Minister for Education Dan Tehan has announced the Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowships for 2020, which will fund 100 mid-career researchers to undertake high-quality research.

Professor Barry Thompson of the John Curtin School of Medical Research is one of the 100 recipients of an ARC Future Fellowship, which will support his research in understanding how the animal body grows.

Through the use of cutting-edge genome editing approaches this research aims to provide significant benefits in stem cell biology, tissue engineering, veterinary science and agriculture.

“This project expects to generate new knowledge and understanding of the genetic programs that govern the size and shape of animal tissues.” explains Professor Thompson, an EMBL Australia Group Leader at JCSMR.

“This will help us to develop of new theories for how tissue growth is normally controlled and how it can be manipulated industrially.

“Receiving this fellowship is also acknowledgement of the outstanding work of my team and colleagues at the John Curtin School of Medical Research.

It is a great privilege to be a part of world leading research.”

The ARC’s Future Fellowships scheme supports high-quality mid-career researchers to expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capacity.

“ARC Future Fellows have a powerful influence on the future of Australian research, and Barry’s exciting research will be no exception” said Professor Graham Mann, Director of the John Curtin School of Medical Research.

“We are very proud of this investment by ARC in research at JCSMR.”

Other researchers funded at ANU will receive funding to undertake work in areas such as developing effective tools for managing water resources under severe stress from drought and water demand and providing new technological solutions for renewable energy storage.

“This research will lead to commercial, economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits for the nation and the world.” Said Minister for Education Dan Tehan, in the press release about the 2020 Future Fellowships.

“I congratulate the 100 Future Fellows, who have been recognised for their innovative, internationally-competitive research.”

Dr Thompson is one of six recipients of the fellowship at the Australian National University, along with Professor Antonio Tricoli, Associate Professor Stephen Gould, Dr Po-Lam Yung, Dr Steven Lade and Dr Simon Williams.