Monash University researchers will share in $50.5 million through the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grants, with 28 awards across four faculties.
The grants support researchers at all career stages in health and medical research through salary and research support packages, giving recipients the flexibility to pursue important research opportunities and new directions.
The 28 successful projects span areas including perioperative clinical trials, climate and health, molecular biology and the integration of artificial intelligence.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) and Senior Vice-President Professor Robyn Ward AM said, “NHMRC Investigator Grants are among Australia’s most significant health and medical research awards, providing researchers with the support to pursue ambitious ideas that can transform our understanding of disease and improve health outcomes.”
“Securing over $50 million in research funding reflects the outstanding quality, innovation and impact of Monash researchers. I congratulate all of our successful recipients and look forward to seeing the discoveries and advances that emerge from their work,” Professor Ward said.
The Monash awards form part of the Australian Government’s national investment of $430 million through the 2026 NHMRC Investigator Grants.
Monash recipients and projects:
- Professor Samuel Forster, Translating foundational microbiome science into innovative therapeutics
- Dr Zhen Yu, Developing a multimodal AI framework for precision ageing and proactive disease management
- Professor Helena Teede, Optimising reproductive metabolic health, including in high-risk pregnancies
- Professor Paul Myles, Leading global high-impact perioperative clinical trials
- Professor Yuming Guo, Promoting climate health risk assessment using big data and emerging technologies
- Dr Meiling Han, Reprogramming bacterial metabolism to overcome antibiotic resistance
- Associate Professor Aya Mousa, Advancing precision medicine in gestational diabetes
- Dr Jacqueline Heraud-Farlow, Investigating new mechanisms and targets in RNA-driven inflammatory disease
- Professor Mary Herbert, Safeguarding transmission of the maternal genome to improve women’s health and reproductive outcomes
- Professor Helen Skouteris, Strengthening implementation practice and research with equity
- Dr Xin Zhang, Developing GLP-1R and GLP-2R co-agonists for obesity treatment
- Dr Shouya Feng, Defining the role of innate immune sensors in inflammatory diseases
- Dr Kelsey Grantham, Developing statistical methods and guidance for cluster randomised trials
- Dr Peter Eggenhuizen, Developing an engineered T-cell therapy for inflammatory bowel disease
- Dr Scott Sands, Investigating new approaches to reduce cardiovascular risk associated with sleep-disordered breathing
- Professor Jamie Rossjohn, Investigating T-cell antigen receptor function and dysfunction in humans
- Dr Nirosen Vijiaratnam, Advancing disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson’s disease
- Dr Jia Jia Lim, Targeting CD1a-restricted T cells to treat autoimmune skin conditions
- Dr Aidan Burrell, Developing targeted interventions and enhanced surveillance for severe acute respiratory failure
- Professor Andrew Ellisdon, Targeting lysosomal cholesterol sensing to combat abnormal cell growth
- Dr Xiangfeng Lai, Developing lipid nanoadjuvants to treat multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- Professor Shanshan Li, Protecting maternal and child health from the effects of bushfire smoke
- Associate Professor Pablo Casillas Espinosa, Advancing disease-modifying treatments and precision biomarkers for epilepsy
- Professor Francine Marques, Harnessing the gut microbiome to improve blood pressure management
- Professor Simon Craig, Improving acute care for children by learning from deaths, critical illness and adverse events
- Associate Professor Michelle Halls, Developing targeted G protein-coupled receptor therapies
- Dr Wael Awad, Harnessing cancer-activated invariant T cells for next-generation cancer immunotherapy
- Dr Lauren Alesi, Developing a new strategy to preserve fertility and long-term health following cancer treatment
For the full list of funding outcomes, visit the NHMRC funding outcomes page: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/funding/data-research/outcomes
