Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health SciencesResearch Domains

"Finding out who does what and who is willing to do things, was the most difficult thing when I arrived." recalls Andrew Hill, who returned to work at University of Melbourne in 2003 after 10 years in the UK. "This is where the domain project will make things easier."

Andrew Hill is the coordinator for our Biosciences domain. "It's very broad. Most researchers doing basic research will identify with this domain in some way," Andrew says.

"My own research is within the biosciences domain, but also intersects neurosciences and to some extent infectious diseases and immunity, as well as public health." Andrew studied prions as a cause of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) at the height of the BSE epidemic in the UK. In CJD, prions enter the brain and aggregate; damaging the brain tissue and forming holes. Andrew's recent work shows that prions spread from cell to cell when they are released in small vesicles known as exosomes. Andrew's lab also conducts research into Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and their relation to misfolded proteins.

The media attention surrounding prions and CJD sparked Andrew’s interest in communicating science to the public, for which he received a Young Tall Poppy Award in 2006. Andrew uses interactive online tools to communicate within his laboratory group and sees uses for them to enhance communication within and across the research domains.

“I see this project as a good chance for people to get more involved, and promote their work both within the University and throughout the world” says Andrew.