Director's blog

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, like many colleagues and peers, my former science globe-trotting lifestyle has dramatically ground to a halt. Since mid-March, work-related travel is not permitted by the University and most other organisations.

As the new coronavirus Covid-19 spreads across the globe, the importance of vaccines and the scientists who develop them, has become increasingly apparent to society.

As a scientific community that includes academic and industry members, as well as platform technology facilities run by expert teams, we are in unique position to make a valuable contribution to our society and world during the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. As problems solvers our work can provide hope and purpose.

Bio21 celebrated International Women’s Day with a morning tea Wednesday, 11 March. Bronwyn Kingwell, Senior Director, Research Therapeutic Lead, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, CSL was keen to impart a positive and hopeful message: “There is no better time to be a woman in health and biomedical sciences!”

It’s one of the highest honours you can receive as an Australian, awarded in recognition of service to the community. The ‘Order of Australia’ is steeped in tradition and for many this ‘royal’ reward may seem out of place in the modern day. Yet, it is the concept of ‘service’, that in my view never dates.

The year 2020 has commenced and we are already at the end of January, many of us working on grant applications. The very exercise of writing grant applications requires a modicum of optimism! As professional problem-solvers, we need to be optimists.

‘Lost in Translation’ could be the theme of much of Australian biomedical research: In Australia, particularly here in the Parkville biomedical precinct, we punch above our weight when it comes to the quality and output of our scientific publications – we’re world class at so called ‘basic’ or fundamental research, but we’re a bit lost when it comes to translation.

Where to go to escape an email inbox? A little over a month ago, in an attempt to seek some rest and recreation, I boarded a plane and headed to Peru for my annual leave.

At this time of year our lecture theatres, hallways and lab offices fill with the sounds of Honours and Masters graduate research students busily completing their projects and preparing to present their reports in thesis and oral formats. Last Wednesday and Thursday the School of Chemistry MSc/Hons students presented their talks in the Bio21 auditorium and this week the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Honours students presented their final talks.

Although on holiday, I could not completely switch off my ‘operations brain’. I could not help but wonder about what was happening in the background to allow us to enjoy this carefree experience and I was fortunate enough to receive a glimpse of this at the Captain’s Welcome Drinks, where we heard from the Operations Director of the ship.