Peter McGauran MP  Commonwealth Minister for Science



Media Release

YOUNG SCIENTISTS UNDERTAKE GLOBAL RESEARCH

20 December 2003

Thirty three young Australian scientists have won an opportunity to further their own  research activities through a collaborative research programme spanning the globe.

Australian Government Minister for Science Mr Peter McGauran today congratulated  the successful applicants under the Young Australian Researchers Programme  conducted by the Australian Academy of Science.

“The successful researchers will be placed with world renowned scientists in Europe  and the United States of America next year where they will be given expertise and  guidance to further develop their research,” said Mr McGauran.

The selected researchers come from a diverse range of fields including solar energy,  marine science, drug design, animal behaviour and space propulsion systems.

“These young Australian scientists represent the long term future of Australia’s  research capability and our future prosperity. In supporting their research work  overseas we are investing in Australia’s future,” said Mr McGauran.

Seventeen researchers will travel to Europe and 16 to the United States of America  for up to six weeks to undertake research activities and to build international  communication networks.

This innovative programme is funded through Backing Australia's Ability, the  Government's commitment to innovation.

“I’m sure these young researchers will make fine ambassadors for Australian  scientific research,” said Mr McGauran.

The full list of successful applicants is below.

For more information on this programme, visit the Australian Academy of Science  website at www.science.org.au

YOUNG RESEARCHERS CHOSEN FOR EUROPE

Applicant Host(s) Title of Proposal

Mr Warwick BOWEN  Australian National  University

Prof Claude FABRE  Universite Pierre et Marie Curie  France

Quantum spatial modes and  their use in imaging,   measurement, and   communication.

Dr Christopher CHAMBERS  University of Melbourne  Professor Ian ROBERTSON   Trinity College

Ireland

Exploring the link between   genetics and behaviour in   Attention Deficit  Hyperactivity   Disorder.

Dr James CHON   Swinburne University of  Technology

Prof Michael ORRIT  Universiteit Leiden   Netherlands

Two-photon excited  blinking   properties of semiconductor   nanocrystal quantum dots   under the presence of   elctron-acceptor impurities.

Francis CLARK   University of Queensland  Dr T.A THANARAJ   European Bioinformatics Institute

UK

Computational study of   sequence regulatory  elements   in alternative gene splicing.

Dr Mathew COOK   CSIRO Marine Research  Dr Bjorn HOYHEIM   The Norwegian School

Norway

Microarray analysis of   differentially expressed   immune genes in relation to   amoebic gill disease (AGD)   infection in cultured Atlantic   salmon (Salmo salar).

Mr Joe COVENTRY  Australian National  University

Prof Guiliano MARTINELLI   University of Ferrara   Italy

High efficiency, low cost   concentrating photovoltaic   solar collectors.

Ms Connie DARMANIN   Victorian College of  Pharmacy

Dr Thomas SCHNEIDER   The FIRC Institute of   Molecular Oncology   Italy

Ultra-high resolution drug  design   of Aldose Reductase.

Mr Greg DUTKOWSKI   University of Tasmania  Dr Tore ERICSSON  Skogforsk

Sweden

Testing approaches for the   simple prediction of  breeding   values in forest trees across  progeny trials with   heterogeneous variances.



Dr Nuno BORRALHO   RAIZ - Instituto de Investigacao da  Floresta e Papel  Portugal



Dr Bryan FRY   University of Melbourne   Dr Minna LEHVASLAIHO   European Bioinformatics Institute

UK

Toxinformatics: The  molecular   evolution of snake venom   proteins from 'Genome to   Venome'.

Mr Thomas HEADLEY   Southern Cross University   Professor Hans BRIX   University of Aarhus

Denmark

State-of-art constructed  wetland   technologies for the   ecological-based treatment  of

wastewater - an emphasis  on

cutting-edge technological  developments and  enhancing   our understanding of the  key   processes.

Ms Kate JEFFREY  Dr Monteserrat CAMPS The role of PAC-1 in

The Garvan Institute  of Medical Research  Ares-Serono International SA  Switzerland

rheumatoid arthritis.

Mr Mark MCDONNELL  University of Adelaide   Dr Nigel STOCKS  The University of Warwick

UK

Suprathreshold stochastic   resonance, its role in neural   coding, and its application  to

cochlear implant encoding  and  biologically inspired   electronic sensing devices.

