Senior Medical Research Fellowship
The Foundation’s Senior Medical Research Fellowship (SMRF’s) is intended to be amongst the most prestigious awards available to those who wish to continue a career in medical research in Australia. The fellowship is a 5 year initiative valued at $275,000 per annum. In any given year there can be up to two SMRF’s granted.
The Fellowship is an integral part of a scheme that is intended to provide both salary and project grant support for outstanding Australian medical researchers. The total value of the award is $1,375,000.
Outstanding researchers who are medically qualified, or graduates of another scientific discipline with recognised post-doctoral achievements, seeking to establish a research career in Australia and undertake research in an Australia academic institution are eligible to apply whether or not they are currently working in Australia. Application will be judged on the basis of merit and excellence in competition with other applications.
Please click here for past Alumni details
Current recipients of the SMRF’s
2023
A/Prof Daniel Pellici
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Harnessing the therapeutic potential of unconventional T cells to prevent infectious diseases.
Dr Jennifer Juno
University of Melbourne
Improving vaccine efficacy by maximising T cell help.
Dr Simon Foster
QIMR Berghofer
New cardiovascular therapeutics targeting fibrosis.
2022
Dr Jaclyn Pearson
Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash University
Beating the Superbugs
A/Professor Robert Weatheritt
Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Exploiting P-Bodies for cancer treatment
Dr Jennifer Zenker
Monash University (Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute)
Harnessing the power of versatile cells
2021
Associate Professor Francine Marques
Monash University, School of Biological Sciences. Targeting the gut microbiota to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease
Mikaël Martino
Monash University, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute. Harnessing the potential of immune cells to design the next generations of regenerative strategies)
James “Mac” Shine
The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health.
Thinking Across Boundaries: Linking Scientific Disciplines to Transform Our Understanding of the Human Brain
2020
Dr Jana Vukovic
The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences
and Queensland Brain Institute. Unravelling the molecular mechanisms that underpin the beneficial effects of repopulating microglia on neuronal survival and cognition following brain injury
Associate Professor Chen Davidovich
Monash University, Cancer Program. Context-specific regulation of the histone methyltransferase polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2)
Dr Michelle Halls
Monash University, Drug Discovery Biology Theme.
GPCR interaction-networks and signalling in health and disease.
2019
Professor Andrew Steer
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Infection and Immunity Theme.
Public health interventions for control of tropical infections
Dr Tracey Putoczki
The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Untangling the role of cytokines in cancer progression
Dr Richard Berry
Monash University, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
How viruses and tumours escape cellular immunity
2018
Dr Laura Mackay
The University of Melbourne, Microbiology and Immunology.
Enhancing Immunity by Tissue-Resident Immune Cells.
A/Professor James Ward
Flinders University, Infection and Immunity-Aboriginal Health.
Improving STI and BBV outcomes and associated drivers among Aboriginal peoples.
Dr Kim Jacobson^
Monash University, Biochemistry and Molecular.
Epigenetic regulation of humoral immunity in health and disease.
2017
A/Professor Kathryn Holt
The University of Melbourne, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Bio21 Inst.
Genomic Investigations of Antimicrobial Resistance
A/Professor Alexander Fornito
Monash University, Monash Int. of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences.
Maps, models, and mechanisms of brain changes in psychosis
A/Professor Di Yu^
Australian National University, Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease.
Differentiation and function of a novel cytotoxic T-cell subset: follicular cytotoxic T cells
2016
A/Professor Marnie Blewitt
Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Screening and characterization of mammalian epigenetic modifiers
Dr Seth Masters
Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
The inflammasome and autoinflammatory disease
Dr Lucy Palmer
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Decoding the brain: how do we make decisions?
2015
Dr Marie-Liesse Asselin-Lab
University of Western Australia, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research
Natural and artificial regulation of the human epigenome in neural differentiation and plasticity
Dr Thomas Gebhardt
The University of Melbourne (Peter Doherty Institute for Infection & Immunity)
T-Cell medicated immunity in barrier tissues
2014
Prof Ryan Lister
University of Western Australia, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research
Natural and artificial regulation of the human epigenome in neural differentiation and plasticity
Dr Marc Pellegrini
Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Developing “functional cures” for chronic human infections
Dr Nicolas Plachta
Monash University , EMBL Australia & Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute
Seeing how Mammalian life starts: Quantitative single cell imaging of living embryos
2013
Dr Jose Polo
Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University
Identifying the molecular mechanism during reprogramming of different somatic cells into induced pulipotent stem cells
Dr Jian Yiang
Queensland Brian Institute, The University of Queensland
Methods and large-scale genomic analyses to study the genetic basis of neuropsychiatric disorders and obesity
2012
Professor Alex Brown
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI)
Exploring the natural History of Adverse End-Points in Cardiovascular Disease and co-morbid Depression: The ENHANCED project
Dr Axel Kallies
Awarded at The Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. Now at University of Melbourne
Transcriptional and epigenetic control of conventional and regulatory T cell differentiation
Past recipients of the Senior Medical Research Fellowship can be found in the Alumni section.