---

Transcript

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors, especially in names. Click any timestamp to jump to that moment in the audio.

0:01Who are the characters behind science? This is Science Behind the Glass, Illuminating the Human Side. In this podcast, we unveil the human side of laboratories and science. Scientists share personal experiences and we’ll discuss their meanings from different perspectives and fields of research. Welcome to Science Behind the Glass, Illuminating the Human Side, the podcast where we dive into the personal journeys behind science, technology, and innovation. and we uncover the people shaping the world in surprising ways.

0:34For centuries, the story of innovation has been told through the lens of men. But behind the scenes, countless women have quietly shaped our future from early computing and clean energy to bulletproof materials and everyday tools. Their contributions, though often overlooked, have powered progress in remarkable ways. Today, We bring you the story of Dr. Samantha Horsman, a journey marked by bold shifts and unexpected turning points, from the sweeping deserts of Saudi Arabia to the Asian forests of northern Australia. Samantha’s path reminds us that real innovation can grow anywhere. This is a story of transformation, of how life experience, challenge, passion, and purpose can drive impact in places you might not expect it. Like many scientists, Samantha’s journey began with inspiration close to home. Seeing of a young Maria Skłodowska, later Marie Curie, whose father, a teacher of physics and mathematics, ignited her love for science. Years later, Marie Curie, while using a modified electrometer to study radiation, eventually will discover radium. Her daughter, Irene, grew up playing among chemical equations and ionization chambers, an environment that would eventually lead her to also receive a Nobel Prize in chemistry.

2:04Similarly, Samantha’s science path was inspired by her grandfather, who back in the early 1900s stood out for being an innovative researcher. From my family. I really see the work of my late grandfather, Dr Daniel Waldron, who served in the war and received the OBE from the Queen.

2:33and also set up the Waldron clinics. And when I did my doctorate studies, I received a family heirloom of his original stethoscope, which is behind me in my office, and his medical pouch. And he’s a brilliant scientist and a brilliant healthcare professional. And interestingly enough, he actually has a master’s in public health.

3:00and a master’s in tropical health. And where am I sitting today? In the Daintree Rainforest, which is the pharmaceutical future of the Daintree, which is the longest, largest surviving rainforest there is in the world, where researchers come from everywhere to come and learn about species that you see only here in Australia. So that’s an example of one of my family mentors that drives me every day and having his… original stethoscope and his medical pouch and also his CV has given me that motivation. Every time I see it, it gives me that urge to keep on doing what I do. For Samantha, being a physiotherapist was more than just a career. It was a foundation. She learned early on that adopting a healthy lifestyle isn’t just important. It’s essential for preventing illness and sustaining long -term well -being.

4:03As a physiotherapist in my undergrad, so that was my first degree at Otago University, was to become a physiotherapist, right? And the biggest lesson that I got from being a physio was that you are a product of your health and wellbeing. And the way that you live your life really is a representation of your health and how you represent yourself and wellbeing. And she was right. In a report from McKinsey and the World Economic Forum, it was estimated that investment in employee health worldwide could add an astonishing $11.7 trillion in economic value, boosting productivity, reducing absence and lowering health costs. As a physio, my biggest wake -up call was how can I… encourage and really work with my patients so that they can avoid the pain and suffering and diseases and take on a healthier lifestyle.

5:10And with that in mind, I actually switched my career at that point and moved into preventive medicine and shifted into creating that well -being and that wellness and became a wellness practitioner. which led me into my master’s degree. And my MBA really focused on how do we convince companies and large corporations to embody wellness policies, to invest in the health and well -being of their employees so they can all perform better.

5:47And that was my introduction into the field of health and productivity management. which led into my work with the World Economic Forum. I was involved in a big global study and represented Sani Rango into creating wellness policies for companies and understanding if you invest in your health and well -being of your employees, guess what? They’re going to perform better for you. And also, it’s not a cost because health care is a burden. From these experiences and sharp knowledge, she caught the attention of a major oil company, Aramco, where she would develop a series of measurements to improve employees’ well -being while living in Saudi Arabia. As a pioneer in the field, Samantha successfully implemented comprehensive well -being policies at Aramco, one of the world’s largest and most powerful energy companies. And also to be positioned in Saudi Arabia to allow me to be in the middle of the world, the Middle East, which is a place I never traveled before. So that really attracted me. And I was slipping through a medical journal and I happened to see the advertisement. And at that time, I had just, you know, broken up with my long -term boyfriend. I had spun off a company that I had. created as a personal training and physio company consultancy. And I basically

7:19was looking for my next chapter and happened to see this advertisement in this medical journal and I’m applied for it. And before I knew it, I was the next week, I had my phone interview. The following week I was doing my medical and I was in New Zealand at the time working for the Rehabilitation Institute. And I realized that this was again another pivot in my career, that this opportunity came up. And I happened to find it at that right time in life. You know, timing is perfect, right? And so I did that and I was able to embark on this new trajectory.