Ms Freya MEARNS  University of New South  Wales

Dr Sabine SZUNERITS   Centre National de la Recherche  Scientifique   France

DNA biosensors with dual  (electrochemical and  optical)   monitoring capabilities

Mr Samuel MICKAN   University of Adelaide  Dr Peter JEPSEN  University of Freiburg

Germany

High-resolution T-ray  imaging   of cancer cells.

Ms Kate NIXON   Flinders University

Professor Azzedine LAHMAM-BENNANI  Laboratoire des Collisions Atoniques et  Universite Paris-Sud   France

Triple coincidence (e,3e)   'complete' experiments for   double ionisation.

Mr Nicholas ROBINS   Australian National  University

Gerhard BIRKL  University of Hannover  Germany

The continuous atom laser.

Dr Helena SIM  Prince Henry's Institute of  Medical

Dr Francis POULAT  Centre National De La Recherche  Scientifique   France

Human sex determination  and   intersex disorders.

Mr Orson SUTHERLAND  Australian National  University

Dr Pascal CHABERT   Ecole Polytechnique  France

Parametric decay in space   propulsion systems.



YOUNG RESEARCHERS CHOSEN FOR THE USA

Applicant   Host(s)   Title of Proposal

Ms Janice ABBEY  Australian National  University

Dr Irving WEISSMAN   Stanford University

Expression of germline   TCR-V ÃÂ¢ transcripts in early   hematopoietic progenitors:   defining the role of these   markers in lineage.

Dr Tristram ALEXANDER   Australian National  University

Prof Zhigang CHEN  San Francisco State University   Optical vortices in nonlinear   photonic lattices.

Mr Stuart ARCHER   Australian National  University

Prof Michael STALLCUP   University of Southern California  Identification of interactors for   the Flightless I protein and its

ligand FLAP by co-immunoprecipitation of   epitope-tagged fusion proteins.

Ms Lisa-Marie ATKIN   University of Queensland  Associate Professor Gary CLINE  Yale University

Use of in vivo magnetic   resonance and isotopic tracer   technology to investigate the   pathophysiology of metabolic   syndrome.

Ms Karin BEAUMONT  Australian Antarctic  Division

Associate Professor Juanita  URBAN-RICH   University of Massachusetts

Determining the contribution by  Amherst zooplankton to vertical  carbon flux  and the implications for global  climate change.

Dr Nicholas CAVENAGH  University of Queensland   Professor Saad EL-ZANATI   Illinois State University

Algebraic security in binary   operation tables.

Dr Jun CHEN   University of Wollongong  Associate Professor Liming DAI  University of Akron

Electrochemistry of inherently  conducting polymer modified aligned   carbon nanotubes.

Dr Paula CISTERNAS  University of Sydney   Dr Jerome MALLEFET  Catholic University of Louvain

Evolution of development and   speciation in the Ophiuroidea.

Mr Matthew HALL  University of Sydney   Professor James DABROWIAK   Syracuse University

Effects of biologically relevant   metal ions on mitochondrial   oxygen consumption.

Dr Dustin MARSHALL  University of New South  Wales

Professor Richard EMLET  University of Oregon     Examination of the effects of   offspring size on adult competition

in colonial marine invertebrates.

Mr Ben MUIR   CSIRO Molecular Science  Dr David CASTNER   University of Washington

ToF-SIMS analysis of plasma   polymer thin films.

Dr David O'CONNOR  University of Sydney

Associate Professor Robert  MILLER   University of New Mexico  The evolution of reptile sociality.

Mr William ROBBINS  James Cook University    Professor Brian BOWEN   University of Hawaii

Genetic stock structure of the   Whitetip reef shark   (Triaenodon obesus) across   the Pacific.

Mr Andrew ROSE  University of New South  Wales

Assistant Professor Judy O'NEIL  University of Maryland    Manipulation of iron specification  in seawater by Trichodesmium.

Ms Michelle SAIT   University of Melbourne  Dr Cheryl KUSKE   Los Alamos National Laboratory

Sequencing the genomes of   environmentally important   bacteria.

Ms Jessica STAPLEY  Australian National  University

Dr Andy SIH   University of California

Do individuals of the invasive   mosquitofish, Gambusia   affinis, from native and invaded   populations differ in their   dispersal tendencies?



Further information:  Fiona McDonald (Minister McGauran’s office) 02 6277 7440 or 0419 622 915



