Mr Kelly Tsang

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Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship in Science and Engineering sponsored by BHP Billiton

“Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine hold the key to revolutionising treatments of injuries and disabling illnesses.”

Kelly Tsang, a PhD candidate supported by the CRC for Polymers and working across Monash University and CSIRO has won the 2011 Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship in Science and Engineering sponsored by BHP Billiton. The Fulbright Scholarship in Science and Engineering was established with BHP Billiton in 2000.

Through his Fulbright, Kelly will spend twelve months at leading US institutes including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Wellman Centre for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.  He aims to extend his PhD research in the area of tissue engineering, which combines materials science and engineering with stem cell technology with the aim of reconstructing biological tissue.

“In this field I am developing a three dimensional, synthetic platform that can be used to build up complex tissues from individual cells,” Kelly said.

His work will use a special material that he has devised, a gel like substance that is able to be broken down by light (photo-degradable).

“Recent studies have demonstrated that a number of de-cellularised tissues can be re-seeded with stem cells, which then grow into functional tissue again after re-transplantation. These studies suggest that it is also possible to construct synthetic scaffold materials which display appropriate signals and which, after seeding with suitable cells, can yield functional tissues.”

The use of photodegradable polymers is expected in particular to address the need for materials that allow the precise spatial and temporal direction of cells in three dimensions.

“The Fulbright scholarship will grant me access to top tier laboratories, expertise and facilities to help demonstrate that these sophisticated photo-degradable hydrogel systems can be used to guide and control cells.”  He hopes to return to Australia with increased knowledge, contacts and to build long term collaboration in the area.

Kelly has a BSc/BEng (First Class Honours) from Monash University. He has been awarded 1st Prize and People's choice award, 3 Minute Thesis Speaking Competition, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University; CRC for Polymers Prize, for best Australian final year Engineering Research Thesis in the field of polymers; Dean's List Fellowship, Faculty of Science for three years, the Rotary Youth Leadership Award and the Doug Smith Memorial Award.  In his spare time he enjoys music/choral/song composition and performance, and looks forward to Broadway visits which will help inspire new compositions in his own musical.

The prestigious Fulbright program is the largest educational scholarship of its kind, created by U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright and the U.S. Government in 1946. Aimed at promoting mutual understanding through educational exchange, it operates between the U.S. and 155 countries. In Australia, the scholarships are funded by the Australian and U.S. Governments and corporate partners and administered by the Australian-American Fulbright Commission in Canberra.

Kelly is one of 26 talented Australians to be recognised as a Fulbright Scholar in 2011. Applications for Fulbright Scholarships in 2012 open on 1 June, visit www.fulbright.com.au

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