Game changing research on quantum nanoscience, greenhouse gas emissions, managing wild dingos and finding a cure for cerebral palsy are among the achievements that have won 2013 Fulbright Scholarships for one University of Sydney staff member, two PhD candidates and three alumni.

The six recipients, including honorary research fellow Dr Thomas Newsome, PhD candidates David Waddington and Craig Roussac, and alumni Iona Novak, Allan Young and Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine have all won Fulbright Scholarships, which will allow them to pursue their studies in the US.

The prestigious Fulbright program is the largest educational scholarship program of its kind, and aims to promote mutual understanding through educational exchange. Founded by US Senator J William Fulbright in 1946, the program operates between the US and 155 other countries.

Dr Thomas Newsome

Dr Thomas Newsome, Honorary Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences: Fulbright New South Wales Scholar

Thanks to his Fulbright Scholarship, the re-introduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park will give Dr Thomas Newsome new inspiration for his research on dingo management in Australia.

Sponsored by the NSW government and universities, Dr Newsome's scholarship will take him to Oregon State University where he will collaborate with local researchers to determine whether or not there would be benefits for Australia in using similar measures with dingoes in areas where they have become locally extinct.

"Research on the dingo is important for two reasons," Dr Newsome says.

"Wild dogs, including dingoes, cause millions of dollars of damage to agricultural productivity annually. However, recent studies suggest that the reintroduction of the dingo into areas from which it has been made locally extinct could be the key to restoring Australian ecosystems decimated by introduced predators such as the feral cat and European red fox."

Dr Newsome completed his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and PhD at the University of Sydney. Along with working as an honorary fellow in the Desert Ecology Research Group in the School of Biological Sciences, he is also a senior ecologist at the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation.

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Six research leaders win Fulbright scholarships