7:58So I was in my 20s when I ended up going to Saudi Arabia and working for Aramco. And that was the beginning of her success at Aramco. Through hard work and determination, Samantha became a pioneer, bringing wellness into a space where it had rarely been considered. I was very fortunate to be involved in creating the very, very first wellness policy, standing wellness policy, for a large company like Aramco. And it took me a lot of door knocking.

8:32And a lot of, you know, persistence and perseverance and passion, knowing it was the right thing to do, to then produce a wellness policy. And it was the very first of its kind. It was back in 1997 in the early 2000s that I was involved in that. And that led me to the work that I did with World Economic Forum representing Aramco.

8:57And so we were able to create this body of work around KPIs for organizations, which then formed an algorithm that I developed to help companies measure pre -intervention and post -intervention, what their impact has at a bottom line. led me into becoming the president of the global work of the Institute of Health and Productivity Management for the Middle East. Building on her knowledge, Samantha began integrating technology, artificial intelligence, and innovation into her work. As she likes to say, she’s a prototype in action.

9:36Over the years, she produced more than 60 patents. Developing systems that connect humans and machines using AI and big data. Her models use biometric data to improve working conditions, prevent accidents and keep employees safe in some of the world’s most demanding environments. My last work that was epic was that we then integrated brain signals that could connect to machines so that an operator could have a helmet on with a brain machine interface.

10:11which is an EEG that measures brain signals, and could think on, off, on, off. And if there was an emergent example, like a fire or an incident that happened, it could completely turn off a valve or a device by thinking. from the operator that was at that station on, off, on, off. And we pulled that off. It took many, as you know, with technology and science, that always goes wrong. But we did multiple trials and we were able to produce that minimal viable product for health and safety to predict and prevent injuries, disease, accidents before they could even happen through brain machine interface. Even though Samantha lived in a place full of cultural contrast, where ancient deserts fade into futuristic skyscrapers and traditional Bedouin life meets modern megaprojects, she stayed focused on what truly drove her, her passion for innovation and the people who inspire her. Saudi Arabia is a land of striking contrast.

11:20It’s the birthplace of Islam, home to the two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, where millions of pilgrims gather each year. It’s also a nation racing toward the future, blending tradition with transformation. And it was within this dynamic landscape that Samantha carved her path. I guess I’m so passionate and persistent and patient that I never give up. And I think the more that I’m told you can’t do it, the more that fuels something inside me. And I see that a lot in my daughter. that it’s like it’s an internal, like, you can’t stop me. Even being in, you know, male -dominated careers and being in male -dominated environments, I never really took that on. It was more about my passion within myself that drove me. And just a little bit about Saudi Arabia, I actually got to work in my clinical days. with some incredible healers, the indigenous Bedouin people of Saudi Arabia. And I got to actually work with some of the medicinal ladies. They’re called the Blue Ladies. And they were very, very powerful. They ran a lot of their traditional healing in their villages. And I was fortunate enough to have several of those. traditional

12:54healers as patients of mine in my early days in Saudi Arabia and all I can say is never underestimate the power and the I guess the strength that traditional healers have and I didn’t realize that until I had that experience with the Bedouin communities, that once I worked with one of the healers, she actually was not able to walk when she came to see me in my clinic. And I was able to work with her and get her walking again. And I never knew the power of… helping influential people she then went back to her village and told her cousins her aunties about the work that I was doing and before I knew it I had many many of that village would come to me and come and seek me out for the work that I did and it was a big lesson to me about never underestimate the power of someone that has that passion and perseverance within them. But most importantly, never, we talk about influences today, you know, influences, social media influences, and how influence can really help you in your career. Influence can also help you in your brand. But all I did was be me. And

14:27that influence then went across a lot of the Bedouin villages and brought people who were in need to me. It is remarkable that most Western expatriates in Saudi Arabia live and work within a dual -world system that balances the kingdom’s conservative idiosyncrasies with the comforts and freedoms that Western foreigners are accustomed to. This kind of mixed system to accommodate foreign employees might be controversial. since the broad majority of the country’s population lives under repressive rules. Even so, for Samantha, those boundaries didn’t deter her. Instead, the focus and constraints of her environment became motivation, fueling her determination to carve her own path. Guided by modern tools and grounded in ancient wisdom, Samantha understood that true innovation comes from blending the old with the new. But she also knew that progress doesn’t happen in isolation. She made it her mission to build community, connecting people, ideas, and cultures to create spaces where innovation could grow together. After a career pivot, as Samantha called it, she and her family decided to move back to Australia. When another opportunity opened the doors for Samantha to continue applying her knowledge and innovation. In James Cook University, she supports regional… startups and entrepreneurs, providing brilliant ideas flourish when community

15:58and collaboration take the lead. Whether it is mentoring a small business in rural Australia or developing game -changing technologies like the Impact 10X AI simulator, Samantha’s mission is clear. Innovation isn’t something distant or abstract. It is tangible, accessible, and profoundly human. Still, launching a startup is far from easy. Globally, 90 % of startups fail, 10 % don’t survive the first year, and by year five, another 70 % are gone. Success is rare, and only a small fraction, less than 1%, reach unicorn status, which means they are valued at over $1 billion. Most fail due to poor market fit, lack of funding, or team issues.

