Dr Kristie Stefanoska received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences in 2020 from Macquarie University. She is a Research Fellow in dementia and deputy-lead of the molecular dementia and memory research lab at Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute. Dr Stefanoska is an expert in neuroscience, neurobiology and protein biochemistry. Her research focuses on mechanisms and functions of tau post-translational modifications for learning and memory and their role in dementia. She developed innovative tools to interrogate tau phosphorylation, which led to identification of central phospho-sites that control tau hyper-phosphorylation and how the tau protein arrives at a diseased state. Driver sites identified by Dr Stefanoska are prime candidates for tau biomarkers and interventions that disrupt tau pathology in dementia. Dr Stefanoska is an expert in tau-mediated interactions and novel functions of kinases in neurobiology.

Dr Stefanoska strives to translate basic research on tau phosphorylation into applicable outcomes such as blood-based biomarkers and tau-targeted immunization. She collaborates with CogRX, Pittsburgh, USA involving research/development of novel therapeutics targeting tau CSF and blood biomarkers. Her emerging leadership is emphasized by speaker invitations (inter)nationally, including at the largest global neuroscience conference (Neuroscience 2018, 2019, 2021) and chair of tau phosphorylation session at Alzheimer's Disease Parkinson's Disease conference (2023). Kristie is a member of Franklin Women, SfN, ASMR, ECMR and ASBMB, developing new collaborative ties for multi-disciplinary dementia research through these platforms.