2018 EMCR grant recipients
Six early- to mid-career researchers from the University of Sydney have been awarded $20,000 each to take their innovative research in brain and mind sciences to the next level.
Dr Rachel Tan, Dr Loren Mowszowski, Dr Petra van Nieuwenhuijzen, Dr Samuel Banister (L-R. Not pictured: Dr Kaylena Martens and Dr Rebekah Ahmed)
The inaugural University of Sydney-Brain and Mind Centre Research Development Grants were created this year to support early- and mid-career researchers aligned with Brain and Mind Centre research, to develop into successful, independent researchers.
Professor Matthew Kiernan, Co-Director of the Brain and Mind Centre, announced this year’s winners at the Centre’s monthly forum today. “The quality of applications we reviewed was very high - I only wish we could support every research project that was submitted,” he said. “I also want to acknowledge that five out of the six successful candidates are women, which is an excellent step in the right direction. The future of brain and mind science research is bright.”
One of this year’s successful recipients, Dr Loren Mowszowski from the Brain and Mind Centre's Healthy Brain Ageing Program, said, “Seed funding is critical at this early stage in my research career, to help get new projects off the ground and to demonstrate my capacity to implement research ideas,” she said. “This ‘CogMax’ project is particularly exciting, as it will have direct patient benefits and is highly translatable to the community; however, we could not deliver these outcomes without seed funding opportunities such as this.”
Petra Van Nieuwenhuijzen from the Faculty of Pharmacy agreed, “This funding will be really important for my career – I’ve only recently started working on preclinical stroke models and this money will enable me to get the data I need to apply for further funding.”
I also want to acknowledge that five out of the six successful candidates are women, which is an excellent step in the right direction. The future of brain and mind science research is bright.
Winners of the inaugural University of Sydney-Brain and Mind Centre Research Development Grants:
- Dr Rebekah Ahmed - Effect of hypothalamus on disease progression and body composition in ALS and FTD
- Dr Samuel Banister - Novel positron emission topography (PET) tracers for imaging neuroinflammation
- Dr Kaylena Ehgoetz Martens - Uncovering the neural mechanism underlying freezing of gait in Parkinson's Disease: Understanding the role of anxiety
- Dr Loren Mowszowski - CogMax: A healthy brain ageing cognitive training and psychoeducation program for older adults - comparing facilitated versus independent delivery
- Dr Petra van Nieuwenhuijzen - GABAa-rho a novel target for stroke intervention
- Dr Rachel Tan - Identifying critical RNA binding proteins involved in the pathogenesis of FTD and MND
Learn more about how the Brain and Mind Centre supports its up and coming researchers through our Early-Career Research Development Initiative.