Sandra Gardam
Australian Academy of Science
@sandra_gardam
All sorts of things! Adrian Carter attended the annual AAMRI dinner, getting the chance to make sure all the medical research institutes in Australia know about the EMCR Forum.
Congratulations to Executive member Liz New, who was a joint winner of the NSW Premier’s award for Early Career Researcher of the Year announced in late 2017.
The EMCR Brain Science Network was established in December with the help of seed funding from the Theo Murphy Initiative. (Find out more about the Initiative below.) A group of 19 EMCRs from around the country joined eminent international researchers for Brains at the Dome. The group form the steering committee for the Brain Science Network and will continue to work together to create opportunities for EMCR Brain scientists. The Network is for all EMCRs with an interest in brain science and their vision is to shape the future of Australian brain science by empowering the next generation of leaders. You can find out more and join up on their website. Also, get everyone you know (not just scientists) to sign up as a Brain Champion, to help send a clear message to our politicians that supporting brain science in Australia is essential.
The EMCR Forum was particularly excited in January to finally open registration to Science Pathways: Diversify your thinking. You can find out more in the article in this newsletter. We hope you all had a chance to apply for assistance to attend through the Theo Murphy grant program and the Carer grant program. Register before 9 March to take advantage of the early bird special!
The Academy’s major conference is also fast approaching. Science at the Shine Dome is the Academy’s annual celebration of science featuring the who’s who of Australian Science. It is a multidisciplinary program and includes networking and professional development opportunities for EMCRs. Come to Canberra in May to be inspired for the whole year and make connections that will last your career.
We are partnering with as many universities, departments, institutes and businesses as we can, to offer grants to support your attendance to either (or both!) of these great events. So if you don’t have funds of your own for conference travel, then check out this opportunity and take it to your boss (or their boss), and see if your organisation will help us get you and your colleagues there.
The end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018 have also seen us roll out changes to the activities that we provide for EMCRs. The new Theo Murphy (Australia) Initiative will be funding activities that YOU identify as being important for your careers, and we will be creating and running them in partnership with you. 2017’s pilot round funded the establishment of the EMCR Brain Science Network (join now if the Brain is your thing!); remote access and inclusion grants for Science Pathways; and a Winter School in Research Data Science, which we will be advertising soon.
Thank you to everyone who applied this year. The successful projects will be announced in April and we are looking forward to working with you to make your ideas a reality and to make a difference for EMCRs around the country. If you have an idea, check out the Initiative for next year. #BeBold
The EMCR Forum made a submission on behalf of EMCRs to the NHMRC’s consultation on peer review under their new grant program. Executive members of the EMCR Forum have continued consulting with the NHMRC as they undertake this process. We will keep you up-to-date once the NHMRC release information about the outcomes.
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