Dr Nirma Perera
PhD

Location
Parkville Campus
30 Royal Parade
Parkville Victoria 3052

Research group
Motor Neurone Disease Group

Nirma Perera profile

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

Research publications

Contact

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