UON researcher a Tomorrow Maker

Friday, 25 November 2016

University of Newcastle researcher Dr Emma Beckett has been awarded a grant in the AMP Tomorrow Fund round.

UON researcher a Tomorrow Maker

Awarded to “amazing Australians doing great things”, the grants are awarded to people who’ve put time and effort into reaching a goal that will positively impact the community.

This year’s 53 successful applicants, known as AMP’s Tomorrow Makers, are made up of artists, athletes, social innovators, scientists, educators, filmmakers, fashion folk and musicians all working towards their goals across a huge variety of fields

An early-career researcher at the University of Newcastle, Emma is interested in how the way we taste food changes our gut bacteria (our microbiome) and the influence this has on our health.

Emma’s mixed scientific background, with experience in immunology and microbiology, food science and human nutrition and epidemiology, puts her in a unique position to answer this multi-faceted question.

She will use this grant to collect pilot data on taste-diet-microbiome interaction to kick-start her research.

“Our bodies have more bacteria than human cells and our taste receptors may impact what we eat and detect these bacteria,” Emma explains.

“Understanding this could help design interventions for diseases to the microbiome, including diabetes, heart disease and obesity, and help personalise nutrition.”

Emma was presented with her award at a dazzling event at Sydney Town Hall on Thursday November 24, 2016.


Related news