Marguerite Evans-Galea

Evans-Galea grew up in Mackay, Queensland. She was raised by her mother after her parents separated.[1]^{: 2:20 mins} In High School she learned clarinet and discovered classical music. After school she planned to be a music therapist, but she was "bitten by the science bug" in her third year of university.[1]^{: 3:50 mins}

In 1994 she graduated with a double degree from the University of Queensland BSc/BMus. This was followed by a PGDipSc (Postgraduate Diploma in Science) in 1995 also from the University of Queensland and a PhD from the University of New South Wales in 1999.[2] Her doctoral thesis in molecular biology was titled Characterisation of the response to lipid hydroperoxide stress of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.[3]

From 1999 to 2007 Evans-Galea did postdoctoral research in the USA. In 2000 her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Utah was terminated when she became pregnant.[4] In 2001 she obtained a post at St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.[5]

On her return to Australia in 2008 Evans-Galea joined a clinical team at the Bruce Lefroy Centre for Genetic Health Research at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI)[5] that allowed her to connect her research on yeasts with medical research. She develops cell and gene therapies for Friedreich's ataxia a neurodegenerative disease which affects children from around 10 years of age.[6]

Marguerite Evans-Galea leads "Next Generation Technologies" panel at CeBIT

She was an Honorary research scientist at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in 2008[6] and Honorary Fellow, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne since 2009.[2][7]

She served on the Immune Responses Committee of the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy and is a past member of the executive committee of the Australasian Gene and Cell Therapy Society.[6]

She was Chair from 2016 to 2017 of the executive of the Australian Science and Innovation Forum,[8] a partner of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Evans-Galea helps early researchers and she is a leading advocate of gender equality.[9] She developed graduate mentoring programs in the USA.[10] and was the founding chair of the Early-Mid Career Researcher (EMCR) Forum with the Australian Academy of Science from 2011 to 2013.[11] She is a committee member of the Expert Advisory Group of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Forum.[12]

She is Executive Director of the Industry Mentoring Network in STEM (IMNIS) at the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.[10] IMNIS connects motivated PhD students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics with high level industry mentors for a one-year industry mentoring program.[13] In October 2018 about 300 PhD mentees were involved in the MTP (medical technologies, biotechnology and pharmaceutical) program in five states and 17 organisations.[14]

Evans-Galea is Program Coordinator for the IMNIS Energy-Minerals Programs and the CCRM Australia-IMNIS International Mentoring Pilot internationally. She is co-founder of Women in STEMM Australia.[10]

Evans-Galea was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of her service to women in STEMM.[15]

2006 — Travel Award, American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, USA[6]

2009 — New Investigator Award, Friedreich Ataxia Research Alliance, USA[16]

2009 — Panos Ioannou Young Investigator Award, Australasian Gene and Cell Therapy Society[5]

2010 — Leadership Award, Murdoch Children's Research Institute[6]

2012 — Travel Award, Ataxia Investigators Meeting, National Ataxia Foundation USA[6]

2012 — Travel Award, Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank, Australian Academy of Science[17]

2013 — Australian Leadership Award[18]

2014 — First Prize, Health Hack for Medical Research[19]

2015 — Travel Award, International Ataxia Research Conference, UK[6]

2017 — an inductee and Ambassador with the Victorian Honour Roll of Women[9]

2019 – Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours[20]