University of Queensland post graduate student Sachithrani Umanda Madugalle has been recognised among the nation’s brightest, named as a 2019 Westpac Future Leaders Scholar. Sachithrani alongside 16 other students across Australia will share $2 million to support their work to find solutions to some of the nation’s most complex issues.

Madugalle is striving to understand the genetics behind the brain’s response to fear. “We’re interested in neuroplasticity – how the brain learns from experience – in particular, fear learning,” she said. “When you have a fearful experience, the brain learns to associate that experience with an environmental cue. To abolish that fear, the brain must be repeatedly exposed to that cue without any negative consequences. My project involves developing innovative techniques that do not exist anywhere in the world to enable us to study how fear learning occurs in the brain at the level of our genes. It’s important fundamental research that will not only provide insights into how our brain functions, but could also form the basis of treatments for fear-related disorders.”

Madugalle is the third scholar in three years from the UQ Queensland Brain Institute’s Bredy lab to win the coveted scholarship, joining fellow PhD students Laura Leighton and Esmi Zajaczkowksi. Each scholarship recipient will get up to $120,000 to cover their postgraduate studies, along with a nine-month leadership development program and the opportunity to study abroad.

Westpac Scholars Trust CEO Susan Bannigan said all 17 recipients were inspiring individuals, who would also gain access to the Westpac 100 Scholars Network. “Amongst our 2019 recipients we have doctors, teachers, engineers and an aspiring neuroscientist – all working on research projects that have the potential to shape our future,” Bannigan said. “With lifelong access to professional development and unlimited networking opportunities, scholars have the power to transform big ideas into real solutions.”

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