1)
Interests
  • Environmental health