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Friday July 11, 2025

Congratulations to Natalia G Sampaio
ASI Career Advancement Awardee

We warmly congratulate
Natalia G Sampaio
winner of the ASI Career Advancement Award

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I am a senior postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases at the Hudson Institute in Melbourne, working in the Regulation of Interferon and Innate Signalling group led by Prof. Paul Hertzog. My work focuses on innate immune signalling pathways, in particular on nucleic acid receptors and viral sensing. I am now leading new research on RNA-binding receptors of the innate immune system, studying their activation mechanisms and contribution to inflammatory diseases.

I was thrilled to receive the ASI Career Advancement Award to attend the EMBO Pathogen Immunity and Signalling Workshop in Venice, Italy. My abstract was selected for an oral presentation, and I was a chair of one of the conference sessions. The exposure my work received at this conference was unparalleled, as it was attended by leaders in the field. I also had the opportunity to discuss my work with journal editors, which has led to an invitation to submit to a high-ranking specialist journal.

The conference also provided an excellent opportunity to expand my network, start new collaborations, and develop current working relationships. I had productive meetings with my previous postdoc supervisor, Jan Rehwinkel from the University of Oxford (pictured with me in one of the lovely bridges over the Venice canals), to continue to advance collaborative projects between our groups. I also had extremely productive scientific discussions with groups from the Netherlands, UK and USA, who have since provided protocols and technical support on my new projects. Had I not attended this conference, I would not have necessarily been exposed to their valuable expertise.

Most importantly, attendance of a high-calibre scientific meeting such as this one has left me with new ideas about future direction of my research, and renewed my enthusiasm for science!

Author: Natalia G Sampaio

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASI