University of Wollongong alumnus Dr Natalie Matosin has been named in the prestigious Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list.
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The 28-year-old neuroscientist was included in the science and healthcare category for her work at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich.
The only Australian in any of the 10 categories, Dr Matosin is temporarily residing in Germany on an Australian government Fellowship grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.
According to the Forbes site, the 10 categories feature “300 young innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders across Europe who are under 30 years of age and who are transforming business, technology, finance, media, culture and more’’.
Dr Matosin – who grew up in Horsley and attended St Mary Star of the Sea College, before a Bachelor of Medical Science and a PhD at UOW – said it’s long been her ambition to make a difference.
‘’My parent’s favourite story is about how I spontaneously decided one day when I was eight that I was going to be a research scientist and cure the world,’’ she said.
‘’… I was ecstatic that I was included on the list. I couldn't believe that I could be included in something of that magnitude. I feel privileged to be associated with such an inspiring group of young people.’’
During her PhD, Dr Matosin did an internship at the Munich institute – one of the world’s leaders in the field of stress research – and returned to complete her post-doctoral training.
‘’I am a molecular neurobiologist – I study the genetic and molecular basis of severe psychiatric conditions like depression, PTSD, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder,’’ she said.
‘’All humans experience stress, and most experience trauma in their lives, but only a proportion go on to develop a psychiatric disorder. I try to understand the molecular and genetic reasons why some people are at risk while others are resilient.’’
Dr Matosin said the aim of the fellowship grant was to ‘’bring international experience back to Australia to improve the future of health and medicine in our country’’.
To view the list, visit www.forbes.com/30-under-30-europe-2017/.