News and events
Congratulations to Cheryl and Helena
Cheryl Chia and Helena Safavi-Hemami, recent PhD graduates from the department, have been awarded ASBMB fellowships for 2012. The fellowships are awarded to graduate students or recently graduated postdoctoral researchers. They provide funds to assist the recipient attend an overseas conference or visit a research laboratory in Australia or elsewhere.
A terrific achievement.
Departmental 'Superheroes' of science'
Andy Hill and Danny Hatters were named 'Superheroes of Science' in the first 'On the Frontiers' lift-out in The Age, 13 Aug 2011. The sub-heading to the column explained 'Saving lives doesn't always mean donning a superhero suit; it may mean donning a lab coat instead." Joining several other medical researchers in the 'Frontiers' lift-out featuring medicine, Andy was quoted as saying, in reference to science and medicine "...I think that in biomedical science, you kind of get the best of both worlds."
Based on his own early experiences and the direction he later took, Danny advises students 'to keep an open mind'. He never imagined as a school student interested in botany and chemistry that he would become a biochemist.
Dominic Ng - double award winner
Dominic Ng has received both the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Bioplatforms Australia Award and the ASBMB Life Technologies Edman Award for 2011 - the former for outstanding research in the field of genomics, and the latter for outstanding research in life technologies.
Honorary staff member Michael Parker, Lemberg Medallist
Michael Parker has been awarded the ASBMB Lemberg Medal for 2011 in recognition of astellar research career. Michael and his colleagues has determined almost 100 crystal structures, including those of membrane-associating proteins, detoxifying enzymes and protein kinases.
Incoming Professor Leann Tilley receives ASBMB award
Leann Tilley will join the department later in 2011. She was awarded the ASBMB 2011 Beckman Coulter Discovery Science Award for distinguished contributions in research innovation, technology transfer, and communication.
Bryan Fry receives 2011 Fenner Medal
Bryan Fry has been awarded the Australian Academy of Science’s 2011 Fenner Medal for outstanding research in biology (excluding the biomedical sciences). Bryan studies the toxins of venomous animals, from jelly fish to snakes, from around the world.The medal and an honorarium of $1,000 will be presented to Bryan next May at the Shine Dome, Canberra, during the Academy’s annual 3-day celebration of scientific excellence and achievement.
Good news for the Gooley lab
Good news from the Paul Gooley's lab. Graduate sudent Chris Armstrong won a poster prizeat the 2nd Australian Symposium on Metabolomics for 'Biomedical and Microbial Metabolomics' and Paul heard that he and colleagues had been awarded two grants - an ARC Discovery Grant: 'Explaining the differences in affinity and of carbohydrate binding of the glycogen-sensing enzyme, AMP-protein activated kinase (AMPK)', Paul Gooley, Michael Parker, David Stapleton, Kwan Hwa Park, Robyn Murphy, and a grant from the ANZ named charitable trust – The Mason Foundation: 'Metabolomics of chronic fatigue syndrome', Paul Gooley, Henry Butt, Neil McGregor
Prize to Eleanor Saunders for best talk by early investigator
Eleanor Saunders, a postdoctoral fellow in Malcolm McConville's lab, was awarded the prize for 'Best talk by an early investigator' at the 2nd Australasian Metabolomics Conference, held in Melbourne, October 3-5. The prize included payment of $500.
The conference covered technological and scientific advances in the relatively new field of metabolomics that has been actively supported by funding from the Federal Government's NCRIS initiative.
Eleanor's postdoctoral studies are directed at identifying new drug targets in the Leishmania, a family of human pathogens. Her presentation at the conference covered novel aspects of Leishmania metabolism that she has identified.
Naming of the Grimwade Research Laboratories
A ceremony was held on 3 June 2010 to officially name the Grimwade Research Laboratories in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Bio21 Institute, in honour of Sir Russell and Lady Grimwade.
The Grimwades made a very generous donation to fund construction of the first home of the biochemistry department, which was completed in 1958 and remained operational with modifications and additions until 2007.
Head of department Professor Paul Gleeson noted Sir Russell’s prescience in stating in the mid 1900s that biochemistry was the science of the future. He expressed appreciation on behalf of the department for bequeathed funds that support the five-year Grimwade Fellowship, awarded to outstanding early-career researchers. Current fellow Dr Danny Hatters and former recipient Associate Professor Tony Purcell explained to those attending the function the importance of the Grimwade Fellowship in shaping their successful scientific careers to date.
Sir Andrew Grimwade and Fred Grimwade attended the naming ceremony on behalf of the family.
Professor Malcolm McConville appointed deputy director, Bio21 Institute
Congratulations to Professor Malcolm McConville on his appointment in late May as Deputy Director, Bio21 Institute.
Malcolm was also appointed to the position of Associate Director structural biology research theme, one of three themes at Bio21 (the other two being chemical biology and nanobiotechnology).
Malcolm’s research group studies how microbial pathogens survive in humans and other animal hosts. The focus is on pathogens that cause the human diseases leishmaniasis, malaria and tuberculosis. Current drug treatments for these diseases are inadequate, so the central aim of Malcolm’s research is to learn more about pathogen biology as a basis for the development of more effective antimicrobial agents and vaccines.