Federation fellows

Awarded 2008

Dr James Whisstock, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Dr Whisstock is recognised as a world-leading expert on bio-information and structural biology, especially serpins. He is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Principal Research Fellow and Logan Fellow at Monash University, and a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Structural and Functional Microbial Genomics. Membrane Attack Complex/Perforin-like (MACPF) proteins play central roles in vertebrate immunity, embryonic patterning and neural development. Dr Whisstock’s research program aims to better understand the links between immunity and development. Data from his research will be crucial for developing approaches to control unwanted MACPF function in transplant rejection and diseases like Type I diabetes.

Associate Professor Trevor Lithgow

Associate Professor Lithgow is an international leader in protein targeting and membrane assembly, and he is working towards understanding the molecular machine that transfers proteins into mitochondria. The main aims of Associate Professor Lithgow's research program are to: capitalise on biochemical techniques and bioinformatics developed by his laboratory; apply these techniques to learn more about the structure, function and assembly of the molecular machines in bacteria; and better understand how the human immune system can cope with microbial invaders. The work will involve research in genetics, microbiology, computer science and molecular biology, and will link research groups in Australia with key international laboratories.

Awarded 2007

Professor Douglas MacFarlane, School of Chemistry

Professor Douglas MacFarlane is researching a family of liquids that has an ability to preserve bioactive molecules in a biotechnology breakthrough. These new biocompatible ionic liquids will be investigated for applications in the treatment of diseases such as haemophilia and potential applications for diabetes management.

Professor Bernadette McSherry, Faculty of Law

Professor Bernadette McSherry will undertake research into national model legal frameworks that will help shape the way in which individuals with mental illnesses can access the highest standard of mental health care.

Awarded 2006

Professor Jamie Rossjohn, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Professor Jamie Rossjohn's research is centred on understanding the basis of infection and immunity, specifically host recognition, responses developed by the pathogen and drug design to modulate and/or counteract these events. Professor Rossjohn's research team and collaborators have provided seminal insight into the processes linked to infection and immunity, publishing more than 90 research papers in this area.

Awarded 2005

Professor John Bowman, School of Biological Sciences

Professor Bowman will investigate the role of three genetic programs in patterning meristem-derived plant organs. His research will provide information on how to manipulate the growth and development of plant organs, with broad implications for agriculture and forestry. Professor Bowman's research will provide a better understanding of how plant architecture is genetically controlled. Leaves and other plant organs are derived from meristems, organised groups of self-renewing stem cells found at the tips of shoots and roots. The size, shape and polarity of plant organs are controlled by information derived from these meristems.

Professor Barry Muddle, Department of Materials Engineering

Professor Muddle will research the early stages of nanostructure formation and the factors that control their stability. Nanostructures can range from simple inorganic structures such as colloidal gold particles to complex biological molecules such as arrays of bacterial cell surface proteins. Professor Muddle's research will have applications ranging from advanced light alloys to quantum dots in semiconductor compounds.

Professor Alan Bond, School of Chemistry

Professor Bond will use electrochemistry (the study of interactions between electric and chemical phenomena) to improve emerging technologies in green chemistry, nanochemistry, photoelectrochemical catalysis and sensors. His research is expected to provide commercial opportunities in the area of scientific instrumentation by transforming experimentally generated or simulated data sets into instantly recognised images.

Awarded 2003

Professor Amanda Lynch, School of Geography and Environmental Science

Professor Lynch is investigating complexity in climate impact assessment. Professor Lynch's research will involve the development of a model-based methodology to characterize the extremes that are not usually predicted by climate models. Key extremes of importance to stakeholders in Australia and around the world include coastal flooding and fire. These events, in the context of regional climate variation, will act as test cases for the methodology. From this work, the likelihood of policy-relevant events in the future can be evaluated, with a robust assessment of the uncertainty.

Awarded 2001

Professor Lenore Manderson, School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine

Professor Lenore Manderson received her Federation fellowship in 2001 while at the University of Melbourne. Professor Manderson joined Monash in 2006 and as part of her fellowship, is exploring the resilience with which people adapt to major medical challenges; focusing on mobility limitation as a result of severe illness or injury and aims to minimise the inequalities that affect individuals with poor health and disability.

Professor Manderson is also investigating chronic health problems experienced by women in regional and rural communities; how individuals with visible and invisible signs of disability view themselves and how they participate in and take advantage of community programs; and the impact of changes to the body on self-image.