Professor Anthony Hannan
PhD

Group Head

Location
Parkville Campus
30 Royal Parade
Parkville Victoria 3052

Research group
Epigenetics and Neural Plasticity Group

Professor Anthony Hannan

Biography

Professor Anthony Hannan is Head of the Epigenetics and Neural Plasticity Group, and Research Co-Lead for the Mental Health Mission. Professor Hannan received his undergraduate training and PhD in neuroscience from the University of Sydney. He was then awarded a Nuffield Medical Fellowship at the University of Oxford, where he subsequently held other research positions before returning to Australia on an NHMRC RD Wright Career Development Fellowship to establish a laboratory at The Florey. He subsequently won other fellowships and awards, including an ARC FT3 Future Fellowship, the British Council Eureka Prize, the International Society for Neurochemistry Young Lecturer Award, the Federation of European Biochemical Societies Anniversary Prize, and NHMRC Senior and Principal Research Fellowships. He is a member of the Brain and Mind Committee, Australian Academy of Science (AAS), Co-Chair of the Australian Brain Alliance (ABA) Executive and Co-Chair of the International Brain Initiative (IBI) Executive.

Professor Hannan and colleagues provided the first demonstration in any genetic animal model that environmental stimulation can be therapeutic. This has led to new insights into gene-environment interactions in various brain disorders, including Huntington’s disease, dementia, autism, schizophrenia, depression and autism anxiety disorders. His research team at The Florey explore how genes and the environment combine via experience-dependent plasticity in the healthy and diseased brain. Their research includes models of specific neurological and psychiatric disorders that involve cognitive and affective dysfunction, investigated at behavioural, cellular and molecular levels so as to identify pathogenic mechanisms and novel therapeutic targets.

Career highlights

Current roles

  • Head, Epigenetics and Neural Plasticity Group, The Florey
  • Research Co-lead, Mental Health Mission, The Florey
  • Member of the Brain & Mind Committee, Australian Academy of Science
  • Co-Chair, Australian Brain Alliance (ABA) Executive
  • Co-Chair, International Brain Initiative (IBI) Executive
  • Nominated as a Fellow of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS)
  • Scientific Advisory Committee, BioAutism
  • Founding Scientific Advisory Panel, Prader-Willi Research Foundation Australia (PWRFA)
  • Founding Steering Committee Member, Map-HD Registry, Huntington’s Disease Network of Australia (HDNA)
  • Founding Associate Editor (Handling Editor), Journal of Huntington’s Disease
  • Editorial Board Member (Handling Editor), Scientific Reports
  • Section Editor (Handling Editor), Brain Research Bulletin
  • Associate Editor (Handling Editor), Neuroscience Letters
  • Editorial Board Member of 6 other international journals, including Neurobiology of Disease

Past roles

  • Founding Member, Australian Brain Alliance (ABA) Working/Steering Committees
  • President, National Association of Research Fellows (NARF)
  • Victorian Representative, Australasian Neuroscience Society (ANS) Council
  • Member (Florey Representative), Working Committee, International Alliance for Translational Neuroscience (IATN)
  • College of Experts Member, New Zealand Health Research Council (HRC)

Awards and achievements

  • 2022 – The Elspeth McLachlan Plenary Lecture and Medal, Australasian Neuroscience Society (ANS)
  • 2021 – The Isaac Schweitzer Award and Plenary Lecture, Biological Psychiatry Australia (BPA)
  • 2017 – NHMRC Principal Research Fellow
  • 2013 – Professorial Fellow, Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne
  • 2011 – NHMRC Senior Research Fellow
  • 2010 – ARC FT3 Future Fellowship
  • 2006 – Elected Visiting Fellow, St John’s College, University of Oxford
  • 2006 – Pfizer Australia Research Fellowship
  • 2005 – The International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN) Young Lecturer Award
  • 2005 – The British Council Eureka Prize for Inspiring Science & Australian Museum Eureka Prizes People’s Choice Award
  • 2004 – The Federation of European Biomedical Societies (FEBS) Anniversary Prize
  • 2004 – The Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS) A.W. Campbell Award
  • 2002 – NHMRC RD Wright Career Development Fellowship
  • 1997 – The Guy Newton Junior Research Fellow Wolfson College, University of Oxford
  • 1996 – The Australian Nuffield Medical Fellowship at the University of Oxford

Research publications

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