معرفی
Stephanie Rayner is a **Research Fellow** at the **Macquarie Medical School**, specifically within the **Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre** at Macquarie University. She holds a PhD (awarded 2020) and a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) from Macquarie University, along with prestigious awards such as the FightMND Early-Career Research Fellowship (2024–2028) and the Macquarie University Research Fellow (MQRF, 2021–2024). Her research focuses on understanding the role of cyclin F mutations in Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and developing methods to prevent toxic protein aggregates linked to neurodegeneration.
**Education**:
- PhD, Macquarie University (2020)
- Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours), Macquarie University
**Research Interests**:
Stephanie’s expertise lies in neurodegenerative mechanisms, particularly using mass spectrometry and biochemical assays to study protein interactions. She explores how cyclin F mutations contribute to MND, ALS, and FTD, with a focus on enhancing protein clearance pathways. Her work bridges basic science and translational research, leading to the development of patents targeting therapeutic interventions for neurodegenerative diseases.
**Awards**:
- FightMND Early Career Research Fellowship
- Macquarie University Research Fellow (MQRF)
- Vice Chancellor’s Commendation for Academic Excellence
- Ramy Razavian Dean Award for Academic Excellence
- 2019 Research Excellence Awards (STEMM category)
**Advising & Grants**:
Stephanie leads or collaborates on multiple grants, including the **FightMND ECRF** project (2023–2027) and the **MNDRA PhD Top-Up Scholarship**. These projects aim to develop ALS gene therapies and characterize RNA-protein interactions in MND. She has no listed advisees/students.
**Collaborations & Affiliations**:
Her work spans international collaborations, including labs at Stanford University (Aaron Gitler), the University of Sydney (Eleanor Drummond), and Copenhagen (Claus Sørensen). She contributes to interdisciplinary teams focused on motor neuron disease mechanisms and therapeutic translation.
