Kaarin Anstey, CEPAR Co-Deputy Director and Scientia Professor of Psychology at UNSW Sydney, has been recognised with a prestigious Australian Laureate Fellowship from the Australian Research Council (ARC), announced by Federal Minister for Education Dan Tehan on Thursday.
One of 17 Australian Laureate Fellows to be recognised in 2019, Kaarin Anstey has been awarded over $3.2 million to advance our understanding of cognitive ageing, and to continue to develop strategies to promote ageing well. This research will lead to better support for older Australians.
“Australian Laureate Fellowships support outstanding researchers to lead significant research projects,” Mr Tehan said in a press release. “These fellowships foster leadership skills and provide excellent training and mentoring opportunities.”
The aim of Scientia Professor Kaarin Anstey’s Australian Laureate Fellowship is to make a significant advance in our understanding of cognitive ageing through the adult life course by discovering how contemporary lifestyles and experience impact on cognitive resilience and cognitive function. Population ageing is occurring globally, creating an urgent need for evidence to inform strategies to promote ageing well and productively. Through assessment of adults aged 18 to 90 - across the life course - this project will evaluate the impact of technology, life space and sensory function on brain structure and function, and cognition. Research results will inform strategies to improve ageing well and productively.
Kaarin Anstey is the third CEPAR Chief Investigator to be awarded the prestigious Australian Laureate Fellowship by the Australian Research Council. Michael Keane, Professor of Economics at UNSW Sydney, was awarded a Fellowship in 2011, and Sharon Parker, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Curtin University, received her Fellowship in 2016.
The research projects envisaged in all three Fellowships relate directly to the challenges of population ageing. Professor Michael Keane’s Australian Laureate Fellowship helps understanding the implications of population ageing for the future costs of funding health care, aged care and aged pensions in Australia. Professor Sharon Parker, 2016 Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellow, is focusing her Fellowship on studying how transformative work design promotes meaningful, healthy and productive work. This knowledge will be critical in maintaining economic growth in the face of an ageing demographic.
The prestigious Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme supports outstanding research leaders to build Australia’s research capacity, undertake innovative research programs and mentor early career researchers. A full list of the 2019 Australian Laureate Fellows can be found here.