Iron woman wins synchrotron medal

Young scientist Miriam-Rose Ash has been awarded the Australian Synchrotron Thesis Medal for her study into the essential roles that iron and copper play in living organisms.

Ash’s research work produced new insights into two important bacterial proteins that help regulate intracellular levels of iron and copper - metals that are essential for life but also potentially toxic. FeoB is an iron uptake protein that is a key molecule for the virulence of many human disease organisms. CopK is a copper resistance protein involved in safely storing away excess copper.

Ash used synchrotron X-ray crystallography at the Australian Synchrotron to determine the detailed structures of these proteins in various stages of activity. In the course of her work, she gained important new insights into the basic biological processes that enable living organisms to obtain enough iron for their needs and to lock away potentially toxic levels of copper.

The eminent international researchers who assessed Ash’s thesis described her work as excellent.

“This is an outstanding thesis, with so many good points that I cannot document them all,” one reviewer wrote. “Ms Ash is to be congratulated on a splendid piece of work, which was a pleasure to read, and which brings much credit to the university and her supervisors.”

Ash is currently an EMBO postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Structural Biology at Aarhus University in Denmark, where she is conducting research into membrane proteins from eukaryotes - a classification that includes animals, plants, fungi and other organisms. She plans to pursue an academic career that involves both research and teaching.

The Australian Synchrotron Thesis Medal is awarded for outstanding research work involving the use of synchrotron techniques. Announcing the award, Australian Synchrotron Head of Science Andrew Peele said, “Miriam-Rose Ash is an outstanding candidate, an exceptional researcher, a great communicator and a marvellous example for young students considering a career in science.”

The Thesis Medal will be presented at the Australian Synchrotron User Meeting in Melbourne on 29-30 November 2012. This meeting gives researchers like Ash the opportunity to learn from established experts and meet others with similar research goals or backgrounds. Networking and collaboration are essential for early-career researchers seeking to develop their own expertise and reputations.