The Cynthia Banham Burn Injury Research Fellowship is an initiative between The Ian Potter Foundation, Cynthia Banham and the Fiona Wood Foundation. The Fellowship supports clinically relevant burn injury research undertaken by an early-career researcher under the supervision of Professor Fiona Wood, an internationally recognised leader in burn care and translational burn research.
Cynthia Banham, former Sydney Morning Herald foreign affairs and defence journalist, was critically injured in the Yogyakarta air disaster in March 2007 while travelling with a delegation led by the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Alexander Downer MP. Following her treatment by Professor Wood and the Royal Perth Hospital burns team, this Fellowship was established to honour her recovery and to advance research that improves long-term outcomes and quality of life for survivors of severe burn trauma.
Valued at $100,000, the Fellowship aims to develop the next generation of burn care specialists by enabling early-career clinical and non-clinical researchers, including junior medical officers, service registrars and higher-degree research candidates, to undertake clinically relevant burn injury research as part of their broader career development. The program may be completed alongside existing clinical duties or structured as a defined research secondment.
Key Information and the Fellowship Guidelines are available via the Research Hub.
How to Apply
Expressions of Interest must be submitted before candidates can progress to a full application.
Step 1 – Expression of Interest
- The online Expression of Interest form can be accessed by clicking here.
- Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria will then be invited to proceed to Step 2.
Step 2 – Full Application (by invitation only)
- Invited applicants will be emailed a link to the online Full Application Form and instructions for uploading the required documents.
Key Dates
• Expressions of Interest open: 11th December 2025
• Expressions of Interest close: 5.00 pm AWST on Friday, 2 January 2026
• Full applications (for invited applicants only) due by 5.00 pm AWST on Friday, 16 January 2026
• Outcome notification: Late January 2026
For questions regarding the Cynthia Banham Burn Injury Research Fellowship or the application process, don't hesitate to get in touch with Di at diane@fionawoodfoundation.org.au.
Back to news list