Anwen Krause-Heuer, who is a radiochemist from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), will join over 600 young researchers and scientists from 80 different countries attending the 63rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany between 30 June to 5 July.
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| Radiochemist Anwen Krause Heuer from Campbelltown will join 600 young scientists in Lindau Germany to meet a group of Nobel Prize winners |
Based at ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus, she was selected for the honour following a gruelling selection process and joins seven other talented Australians to be recognised as stars of tomorrow in their fields of chemistry.
The meeting is a once in a lifetime opportunity for young researchers under the age of 35 like Krause-Heuer who will be exposed to ideas and concepts she may never have come across in the normal course of her career.
“Attending this meeting will assist me in designing and applying my fundamental radiochemistry knowledge and experience to new areas which may not have been previously considered,” she said.
The Campbelltown local says she was nominated for her publication record, which includes research into the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s diseases and radiotracers for understanding depression.
Working at ANSTO has offered Anwen unique opportunities to collaborate with leading scientists in her field on cutting edge research that contributes to the treatment of diseases that can benefit the Australian community.
Her recent work on medical radiotracers is designed to increase our understanding of what causes depression. This fundamental work will enable ANSTO, in collaboration with Professor Lynette Daws at the University of Texas, to develop new classes of therapeutics for treating depression.
Anwen is also establishing a strong collaborative partnership with Professor Neil Vasdev at Massachusetts General Hospital. This work involves the development of a new class of PET imaging agent for Alzheimer’s disease. These new agents will allow earlier diagnosis of the disease and also better evaluation of drugs to treat Alzheimers.
“At ANSTO we have the opportunity to apply our expertise in radiochemistry to so many different areas.”
“This type of research has a real life application which makes the research rewarding, as you can see the progress from research results to an end outcome that benefits the Australian community”.
The annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings offer young researchers the chance to network with some of the world’s brightest researchers with 20-35 Nobel Prize winners attending.
With a history dating back to 1951, the meetings aim to bring together excellent young scientists from all over the world with Nobel Laureates. The various sessions and social activities of the meetings are determined by the guiding principle “Educate. Inspire. Connect.”
The central focus of the meetings will be on topics such as Green Chemistry, chemical energy conversion and storage as well as biochemical processes and structures.
“The contacts and ideas I will gain at the meeting will inspire me for my entire career. It will expose me to new ideas and concepts from experts that can help in designing and applying radiochemistry to new areas of research that may have not been considered before.”
Anwen is setting an inspirational example showing young scientists that there is no limit to discoveries within the reach of Australian scientists.