Congrats Wael, Jia Jia and Jamie on securing NHMRC Investigator Grants
Monash BDI researchers secure more than $18M in NHMRC Investigator Grants
Nine researchers from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) have secured more than $18 million in funding through the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) 2026 Investigator Grant scheme, announced by Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Mark Butler.
Monash BDI’s NHMRC Investigator Grants 2026 recipients: Prof Mary Herbert, Prof Jamie Rossjohn, Prof Andrew Ellisdon, A/Prof Rhys Grinter, Prof Francine Marques, Dr Wael Awad, Dr Lauren Alesi, Dr Meiling Han, Dr Jia Jia Lim.
Professor Dena Lyras, Interim Director of the Monash BDI, said the funding highlights the strength and diversity of the Institute’s research community.
“These Investigator Grants support some of Australia’s most innovative and ambitious biomedical research programs, and I’m delighted to see nine Monash BDI researchers recognised through this highly competitive scheme,” Professor Lyras said.
“The funded projects span a remarkable breadth of research, from reproductive health and cardiovascular disease to cancer immunotherapy, antimicrobial resistance and AI-enabled drug discovery. Together, they have the potential to deliver important advances in our understanding of disease and contribute to the development of new treatments that improve health outcomes,” she said.
“This funding will enable our researchers to pursue bold ideas and address some of the most significant health challenges facing Australia and the global community. I congratulate all of our Investigator Grant recipients on this achievement and acknowledge the significant effort that goes into developing applications for such a competitive funding scheme.”
The nine Monash BDI projects are among 26 projects awarded more than $49 million in funding to Monash Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences (MNHS) researchers in the latest NHMRC Investigator Grants. Read more on each of the MNHS recipients here.
The Rossjohn lab researchers to receive funding were:
Professor Jamie Rossjohn FAA FRS, A molecular investigation into T cell antigen receptor function and dysfunction in humans
T cells play a key role in the human immune system. However, there are many aspects of T cell mediated immunity we do not understand. This proposal is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning how T cell antigen receptor (TCR) recognition events govern cellular immunity in the context of protective, aberrant and anti-tumour immunity. This includes understanding how TCRs recognise peptides, lipids and metabolites presented by the MHC, CD1 and MR1 family of antigen presenting molecules.
Emerging Leadership 2
Dr Wael Awad, Harnessing Cancer-Activated Invariant T cells for next-generation cancer immunotherapy
A newly discovered cancer-fighting immune cell could pave the way for next-generation immunotherapies that work across a wide range of tumour types. This project focuses on cancer-associated invariant T (CAIT) cells, which recognise cancer-related metabolic signals presented by the molecule MR1. Using structural biology, biochemistry and immunology, this project aims to identify the tumour metabolites that activate these cells and develop novel MR1-based therapies. The findings could reveal universal cancer targets and support the creation of broadly applicable immunotherapies and vaccines for cancer treatment and prevention.
Emerging Leadership 1
Dr Jia Jia Lim, Targeting CD1a-restricted T cells for molecular intervention in skin autoimmunity
New insights into how the skin’s immune system responds to altered lipids, with the goal of developing more targeted treatments for inflammatory skin diseases. This project focuses on CD1a, an immune molecule that presents lipid antigens to T cells and can trigger harmful immune responses when skin lipids are altered by factors such as UV exposure or cosmetic products. Using structural biology and immunology, the research will uncover how altered lipids activate pathogenic T cells and explore ways to block these interactions, providing a foundation for improved therapies for psoriasis, eczema and allergic contact dermatitis.
