Menu Close
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne

Dr Amy Heffernan is an analytical chemist and early career researcher at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Melbourne. Her research combines chemistry, bioinformatics and statistics to solve complex problems in the environment and human health.

Dr Heffernan received her PhD in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Queensland in 2014. Her early research focused on environmental and health monitoring of common chemicals including pesticides, plasticisers and flame retardants in the Australian population, and much of this research has been used to inform national policy.

With the award of a prestigious NHMRC-ARC Dementia Research Development Fellowship in 2016, Dr Heffernan moved to the field of neuroscience, bringing interdisciplinary expertise in quantitative mass spectrometry. Her current research investigates metal-binding proteins for therapeutic application in neurodegenerative disease.

She is recognised as one of Australia's most dynamic female scientists, and was named a Superstar of STEM by Science and Technology in 2017. She is a strong advocate of evidence-based policy and public engagement with science, participating regularly in science outreach, and is especially passionate about supporting and promoting women in science.

Experience

  • –present
    Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Melbourne
  • 2015–2015
    Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Queensland

Education

  • 2014 
    The University of Queensland, PhD in Environmental Chemistry

Professional Memberships

  • Royal Australian Chemical Institute
  • Australian New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry
  • Australasian Proteomics Society
  • International Society for Environmental Epidemiology