Researcher
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHER
Distinguished Laureate Professor Roger Smith
Laureate Professor Roger Smith is a man of many talents and interests. As the Co-Director of the University of Newcastle's Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, and the Director of the University's Mothers and Babies Research Centre and the Department of Endocrinology at John Hunter Hospital, he's also a man with many responsibilities. Not limiting himself to a singular field, the passionate academic freely studies "anything and everything" that sparks his intrigue.
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Roger recalls having this affinity for the natural world from a young age. Working on the proviso that the "proof is in the picture," the esteemed educator tells of a photograph of his toddler-self feeding elephants, and its importance in kick starting his research career.
"I was thinking about how the planet works very early on in my life," he reflects. "To me, all animals were, and continue to be, incredibly fascinating. "Humans, however, I find most remarkable."
Seeking to satisfy this time-honoured thirst for knowledge about his own species, Roger studied medicine at the University of Sydney. Graduating in 1973, he spent the next two years at Royal North Shore Hospital followed by time in Western Australia and New Zealand, before undertaking a PhD at the University of London. After completing his doctorate in 1981, Roger returned to Australia and joined the University of Newcastle.
Documentry Team
Fivespice Creative
Fivespice Creative is a Newcastle-based documentary and visual storytelling studio dedicated to capturing and communicating meaningful human stories through film, photography, and design. The studio specialises in translating complex ideas, lived experiences, and cultural narratives into visually compelling content that resonates with diverse audiences.
Creative Co-Director Shane Williams is an international award-winning photographer, cinematographer, and videographer with more than a decade of professional experience. His work explores natural forces, human experience, and place, combining cinematic storytelling with observational documentary techniques. Shane brings a strong visual sensibility and technical expertise to projects, ensuring narratives are conveyed with clarity, emotional depth, and visual impact.
Co-Founder and Creative Director Vanessa Anton brings over twenty years of experience in advertising and design, having developed brand identities, campaigns, and communication strategies for studios and agencies across Newcastle and Sydney. Her expertise ensures that visual storytelling is supported by clear narrative structure, strong design thinking, and audience-focused communication.
Together, Fivespice Creative operates at the intersection of documentary storytelling, visual design, and cultural communication. Their collaborative approach supports artists, researchers, and organisations to present their work with clarity, authenticity, and visual strength. By combining cinematic documentation, narrative design, and audience-centred communication, the studio creates work that is both visually engaging and culturally meaningful.
Illustrators
Hollie Mclachlan & Dayna Perez
We are natural history illustrators who hold a Bachelor of Natural History Illustration (Honours) from the University of Newcastle and are currently third-year PhD candidates at the University of Newcastle and the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI). Our creative practice is grounded in scientific accuracy and visual storytelling, with a strong emphasis on animation and 3D modelling as tools for communicating complex research to broad, non-specialist audiences. We focus specifically on the chemical elements iron and molybdenum and their fundamental roles in the emergence of life on Earth, as well as their ongoing significance in healthy human development. Our work seeks to bridge deep time and contemporary biomedical science, translating abstract molecular and geological processes into visually engaging, accessible narratives.
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Our collaboration with the Mothers and Babies Research Centre at HMRI emerged through the Natural History Illustration program at the University of Newcastle, where we were invited to contribute to the development of a documentary project currently in production. This project traces the story of iron and molybdenum from their cosmic and geological origins through to their essential biological functions in human health. Through this invitation, we began working closely with Distinguished Laureate Professor Roger Smith (2025 Freeman of the City of Newcastle), marking the beginning of an ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration. This partnership has positioned natural history illustration as a vital visual research method within a scientific and medical context, demonstrating how illustration, animation, and 3D visualisation can support and extend contemporary biomedical research conducted at HMRI.
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Our practice is shaped by a unique position as creatives embedded within the fields of science and medicine, allowing us to work directly alongside researchers and clinicians while maintaining a strong artistic voice. We regularly collaborate with experts across biology, quantum chemistry, physics, geology, history, and film and videography, ensuring that our visual outputs are both scientifically rigorous and conceptually engaging. This interdisciplinary approach allows us to create works that function simultaneously as research communication tools, educational resources, and exhibition-ready artworks, expanding the role of illustration beyond documentation into interpretation and discovery.
