Te Titoki Mataora MedTech Seminar Series #5

Real stories. Real impact. Real pathways from research to MedTech innovation.

Proudly hosted by the Te Tītoki Mataora Future Leaders Module, this national seminar series spotlights emerging and established MedTech leaders who are turning academic research into real-world health solutions. This session is for PhD students, postdocs, clinician-scientists, engineers, and anyone curious about translating research into impact.

Locations: Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington & Online (Hybrid)

Programme

12.00-12.05 pm:  Welcome + housekeeping

12.05-12.20 pm:  Keynote presentation Dr Ju Zhang

12.20-12.30 pm: Q&A session

12.30-12.45 pm: Keynote presentation Dr Justin Fong (Research Fellow, University of Melbourne & Founder, Senstride)

Title: Can an introverted engineer be an entrepreneur?

After graduating with degrees in Mechatronic Engineering and Computer Science, Justin found himself as a sales engineer for National Instruments, before retreating to the lab where he completed a PhD investigating the use of robotic technologies in neurorehabilitation. In 2018 he had his first startup experience, Recubit, formed to commercialise a rehabilitation robot. The startup ultimately folded, with the technology licensed and commercialised by another company, and he accepted a position as a postdoc. In 2025, he founded Senstride, a spinout focused on reducing falls in elderly populations, which is currently running its first pilot trials. In this talk, Justin will recount these experiences as a “serial entrepreneur”, and reflect on why that term makes him deeply uncomfortable and why, despite that, he's still willing to try.

12.45-12:55 pm: Q&A session

12.55-1.00 pm: Closing

Register soon.

EOI of being a speaker here

Save the dates - 2026 upcoming seminar series:

• 6th Seminar: Monday 16 November, 12:00–1:30 pm