The Laurent Fellowship and Travel Awards for Respiratory Health
Applications are now open
Overview of the Laurent Fellowship for Respiratory Health Program
The Laurent Fellowships for Respiratory Health are supported through philanthropic donations raised in memory of Professor Geoff Laurent, a Western Australian scientist whose career was defined by excellence in respiratory research, international collaboration, and the mentorship of emerging researchers.
The Laurent Fellowships and Travel Scholarships for Respiratory Health were established as a tribute to Professor Geoff Laurent, a globally renowned researcher in respiratory health.
These initiatives aim to honour and continue Geoff Laurent’s lifelong dedication to meaningful research, knowledge exchange, and fostering academic partnerships – particularly with the universities he was most closely associated with The University of Western Australia (UWA) and University College London (UCL).
The program includes three opportunities:
- The Early to Mid-Career Laurent Fellowship in Respiratory Health
- The Senior Laurent Fellowship in Respiratory Health
- The Laurent Travel Awards for Respiratory Health
Early to Mid-Career Laurent Fellowship
This Fellowship represents an opportunity for an applicant from UWA, IRH or UCL to undertake respiratory health research in the laboratories of a different partner organisation described in this scheme. The Fellowship will support travel costs, living expenses and accommodation as well as support, for example, laboratory consumables and data-base access. Funding will be available for a period of between one and three months to ensure that an outcome of research significance is achieved such as the creation of a novel collaborative research program or gaining knowledge of a research technique required to enhance an ongoing research program or gaining access to a unique patient data base in the partner organisation.
If a UWA/IRH applicant wishes to work at UCL, the successful EMC Laurent Fellow will take up the position within the Department of Respiratory Medicine at UCL or a UCL-sanctioned alternative.
The EMC Laurent Fellowship in Respiratory Health is open to researchers with a doctoral degree awarded within eight years of an application being made and who are either:
- currently employed at UWA,
- adjunct staff in Centres associated with UWA affiliated medical research institutes such as IRH or
- have recently completed their doctoral degree in respiratory health research at UWA.
Applications are now open and close on Friday 10 April 2026.
Senior Laurent Fellowship in Respiratory Health
The Senior Laurent Fellowship in Respiratory Health is designed to encourage the establishment of viable research collaborations between senior respiratory health scientists at UWA and IRH with those at UCL. Funding will be available for a period of between two to four weeks to enable a successful applicant to travel from UWA/IRH to UCL or vice versa.
Applications are now open and close on Friday 10 April 2026.
Laurent Travel Awards in Respiratory Health
The Travel Awards alternate between support to attend the International Colloquium on Lung and Airway Fibrosis (ICLAF) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress, reflecting Professor Laurent’s longstanding engagement with both meetings.
In 2026, the Laurent Travel Awards will support attendance at ICLAF and will include:
- one award for a UCL-based recipient, with the potential to incorporate a visit to Perth as part of their travel to Sydney, and;
- two awards for UWA/IRH-based recipients.
- ICLAF abstract submissions are now open and close Wednesday 15 April 2026
The Laurent Fellowships for Respiratory Health are made possible by a group of dedicated friends and longstanding scientific colleagues of Geoff Laurent’s who wished to ensure that his legacy will not be forgotten. Further information on the history and purpose of the program can be found here.