In 2019, the highly productive Melbourne-Manchester partnership was deepened with the introduction of the Cookson Scholars program. The program links joint PhD candidates with supervisors from both universities, providing unique opportunities for an immersive learning experience and the support and mentorship from a diverse and motivated cohort of researchers. Throughout their candidature, Cookson scholars gain access to the best facilities and resources both universities have to offer and absorb new laboratory skills while experiencing cultural and research environments from countries on the other side of the world.
Researchers at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences have been working in close collaboration with colleagues at the University of Manchester since 1994. This long-running partnership spans a comprehensive range of health and medical research endeavours in oncology, neuroscience, psychiatry, digital health, immunology, obstetrics and gynecology.
Building on strength to support next generation of medical scholars
Signature research projects exemplifying impact
The University of Melbourne’s Professor Natalie Hannan is a supervisor within the Cookson Scholar program and a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology working out of the Royal Women’s and Mercy hospitals. In her current research, Professor Hannan is carrying out clinical medical research into pregnancy complications to develop better diagnostics and therapeutics for the dangerous condition of preeclampsia in expectant mothers.
Professor Hannan regularly presents her findings to the research and clinical community, including professional scientific organisations. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed international journals, including Hypertension, and is supported by a $A500,000 National Health and Medical Research Council grant.
Ching Yi Wu is an optometrist, researcher and Cookson Scholar whose PhD project is being co-supervised by the University of Melbourne’s Professor Laura Downie and Dr Holly Chinnery, and at the University of Manchester by Professor Philip Morgan and Dr Carole Maldonado-Codina. Working out of their clinical and preclinical research laboratories in both Melbourne and Manchester, Ching Yi is investigating why some people suffer from red and painful eyes when their eyes are dry, and the role of inflammation in the discomfort response some people experience when wearing contact lenses. Ching Yi’s PhD research program aims to provide new, clinically translatable information that will help alleviate these common eye problems that are experienced by people the world over.
A major aspect of Ching Yi Wu’s study, describing a new population of immune cells in proximity to the meibomian glands (which secrete oils into the tear film) was published in 2022 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, and has attracted a range of awards from both the University of Melbourne and the University of Manchester.
Providing an international platform to hone presentation skills
The annual Cookson Scholars Conference gives jointly enrolled Manchester-Melbourne PhD candidates the invaluable experience of presenting on the progress of their research to an international audience in a concise, accessible presentation format.
In 2024 the conference will be hosted online representing a diverse range of faculties from across the universities of Melbourne and Manchester.
The Cookson Scholars will deliver a 10-minute presentation followed by a Q&A session, focusing either on their research topic or a topic closely aligned with collaborative efforts they are undertaking during their candidature.