The Victorian Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business Louise Asher has announced the winners of the 2011 Victorian Endowment for Science, Knowledge and Innovation (VESKI) Fellowships at a ceremony in Melbourne.

 

The VESKI Innovation Fellowships are awarded to leading researchers from a range of fields to conduct research at Victoria's top research institutions.

 

Successful VESKI fellows receive $50,000 a year for three years from the Victorian Government, matched by cash and in-kind contributions from the recipients' host research institutions.

 

This year's winners are:

  • Dr Matthew Call, formerly of Harvard Medical School, now working at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. Dr Call will study the structure and function of the molecular sensors used by cells of the immune system that detect signs of infection or cancer to initiate an appropriate immune response.
  • Dr Christopher McNeill, an expatriate Australian working at Cambridge University, now working as a lecturer and researcher at Monash University. Dr McNeill will explore new approaches to pattern organic solar cells on the nanoscale, and to realise improved efficiencies and understanding of semi-conductor device operation.