Flinders alumna, Dr Onuma Kaewkla, has won a prestigious Australia-Thailand mentoring fellowship, which has seen her return to the University for three months to work with her previous PhD supervisor, Professor Chris Franco.

Dr Onuma Kaewkla, who has a PhD in Biotechnology, is one of four Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships alumni across diverse fields to be chosen for the Endeavour Research Alumni Mentoring Program.

As part of the program, Professor Franco will travel to Thailand in October to present a seminar organised by the Australian Embassy.

Dr Kaewkla will take a temporary break from her role as Assistant Professor with the Department of Biology, Mahasarakham University in northeast Thailand for the program. She will work with Professor Franco on metagenomics of microbial communities as well as aspects of research project management.

The mentoring program is a collaboration between the Department of Education and Training, the Australian Embassy Bangkok and Thailand’s Office of the Higher Education Commission.

It was developed in recognition of the important role of mentoring in academic career development, providing an opportunity for academic staff and researchers to broaden their knowledge, skills, capabilities and experience.