Dr Nirma Perera
PhD
Location
Parkville Campus
30 Royal Parade
Parkville Victoria 3052
Research group
Motor Neurone Disease Group
Biography
Dr Nirma Perera is a postdoctoral scientist in the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Group. Her work focuses on understanding toxic protein clearance in the central nervous system. She obtained her PhD from the University of Melbourne in 2017, studying pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for MND. Following the PhD, she was awarded the Bill Gole Early Career Fellowship from MND Research Association of Australia to study the cells recycling system called the ‘autophagy’ pathway.
Currently, her research investigates the role of autophagy in various cell types of the central nervous system with specific focus on how the rate and level of this pathway changes as we age. Using human postmortem tissue, mouse and stem cell models, her ultimate research aim is to modulate autophagy as a treatment strategy for MND and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
Career highlights
Current roles
- Co-chair of Florey Equality in Science (EQiS) committee
- Scientific member of the Florey Animals Ethics Committee
Past roles
- Secretary of Florey Equality in Science (EQiS) committee
- 2018-2020 MND Research Association of Australia Bill Gole Early Career Fellow
Awards and achievements
- 2022 – Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation Project Grant
- 2022 – BrightFocus Foundation Diversity Fellowship for ISMND2022 in Greece
- 2022 – Akoya Biosciences, Spatial Phenotyping Program Grant
- 2022 – Travel award for International Society for Neurochemistry Flagship School in Germany
- 2021 – Jenny Simko MND Research Innovator Grant, MND Research Australia
- 2020 – CASS foundation travel for FENS Conference
- 2020 – Flash talk First Prize, Melbourne University Early Career Researcher Symposium
- 2020 – University of Melbourne Early Career Researcher Grant
