ARC success for C-PAN

Dr Kylie Hesketh, a Senior Research Fellow in Deakin's Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition, has been awarded both a prestigious ARC Future Fellowship (Level 1) and an ARC Discovery grant. Dr Hesketh was invited by the ARC to present a synopsis of her work at the ARC announcement today in Adelaide.

Dr Hesketh's five year ARC Future Fellowship will allow her to complete an important program of research titled "Providing children with a healthy start to life: promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours during early childhood." The project will focus on physical activity during early childhood (0-5 years) and aims to identify and understand the predictors of these behaviours. She will investigate strategies to positively impact early life physical activity to establish a healthy start in life.

Kylie's three-year ARC Discovery project "Understanding influences on physical activity and sedentary behaviour from preschool to preadolescence” aims at understanding the development of physical activity and sedentary behaviours spanning preschool to preadolescent years and, importantly, the factors that influence the development of these behaviours. The project will involve three other Deakin colleagues from C-PAN including Associate Professor Anna Timperio, Dr Clare Hume, and Dr Alison Carver who will work together to inform policy and implement strategies to improve the levels of activity throughout childhood.

Kylie began her research career at Deakin after being awarded an NHMRC Public Health Postgraduate Research Scholarship in 2001 and gaining her PhD in 2005. Since then, she has won a number of awards including an NHMRC/National Heart Foundation of Australia Postdoctoral Training Fellowship and a National Heart Foundation of Australia Career Development Award.

In 2011, Dr Hesketh was awarded the Vice-Chancellors Award for Outstanding Contribution to Research: Early Career Researcher. Renowned for her presentation skills she won the “Best Presentation by an Early Career Researcher” awarded at the Australasian Society for Behavioural Health and Medicine Conference in 2010, followed only a year later by the “Award for Best Oral Presentation in Epidemiology and Policy Theme” granted by the International Epidemiology Association World Congress of Epidemiology, Edinburgh.

Dr Hesketh currently leads one 2011 NHMRC Project Grant and a 2011 ARC Discovery Grant in additional to participating on two other current NHMRC Project Grants. She is also a keen supporter of the next generation of researchers, having supervised a number of successful students and postdoctoral researchers.

Dr Hesketh has demonstrated a very high level of productivity and dedication to her research, the C-PAN team and the University. Deakin is delighted to see her commitment and passion to this significant research area recognised by the ARC. 

Minister Pyne announces ARC Future Fellows and Major Grants funding outcomes see http://t.co/MlsxMA5rdu pic.twitter.com/Gf96XQAvYN

— ARC (@arc_gov_au) November 8, 2013