Early Career Fellowships for funding commencing in 2015 The NHMRC Early Career Fellowships scheme provides opportunities for Australian researchers to undertake advanced training in health and medical research either in Australia or overseas. A major objective of the scheme is to foster career development at the postdoctoral level by encouraging the beneficial experience of a different research environment. The Early Career Fellowships are very competitive and offered to a limited number of researchers of outstanding ability who wish to make research a significant component of their career. This year NHMRC received 558 Early Career Fellowship applications of which 125 have been awarded funding. The applications listed below were approved for funding by the Minister for Health, the Hon Peter Dutton MP. Application ID Applicant Name Application Title Administering Institution Budget 1088279 Dr Brett Manley University of Melbourne $258,605 1088295 Dr Ann-Maree Vallence University of Adelaide $309,436 1088313 Dr Kim Kiely Australian National University $309,436 1088318 Dr Anthony Raphael University of Queensland $393,276 1088334 Dr Carl White Breathing Easier: Optimising NonInvasive Ventilation of Preterm Infants Strengthening functional connectivity in the ageing brain. Estimating And Alleviating The Impacts Of Age-Related Sensory Decline Modulating the skin immune system with physical stimulus Molecular pharmacology of chemokine receptor signalling in cancer University of Western Australia $337,140 Page 1 1088366 Dr Raymond Lovett 1088389 Dr Kathryn Ramsey 1088426 Dr Lauren Ball 1088436 Dr Andrew Bivard 1088448 Dr Timothy Kidd 1088449 Dr Kathryn Hayward 1088535 Mr Matthew Page 1088634 Dr Alison West 1088673 Dr Elizabeth Dunford 1088703 Mr Fernando de Souza Fonseca Guimaraes The Longitudinal study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples wellbeing (Mayi Kuwayu) Mucous in Heterogeneous and Progressive Early Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease Preventing Chronic Disease Through Improved Dietary Behaviours: Developing and Implementing a Nutrition Intervention for Patients in Partnership with Practice Nurses (PPPNs) using the Knowledge to Action framework. Advanced imaging for patient profiling in patients with stroke Transcriptome Characterization of Klebsiella pneumoniae during Infection (TRACKIN) Promoting upper limb recovery after stroke in people with severe paresis. Generating credible evidence for health care decision making: advancing methods for evidence synthesis and meta-analysis Toll-like receptor 2 signalling as a potential therapeutic target in gastric cancer Improving the food supply to reduce the burden of nutrition related chronic disease Deciphering IFN type III, TGFβ, IL-10 and adenosine pathways in natural killer cells: enhancing the innate anti-metastatic response against breast cancer progression Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies University of Western Australia $309,436 Griffith University $309,436 University of Newcastle $309,436 University of Queensland $348,252 University of Melbourne $338,220 Monash University $337,140 Monash University $309,436 University of Sydney $324,900 Queensland Institute of Medical Research $309,436 Page 2 $330,276 1088733 Mr Michael Binks 1088735 Dr Asha Bowen 1088738 Dr Bridget Barber 1088785 Dr Tamsyn Van Rheenen 1088813 Mrs Catherine Chamberlain 1088930 Dr Vidya Perera 1088964 Ms Nicole McPherson nee Palmer 1089072 Dr Charis Teh 1089250 Ms Jo Robinson 1089395 Mr Jason Ferris Reducing the community burden of respiratory infections in Indigenous children Evidence-driven strategies to reduce the burden of infections among Indigenous children Comparative pathophysiology and clinical epidemiology of knowlesi malaria Characterising facial emotion processing networks in bipolar disorder Improving cardio-metabolic health outcomes in Indigenous Australian mothers Personalizing antipsychotic medicines to improve patient outcomes in schizophrenia: Development of decision support tools using pharmacometabolomics and pharmacometrics Sperm methylation status predicts embryo and pregnancy outcomes in male obesity Understanding the critical mechanisms that govern regulatory T cell life and death decisions Developing