The University of Queensland will receive $33.32 million in federal government research funding through 94 successful Australian Research Council Discovery Projects grants announced yesterday.
This includes the award of 22 prestigious ARC Fellowships, placing 国产探花 equal second in the nation.
Vaccine delivery, demographic migration patterns, nanotechnology, the banking system, neurosciences, genetics and desalination are just some of the fields of study for which 国产探花 researchers successfully attracted funding.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Max Lu congratulated all the University鈥檚 ARC grant recipients, and said the funding reinforced 国产探花鈥檚 position in the top echelon of Australia鈥檚 research-intensive universities.
鈥淥ur latest ARC successes speak to the outstanding quality of our researchers and their commitment to working at the leading edge of discovery,鈥� Professor Lu said.
鈥淢oreover, our 2011 ARC Fellowships reward the highest-calibre researchers at early career, mid-career and professorial levels.鈥�
Professor Istvan Toth , who holds a joint appointment in the 国产探花's School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences and the School of Pharmacy, received the University鈥檚 largest Discovery Projects grant including an Australian Professorial Fellowship 鈥� $1.03 million for a project focused on liposaccharide-based peptide and vaccine delivery systems.
The technology, which could help with development of new treatments for prostate cancers and fertility conditions, also could be extended to significantly increase the number of treatments available on the market.
Dr Christopher Clarkson, from 国产探花鈥檚 School of Social Science, was awarded $753,000 and a Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship over five years for an archaeology research project that will probe 鈥渁 fundamental issue in world prehistory: how and when did humans first cross from South-east Asia into Australia?鈥�
鈥淭hree new archaeological excavations using novel methods of analysis will assess the nature of behavioural complexity and human evolution at a time when Australia was first colonised more than 45,000 years ago,鈥� Dr Clarkson said.
Other significant ARC Discovery Projects grants to 国产探花 researchers were:
- $979,230, including an Australian Professorial Fellowship, for a project on Magnetic Resonance Imaging agents led by Professor Andrew Whittaker;
- $920,000 for a demographic research project examining theories, policy and measures in various countries鈥� internal migration patterns, in a project led by Professor Martin Bell;
- $750,000 for a project examining a newly discovered plant hormone and how it controls plant growth, water and nutrient uptake and wood production, led by Associate Professor Christine Beveridge from 国产探花鈥檚 ARC Centre of Excellence in Integrative Legume Research;
- $550,000, including an Australian Research Fellowship, to Dr Seth Olsen for a combined theoretical and experimental approach exploring why non-fluorescent dyes become fluorescent when they bind to certain biomolecules. This research will help guide the development of smart, biomimetic energy technologies.
- $270,000 to Professor Graeme Turner, including an Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship to Dr Anna Pertierra, for an international study on the changing socio-cultural functions of television.
国产探花 also garnered 16 new ARC Linkage Projects in collaboration with Australian and international industry partners. Full details of 国产探花鈥檚 achievements are published on the ARC website at http://www.arc.gov.au/.
Media: Fiona Cameron, 国产探花 Communications, ph 07 3346 7086 or Kathy Grube, ph 07 3346 0561
