Shane Fernandez.
Edith Cowan University PhD candidate Shane Fernandez will soon be heading to the United States, after his research into Alzheimer's Disease saw him honoured as a 2023 Australian Fulbright Scholar.
Named for US politician, academic and statesman J William Fulbright, the Australian-American Fulbright Commission offers these prestigious scholarships to Australian citizens who take part in an academic and cultural exchange by pursuing research or study at a US institution.
The award is touted as more than a scholarship, but also a "means of fostering leadership, learning, and empathy between cultures" where judges look for high academic and professional merit, a strong program proposal, defined potential outcomes and ambassadorial skills.
Mr Fernandez is completing his PhD at ECU's Centre for Precision Health by examining how genetics and related factors influence how Alzheimer's Disease can produce different effects in different people.
"This has important implications for how we run clinical trials and analyse their data, how we estimate prognoses, and for our understanding of biological processes driving disease progression," he said.
"This work unites a number of disciplines and presents unique challenges, particularly for how to best build analytical models.
"My educational background is in psychology and biostatistics, and I have worked in Alzheimer’s clinical trials for almost 10 years.
"The breadth of my experience places me well to meet the demands of this research focus, and I believe this, coupled with our team's track record and existing collaboration with international researchers tackling similar research, is the reason for my success with this award."
Mr Fernandez will travel to the US for to spend four months at Indiana University’s Alzheimer's Disease Research Centre, where he will learn approaches on the cutting edge of the field which can then be used in future CPH studies of Alzheimer's disease progression.
"This will also massively elevate the impact of my own research," he said.
"Being hosted within an international hub for world-leading Alzheimer’s researchers will be invaluable in translating our findings and taking these in exciting new directions.
"I'm also excited at the opportunity to join the illustrious Fulbright alumni community of inspirational researchers."
His principal supervisor Dr Tenielle Porter said the acknowledgement was just reward for Mr Fernandez's work.
"Since the start of his PhD, I’ve been impressed with Shane's enthusiasm and commitment to research," she said.
"This is the start of great things for Shane and I can't wait to see what he will achieve over the course of his research career."
Centre for Precision Health director and co-principal supervisor Professor Simon Laws said the organization was proud of Mr Fernandez's accomplishment.
"This prestigious award reflects the high calibre of student Shane is," Professor Laws said.
"The CPH has at its foundation a commitment to providing the best research environment and opportunities for higher degree by research students and we are thrilled we have been able to support Shane in his studies."
