Queensland Brain Institute 2015 Annual Report Cover Image: Synaptic Junctions by Anita Goldinger a Representation of Neuronal Connectivity Within the Brain
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Queensland Brain Institute 2015 Annual Report Cover Image: Synaptic junctions by Anita Goldinger A representation of neuronal connectivity within the brain. From the 2015 QBI Art in Neuroscience collection. Queensland Brain Institute Annual Report 2015 Table of contents UQ Vice-Chancellor and President's report .......................... 2 QBI Director's report ........... 4 5 Major developments Alzheimer’s breakthrough uses ultrasound technology ............... 7 Nerve regeneration mechanism unlocked ..........................13 The Asia-Pacific Centre for Neuromodulation ....................... 9 Diving with the stars .......... .15 Learning about the birds and the bees helps aid flight ...............11 17 Research groups Anggono ..................20 Dickson ..................29 Mattingley ................38 Srinivasan ................47 Bartlett ...................21 Eyles .....................30 McGrath ..................39 van Swinderen ............48 Bredy .....................22 Goodhill ..................31 Meunier ..................40 Visscher ..................49 Burne ....................23 Götz .....................32 Mowry. 41 Williams ..................50 Cheung ...................24 Hilliard ...................33 Nasrallah .................42 Wray .....................51 Chuang ...................25 Hu .......................34 Osborne ..................43 Wright ....................52 Cooper ...................26 Jiang .....................35 Piper .....................44 Yang .....................53 Coulson ..................27 Lynch ....................36 Richards ..................45 Zuryn .....................54 Cunnington ...............28 Marshall ..................37 Sah ......................46 Table of contents of Table 55 Centres and facilities Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research .................57 Advanced microscopy facility . .61 Centre for Neurogenetics and Statistical Genomics .................58 Animal house and behavioural suite ...............................62 Science of Learning Research Centre .............................59 63 Mentorship QBI alumni ................65 Postgraduate students .....67 Graduating students .......68 71 Community Events ....................73 Australian Brain Bee Challenge . .75 Philanthropy ..............77 79 Publications npj Science of Learning .....81 QBI publications ...........82 Journal editorial boards ....92 93 Recognition Fellowships ...............95 Commercial development ..102 International collaborations ..107 Awards ...................98 Neuroscience seminars ...103 UQ appointments ..........110 Grants ....................99 Conferences .............105 Professional service .......111 113 People QBI executive, faculty and affiliates ..............................115 QBI professional staff ......118 QBI researchers ..........116 QBI students .............117 Acknowledgements ........119 QBI ANNUAL REPORT 2015 Queensland Brain Institute Annual Report 2015 UQ Vice-Chancellor and President's report The bulk of the Institute’s tremendous work is Excellent underpinning research, and significant 140 high-school students for the Queensland carried out by some 500 staff and students, who funding, are prerequisites for positive impact. final of the Australian Brain Bee Challenge, and all contribute in their own ways to creating bene- However they are not the full story. In the quest it was a delight to see the Challenge’s originator, ficial change. As well, sound leadership has been to deliver widespread benefits, our research- Professor Linda Richards, become a fellow of a hallmark of QBI since its inception, and in 2015, ers are boosted by networks of collaborators the Australian Academy of Science. Linda was after a global search, the directorship passed from and—increasingly—by partners in industry and one of only 21 new fellows—from anywhere in Professor Perry Bartlett to Professor Pankaj Sah. philanthropy. Australia—inducted this year. Pankaj, who was an inaugural QBI group leader, Philanthropists, most notably Chuck Feeney of I will take this opportunity to congratulate the is well known for his research into neural circuits The Atlantic Philanthropies, have been integral many QBI people who received accolades in 2015, in the amygdala, an area of the brain involved in to QBI since its earliest days, and the generosity including Perry Bartlett, who gained both a CSL Reports emotional processing. He is also Director of the and vision of donors continues to empower QBI Florey Medal and a Research Australia Lifetime Australian Research Council (ARC) Science of people to reach higher than might otherwise be Achievement