Current Scholars
SIR ROBERT MENZIES MEMORIAL RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP
IN THE ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES
This research scholarship, valued at $27,500 per annum for each of two years, is open to graduates in any of the health sciences who have enrolled for a PhD in an Australian University and who have completed the first stage of their doctoral program.
The Foundation is grateful for the support of the final selection committee and the assessors who are nominated by the respective disciplines to grade the applications in terms of topic, relevance and methodology.
In 2012 the Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Scholarship in the Allied Health Sciences attracted candidates from the disciplines of nutrition and dietetics, physiotherapy, and psychology.
Five candidates were interviewed on 27 August, 2012. The interview panel was chaired by Professor John Mathews (Executive Director, The Menzies Foundation) and consisted of Professor Simon Crowe (La Trobe University), Assoc/Professor Liisa Laakso (Griffith University and previous Menzies Scholar) and Professor Meg Morris (University of Melbourne).
The Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Research Scholarship in the Allied Health Sciences for 2013-2014 has been awarded to Ms Verity Pacey.
Verity Pacey
Verity is senior physiotherapist in the Connective Tissue Dysplasia Clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and began the physiotherapy service to The Children’s Hospital Institute of Sports Medicine.
Verity holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Certificate in Sports Physiotherapy from La Trobe University.
The two-year Menzies scholarship will help Verity complete her PhD at The University of Sydney into the management and treatment of the connective tissue disease known as hypermobility or loose joints.
Back to topSIR ROBERT MENZIES MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS IN ENGINEERING
In co-operation with the Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Trust (UK) and the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, the Menzies Foundation offers to Australians post-graduate scholarships in engineering for tenure at universities in the United Kingdom for either one, two or three academic years.
Following initial assessment by Professor Iven Mareels, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne, five candidates were invited for interview in Melbourne on 20 September 2012. The Selection Committee was chaired by Professor Graham Hutchinson, Professor of Civil Engineering, the University of Melbourne and consisted of Mr Peter Bowtell (Australasia Leader Buildings Practice, Arup), Mr Mark Snowden (representing the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education) and Dr Andrew Whiting (Technical Director, Aurecon and a previous Menzies Scholar).
The Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Scholarship in Engineering for 2013 was awarded to Ms Mahala McLindin.
Mahala McLindin
Mahala holds the degree of BEng (Civil) with First Class Honours (2005) from the University of Sydney.
A water resources engineer with Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) in Sydney, Mahala has worked on a wide range of projects from integrated regional water planning to designs for individual projects, such as stormwater harvesting. She has also travelled overseas with Engineers without Borders, inspecting water projects in Cambodia and learning about the critical role of engineering in a developing nation.
Mahala has applied to take the degree of MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management at Oxford for one year.
SIR ROBERT MENZIES MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS IN LAW
The Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Trust, with the financial support of the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE) and of the Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Foundation in Australia, offers to Australians a post-graduate scholarship in law for tenure in the United Kingdom.
After preliminary review and external assessment of the applications, six candidates attended for interview at Clarendon Terrace on 15 October 2012 for the single Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Scholarship in Law available this year.
The Selection Panel was chaired by Justice Susan Kenny and consisted of Professor Andrew Kenyon (Deputy Dean of Law, University of Melbourne), Ms Dariel De Sousa (all previous Menzies Scholars) and Ms Vanessa Tulenew (representing DIISRTE).
The single Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Scholarship in Law for 2013 was awarded to Mr David Heaton.
David Heaton
David holds an LLB with First Class Honours and the Supreme Court Prize, and a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours from the University of Melbourne.
A Melbourne lawyer at present working as an associate with the Boston Consulting Group, David will undertake the two year Bachelor of Civil Law/Master of Philosophy at Oxford University to explore the issues raised by executive powers of government.
R G MENZIES FELLOWSHIP
The Foundation in 1996 made the inaugural contribution to the National Health
and Medical Research Council's (NH MRC) CJ Martin/Neil Hamilton Fairley Fellowships
with one of the Fellowships to be named the NH MRC/RG Menzies Fellowship. The
aim of the Fellowships is to provide opportunities for research of major importance
in its field and of benefit to Australian health and to support outstanding
Australian health and medical researchers early in their career so that they
can:
• conduct research that is internationally competitive;
• develop a capacity for original independent research;
• develop leadership skills in research; and
• establish themselves as independent, self-directed health and medical researchers.
The Fellowships are available for postdoctoral medical study at approved overseas institutions with tenure for up to four years. Two years are spent in the overseas country followed by two years back in Australia.
The Menzies Foundation, in addition to its $50,000 annual grant to the NHMRC to support the Fellowship program, makes available a supplementation of $5,000 for each of the four years of the award for activities associated with the Fellowship, eg conference travel.
The NHMRC/RG Menzies Fellowship for 2013 has been awarded to Dr Scott Sands.
Dr Scott Sands
Dr Scott Sands will undertake his CJ Martin/RG Menzies Overseas Biomedical Fellowship at Harvard Medical School and later at The Alfred in Melbourne. Scott is investigating whether obstructive sleep apnea – which is extremely common in patients with heart failure – is primarrily a breathing control disorder rather than anatomical disorder in this patient group.
Scott is concurrently investigating approaches to treat those patients with a primary control disorder using a combination of non-invasive therapies to reduce each component in the pathway to control instability. Patients will be selected for successful treatment using novel techniques to assess breathing control using routine clinical signals. Ultimately the goal is to provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying sleep apnea in this vulnerable population, and provide alternative treatment options beyond those that require a mask to be worn at night.
ROBERT GORDON MENZIES SCHOLARSHIP TO HARVARD UNIVERSITY
The Robert Gordon Menzies Scholarship to Harvard University is jointly sponsored by The Harvard Club of Australia, the Australian National University and the Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Foundation and is administered by the ANU. The scholarship is awarded to scholars on the basis of their potential for making a significant contribution to Australia and on their intellectual ability, leadership qualities and breadth of vision. The Menzies Foundation was represented in the selection process by Ms Edwina Menzies.
The scholarship recipients in 2012 are Mr Matthew Brown, Ms Jessica Roth and Mr Tristan Webster.
Matthew Brown
Matthew is an investment analyst who worked for an investment fund in San Francisco. He was formerly a pilot in the RAAF.
He is undertaking a Master of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and is interested in Australian investment opportunities and improving the management of Australia's superannuation capital.
Jessica Roth
Jessica is a lawyer with King & Wood Mallesons in Sydney and lecturer at the University of New South Wales. She is also a past national president of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students.
Jessica is at the Harvard Law School undertaking a Master of Laws. A former Research Assistant and Associate to the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, she is particularly interested in the value to business of promoting and protecting human rights.
Tristan Webster
Tristan most recently worked as a strategy and operations consultant at A.T. Kearney where he supported several large-scale business transformations in both Australia and the United States. He studied and taught accounting at the University of Melbourne and he also holds a CPA accreditation.
Tristan’s Menzies Scholarship has been taken up at the Harvard Business School where he is studying for a Master of Business Administration (MBA). In the longer term, he wants to become a leader in, and advocate for, the not-for-profit sector in Australia.