Celia is a Professor of Psychopharmacology at University of Exeter, UK where she leads the Psychopharmacology and Addiction Research Group. She also holds an honorary professorship at University College London and is seconded to Awakn Life Sciences as Head of Ketamine Research. Celia started her professional career as an Assistant psychologist in Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services in Camden, London, then went on to complete a PhD in Clinical Psychology at University College London on the effects of ketamine. She spent some time in Melbourne at the National Neuroscience Facility and at Yale in the Department of Psychiatry before taking up a lectureship at UCL and moving to Exeter and is passionate about working to translate research findings into practise in drug and alcohol services. She has led several clinical trials in drug and alcohol treatments and her current research programme focuses on the potential of pharmacological compounds, particularly psychedelics, in enhancing psychological therapy.

Paul works for Peer Based Harm Reduction WA, a not-for-profit NGO and the state’s only peer-based AOD service delivery agency. PBHRWA provides non-judgmental peer based support, information and education, advocacy, overdose prevention programs, testing and treatment for BBVs and STIs, and a range of health and harm reduction services aimed at reducing the transmission of BBVs and reducing the incidence of other harms associated with drug use in communities throughout Western Australia. Paul coordinates PBHRWA’s Outreach Team, which delivers; needle & syringe exchange and other harm reduction services to-the-home, Overdose Prevention & Management Peer-education and Peer-administered Naloxone Programs, and hepatitis C Treatment Case Management services. He also provides consultancy, training, and education to other agencies, and guest-lectures to several universities. Paul has worked at Peer Based Harm Reduction WA for more than 22 years. Paul has also worked as a Drug and Alcohol Officer for the State-wide Specialist Aboriginal Mental Health Service; as an educator and consultant for the Transnational Institute (in China and Myanmar); and as a trainer for the Burnet Institute for Public Health. In 2002 Paul was awarded an Alcohol & Drug Council of Australia (ADCA) Australia Day Medal.

Caroline is an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Social Science Research, adjunct Senior Lecturer at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney and a Research Fellow of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children & Families over the Life Course. She leads a research group focussing on substance use, mental health and the social challenges that come through comorbidity of these, such as economic and health disadvantage, discrimination and domestic and family violence. She is part of the national Drug Trends research collaboration. Originally a molecular biologist and having worked in service provision as well as academia, she now looks at the epidemiology of substance use and mental health problems. Her work on the design and evaluation of services that support people who experience these issues stems from her passion for translating research findings into policy and practice.