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
1091733
Dr Amanda Rebar
1091734
Miss Nathalie Bock
1091751
Dr Christian Girgis
1091816
Dr Huiying Zhao
1091843
Mrs Jennifer Chambers
1091855
Dr Caroline Lodge
1091878
Dr Natasa Gisev
1091911
Dr Angela Lek
1091948
Dr Christopher Wong
1091976
Dr Tatiana Soares da Costa
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
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
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
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
University of New South Wales
$309,436
Monash University
$371,844
University of Adelaide
$406,020
La Trobe University
$309,436
Page 11
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
1092160
Dr Christina Chang
1092170
Dr Fabian Buske
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
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.
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
Monash University
$184,718
Garvan Institute of Medical
Research
$309,436
Page 12
$309,436
$346,020
$369,436
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
1092616
Dr Huachun Zou
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?
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
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
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for
Medical Research and Public
Health
$154,718
Page 13
$374,986