16:48That’s why Samantha’s role is so vital. With her guidance, regional entrepreneurs aren’t just surviving. They are building smarter, stronger, and more sustainable businesses. She’s helping till the odds in their favor. We’re back to that model, what we call the technology readiness level. And we refer to it as, you know, you’re ramping up with your research, you’re getting, you know, great traction, you’re publishing, you know, at those TRL levels, you know, two and three, and you’re getting some traction and you’re experimenting, you’re prototyping and you’re moving up. And then all of a sudden you’ve got your prototype, but you need some extra funding.

17:33To get it across the line. And where does it come from? And in our commercialization world and entrepreneur world, we call this the valley of death. Often we see early stage innovators, entrepreneurs that have taken their amazing idea and took it into a physical form, a prototype or a minimal viable product. They’re already testing with the customers, getting some traction in the market. But often we get into what we call that valley of death. where they disappear because there’s not, you know, fund injection.

18:07And this is where I think we’ve been able to really help and inject that local funding level here in my new role with the JCU Founders and Residents portfolio, introducing potential VCs, venture capital, angel investment, family office, crowdsourcing, crowdfunding. But Sam goes further. keeping pace with advances in technology and AI models. These technologies play an important role in industry and education, and some is harnessing their power to make PhD research more industry relevant by partnering directly with companies.

18:49Why we can’t have customised education these days, I think we need to reshape and disrupt how we’re doing degrees, and I think PhD… is a great one to start with, but this could go across everything, right? And I think the biggest challenge, you know what it takes and you need a lot of support and mentorship around you. And I think we can leverage AI to do that. Sam can share several success stories of research that have made the leap from the left to the marketplace.

19:26Silicon Valley is very famous for this. You can probably do a deal over a coffee, right? You can probably get your first 1.5 million for your startup over a coffee. And that’s what Connectivity Cafe is about that we run every week. I’ll give you two examples. One is an example of a resident in practice. So this is a team of PhD alum that have graduated from James Cook University. Some are PhD, some are masters, and they’ve created their, and you’ll see in the picture behind me, the top floor is where they’re actually paying a rental to be in the space. So they’re paying residents and it’s a company called Tensorworks and they work with global companies and they work with Epic Games and they actually created their startup while they’re at university. And this is a very common model in Silicon Valley and around the world. And they basically created their company while they were studying and then fueled their company, spun it off. Tensorworks, which is world -renowned Epic Games, where they do pixel streaming and containers and in a world of AI and big data that’s huge. And they have global clients already. They started as a small company for employees. Now they’re up to 16 all across Australia. And they’ve really scaled immensely

20:57and done so well. You know, we’ve got Australian unicorns like Canva, a safety culture that was developed in a garage in Townsville. Sam went back to live in Australia driven by family. Her roots in rural Australia gave her the vision to understand that necessity is the mother of innovation. Surprisingly, 20 % of all startups are launched outside major cities in Australia.

21:23Bundaberg, a city located in the state of Queensland, was recently named the nation’s most entrepreneurial city, with a 178 % jump in small business creation, far outpacing Sydney’s 73 % growth. Studies show that rural startups often benefit from strong community support and entrepreneurs who are accustomed to local challenges, factors that increase their resilience compared to urban peers. So, while startups… Life is risky everywhere. Regional founders can tap into unique strengths, local networks, shared determination and grassroots backing that level the play field and sometimes tip in the favor. I think because we live in also an environmentally challenging area of the world where we have a cyclone season. We’ve learnt and we can actually build amazing models around cyclones. And we’re doing obviously that in the cave where we’re simulating cyclones. But we have an incredible opportunity to contribute to not only research and knowledge and data, but inventions and innovations and new products and new inventions that we can actually, you know, showcase and scale globally. And what the future looks like is it’s only going to get faster and we are only at the very tip of the iceberg

22:56with artificial intelligence, as you know. And I think we see incredible hidden talent here, and especially in our indigenous populations where we’re actually seeing some incredible inventions that are using incredible innovations around indigenous knowledge. from rain stick that actually mimics and it’s all deep tech so it’s actually bioelectrics in a black box with layered algorithms that simulate thunder and lightning that’s produced onto seeds that allows them to hypergrow in relation to you know the world challenge of food shortage so This is incredible work and it’s already been recognised by Forbes. Like, I don’t think rural and regional are a barrier. That’s what I’ve learned. It actually makes you more resourceful and more resilient. And I’m seeing that again and again. That vision, if we are optimistic, might help promote nature -based solutions that today are much needed to mitigate global change consequences and assure some degree of wellbeing to our societies in future. We’re guided by that.

24:19Nature gives us those examples. And, you know, that term biomimicry, I see a lot of biomimicry. How nature gives us those examples. And, you know, and we’re in that playground here in tropical North Queensland. And a lot of our answers come from nature. And I was very fortunate to come back here every year. And that really inspired me with my patents. It helped me see patterns and cybernetics that really opened my world through nature. And when I did my master’s degree, that was a real eye -opener. It really opened my world and that helped me with my algorithm development.

24:59I’m studying cybernetics and then attaching that to biomimicry because it helped me see those patterns that I couldn’t see before.