Marguerite Evans-Galea

in 2017
Born
Mackay, Queensland, Australia
NationalityAustralian
EducationUniversity of Queensland BSc/BMus, PGDipSc University of NSW PhD
Known forResearch to develop cell and gene therapies and identify therapeutic targets for Friedreich ataxia
Medical career
ProfessionMolecular Biologist
InstitutionsMurdoch Children's Research Institute & Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne
ResearchGene therapy and neurodegenerative diseases.

Marguerite Virginia Evans-Galea AM is the co-founder of Women in STEMM Australia. STEMM (science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine). Her research is focused on gene therapy and neurodegenerative diseases.

Early life and education

Evans-Galea grew up in Mackay, Queensland. She was raised by her mother after her parents separated.[1]:2:20 mins In High School she learned clarinet and discovered classical music. After school she planned to be a music therapist, but she was "bitten by the science bug" in her third year of university.[1]:3:50 mins

In 1994 she graduated with a double degree from the University of Queensland BSc/BMus. This was followed by a PGDipSc (Postgraduate Diploma in Science) in 1995 also from the University of Queensland and a PhD from the University of New South Wales in 1999.[2] Her doctoral thesis in molecular biology was titled Characterisation of the response to lipid hydroperoxide stress of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.[3]

Career

From 1999 to 2007 Evans-Galea did postdoctoral research in the USA. In 2000 her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Utah was terminated when she became pregnant.[4] In 2001 she obtained a post at St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.[5]

On her return to Australia in 2008 Evans-Galea joined a clinical team at the Bruce Lefroy Centre for Genetic Health Research at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI)[5] that allowed her to connect her research on yeasts with medical research. She develops cell and gene therapies for Friedreich's ataxia a neurodegenerative disease which affects children from around 10 years of age.[6]

Marguerite Evans-Galea leads "Next Generation Technologies" panel at CeBIT

She was an Honorary research scientist at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in 2008[6] and Honorary Fellow, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne since 2009.[2][7]

She served on the Immune Responses Committee of the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy and is a past member of the executive committee of the Australasian Gene and Cell Therapy Society.[6]

She was Chair from 2016 to 2017 of the executive of the Australian Science and Innovation Forum,[8] a partner of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Evans-Galea helps early researchers and she is a leading advocate of gender equality.[9] She developed graduate mentoring programs in the USA.[10] and was the founding chair of the Early-Mid Career Researcher (EMCR) Forum with the Australian Academy of Science from 2011 to 2013.[11] She is a committee member of the Expert Advisory Group of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Forum.[12]

She is Executive Director of the Industry Mentoring Network in STEM (IMNIS) at the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.[10] IMNIS connects motivated PhD students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics with high level industry mentors for a one-year industry mentoring program.[13] In October 2018 about 300 PhD mentees were involved in the MTP (medical technologies, biotechnology and pharmaceutical) program in five states and 17 organisations.[14]

Evans-Galea is Program Coordinator for the IMNIS Energy-Minerals Programs and the CCRM Australia-IMNIS International Mentoring Pilot internationally. She is co-founder of Women in STEMM Australia.[10]

Evans-Galea was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of her service to women in STEMM.[15]

Awards and honours

2006 — Travel Award, American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, USA[6]

2009 — New Investigator Award, Friedreich Ataxia Research Alliance, USA[16]

2009 — Panos Ioannou Young Investigator Award, Australasian Gene and Cell Therapy Society[5]

2010 — Leadership Award, Murdoch Children's Research Institute[6]

2012 — Travel Award, Ataxia Investigators Meeting, National Ataxia Foundation USA[6]

2012 — Travel Award, Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank, Australian Academy of Science[17]

2013 — Australian Leadership Award[18]

2014 — First Prize, Health Hack for Medical Research[19]

2015 — Travel Award, International Ataxia Research Conference, UK[6]

2017 — an inductee and Ambassador with the Victorian Honour Roll of Women[9]

2019 – Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours[20]

References

  1. 1 2 Riminton, Hugh (23 July 2017). "The Year That Made Me: Marguerite Evans Galea, 1988". ABC Radio National: The Year That Made Me. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Marguerite Evans-Galea". The Conversation. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  3. Evans-Galea, M. E. (1998). Characterisation of the response to lipid hydroperoxide stress of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. PhD thesis. University of NSW.
  4. Delaney, Brigid (1 December 2015). "'I was let go when I got pregnant': Marguerite Evans-Galea on her life as a woman in science". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "Biography for Marguerite Evans-Galea: Panos Ioannou Young Investigator Award 2009– Australasian Gene and Cell Therapy Society". Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea | Murdoch Children's Research Institute". www.mcri.edu.au. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  7. "DR Marguerite Evans-Galea — The University of Melbourne". www.findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  8. "The Team | Australian Science and Innovation Forum". Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Victorian Honour Roll: Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea, 2017". www.vic.gov.au. 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 "The Team – IMNIS". Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  11. "EMCR Forum executive members: Former Members | Australian Academy of Science". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  12. "SAGE Expert Advisory Group". Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE). 29 July 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  13. "IMNIS – Industry Mentoring Network in STEM". Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  14. "Health tech funding injection to propel Australian innovations to market and into Asia". Healthcare IT Australia. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  15. Bungard, Matt (9 June 2019). "'Extraordinary' Australians honoured in annual Queen's Birthday ceremonies". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  16. "Friedreich Ataxia Research Alliance Funded Grants, January to December 2009" (PDF). 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  17. "Theo Murphy's High Flyers Think Tank, 2012 : Breakout Groups" (PDF). Australian Academy of Science. 26 July 2012. p. 5. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  18. "Australian Leadership Awards 2013 – ADC Forum". Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  19. "Health Hack 2014: the power of open source, open data, and cross-disciplinary collaboration". Opensource.com. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  20. "Dr Marguerite Virginia Evans-Galea". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
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