Monash BDI’s ARC DP20 success contributes to university leading Go8
Congratulations to the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) researchers who are involved in the 11 projects that received funding through the 2019 Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Discovery Projects Scheme (DP20).
Securing more than $5.8 million in this latest round of ARC funding, our researchers continue to push the boundaries of biomedical research to pursue excellence in areas such as cell regulation, CRISPR-Cas RNA technology, T cell signalling and cellular function, and more.
Associate Professor Karla Hutt was one of the Monash BDI recipients, receiving more half a million dollars to investigate the impact of pesticides on female fertility. Associate Professor Hutt’s project expects to generate new knowledge in the fields of ovarian biology, female fertility and toxicology.
“I’m aiming to address a problem of national significance. This project will deliver benefits to improve chemical management in livestock production and develop marsupial conservation action plans,” Associate Professor Hutt said.
Professor John Carroll, Director of the Monash BDI, said this result shows the high calibre of researchers at the institute.
“The success in this funding round is yet another example of the excellence of our researchers. Congratulations to all involved, I’m very keen to see the outcomes of these projects,” Professor Carroll said.
Monash University is the largest recipient of university funding in Australia, leading the Group of Eight in this DP20 round. The university has been awarded $36.4 million to support 83 projects, up from $26.3 million in the last round. The successful applicants were announced on Wednesday 4 December by the Federal Minister for Education, The Hon. Dan Tehan MP.
Provost and Senior Vice-President Professor Marc Parlange said the results were recognition of the breadth and depth of Monash’s research, as well as the talent and commitment of the university’s academics.
“We strive to achieve excellence in research through bringing together high-performing researchers to tackle major challenges facing our world today,” Professor Parlange said.
“The latest round of DP20 funding is a testament to our gifted researchers, and we’re extremely grateful for the ARC’s funding that will support Monash in expanding the knowledge base and research capacity in Australia.”
A full list of the DP20 recipients is available at the ARC website.
Congratulations to the recipients of the 12 Monash BDI ARC Discovery Projects, including:
Professor Helen Abud: Defining signals that regulate intestinal stem cells during organ growth
Dr Richard Berry: Imaging the T cell signalling machinery
Professor Nicole La Gruta: Exceptions prove the rule: How antigen recognition drives T cell activation
Associate Professor Karla Hutt: The impact of environmental toxicants on the fertility of female animals
Dr Michael Lazarou: Understanding how cells regulate self eating during starvation and stress
Dr Brent Neumann: Microtubule structure in nervous system repair
Associate Professor Roger Pocock: Investigating a novel factor impacting stem cell development
Associate Professor Craig Smith: Genetic regulation of avian sex determination
Professor Stephen Turner: The T cell genome in 3D: linking chromatin structure to cellular function
Associate Professor Jackie Wilce: The RGG/RG motif as an RNA chaperone: advancing CRISPR-Cas RNA technology
Dr Yan Wong: Oscillations as a mechanism for neural communication
Monash is home to Australia's largest network of RNA and mRNA researchers. Keep up to date with our work on life-saving vaccines and therapeutic treatments on our Monash RNA webpage.
About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the newly established Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.