Award. THROUGHOUT 2015 THE Queensland Brain Learning Research Centre, and Editor-in-Chief of possible. It is indeed fitting that a bequest from Working alongside distinguished veterans of Institute (QBI) continued its exceptional tradition the new Nature Partner Journal npj Science of the late Maureen Gilmartin, a UQ graduate and neuroscience surely helps motivate younger of adding to global knowledge of the human Learning. Under his leadership the University is long-term friend of the University and of QBI, is scientists—but in my experience the people of brain, strengthening efforts to address some of keen to deepen QBI’s contributions to teaching being used to seed the Bartlett Fellowship, which QBI need little encouragement to forge ahead. uant ot ult eae an orer and learning at UQ, so that more students will is named after the foundation Director. It will sup- They are driven by a hunger to do good, and per- gain from the unique strengths of QBI staff. port talented early-career researchers who are haps by the thrill of pushing the frontier in one These strengths are repeatedly reaffirmed by keen to join the QBI and conduct priority research. of science’s most exciting fields. success in publications and grant applications. Commercial partnerships can also be critical I feel honoured to lead a university with such In 2015 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) for the dissemination of beneficial products people in its ranks, and I wish all who work and rated UQ’s neuroscience as “well above world of research, and in 2015 QBI made progress in study at the QBI, as well as collaborators, part- standard”—the highest rating possible. This is the two prospective commercialisation projects, ners and supporters, all power in your future third consecutive top-rating for our neuroscience, one involving a therapeutic and the other a med- endeavours. in all three editions of ERA. A flawless record. ical device. In the tough competition for major government The Institute also continued to strengthen inter- funding, QBI staff achieved a success rate of 50 national collaborations. For instance it hosted its Professor Peter Høj per cent for Australian Research Council (ARC) third joint symposium with the Munich Center Vice-Chancellor and President Discovery Projects applications. This compared for Neurosciences, and deepened ties with Chi- The University of Queensland to a national average of 17.7 per cent. For nese researchers. National Health and Medical Research Council Importantly, Institute staff and students have Project Grants, the QBI strike rate was nearly 24 never lost sight of the rewarding task of inspir- per cent, almost double the national average. ing budding scientists. In 2015 they welcomed R EPORTS Professor Pankaj Sah in front of the Queensland Brain Institute building. QBI ANNUAL REPORT 2015 Queensland Brain Institute Annual Report 2015 QBI Director's report Several of these discoveries are featured in this Many other QBI staff members received recog- I would like to thank QBI’s founding Director, annual report, including the breakthrough find- nition this year. Professor John McGrath was Professor Perry Bartlett, for his leadership and ing by Professor Jürgen Götz’s laboratory that elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of investment in QBI since its inception in 2003. non-invasive ultrasound technology can be used Health and Medical Sciences. Professor McGrath While Professor Bartlett has stepped down to treat Alzheimer’s disease and restore memory. is a psychiatrist whose research focusses on as Director, he remains the leader of an active The discovery, which was named by Altmetric non-genetic risk factors for schizophrenia. research group. as one of the most-discussed research papers A team led by Centre for Neurogenetics and Sta- Congratulations are also in order, as in 2015 worldwide in 2015, is a testament to the fantastic tistical Genomics co-director Professor Naomi Professor Bartlett received both the prestigious work being conducted at the Clem Jones Centre Wray successfully secured a $1.05 million MND CSL Florey Medal and the Research Australia for Ageing Dementia Research, and gives hope Australia Ice Bucket Challenge Grant, which Lifetime Achievement Award, both of which rec- to the hundreds of thousands of Australians who will fund a consortium to better understand ognise his significant lifetime achievements in Reports are affected by Alzheimer’s disease. the causes of sporadic motor neuron disease. neuroscience research. IN MY FIRST report as Director, I am pleased None of our research would be possible without Professor Wray was also promoted to NHMRC In closing, I would also like to extend my thanks to reet on anoter outtann ear or te the funding we receive from government grants, Principal Research Fellow in 2015, and her co-di- to Vice-Chancellor and President Professor nttute