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17 November 2010

Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Queensland topped the nation in the prestigious Australian Research Council Future Fellowships announced today, being awarded 31 fellowships worth a total of more than $22 million.

A total of 200 fellowships were awarded nationally, and Â鶹ÊÓƵ received more than 70 per cent of the fellowships in Queensland.

Successful Â鶹ÊÓƵ projects included research into a novel treatment for stroke-induced brain injuries, a study of temperature responses in plants, an analysis of Australian federalism and a plan to model the impacts of climate change in arid parts of Australia.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Max Lu congratulated the new Future Fellows and paid tribute to the Commonwealth Government for its support of research.

The Future Fellowships scheme, started in 2009, aims to address the opportunity gap for mid-career researchers and academics, many of whom would otherwise be lost to international competitors.

The scheme is awarding up to 1000 fellowships over five years, at a total value of $844 million.

"Â鶹ÊÓƵ has now attracted 47 fellowships over the two years the scheme has been operating, and this year received almost double the number we received last year," Professor Lu said.

"It attests to our ability to attract and retain the best national and international research talent."

"Our success rate this year is nothing short of outstanding at 45.6 per cent, compared with a national average of 26.4 per cent."

Last year, Â鶹ÊÓƵ received 16 Future Fellowships worth almost $13 million.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ's 2010 Future Fellows, their schools and projects, announced by the ARC today, are:

Professor Nicholas Aroney, School of Law, Reconceiving Australian federalism: fundamental values, comparative models and constitutional interpretation

Dr Thiruma Arumugam, School of Biomedical Sciences,Novel pharmacological agents to target stroke-induced brain injury

Dr Felicity Baker, School of Music, What's in the music? A lifespan model of emotional and musical creativity in therapeutic song writing

Dr Sureshkumar Balasubramanian, School of Biological Sciences, Genomics of temperature response in plants

Associate Professor Christine Beveridge, ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research, Strigolactone, a new plant hormone: its regulation, role and potential for plant improvement

Dr Idriss Blakey, joint appointment between the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and the Centre for Advanced Imaging, Smart magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents: from early detection to assessment of drug delivery mechanisms

Associate Professor Michael W Bromley, School of Mathematics and Physics, A study of ultra-cold atom interferometry and interactions through high-performance computing

Dr Alexander Broom, School of Social Science, The changing landscapes of medical pluralism: a sociological analysis of patient experiences and decision making in Australia, India and Brazil

Dr Lynda Cheshire, School of Social Science, Transforming the outer suburbs through master-planned estates: a governmental challenge

Dr Richard Clark, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Development of effective peptide-based drugs

Dr Brett Collins, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Defining the molecular mechanisms of intracellular protein trafficking

Associate Professor David Copland, School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences and Â鶹ÊÓƵ Centre for Clinical Research, Optimising how the brain processes language in healthy and neurological populations

Dr Tamara Davis, School of Mathematics and Physics, Dark matter, dark energy, and dark flow: galaxy motion reveals fundamental physics

Dr Aijun Du, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Electronic functionality in nanoscale materials: from discovery to design
Dr Bryan Fry, School of Biological Science, Adaptive evolution of coleoid (cuttlefish, octopus, squid) venoms

Dr Benjamin Hogan, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Genetic analysis of lymphatic vascular development

Dr Amanda Keddie, School of Education, Socially-just schooling: a cross-cultural analysis of gender, cultural diversity and social change in Australia and the UK

Dr Karen Kheruntsyan, School of Mathematics and Physics, Fundamental tests of quantum mechanics with ultra-cold atomic gases

Dr Dustin Marshall, School of Biological Science, Understanding and predicting invasion in the sea: a mechanistic approach

Associate Professor Clive McAlpine, School of Geography, Planning & Environmental Management, Modelling the potential of large-scale revegetation to reduce the impacts of climate change in semi-arid Australia

Dr Evan Moore, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Caged lanthanides for use in photo-dynamic therapy and near infra-red imaging

Dr Celine Nauges, School of Economics, Informing economic policies to enhance an efficient and sustainable use of water resources in a context of high uncertainty on future climate

Dr Murray Olsen, School of Mathematics and Physics, Manufacturing, controlling, manipulating and measuring continuous-variable quantum entanglement

Associate Professor Mark A Schembri, School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, How bacteria cause disease in the urinary tract

Dr Matthew Sweet, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Toll-like receptors in infectious and inflammatory diseases: the double-edged sword of innate immunity

Professor Ajayan Vinu, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Design of novel nanoporous semiconductor materials for clean environment and energy

Associate Professor Guy Wallis, School of Human Movement Studies, Mechanisms of learning at the interface between perception and action

Associate Professor Stephen Williams, Queensland Brain Institute, Operation of nerve cell networks in the neocortex

Dr Kerrie Wilson, School of Biological Sciences, Prioritising habitat restoration for biodiversity and ecosystem service outcomes

Associate Professor Xiu Song Zhao, School of Chemical Engineering, Carbon-based electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage and water desalination

Associate Professor Bruno van Swinderen, Queensland Brain Institute, Perceptual suppression mechanisms in the Drosophila brain

Â鶹ÊÓƵ's outstanding national number one ranking for Future Fellowships announced today was followed by:

- The Australian National University (25 proposals approved worth $17 million)
- Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Sydney (21 proposals approved worth $15.8 million)
- Monash University (17 proposals approved worth $11.7 million)
- Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Melbourne ( 17 proposals approved worth $12 million)

Media: Fiona Cameron, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Communications, ph 07 3846 7086, Kathy Grube, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Communications, ph 07 334 60561