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Monash congratulates Nobel Prize winner

14 October 2009

Professor Elizabeth Blackburn

Monash has congratulated Professor Elizabeth Blackburn on becoming Australia's 11th - and the country's first female - Nobel Prize winner.

Professor Blackburn is a Sir Louis Matheson Distinguished Visiting Professor in the University's School of Biomedical Sciences. She is a regular visitor to Monash and contributes to the school through student lectures, mentoring and research advice. She is scheduled to visit early next year.

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Edwina Cornish congratulated Professor Blackburn.

"It is important to recognise the enormous achievements of Elizabeth to human understanding of chromosomes, but also the important role she has played inspiring early career researchers and female scientists in Australia and across the world," Professor Cornish said.

Professor Blackburn was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, along with Carol Greider and Jack Szostak of the US, for discovering an enzyme that helps chromosomes in cells stay eternally young.

Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences Professor Christina Mitchell said Professor Blackburn had greatly contributed to the school and its students.

"She inspired us to improve our PhD student experience and our graduate programs," she said.

"She actively engaged with PhD students, attended their PhD seminars and met with them one on one, and for all it was an extremely exciting and valuable experience."

Biomedical sciences PhD student Michele Davies met Professor Blackburn during her visit to Monash in 2005.

"I knew Professor Blackburn was an extraordinary scientist and we were often taught her work in lectures and I had read much of her research, so it was a real honour to meet her," Ms Davies said.

"I was impressed with how generous she was with her time; she was very supportive and keen to talk about our research and how we were managing work-life balance."

Earlier this year Professor Blackburn was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World.