Assoc. Prof. Sonia Liu wins a prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) Industry Fellowship

By Mingan Choct

As the adage goes, “Success begets success”. Congratulations to Dr Sonia Liu who has won the ARC Early Career Industry Fellowship. This is on top of her ARC Linkage Project earlier this year worth over a million dollars to examine the use of reduced protein diets in poultry production.

The ARC is the primary non-medical research funding agency of the Australian Government and its grants are highly competitive. Obtaining two large grants during the same funding period is rarely heard of in our field of applied science and hence I asked Sonia about her latest project and experience in securing competitive projects.

Q1: You are one of our most successful researchers and another ARC grant. What is the secret of your success?

I believe my unsuccessful grant applications outnumber the ones that I have succeeded. The secret is to keep trying and never give up. Writing a grant or fellowship helps shape our thinking in terms of science, resources, impact, translation and our own career progression. Each funding body has a different vision and priorities, which may provide opportunities to plan your career in ways you may have never imagined. This is why I keep trying, and my completed DECRA Fellowship was the first one the University of Sydney had ever received in Agriculture (FoR 30).

Q2: I know your other ARC grant is about reduced protein diets. What are you hoping to achieve in this industry fellowship grant?

The fellowship’s title is ‘Early Bird Gets the Feed: Better Nutrition and Management in Poultry.’ We will investigate early nutrition in broilers (first 10 days) and layers (first 4 weeks) in relation to long-term industry productivity, animal welfare, and sustainability.

Q3: Who are your industry partners for the grant?

Complete Feed Solutions and Aviagen are my industry partners. They have been very supportive, and I am very excited about this opportunity. The unique aspect of this new ARC Scheme is that academic staff like me are required to spend time in an industry setting. I look forward to field trips in Australia and overseas with my industry partners.

Q4: This grant is the Early Career Industry Fellowship. What is your advice to our young scientists who are aspiring to have a career in poultry science or the poultry industry? Being an academic is like participating in competitive sports; don’t give up and keep trying. I have applied for the Westpac Fellowship twice, and this is my second attempt at the Industry Fellowship. After trying enough times, luck will eventually come.