social media based approaches to youth suicide prevention Methamphetamine clandestine laboratories: An analysis of the geospatial dynamics between ecological factors, pharmacists, pseudorunners and related health harms. Menzies School of Health Research $309,436 University of Western Australia $258,605 Menzies School of Health Research $258,605 University of Melbourne $309,436 University of Melbourne $309,436 University of Sydney $309,436 University of Adelaide $309,436 Walter and Eliza Hall Institute $309,436 University of Melbourne $309,436 University of Queensland $309,436 Page 3 1089398 Dr Emily Blyth 1089403 Dr Becky Freeman 1089415 Dr Rachel Laws 1089698 Dr Matthew Pase 1089718 Dr Ben Fulcher 1089763 Dr Linda Gallo 1089853 Dr Yuyi You 1089898 Dr Adrienne Gordon 1090035 Dr Anchit Khanna 1090108 Dr Jaclyn Pearson 1090129 Dr Paul Sanfilippo 1090146 A/Pr Sally Brinkman Patient tailored anti-tumour T cells to prevent relapse in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia undergoing allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation Harnessing new media to translate prevention research evidence in to practice and policy Reducing the gap right from the start: Translating effective approaches to prevent child obesity in disadvantaged families into primary health care policy and routine practice. Vascular risk factors for incident dementia and brain ageing From brain maps to mechanisms: modeling the pathophysiology of schizophrenia Glucose transport in the diabetic kidney Glaucoma causes secondary neurodegeneration in the brain OPTIMUM - Optimising pregnancy by translating information for pregnant women Targeting the CHK1-STAT3-CIP2A axis to treat glioblastoma (GBM) Glycosyltransferase effectors of enteropathogenic E. coli and Salmonella Optic nerve head structure and genetic/environmental associations: a population-based SD-OCT study Early Human Capability – Measurement, Intervention, Results. University of Sydney $184,718 University of Sydney $309,436 Deakin University $154,718 Swinburne University of Technology Monash University $371,844 University of Queensland $309,436 University of Sydney $369,436 University of Sydney $184,718 University of New South Wales $309,436 University of Melbourne $309,436 Centre for Eye Research Australia Ltd $309,436 University of Western Australia $309,436 Page 4 $309,436 1090184 Ms Philippa Middleton 1090204 Dr Roxanne Toivanen 1090229 Dr Eva Alisic 1090302 Dr Dion Stub 1090351 Ms Jennifer Iversen 1090403 Dr Ivan Lin 1090408 Dr Alastair Stewart 1090428 Dr Emily Oates 1090444 Dr Sandeep Chhabra Preventing preterm birth, and preventing diabetes in and beyond pregnancy - influence of maternal diets Systems analyses of prostate cancer organoid cultures for precision medicine Helping children recover from traumatic stress: The role of caregivers and professionals Assessment of remote ischemic conditioning on post-cardiac arrest myocardial dysfunction by magnetic resonance imaging, invasive coronary hemodynamic measurements and markers of inflammation Investigating patterns of use and risk behaviour among the emerging population of people who inject performance and image-enhancing drugs “Taking control again”: better care for Aboriginal people with persistent musculoskeletal pain Structural Characterisation of Long Non-Coding RNA bound Histone Modification Complexes Disease gene discovery and improved genetic diagnosis in neuromuscular disorders New strategies to target multiple drug resistance in clinically relevant fungal infections. University of Adelaide $309,436 Monash University $406,692 Monash University $425,746 Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute $258,605 University of New South Wales $309,436 University of Western Australia $309,436 University of Sydney $309,436 University of Sydney $455,432 Monash University $353,076 Page 5 1090462 Dr Gad Abraham 1090500 Dr Kylie Mason 1090510 Dr Gillian Gould 1090517 Dr Camille Short 1090521 Dr Romana Stark 1090612 Dr Claire Weekley 1090644 Dr Patrick Harris 1090648 Dr Michele Hansen 1090678 Dr Louise Owen 1090694 Dr Hammad Ali Large-Scale Multi-Omic Analysis and Risk Prediction of Complex Human Disease Exploring the role of the Bcl-2 family in haematopoiesis and haematopoietic malignancy Improving