Funding injection for early-and mid-career researchers
A total of $4.8 million has been awarded to 25 Western Australian researchers to boost their chances of success to future funding.
The Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund’s WA Near Miss Awards (WANMA) Emerging Leaders program is designed to support WA researchers who narrowly missed out on securing a highly competitive National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grant funding.
WANMA Emerging Leaders funding is provided through an 18-month grant and/or a 3-year fellowship.
Emerging Leaders Grants give recipients the opportunity to enhance areas of their NHMRC application that were identified as being improvable, while the Emerging Leaders Fellowships allow the recipients to do the work proposed in their NHMRC application over 3 years.
Recipients were assessed based on merit and receive a share of the $4.8 million funding pool.
The 2024-25 WA Near Miss Awards Emerging Leaders program recipients are:
|
Recipient |
Responsible Entity |
Activity Title |
Funding Awarded |
|
Fellowships |
|||
|
Dr Akilew Adane |
Murdoch university |
Building the evidence for optimising the health, development, and education outcomes of Aboriginal children |
$397,224 |
|
A/Professor Elissa Burton |
Curtin University |
Improving the lives and services for people living with younger-onset dementia and their carers |
$951,714 |
|
Dr Jessica Kretzman |
The University of Western Australia |
DNA origami nanostructures for iPSC generation and cell reprogramming |
$951,714 |
|
Dr Pamela Laird |
The Kids Research Institute of Australia |
Improved Lung Health for Indigenous Children through Indigenous Partnerships and Implementation Science |
$397,224 |
|
Grants |
|||
|
Dr Lauren Blekkenhorst |
Edith Cowan University |
Unlocking a heart-healthy diet: the power of vegetables |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Craig Cumming |
The University of Western Australia |
Improving understanding and prevention of mental illness and injury |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Berihun Dachew |
Curtin university |
Fathers' Emotional Well-being: Exploring Its Impact on Children's Mental Health |
$100,000 |
|
Dr William Gilmore |
Curtin university |
Alcohol and Ageing in Australia: Epidemiological, Economic and Spatiotemporal Analyses of Alcohol’s Impact on the Health of our Ageing Population |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Fenella Gill |
Curtin university |
Improved detection of clinical deterioration for children in hospital |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Tessema Gizachew |
Curtin university |
Enhancing evidence and estimation approaches to improve perinatal and child survival in vulnerable populations |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Nicola Gray |
Murdoch university |
Interrogating the exposome to understand environmental risk factors in cardiometabolic disease |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Henry Hui |
The University of Western Australia |
Next-generation Single Cell Diagnostics of Blood Cancers by Imaging Flow Cytometry |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Mary Kennedy |
Edith Cowan University |
Standardising Clinical Oncology Referrals to Exercise |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Alene Kefyalew |
Curtin university |
Optimizing tuberculosis screening, treatment and elimination through advanced technologies |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Su Chen Lim |
The University of Western Australia |
Follow the Feaces: One Health approach to tackling Clostridium difficile from waste to plate |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Charlie McLeod |
The Kids Research Institute of Australia |
Innovative clinical trials to generate evidence to strengthen Australian immunisation policy. |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Shakeel Mowlaboccus |
The University of Western Australia |
Enterococci Causing Bloodstream Infections - The Battle against a Friend Turned Foe |
$100,000 |
|
A/Professor Hannah Moore |
Curtin university |
Data driven approaches to RSV and Strep A immunisation implementation and evaluation |
$100,000 |
| Dr Myles Murphy | Edith Cowan University | Reducing the hip and knee musculoskeletal pain burden | $100,000 |
| Dr Lee Nedkoff | The University of Western Australia | Novel approaches for improving surveillance of heart disease and stroke | $100,000 |
|
Dr Jane Oliver |
The Kids Research Institute of Australia |
Less pain, longer protection: a novel approach for delivering long-acting antibiotics to prevent rheumatic heart disease |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Jing Pang |
The University of Western Australia |
Towards Integrative and Patient-centric Care for Familial Hypercholesterolaemia |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Marc Sim |
Edith Cowan University |
Innovative approaches for a fall’s free future: one step at a time |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Anna Waterreus |
The University of Western Australia |
Psychotic Disorders: Fifteen-year outcomes and predictors of recovery |
$100,000 |
|
Dr Getinet Yaya |
Curtin university |
Developing a Prevention Model for Youth Anxiety and Depression in Australia (PAD-YA) |
$100,000 |