The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

A fellowship to encourage outstanding female scientists to take up leadership positions in medical research has been established by the new Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Professor Douglas Hilton.

Professor Hilton, who today started his directorship of the institute, has made setting up this fellowship his first initiative, reflecting his strong desire to encourage more women to pursue lifetime careers in medical research. The fellowship is named after the institute’s outgoing Director Professor Suzanne Cory.

The $1.25 million Cory Fellowship is open to Australian women wanting a first opportunity to lead a laboratory. Whether they completed their PhD two years ago or 20 years ago we encourage them to apply.

Professor Hilton is passionate about encouraging younger scientists, particularly women, to take up leadership positions. “There are many talented young scientists in Australia, some of whom have outstanding research skills, but the current career paths for scientists are so linear that there are few opportunities for these people to become independent until they reach their 40s or 50s,” he said.

“I am particularly concerned about the under-representation of women at senior levels. About 60 per cent of PhD students at WEHI are women and similar numbers are found at other medical research institutes but we don’t see anything like this representation at the top.

“We need to remove barriers to women continuing in science. I suspect many excellent leadership candidates simply do not put themselves forward and I hope this fellowship encourages them to do so.”

“They should be inspired by the achievements of Professor Cory who has made a stellar contribution to WEHI over more than 30 years, especially in her past 13 years as Director.”

On hearing of the new Fellowship, Professor Cory said, “I am honoured and thrilled about this special Fellowship. Many women have made superb contributions to science. And yet, even today, too few women make science their life's vocation. Australia needs all the scientific skills it can muster to tackle the huge health and environmental problems that lie ahead. We cannot afford to lose 50 per cent of our capability. I hope this Fellowship will encourage more young women to stay in science and fulfill their potential.”

The Cory Fellowship will provide the successful applicant with $250,000 a year over five years to establish a laboratory at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. The institute is looking for women scientists who work in areas such as diabetes, immunology, cancer genetics, epigenetics, bioinformatics, stem cells, infectious diseases, and systems biology. Applications will open in September and the inaugural Cory Fellow will be announced before the end of the year.

The Cory fellowship brings to four the number of Leadership Fellowships offered by WEHI. The fellowships are named after some of the institute’s most distinguished scientists: Professor Sir Gustav Nossal, Professor Donald Metcalf, Professor Jacques Miller and Professor Suzanne Cory.

For Further Information:

Penny Fannin
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(03) 9345 2345
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About Professor Doug Hilton

Professor Hilton, 45, is the sixth Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in its ninety-four year history. The University of Melbourne has also confirmed his appointment as Research Professor of Medical Biology and Head of the Department of Medical Biology. Professor Hilton has received many prizes and awards for his contribution to medical research, including the Amgen Medical Researcher Award, the inaugural Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research and the GSK Australia Award for Research Excellence. At the age of 39 he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and currently serves on this organization’s Council. In 2008, he was recognised as one of the NHMRC’s “Ten great minds in health and medical research.”

About Professor Suzanne Cory

Professor Suzanne Cory is the outgoing Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. She has been celebrated for her work in cancer research and immunology. She was appointed a Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia in 1999.

About the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

Established in 1915, affiliated with and a close collaborator of The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Institute’s mission is ‘Mastery of Disease through Discovery’. Its research teams have been responsible for discoveries that have transformed the way the scientists think about the world and the way patients are treated. Today, researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute are focused on three big medical challenges: cancer, autoimmunity and infectious diseases. The Institute is located in Parkville, just north of the Melbourne CBD in Victoria, where it will soon be housed in a state-of-the-art new building.

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