Leading autism researcher, Professor Andrew Whitehouse from The Kids Research Institute Australia, has been awarded the most prestigious award in the country for young researchers – the 3M Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science for 2017.
Presented at an awards ceremony in Sydney last night, the prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Prizes reward excellence in the fields of research and innovation, leadership, science engagement and school science.
The award to Professor Whitehouse, who is the Angela Wright Bennett Professor of Autism Research at The Kids and Professor of Autism Research at The University of Western Australia, is in recognition of his outstanding leadership in the area of autism which includes significant research achievements combined with scientific and policy leadership, science communication, and service development.
Professor Whitehouse’s research career has focussed on discovering the causes of autism, developing methods for the identification of autism within the first year of life, and the trialling of new therapies for these infants.
At The Kids, he leads a team of over 20 researchers who use a wide range of methodologies to develop new methods for the early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder and therapies to improve outcomes of these children.
Professor Whitehouse said it was an honour to be a Eureka Award recipient.
“I am truly humbled, but also very grateful for the award. The calibre of the finalists was extraordinary, and shows just how much scientific talent there is in Australia,” he said.
“Above all, this research is a considerable team effort. I am lucky enough to work with some of the brightest research minds in the country, in a wonderful and supportive environment at The Kids, and to partner with the incredible autism community. I am motivated each day, not least because of the fun and inspiration of working with these extraordinary people.
“Awards like these provide support for continued research, and I firmly believe that the early intervention therapies we are developing will help each and every child reach their full potential.”
The Kids Research Institute Australia Director Professor Jonathan Carapetis congratulated Professor Whitehouse on his award.
“Andrew stands out as a researcher not only because of his commitment to innovative science, but because of his genuine passion to make a difference,” Professor Carapetis said.
“The work his autism team are doing to enable earlier identification of babies at risk of autism to provide earlier intervention therapies to significantly improve their development is already changing the lives of so many children and their families.”
You can view the full list of 2017 Eureka Award recipients here.
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About Professor Andrew Whitehouse:
Professor Andrew Whitehouse is the Angela Wright Bennett Professor of Autism Research at The Kids and Professor of Autism Research at The University of Western Australia. He is also Chief Research Officer of the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC) and Adjunct Professor at Curtin University and Edith Cowan University.
Andrew trained as a Speech Pathologist (Curtin University) before completing his PhD in Psychology at the University of Western Australia. He then moved to the University of Oxford to undertake postdoctoral studies, where he was promoted to the Scott Family Junior Research Fellow for Studies in Autism (University College, Oxford); the youngest person to have ever held this position.
In 2009, he returned to Perth to take up his current position within The Kids Research Institute Australia. He is supported by NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (B) and numerous competitive grants. He leads a team of hard-working researchers, who use a range of scientific methods to promote early identification and intervention for children with autism, and to help each child reach their full potential.