strategies to support pregnant Aboriginal women to quit smoking Advancing population approaches to physical activity promotion among cancer survivors: The development and evaluation of an innovate webbased intervention Central ghrelin regulates peripheral glucose metabolism A new approach to explore the role of selenoproteins in health and disease Collaborating to Create Healthy Built Environments: Including Health in a Land Use Planning System Population-based data linkage to investigate the health and development of children born after IVF Right from the start: improving respiratory support for preterm infants from their first breath to independent breathing Evaluating the uptake and impact of the HIV/STI prevention and treatment revolution University of Melbourne $309,436 University of Melbourne $184,718 University of Newcastle $369,436 Central Queensland University $309,436 Monash University $309,436 St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research $355,740 University of Sydney $309,436 University of Western Australia $309,436 Murdoch Childrens Research Institute $258,605 University of New South Wales $421,588 Page 6 1090716 Dr Matthew Albrecht 1090759 Dr Jing Jing Wang 1090778 Dr Prabha Andraweera 1090828 Dr Leanne Sakzewski 1090875 Dr Romain Rouet 1090888 Dr Kimberley Wang 1090890 Dr Robert Galinsky 1090898 Dr Nicky Thomas 1090904 Dr Anne-Marie Laslett Negative symptom formation in schizophrenia: An electrophysiological, neurophysiological and computational modelling investigation Molecular profiling of the immunoglobulin proteome in primary Sjögren’s syndrome The genetic and environmental risk for pregnancy complications and subsequent metabolic syndrome Improving translation of intensity and quality of upper limb rehabilitation provided by occupational therapists to children with unilateral cerebral palsy: A cluster randomised controlled trial Design of Cas9 nucleases with reduced basal DNA binding and enhanced recombinase activity for human genome engineering The early life origin of airway smooth muscle thickening in asthma pathogenesis Identifying and preventing inflammation-induced brain injury in preterm infants Structure and Function of Antimicrobial Therapies and their Interaction with Upper Respiratory Biofilms Harm to children from others' drinking Curtin University of Technology $374,508 Flinders University $309,436 University of Adelaide $339,436 University of Queensland $216,605 Garvan Institute of Medical Research $355,740 University of Western Australia $309,436 Monash University $329,436 University of South Australia $309,436 Curtin University of Technology $324,436 Page 7 1090906 Dr Sashendra Senthi 1090952 Dr Yi Lu 1090992 Mr Robert Power 1090993 Dr Kaavya Krishna Kumar 1090997 Dr Joseph Doyle 1091003 Ms Arpeeta Sharma 1091006 Dr Ria Arnold 1091011 Dr Phurpa Wangchuk 1091097 Mr Samuel Forster 1091158 Dr Laura Downie 1091211 Miss Bryony Thompson Treating metastatic melanoma with Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy and IMmune Pathway ACTivation (SABR-IMPACT) Investigating the interplay of gene and environment in childhood and adolescent mental health Understanding the genetic architecture of psychiatric disorders in patients and populations Investigation of two GPCRs implicated in tumour progression: PAR1 and LGR5 Elimination of hepatitis C infection in Australia Improving endothelial dysfunction in diabetes-associated vascular diseases with Nrf2 activators Exploring neurological complications in animal models of metabolic disease Isolation and pre-clinical evaluation of small molecule anti-inflammatory compounds from hookworms Integrated system wide characterization of microbiota and host factors influencing intestinal colonization resistance to the healthcare pathogen Clostridium difficile Modulation of the anterior eye inflammatory response to treat dry eye disease Identification of novel colorectal cancer susceptibility genes Monash University $184,718 Queensland Institute of Medical Research $374,986 University of Queensland $309,436 Walter and Eliza Hall Institute $355,740 University of Melbourne $369,436 Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute $309,436 University of New South Wales $309,436 James Cook University $309,436 Monash