Career Development and Leadership
Career Development Awards
The T1DCRN is dedicated to building the next generation of research leaders, who will drive research progress and accelerate treatments and therapies for type 1 diabetes.
Our Career Development Awards (CDAs) are awarded to the best and brightest emerging scientists with innovative, cutting edge research ideas to help them establish themselves as independent, leading researchers.
Current Recipients
A/Prof Melinda Coughlan, Monash University
Mapping the mitochondrial signature of individuals with type 1 diabetes and nephropathy.
A/Prof Anandwardhan Hardikar, University of Western Sydney
PREDICT T1D: plasma RNA evaluation and diagnosis in children progressing to type 1 diabetes.
A/Prof Shane Grey
Using “islet-helped” T regulatory cells to regenerate damaged beta cells.
Dr Vincent Ho
Seed funding for investigation of a new endoscopic device for the treatment of diabetic gastroparesis – a common complication of T1D.
Prof Peter Thorn
Determining new concepts in how blood vessels and arrangement of beta cells in the pancreas influence cellular structure and function.
A/Prof Anandwardhan Hardikar (Helmsley Charitable Trust funding)
The DREAM-Nano Study: Developing a robust and efficient analytical method for diabetes progression using nanotechnology.
Prof Ranjeny Thomas (Helmsley Charitable Trust funding)
Preservation of pancreatic beta cells using antigen-specific tolerizing immunotherapy in children with type 1 diabetes.
Prof Maria Craig (JDRF International funding)
Characterising the population of viruses that trigger islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes using virome capture sequencing.
Mentored Clinician Researcher Fellowship
The Fellowship supports one to two days per week of research time for a clinical research project, allowing emerging clinician researchers to take time away from their clinic duties and dedicate it to type 1 diabetes research. Recipients of the MCRF undertake a research training plan mentored by an established clinician researcher to develop research skills and assist them in becoming established in the field of type 1 diabetes clinical research.
Current and Past Recipients
2017
Dr Sarah Glastras, University of Sydney
Dr Vinutha Shetty, University of Western Australia
2015
Dr Mary Abraham, Princess Margaret Hospital (Perth Children’s Hospital)
2014
Dr Martin De Bock, Princess Margaret Hospital (Perth Children’s Hospital)
Dr Bala Krishnamurthy, St Vincent’s Hospital
2013
Dr Paul Benitez-Aguirre, Children’s Hospital at Westmead
Dr John Wentworth, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
2012
Dr Andrzej Januszewski, NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre
Future Research Leaders Program
A collaboration between the T1DCRN and Macquarie Group Foundation, the Future Research Leaders Program identifies and supports the brightest emerging T1D research leaders in early-mid career stages.
Early- and mid-career T1D researchers face an increasing number of hurdles in their development. They can find it challenging to get the skills and support to secure their first “own” grant funding and succeed as a senior researcher. JDRF identified the need to support these researchers to ensure the momentum of T1D research continues into the future.
The Program involves intensive leadership workshops and mentoring designed to support them in building networks and developing their own innovative grant applications. At the end of the program, the most promising researcher will receive their first “own” funding for their research project.
Funded Research Projects
A/Prof Eliana Marino Moreno
A 6-week pilot clinical trial investigating a high fibre dietary supplement in adults with T1D. This trial involved close multidisciplinary collaborations between researchers, health professionals and affiliated institutions. This provided a unique training and mentoring opportunity for early-mid career researchers, bringing together complementary knowledge, expertise and resources from a range of disciplines.
A/Prof Elif Ekinci
A study using human clinical samples to study the association between kidney disease in T1D and regulatory T cells, a type of immune cell. Taking place at Austin Health in Melbourne, its hoped that this research could uncover new therapeutic targets for T1D.
PhD Top-Up Scholarships
The JDRF PhD Top-up Scholarship aims to support PhD students studying in the field of type 1 diabetes. The top-up provides additional funding on top of the student’s PhD scholarship stipend, for up to 3 years.
A total of 19 students have received PhD Top-up Scholarships, supporting a diverse range of projects and kick-starting a new generation of T1D researchers.
For more information and to apply, click here.
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