Katharina Gaus
Katharina Gaus | |
---|---|
Residence | Australia |
Fields | Cell receptors and membrane biology, signal transduction and medical biochemistry[1] |
Notable awards | Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowship, 2013; Gottschalk Medal, 2012 |
Spouse | Professor Justin Gooding[2] |
Katharina Gaus - Extreme Close-up on Immunity, AboutUNSW |
Katharina Gaus is an Australian immunologist and molecular microscopist. She is currently an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow[3] and founding head of the Cellular Membrane Biology Lab, part of the Centre for Vascular Research at the University of New South Wales.[4] Gaus uses new super-resolution fluorescence microscopes[5][6][7] to examine the plasma membrane within intact living cells, and study cell signalling at the level of single molecules to better understand how cells "make decisions".[8] A key discovery of Gaus and her team was how T-cells decide to switch on the body's immune system to attack diseases.[9][10] Her work is of importance to the development of drugs that can work with T-cells in support of the immune system.[8]
Education
Gaus studied physics and mathematics at the University of Heidelberg, Germany and a MPhil (1996) and PhD (1999) from the Institute of Biotechnology[11] at the University of Cambridge.[1] While there she created a biosensor to detect protein-protein interactions and a ligand library, useful as a diagnostic tool.[11]
Career
Following her studies at the University of Cambridge, Katharina joined the Cell Biology Group at the Heart Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, led by Roger Dean and Wendy Jessup.[12] Around 2002, she moved with Wendy Jessup's group to the Centre for Vascular Research at the University of New South Wales.[11]
She has received several fellowships, spending three months of 2001 at the University of Urbana-Champagne, working with Enrico Gratton before returning to Australia to take up an Australian Research Council postdoctoral fellowship.[13] In 2005 Gaus was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship and spent six months at the Max Planck Institute for Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany,[13] working in the laboratory of Kai Simons.[12]
As of 2005, Gaus founded the Cellular Membrane Biology Lab, part of the Centre for Vascular Research at the University of New South Wales.[12][11] As of 2009 she became a Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in Australia.[12]
Gaus is a member of the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, founded in 2011, which is based at the University of New South Wales.[14] She is also Deputy Director and a Chief Investigator of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging.[15]
Katharina Gaus is active in encouraging girls to enter scientific fields.[16]
Awards
- 2013, Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowship – Biomedical 2013 (NHMRC Research Excellence Award)[8][3]
- 2013, NSW Science and Engineering Award for Excellence in Biological Sciences,[2] from the New South Wales Government[17]
- 2012 Gottschalk Medal for outstanding research in the medical sciences, from the Australian Academy of Science[5]
- 2010, Young Investigator Award from the Australia and New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology[3][11]
- 2005, Tall Poppy Award, encouraging young Australian scientists[18]
References
- 1 2 "Professor Katharina Gaus". University of New South Wales. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- 1 2 Gough, Myles (4 November 2013). "UNSW shines at science and engineering awards". UNSW Media Office. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- 1 2 3 Cooper, Alexis (11 June 2014). "Top researchers recognised with NHMRC Excellence Awards". National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Government. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ↑ "Cellular Membrane Biology Lab". University of New South Wales. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- 1 2 "Career research awards". Australian Academy of Science Awardees for 2012. Australian Academy of Science. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- ↑ "Katharina Gaus". Single Molecule Science. UNSW Australia. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ↑ "Working with Industry – July news from the Imaging Centre of Excellence". Science in Public. ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Katharina Gaus: Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowship – Biomedical 2013". National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Government. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ↑ Cave, Peter (June 6, 2011). "Super microscope discovers the secrets of immune cells". ABC Radio - AM program. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- ↑ "Supermicroscope pins immune 'switch'". Australasian Science (June 2011). Control Publications Pty Ltd. 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Wylie, Fiona (2010). "ANZSCDB Young Investigator Award : Kat Gaus, Pushing the boundaries is all in a day's work" (PDF). Newsletter (June 2010). Australia and New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "Professor Katharina Gaus". UNSW Medicine.
- 1 2 "Dr. Katharina Gaus". Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS). Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ↑ "ACN Members and Associate Members". Australian Centre for NanoMedicine (ACN). Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ↑ "Chief Investigators". Centre for Advanced Molecular Imaging. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ↑ "Inspiring the next generation of female scientists". Single Molecule Science. UNSW Australia. 22 May 2015.
- ↑ "Awards". NSW Government Department of Industry. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ↑ "2005 New South Wales Award Winners". Tall Poppies. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
External links
- Katharina Gaus page at University of New South Wales
- Cellular Membrane Biology Lab page at University of New South Wales