New Monash BDI initiative helps parents achieve research continuity

Dr Qi Zhang, Dr Olga Panagiotopoulou and Dr Anne Fletcher, inaugural recipients of the Monash BDI Career Continuity Grant.

Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) has introduced a Career Continuity Grant that aims to help research leaders achieve career continuity, during and beyond their period of parental leave. The initiative, led by Monash BDI’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, was introduced last year with the first three recipients receiving a combined total of $150,000.

The Monash BDI Career Continuity Grant is open to laboratory heads and group leaders who are taking parental leave for a period of at least three months. The grant provides up to $50,000 per recipient, in flexible funding, to support the continuity of their research program. The 2022 inaugural recipients were:

  • Dr Qi Zhang, Group Leader: her research focuses on the fundamental mechanisms governing the regulation of epigenetic modifiers in gene silencing.
  • Dr Olga Panagiotopoulou, Lab Head: her research interest is in the mechanical, developmental and physiological determinants of the vertebrate musculoskeletal system from clinical and basic science perspectives.
  • Dr Anne Fletcher, Lab Head: her research focuses on the immunological specialisation of human and mouse structural fibroblasts found in lymphoid organs and disease states.

Monash BDI’s Deputy Director and Chair of People and Culture Committee, Professor Dena Lyras, pioneered the initiative, along with the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. The program was introduced to ensure that researchers on parental leave were not at a disadvantage in terms of research and career progression, due to a career break.

“Career disruption due to parental leave, and ongoing childcare responsibilities, can have a significant impact on research productivity and as a result, lead to a number of challenges in career advancement.”

“This initiative will help our research leaders plan their time away from the lab, through flexible funding, so they can maintain scientific momentum while taking the time they need with their family,” said Professor Lyras.

Monash BDI Group Leader, Dr Zhang was one of the first recipients of the BDI Career Continuity Grant in 2022.

“It has been a challenging time, managing my work as a scientist and as a mother, since returning to full-time work in January last year. As the primary carer of my son, my own schedule has significantly changed since becoming a mother, which has meant less time in the lab.”

“I have been fortunate to receive a Career Continuity Grant from Monash BDI, which has allowed me to partially fund a Research Assistant to undertake the lab work that I am not able to do. This has enabled me to not only maintain lab activities, but also to spend time on other important activities – including submitting a successful grant application and attending four national conferences, at two of which I delivered oral presentations,” said Dr Zhang.

To learn more about the BDI Career Continuity Grant, visit Monash BDI’s Diversity and Inclusion website.

If you are a lab head or group leader in the Monash BDI, to apply for a BDI Career Continuity Grant, see the guidelines here.

About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute

Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Spanning seven discovery programs across Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Development and Stem Cells, Infection, Immunity, Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity, and Neuroscience, Monash BDI is one of the largest biomedical research institutes in Australia. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.