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It is clear that the rate of obesity is increasing dramatically. Better therapeutic strategies are required to treat this debilitating disease. In this study we will determine the effects of sugary drinks on the amount of food eaten and subsequent changes in weight gain. By understanding how sugary drinks affect rates of weight gain we will be able to formulate better strategies to combat obesity.
Is Reducing Protein Intake The Key To Health And Longevity?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
Diet has profound impacts on health and ageing. The reduction of total calorie intake (caloric restriction, CR) by 30-50% improves health and delays the onset of ageing and age-associated diseases. However, CR is unsustainable for the vast majority of humans. Recent studies have shown that manipulating dietary protein content can deliver similar health and longevity benefits as CR, without a reduction in total calories. The role of dietary protein in health and longevity will be investigated.
Interactions Between Protein Leverage, Variety, And Dietary Carbohydrate And Fat Content In The Control Of Energy Intake In Humans
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$580,950.00
Summary
Most attempts to understand human vulnerability to obesity have focussed on fat and carbohydrate, yet recent studies have shown a powerful role for protein: we eat more calories when dietary protein concentration is low. But how does protein interact with other aspects of the diet, notably the prodigious variety of foods available in modern environments and the balance of fat to carbohydrate? We will use controlled trials to investigate how these factors contribute to excess energy intake.
I am a physiologist focused on the role of dietary protein on excess weight gain. In the proposed study, I will examine energy balance in lean and overweight individuals in response to a 4-day covertly manipulated 10, 15 or 25% protein diet. We will measure effects on hunger using subjective ratings and hormone levels and the affects on energy expenditure including resting metabolic rate, the energy it takes to digest food and physical activity levels.
Achieving More Effective Weight Loss With Intermittent Energy Restriction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,373,874.00
Summary
Part of the difficulty in achieving lasting weight loss is that the body responds to dieting with compensatory changes in appetite, metabolic rate & blood hormone levels. We have shown in men that alternating phases of energy restriction with periods of greater food intake markedly improves weight loss by overcoming this “famine reaction”. This study will examine if the intermittent diet also produces more effective weight loss in women, and whether it is applicable to the wider community.
Central Neural Circuits Subserving Nutrient–activated Thermogenesis - The Basis Of Post Prandial Energy Expenditure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$766,207.00
Summary
Studies of “energy burning” brown fat, including its importance in the determination of obesity in humans and the potential to increase its capacity by turning white fat into brown-like fat are currently foremost in obesity research. Here we study the detail of brain pathways that dictate brown fat activity after a meal resulting in the burning of ingested calories and reduction of body weight. The results will give us a better idea of how we can harness brown fat to combat obesity.
Breaking The Intergenerational Cycle Of Obesity Through Nutritional Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$477,180.00
Summary
The nutritional environmental experienced by an individual before birth and in early infancy is a critical determinant of their risk of obesity and assocaited metabolic disorders in later life. Over the course of this fellowship, I will focus on defining the nutritional factors which are the key drivers of this metabolic programming. My ultimate aim is to identify nutritional interventions during pregnancy and/or early infancy which can improve the long-term health outcomes of the child and redu
Beige fat is a recently described kind of fat which instead of storing fat and contributing to obesity burns energy and burns glucose. It helps to combat obesity and diabetes. If it could be increased and switched on, it would help to treat obesity and diabetes. This grant will study a new pathway to try to increase the amount of beige fat and to increase its activity.
How Does Exercise Ameliorate Programming Of Metabolic Dysfunction In Offspring Of Obese Mothers?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$524,121.00
Summary
Obesity is a worldwide disease, reflecting an interaction between our environment (diet, physical activity) and genes. We know that a mother's unhealthy diet can predispose offspring to diabetes, and exercise can improve this, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we will examine how exercise can benefit offspring of obese mothers, and test a drug that mimics the effects of exercise. The proposed research will provide insight into ways of reducing the obesity epidemic.
Intermittent Fasting Versus Daily Energy Restriction For Improved Human Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$987,048.00
Summary
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a nutritional strategy consisting of a period where food is freely available, followed by periods where food is withheld. This proposal will build on our past findings and assess the long term effects of IF on metabolic health, and weight in individuals with pre-diabetes. This study will have significant implications for informing current dietary practice, and provide a legitimate strategy to managing the metabolic sequelae of obesity.