Auckland Medical Research Foundation is pleased to support postdoctoral research at the University of Auckland's Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences' annual SUMMIT2020 symposium.
With topics including kidney disease, hypertension, digital interventions, neuronal growth, and ranging across a wide spectrum of health research fields, these postdoctoral researchers demonstrated an impressive variety of skills and passion for their work.
This critical research career stage, the postdoctoral level, is an important time for early career researchers to establish themselves in a field of study. They must work to produce and publish data while planning for their next career transition and may struggle to achieve salary and research funding due to limited money available in university, government or charitable programmes.
This event and its awards offer an opportunity for postdoctoral researchers to set themselves apart in a competitive field.
AMRF was pleased to sponsor the Best Oral Presentation,a prize of $3,000 for conference travel, publication fees or related research costs, to Dr Alex Müntz from the Department of Ophthalmology. His work "Extended Screen Time, Blinking And Dry Eye Disease In Young Gamers" was praised for both his presentation style and the important content.
Dr Müntz says, "To receive the award for the Best Oral Research presentation is a great honour, given the high scientific calibre of my colleagues’ presentations obviously customary at the SUMMIT Symposium. In my view, this award signals that the key to successful scientific communication in a multidisciplinary environment is simplifying one’s message beyond what may initially seem appropriate or even comfortable.
"In my work, I am dedicated to developing interdisciplinary approaches to tackle the complex issues we are facing, and so I believe in simple communication as a basis for fostering collaboration, as well as for ensuring comprehension and thus real educational value. This award reinforces my belief in this approach.
"The financial aid, coupled with the generous flexibility in such uncertain times, will be of great assistance towards taking the next step in my work, and is highly appreciated."
Read more about the event and all the awardees in the FMHS Postdoctoral Society's newsletter where highlights include keynote speeches from Prof Cindy Kiro (UoA's Pro Vice-Chancellor Maori ) and Dr Brett Cowan (Chief Scientist at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research: ESR).