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Len Storlien Award 2023

19 December 2023

Winner of the inaugural award announced

The Charles Perkins Centre is delighted to announce the inaugural Len Storlien Award 2023 recipient, Mr Harry Cutler, a PhD candidate working on a project investigating metabolic disease and precision medicine.

The Charles Perkins Centre Len Storlien Award was established this year in memory of Professor Len Storlien.

“Len worked closely with the Charles Perkins Centre’s community of academics and researchers in various roles (supervisor, colleague, mentor) and at different times over many decades," said Professor David James, Leonard P Ullman Chair of Metabolic Systems Biology and ARC Laureate Fellow at the Charles Perkins Centre.

"Len was a great champion of early career researchers – including a number of our current professoriate – and the Charles Perkins Centre’s Biology Domain and Boden Initiative established this award to reflect Len’s support and recognise his legacy.

“The Biology Domain supports the Charles Perkins Centre’s early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) through its seminar series with a monthly session given entirely by EMCRs. This hones research skills as well as presentation skills. The shortlist in this year’s inaugural Awards was truly outstanding, not just in their research but in their ability to communicate complex concepts. I congratulate all those on the shortlist, and our inaugural recipient, Harry Cutler,” said Professor James.

Professor Len Storlien was an outstanding researcher, collaborator and mentor. He was particularly recognised for his research investigating metabolic function and nutrition. Len passed away in February 2022 and is remembered as a much-loved friend and mentor, confidante and supporter. During her introductory remarks at this year’s presentation event, Professor Louise Bauer said, “Len was intellectually energetic with a warm sense of humour and he is very much missed.” Professor Baur is leader of the Charles Perkins Centre’s Boden Initiative.

The four shortlisted candidates presented their topics at an awards event in December, describing a broad range of projects spanning research on systems biology, hormone signalling, snake venoms and platelet function. The Award was open to all students affiliated with the Charles Perkins Biology Domain and it was judged by a large group of CPC researchers. This year’s award includes a $1500 prize for international conference attendance. Harry Cutler, this year’s winner, intends to use the award to travel to the 3^rd Metabolism in Health & Disease Conference in Malta in late 2024.

“The vibrant research community of the Charles Perkins Centre is unlike any other I’ve experienced, and I am incredibly grateful for the support that I have received at all levels of my candidature. It’s an amazing community to be a part of and I am so grateful to have received the Len Storlien Award.

This award gives me the opportunity to travel to Malta in 2024 where I will present my research on systems biology, metabolism and gene therapies to an international community. Thank you to the Charles Perkins Centre, the Biology Domain and to Len Storlien. I’m honoured,” said Harry.