Dr Brad Zhang was awarded a 2012-2014 BrightSpark Fellowship to investigate factors impacting allergy and asthma development in childhood.
His research project proposed to examine the complex interactions between genetic, environmental and epigenetic determinants of asthma. He has extensive experience in asthma genetics and environmental health, as well as biostatistics, for investigating complex gene-environment interactions.
Dr Zhang’s study provided an insight into the causes of allergic diseases by investigating the interactions between genetic and environmental determinants. The findings of the study contributed greater understanding of asthma prevention and treatment. It was conducted within the Peel Regional Partnerships for Community Child Development birth cohort, whereby mothers and families within the Peel region have been recruited at 18 weeks of pregnancy and the baby followed through birth and into early childhood.
Following the conclusion of his BrightSpark Fellowship in 2014, Dr Zhang has gone on to secure local and national funding, including NHMRC project grants. He is now an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at Curtin University and holds adjunct/honorary positions at The University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute, respectively. He has established a research laboratory, which continues to grow, and has a main focus on the investigation of environmental, genetic and epigenetic factors on the development of asthma and allergies in childhood. For more information about Dr Zhang’s research and career, please visit his university profile: https://staffportal.curtin.edu.au/staff/profile/view/brad-zhang-2386b8fa/