It’s the news any mid-career researcher would love to hear: you’ve been successful in your application for a Future Fellowship.

Three staff received this news last week, sharing similar reactions of “mild disbelief”, “feeling a little bit unreal” and “I think I’ve been in shock for the last two days!”

“The timing is absolutely perfect,” says Associate Professor Andrew Barron. “I spent last week running a brain modelling workshop and from that it became clear we knew enough for a first pass conceptual model of the insect brain. Wednesday morning I heard the news I can now work full time on this project. It’s just the best possible news and it means in 4 years I’m really going to be able to see this through.”

Dr Robert Lanfear was in his office writing another grant when he found out. “I am most excited about breaking some new ground in our understanding of mutation in plants. The fellowship will, I hope, provide some answers to questions that have been around since long before Darwin.”

The Future Fellowships scheme promotes research in areas of critical national importance by supporting outstanding mid-career researchers to conduct their research in Australia.

“Drs Barron, Klein and Lanfear are some of our most promising researchers,” said Deputy Vice-Chancellor(Research), Professor Sakkie Pretorius. “Their groundbreaking work is also unique for its interdisciplinary nature across biological science, neuroscience, philosophy and genetics.”

The researchers share some tips for grant applications:

“I don’t think my success rate is any higher than anyone else’s. It may be telling that this was the biggest and brashest project I’ve ever put together and it actually came off. It is interdisciplinary,collaborative and a very big idea and I think that combination paid off.”

“As someone relatively new to Australia and the granting environment here, I spent a lot of time looking at previous successful grants and getting feedback from anyone who would offer it. The Research Offices at both the Faculty and the University level were both extraordinarily helpful; they really know their stuff!”

“I think the best you can do is write a good project that you’re passionate about, and then cross your fingers. The ARC get many more good grants each year than they can possibly fund, so there’s a good measure of luck involved in the success.”

Learn more about their projects.