University $346,020 University of Melbourne $154,718 University of Melbourne $335,628 Page 8 1091221 Dr Claire O'Brien 1091226 Dr Eric Chow 1091257 Dr William Harrison 1091310 Ms Claire O'Callaghan 1091387 Dr Dennis Wong 1091415 1091418 Dr Flavia Di Pietro A/Pr Atte Meretoja 1091516 Dr Ella Day 1091520 Dr Lara Harvey 1091536 Dr Tim Read Host microbe interactions in Crohn’s disease Prevalence of Genital HPV Infection in Males Following Introduction of Universal Male HPV Vaccination Novel approaches to understanding peripheral vision in patients with central vision loss A convergent approach to define the behavioural and pathophysiological signatures of neuropsychiatric symptoms The role of new generation multidetector row CT for identification and management of vulnerable plaque at risk of acute coronary syndrome : A prospective observational and interventional study Neuroimaging the brain in pain Acute Stroke Care: rapid unblocking of vessels, mending ruptures, and recovery Understanding immunity to influenza viruses in the Indigenous population Causes, consequences and costs of injury-related hospitalisations for people with dementia: identifying opportunities for prevention and enhanced management A randomised trial of allowing men who have sex with men to have HIV and syphilis tests between clinic consultations. Australian National University $309,436 Monash University $309,436 University of Queensland $371,844 University of Sydney $337,140 Monash University $184,718 University of Sydney University of Melbourne $433,186 $369,436 University of Melbourne $309,436 University of New South Wales $309,436 Monash University $369,436 Page 9 1091544 Dr Si Ming Man 1091551 Dr Kishore Kumar 1091571 Dr Bridget Callaghan 1091586 Dr Stephen Kentish 1091589 Dr Mark Adams 1091628 Ms Samantha Colquhoun 1091636 Dr Laura Edgington 1091657 Dr Aaron Conway 1091688 Dr Kristy Jackson The role of Interferon-regulatory Factors in the host defense against bacterial infection Investigating the clinical and research applications of wholegenome sequencing in Parkinson disease and other movement disorders Human neural development in the absence of species-expected stimuli: The effect of maternal or social deprivation on maturation of emotion circuitry during critical periods of development. The role of gastric vagal afferents in the food intake reducing effect of oestradiol Identifying novel genome instability signatures in cancer Investigation of the epidemiology and care of rheumatic heart disease patients in resource poor settings and at risk populations Contribution of MDSC-derived cysteine cathepsins in breast cancer metastasis to bone Improving nurse-administered sedation practice in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory Mechanisms responsible for neurogenic hypertension: a novel interaction between GABAergic modulation of amygdalohypothalamic pathways and microRNA regulation of renin University of New South Wales $334,284 Garvan Institute of Medical Research $258,605 University of Melbourne $441,540 South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute $309,436 Queensland University of Technology Murdoch Childrens Research Institute $309,436 La Trobe University $309,436 Queensland University of Technology $309,436 Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute $309,436 Page 10 $185,662 1091728 Mr Jialin Chen 1091733 Dr Amanda Rebar 1091734 Miss Nathalie Bock 1091751 Dr Christian Girgis 1091816 Dr Huiying Zhao 1091843 Mrs Jennifer Chambers 1091855 Dr Caroline Lodge 1091865 Dr Katrina Morris 1091878 Dr Natasa Gisev 1091911 Dr Angela Lek SPARC induced tendon differentiation and regeneration Walking out of the darkness – Developing physical activity habits in Australians with depressive symptoms Using Bioengineered 3D Models to Replicate the Tumour Microenvironment in Prostate Cancer Roles of Vitamin D in Skeletal Muscle and Satellite Cells Development and application of novel bioinformatics approaches to identify pathogenetic mechanisms underlying migraine Role of Ferroptosis in the Lipid Metabolism of Cancer Cells Genetic and environmental risk factors on lifetime risk of obstructive lung disease The genetics and mechanisms of resistance to the zoonotic pathogenic influenza virus in avian