Published on the 10th August 2015 by ANSTO Staff
It is the dream of many students to get the chance to study abroad – pursuing a passion in their chosen research area and experiencing life in another country.
ANSTO and the French Embassy are making it a reality for students working in the nuclear sciences and technology applied to Life Sciences.
Scholarship ANSTO-French Embassy (SAFE) is a scholarship program that facilitates student exchanges with France. Students who have been conducting research in the study of ‘physio-pathological mechanisms and variations in response to external challenges’, can apply for the scholarship.
The two current recipients of the SAFE program are ANSTO researcher Catriona Wimberley (pictured) and Gaëlle Emvalomenos from Claude Bernard University of Lyon (France). Catriona Wimberley travelled to Orsay, France where she was selected for her research on neuron inflammation. She has been working at the CEA, a leading organisation in research, development and innovation in the nuclear sciences.
“I was given a great opportunity to travel to the other side of the world to Paris, where I am working in the In Vivo Molecular Imaging group at the CEA, Le Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot,” said Catriona.
At the CEA, Wimberley is working alongside many skilled researchers and technicians who have expertise in imaging, PET quantification, biology and medicine. The work that Wimberley is involved in ranges from preclinical work, right into the clinical setting, giving her experience in translating research and methods to applications in patients.
The skills and experience that she is gaining abroad can be applied to her research project at ANSTO LifeSciences. Her project, the development of quantification methods and tools for PET imaging studies (with 18F-DPA-714), allows researchers to follow the progression of neuroinflammation caused by acute and chronic neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's or epilepsy.
Gaëlle Emvalomenos is currently preparing a double course degree in Biomedical Engineering at Polytech Lyon Engineering School and a Master in Medical Imaging and Instrumentation. For the next four months, Gaëlle will be working with ANSTO LifeSciences.
The goal of my project is to analyse large groups of 2D medical images using multi-scale registration and segmentation techniques in order to reconstruct 3-D brain volumes. Many research teams in neuroimaging worldwide are interested in this concept. I am participating in an collaboration between the Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon and ANSTO.
“I look forward to working with the very dynamic team at Lifesciences ANSTO, and hope that this internship is a valuable springboard to continue with my doctoral studies,” saId Gaëlle.
This year's scholarship application round has now closed.