10 Monash Researchers awarded Research Fellows of the National Health and Medical Research Council

On 29 August 2014, the Minister for Health, the Hon Peter Dutton MP, announced funding for 74 new Research Fellowships and 28 current fellowship extensions ($58.5 million), 17 new Practitioner Fellowships ($8.0 million) and four Targeted Calls for Indigenous Youth Suicide research grants ($.5 million).

Ten staff of the Faculty were awarded NHMRC Research or Practitioner Fellowships, and two Fellows received extensions. This is a great achievement for the individuals listed below, and the awards are made in recognition of their research vision, output and leadership, and contribution to research.

The Fellowships provide up to five years salary support that permit the Fellows to advance their research agenda, develop teams and contribute to enhance Australia’s research capacity.

The awards to Monash staff were in excess of $7.1 million representing 10% of the total allocations.

Associate Professor James Bourne, Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute 

“Mechanisms of brain repair following injury”

Professor Rachelle Buchbinder, Senior Principal Research Fellowship (SPRF), and also awarded a Practitioner Fellowship
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine.
“Improving translation of evidence into practice for musculoskeletal conditions”

Professor Michael Cowley, Senior Research Fellowship (SRFB)Department of Physiology.
“Diabetes target discovery and drug development in mice and primates”

Associate Professor Richard Ferrero, Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) MIMR-PHI Institute
“Dissecting the role of NOD-like receptors (NLRs) in Helicobacter pylori disease”

Professor Paul Fitzgerald, Practitioner Fellowship, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School
“Advancing novel brain stimulation treatment for severe depression”

Professor Kate Loveland, Senior Research Fellowship B (SRFB) Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Anatomy & Developmental Biology
“Developmental Switches in Spermatogenesis”

Associate Professor Christopher Sobey, Senior Research Fellowship B (SRF) Department of Surgery and Department of Pharmacology
“Finding Effective Treatments For Stroke”

Professor Matthew Watt, Senior Research Fellowship B (SRF) Department of Physiology
“Lipid metabolism in health and disease”

Professor Matthew Wilce, Senior Research Fellowship (SRFB) Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
“Protein-RNA interactions in antiviral cellular defence and gene regulation”

Associate Professor Sophia Zoungas, Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
“Improving health outcomes with Ageing and Diabetes: a focus on prevention and management of Cardiovascular Disease”

Additional thanks for the support that the following individuals provided in the review of applicants for Research Fellowship through participation on mock interview panels.

Casilda Black

John Carroll

Roger Daly

Roger Evans

Jock Findlay

Peter Fuller

Matthew Gillespie

Vince Harley

Paul Hertzog

Stuart Hooper

David Jans

Tessa Jones

Peter Lowthian

Fabienne Mackay

Luke McAvaney

Rob Medcalf

Chris Mitchell

David Nikolic-Patterson

Ray Norton

Brian Oldfield

Magdalena Plebanski

Anthony Purcell

Jamie Rossjohn

Lois Salamonsen

Mai Sarraj

Ian Smith

Helena Teede

Amanda Thrift

Peter Tipping

David Vaux

Bryan Williams

With administrative assistance provided by Julie Schliefert, Simone Heane and Jay Illesinghe.