2024 Future Making Fellows

Three of the University of Adelaide’s 2024 Future Making Fellows are being supported at the Robinson Research Institute to advance their research in pregnancy and child health.

The University of Adelaide Future Making Fellowships Scheme was established to attract and support early-career and mid-career researchers of outstanding research calibre and potential, who are based in the University’s Research Institutes. The Scheme provides research-only fellowships of three years duration.

We are pleased to welcome Dr Anya Arthurs at the Robinson Research Institute (RRI) and are delighted to further support Dr Alexandra McCarron and Dr Bing Wang, who have both been research members at RRI previously.

Dr Anya Arthurs – Project: 'The clock is ticking: Placental ageing and Stillbirth'

In Australia, five babies are stillborn every day, and while some causes can be identified, many remain unexplained. Dr Arthurs’ research investigates premature placental aging as a possible cause of these stillbirths. Anya will use gene-edited placental organoids and patient samples to uncover mechanisms behind stillbirth and develop solutions to reduce risks in high-risk pregnancies.

Dr Alexandra McCarron – Project: 'Advancing Genetic Therapies for Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease'

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disorder that greatly affects quality of life, with lung disease starting at birth and leading to premature death. Dr McCarron’s research aims to develop safe and effective genetic therapies that correct the underlying genetic defect, potentially curing CF lung disease. Ali will focus on pre-clinical development of these therapies, providing crucial proof-of-principle for future clinical trials.

Dr Bing Wang - Project 'Enhancing School Immunisation Uptake to Protect Young People Against Life Threatening Diseases'

During her fellowship, Bing will investigate underlying causes of low vaccine uptake in the community and develop new strategies designed to improve vaccine uptake, particularly in schools. This will help reduce the incidence of life-threatening diseases such as meningococcal disease and cervical cancer.