species Determining the impact of pharmaceutical opioid use in Australia: a focus on burden, risks and harms A zebrafish model of facioscapulohumeral dystrophy for therapy development and functional studies University of Western Australia $154,718 Central Queensland University $154,718 Queensland University of Technology $309,436 University of Sydney $369,436 Queensland Institute of Medical Research $309,436 University of Melbourne $406,692 University of Melbourne $339,436 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisaion, CSIRO $328,284 University of New South Wales $309,436 Monash University $371,844 Page 11 1091948 Dr Christopher Wong 1091976 Dr Tatiana Soares da Costa 1092005 Dr Alexander Soeriyadi 1092023 Dr Kelly Williams 1092028 Dr Gillian Gould 1092046 Mr Michael Bowen 1092066 Dr Luiz Bertassoni 1092077 Ms Danielle Horyniak 1092089 Dr Melissa Day 1092136 Ms Sasha Lanyon 1092153 Dr Donald McLeod 1092158 Dr Lisa Nicholas Large-scale randomised evidence: the reliable detection or refutation of treatment effects through large, simple randomised trials and collaborative meta-analyses of trials using individual participant data Broad Spectrum Inhibition of an Enzyme Antibiotic Target Photonic Crystals for Probing Enzyme Activity: Single cells vs Bulk Measurements Unravelling the molecular basis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Improving strategies to support pregnant Aboriginal women to quit smoking Preclinical assessment of the potential utility of oxytocin and a novel oxytocin agonist for the treatment of substance use disorders and social dysfunction Engineering Vascularized and LoadBearing Bone The epidemiology of substance use among forced migrant populations Mechanisms of Mindfulness Meditation, Cognitive Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Low Back Pain Fetal immune response to vertical transmission of Toxoplasma gondii The causes, treatment, and prognosis of thyroid disease The transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of parental obesity University of Adelaide $406,020 La Trobe University $309,436 University of New South Wales $309,436 Macquarie University $309,436 University of Newcastle $369,436 University of Sydney $309,436 University of Sydney $309,436 Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health Australian Catholic University $350,388 University of Adelaide $309,436 Queensland Institute of Medical Research Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute $184,718 Page 12 $309,436 $346,020 1092160 Dr Christina Chang 1092170 Dr Fabian Buske 1092183 Dr Bridie Scott-Parker 1092191 Dr Alison Care 1092264 Dr Rebecca Vanders 1092280 Dr Anja Knaupp 1092440 Dr Annie Quan 1092451 Mr Mitchell Sullivan 1092576 Dr Jaquelyne Hughes 1092602 Dr Katherine Martin 1092616 Dr Huachun Zou Understanding the establishment of HIV reservoirs and development of HIV eradication strategies Unravelling the dynamic interplay between DNA-binding complexes, chromatin organisation and epigenetic remodelling during cancerogenesis. Emotions, situation awareness and the risky driving behaviour of young novice drivers Impaired cardiovascular-immune interactions in preeclampsia Investigation and therapeutic targeting of the immune mechanisms that predispose to and increase the severity of influenza in pregnancy What makes a cell pluripotent? Monash University $369,436 Garvan Institute of Medical Research $309,436 University of the Sunshine Coast $309,436 University of Adelaide $330,948 University of Newcastle $309,436 Monash University $309,436 Regulation of synaptic vesicle biogenesis for synaptic transmission Exploring the Role of Glycogen Structure in Type 2 Diabetes. Improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians with chronic kidney disease In vivo investigation of human PR3 transgenic mice: a novel animal model to understand the role of PR3 in chronic inflammation and autoimmune vasculitis Developing and evaluating novel strategies for the control of syphilis in priority Children’s Medical Research Institute University of Queensland $309,436 Menzies School of Health Research $369,436 The Walter and Eliza Hall institute of Medical Research $368,940 Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health $154,718 Page 13 $374,986