Peter Panizza, member and awarded Runner-up at the 2022 Rob Clarke Awards, is completing an honours programme at The University of Western Australia. We interviewed Peter to learn more about his research project on Duchenne muscular dystrophy and the experiences gained through The Society award.
What inspired your interest in your research project?
My research focused on developing our understanding of the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, with a particular focus on the aetiology of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathology. Once I learnt about the devastating effects of this disease I was drawn to research it, especially as I can relate to those affected as they are primarily young males.
What were the challenges and highlights of participating in the Rob Clarke Award?
This was my first presentation of original research to a room full of accomplished scientists. It was truly an amazing and humbling experience, and I thank The Society for the opportunity to travel to London and present my findings at the Member Forum. Leading up to my poster presentation I was quite nervous, however also extremely excited for the opportunity.
When my presentation began, I started to relax as the judges were encouraging and patient. The conversations I had with judges during and after my presentation was stimulating and provided me with some new ideas for my future research. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to network with the other presenters and more experienced researchers.
Has the project influenced your next steps in your career?
This project has deepened my interest in skeletal muscle disease and it is the field I wish to focus my career on. I am continuing my research into muscular dystrophy and building on the interesting results of this project through an honours program at the University of Western Australia. Next year I plan to apply to undertake a PhD and would like to develop my own independent research program.
For more interviews with our Rob Clarke Award Finalists, we recommend reading the Q&As with 2022 award winner Elena-Georgiana Capburn and 2022 Runner Up Luke McAuley.