Endeavour Fellowships awarded to Griffith researchers

MD-PhD candidate, Hayman Lui, wil attend the Mayo Clinic through her Endeavour Fellowship.
MD-PhD candidate, Hayman Lui, wil attend the Mayo Clinic through her Endeavour Fellowship.

Four researchers at Griffith University have been awarded Endeavour Fellowships to develop their skills, knowledge and international profiles in 2017.

Dr Monika Krajcovicova, Associate Professor Ruth McPhail and Ashleigh Watson will pursue studies in the UK, while Griffith’s first MD-PhD candidate, Hayman Lui, will attend the Mayo Clinic in the US.

Becoming “a global academic” is among the core objectives for Dr Krajcovicova, Program Director for Early Childhood Education at Griffith’s School of Education and Professional Studies. She will work at the University of Glasgow which she describes as a “research powerhouse”.

Monika-Krajcovicova“I aim to develop new knowledge and skills in designing and delivering undergraduate and postgraduate programs in teaching, including childhood practice, leadership programs and professional development offered by the School of Education,” she said.

“This experience will benefit Australia and Griffith University by bringing new skills and knowledge into childhood practice and educational leadership.”

Hayman Lui, who completed a Bachelor of Medical Science with Griffith Health, is now focused on regenerative medicine and its potentially revolutionary role in tackling problems in orthopaedic surgery.

“The Mayo Clinic Centre for Regenerative Medicine is leading the world in translational medicine, spearheading a new generation of treatment. It is to this area of research that I passionately wish to contribute,” she said.

The Hong Kong native wants to build a career as a hand surgeon, while researching the potential to regenerate tissue using 3D-printing. “The Endeavour Fellowshipisboth a means to correct gender imbalance in the fields of tissue-engineering and orthopaedic surgery and a springboard to bringing ground-breaking medical innovations to fruitionin Australia through collaboration with the US.”

Ashleigh Watson, whose PhD explores fiction as a form of sociological research, will continue her doctoral research at the University of London where she will work with some of the world’s most respected sociologists.

Ashleigh-Watson_HDR-Student-Picture“With this Fellowship I’ll have the opportunity to hone my methodological skills with the leaders of the ethnographic, field-based method in one of the most diverse cities in the world,” she said.

“There is fantastic sociological research being done in the UK right now so this is a great bridge for me to build now for my future career.”

The Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships, which are awarded by the Department of Education and Training, aim to build Australia’s reputation for excellence in the provision of education and research, and support the internationalisation of the Australian higher education and research sectors.