I am a researcher who moved to Australia for a post-doctoral formation in September 1997. I obtained a position as conjoint Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales in March 2001, where I teach to medical and science students and where I have my research laboratory. I also became an Honorary Associate of the University of Sydney in 2003 after being highly recommended by my collaborators. I am now leading a research group currently composed of 1 visiting scientist, 1 post-doctoral researcher, 7 PhD students, and 3 honours students.
I am studying the involvement of the tryptophan catabolism (via the kynurenine pathway) in human neurodegenerative diseases. I demonstrated the importance of the kynurenine pathway in Alzheimer's disease, which opens numerous very promising research opportunities and has important therapeutic potential. I have extended my research to other diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and brain tumours. These have been the focus of national and international collaborations that have led to several grants.
Over the last 5 years, I have published 24 peer reviewed scientific publications and 7 conference papers, most of them as 1st author (including 2 publications in Journal of Neuroscience and 1 in PloS ONE), 1 book as Chief Editor and 7 book chapters.
I have been the recipient for 19 grants (research, travel, equipment and fellowship), including a NHMRC R.D Wright in 2003, and was nominated for 2 research prizes (Eureka & Young tall poppies) and won the “paper of the month” award at the School of Medical Sciences at UNSW for my publication in The Journal of Neuroscience (Nov 2007).
I participated in 28 national and international conferences (gave 59 presentations; 20 oral and 40 poster presentations), had 8 invitations as a speaker at international conferences and 19 invitations for institutional seminars. I am also involved in per-reviews for 25 scientific journals, 6 private foundations and for the NHMRC. I have been a member of the organizing committee of 4 international and 2 national conferences.
My group is becoming one of the world’s leading research groups working on neuroactive (toxic or protective) metabolites derived from tryptophan. I am now very well respected in this field and this has allowed me to open several national and international productive collaborations. I am a member of the executive committee of the International Society for Tryptophan research and the Neurotoxicity Society. In January 2008, I obtained the position of Editor-in-Chief for a new scientific journal entitled The International Journal of Tryptophan Research.
Total of manuscripts published 62 (32 over the last 5 years)
h-Index 17/ 794 citations (March 2009)
I have interactions with the industry and also have 1 Australian Patent 2008901036 approved and 1 currently in progress.
