University of Newcastle researcher Associate Professor Jodie Simpson received a 2013 Scopus Young Researcher of the Year award this afternoon for her pioneering work on combating inflammation in infection-induced asthma.

University of Newcastle researcher Associate Professor Jodie Simpson received a 2013 Scopus Young Researcher of the Year award this afternoon for her pioneering work on combating inflammation in infection-induced asthma.

Associate Professor Simpson collected the prestigious award at the Australian Research Management Society (ARMS) conference in Adelaide, edging out two other finalists in the Medicine and Medical Sciences category.

The 2013 Scopus Young Research of the Year Awards attracted more than 100 applications from multiple premier research institutions across Australia and New Zealand. Applications were judged by independent panels of subject experts for each of the award categories.

Associate Professor Simpson becomes only the second University of Newcastle researcher to be honoured with a Scopus Award, which recognise outstanding young researchers in Australasia who have made significant contributions in their areas of research.

“The award recipients represent the next generation of research leaders and are to be applauded for their outstanding contribution to their discipline and upholding the highest standards of research integrity,” Professor Moira Clay, President of ARMS, said.

As a member of the HMRI Viruses, Infection/Immunity, Vaccine and Asthma (VIVA) Research Program, Associate Professor Simpson was awarded her PhD in 2005 for her research on the ‘Inflammatory Mechanisms in Non-Eosinophilic Asthma’.

She has since focused on examining the causes of inflammation in asthma patients who do not respond to traditional treatments, establishing a new emphasis on asthma caused by infections rather than allergies.

Her most recent work on the use of the antibiotic Clarithromycin to target neutrophilic inflammation in asthma demonstrates originality and highlights a determination to translate medical research into improvements in healthcare.

The study is being funded with a $2.9 million NHMRC grant, allowing Associate Professor Simpson to building up her own independent research team.
She was the recipient of a three-year post-doctoral fellowship to HMRI from Xstrata Coal and supervises the new post-doctoral fellow who has taken up this position, as well as two PhD students.

HMRI is a partnership between the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health and the community.